I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, the air thick with the smell of ozone and cutting oil, staring at a piece of thin-gauge steel that I’d just ruined. I’d been too impatient, swinging the shears Continue reading Fundamentals of Sheet Metal Work
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to hide a massive pocket of porosity by just running another bead right over the top of it. He thought he was saving time, but Continue reading Identifying Common Welding Defects
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice toss a perfectly serviceable tungsten electrode into the scrap bin just because the tip wasn’t shaped exactly like the picture in some glossy manual. He Continue reading Selecting and Preparing Tungsten Electrodes
I remember standing over a piece of hot mild steel back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a radius with a heavy sledgehammer because he was too impatient to set up a proper jig. The metal didn’t Continue reading Methods for Bending Metal
I remember standing over a heavy slab of mild steel back in the shop in ’84, the air thick with the smell of cutting oil and the high-pitched scream of a bit that had finally given up the ghost. I’d Continue reading Best Practices for Drilling Metal
I remember a job back in ’92, working on a custom heavy-duty trailer frame. A young apprentice, eager to impress but lacking any real sense, grabbed a batch of mild steel thinking it was high-carbon because the supplier’s invoice was Continue reading Understanding Different Steel Grades
I remember a job back in the late eighties, working on a heavy industrial frame, where a young apprentice thought he could “eyeball” a measurement to save time. He was halfway through a cut before I saw the look of Continue reading Accurate Measuring in Metalwork
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 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 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