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
I still remember the smell of ozone and scorched iron from my first year in the fabrication shop—a scent that usually meant someone had been too damn impatient. I watched a young apprentice, eager to prove he didn’t need a Continue reading Safety Precautions in a Metal Workshop
I remember sitting in my first fabrication shop back in the seventies, staring at a joint that looked fine to the naked eye but snapped like a dry twig the moment the machine hummed to life. I’d rushed the job, Continue reading Methods for Soldering Small Metal Parts
I remember one particular Tuesday back in ’84, standing over an anvil in a shop that smelled of coal smoke and old grease, watching a young apprentice try to force a bend in a piece of high-carbon steel that wasn’t Continue reading Basic Principles of Manual Metal Forging
I remember standing in a massive fabrication shop back in the late eighties, watching a green kid try to force a high-speed bit through a thick slab of seasoned steel. He was leaning his entire body weight into the handle, Continue reading Using a Drill Press for Metalwork
I remember sitting in my first shop back in the seventies, the air thick with the smell of cutting oil and the rhythmic, high-pitched scream of a buffing wheel. I was trying to get a mirror finish on a piece Continue reading Methods for Polishing Metal
I remember sitting in a cramped, poorly ventilated corner of a fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to force a joint together by cranking the heat way too high. He thought he could make up for a Continue reading Basic Metal Soldering Methods