I was hunched over my workbench last Tuesday, staring at a tarnished Victorian-era lamp that some kid had tried to “fix” with a bottle of harsh, supermarket acid. The metal was pitted, scarred, and half-ruined because they thought speed was Continue reading Restoring the Shine to Old Brass Items
I remember a Tuesday back in ’88, standing in the middle of a fabrication floor with a deadline looming and a client breathing down my neck. I spent forty-five minutes hunting for a specific set of calipers, only to find Continue reading How to Organize a Metalworking Workshop
I still remember the smell of ozone and singed hair from a job back in ’84, when a kid I was mentoring thought he could dodge his leather apron just to stay a bit cooler in the shop. He thought Continue reading Essential Welding Safety Protocols for the Workshop
I remember sitting at my workbench twenty years ago, staring at a cracked vintage manifold and wondering why the solder just wouldn’t take, no matter how much heat I threw at it. I’d spent half a morning sweating over the Continue reading How to Solder Brass Components
I remember standing over a workbench back in ’84, trying to fix a heavy-duty conveyor bracket with a set of cheap, flimsy riveting tools I’d picked up from a local hardware chain. The metal was screaming, the rivets were buckling, Continue reading How to Use Riveting Tools
I remember standing over a piece of custom-fabricated flashing back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a specific shade of verdigris by dousing the metal in a cocktail of harsh chemicals he’d read about online. The smell Continue reading Creating and Controlling Copper Patina
I can still smell the burnt coolant and hear the rhythmic, heavy chatter of a machine struggling against a dull bit from my days in the industrial shops. I remember a young apprentice back in ’84 who thought he could Continue reading Basic Lathe Operation and Safety
I was clearing out a neighbor’s garage last summer when I found a Lodge skillet buried under a pile of rusted garden tools, looking more like a hunk of scrap metal than something meant for a kitchen. Most folks would’ve Continue reading How to Restore Vintage Cast Iron Pans
I remember standing in a massive industrial shop back in ’84, watching a kid spend three hours trying to find the “perfect” precision-machined gadget from a catalog just to fix a simple bracket. He was surrounded by shiny, overpriced junk Continue reading Fundamental Hand Tools for Metalworkers
I remember sitting in my old shop back in ’84, staring at a heavy-duty vise that had been left out in the rain for a season. I’d spent half my paycheck on some fancy, store-bought chemical spray that promised to Continue reading Effective Methods for Removing Rust From Metal