I remember standing in a drafty fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to force a joint together with a rivet that was clearly too short for the job. He was sweating, cursing, and hitting that metal with Continue reading Techniques for Riveting Sheet Metal
I was hunched over my workbench last Tuesday, staring at a rusted-out Stanley plane I’d picked up at a yard sale, when I realized just how much junk is being passed off as “patina” these days. Most folks think antique Continue reading Restoring Vintage Hand Tools
I remember standing in a cramped workshop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a joint together by cranking the torch to a blinding white heat. He thought more flame meant a faster job, but all he Continue reading Differences Between Soldering and Brazing
I remember standing in my first real workshop forty years ago, the air thick with the scent of coal smoke and hot iron, listening to a master smith tell me that a man is only as good as his patience. Continue reading Basic Principles of Forging Steel
I remember standing in my first real shop back in ’78, staring at a piece of cast iron that looked like an anvil but behaved more like a sponge. Every time my hammer struck, the vibration didn’t go into the Continue reading Choosing the Right Anvil for Forging
I remember standing in a fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to file a piece of heavy mild steel while his workpiece danced and jittered like a nervous dog. He’d gone and bought one of those Continue reading How to Use a Bench Vise
I remember sitting in my old shop back in the late eighties, staring at a piece of carbon steel that I’d spent six hours prepping, only to watch it turn a blotchy, uneven mess because I’d tried to force the Continue reading Ways to Develop a Steel Patina
I remember sitting in my old shop back in the nineties, staring at a piece of copper that looked more like a shiny new penny than anything worth keeping. I’d spent three hours trying to follow some fancy, chemical-heavy guide Continue reading Creating Decorative Patinas on Metal
I spent thirty years in heavy fabrication, and if there’s one thing that gets under my skin, it’s seeing folks run out and buy those overpriced, chemical-laden “miracle” kits just to clean a bit of old hardware. They promise a Continue reading Techniques for Polishing Brass Objects
I remember standing in my first shop back in ’78, staring at a piece of scored brass that had just gone flying across the room because I’d been too impatient with the setup. The sound of that metal hitting the Continue reading How to Use a Workshop Vise