I remember standing over a slab of granite back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a heavy steel bracket into a pre-drilled hole using nothing but a sledgehammer and sheer stubbornness. The sound of that stone cracking Continue reading Attaching Metal to Stone Surfaces
I remember standing in a client’s workshop back in ’88, watching a young lad try to force a heavy steel bracket into a piece of seasoned oak using nothing but brute force and some cheap, hardware-store screws. The wood groaned, Continue reading Joining Metal Components to Wood
I was cleaning out a crate of old workshop finds last Tuesday when I pulled out a heavy copper kettle that had been sitting in a damp corner for a decade. Most folks see that thick, crusty green layer and Continue reading Managing Copper Oxidation and Patina
I remember standing over a heavy workbench in a fabrication shop back in ’84, the air thick with the smell of cutting oil and the rhythmic, grating screech of a junior apprentice who thought he could finish a job in Continue reading Techniques for Manual Metal Filing
I remember standing in a fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice blow through a perfectly good piece of mild steel because he’d grabbed a dull, cheap saw blade just to save a couple of dollars. The smell Continue reading Essential Tools for Cutting Metal
I remember a job back in ’88, working on a custom brass fitting for a client who thought he could save a few bucks by buying a generic, bargain-bin buffing setup. I watched him spend four hours fighting with a Continue reading Selecting the Right Polishing Wheels
I remember standing in a drafty fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a heavy-duty joint together using nothing but a pneumatic gun and a prayer. He was rushing, trying to bypass the fundamentals of Continue reading Methods for Metal Riveting
I remember standing over a workbench in a drafty shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice ruin a perfectly good piece of high-carbon steel because he thought he could skip the soak time. He was impatient, treating metal heat Continue reading The Importance of Heat Treating Metal
I remember sitting in a drafty shop back in ’84, staring at a botched assembly where the builder had tried to force a square peg into a round hole using nothing but brute strength and a prayer. He’d skipped the Continue reading Achieving Tight Fits in Metalwork
I remember sitting in a cramped, soot-stained workshop back in ’84, listening to the rhythmic clink-clink-clink of a hammer hitting an anvil while the smell of hot iron and burnt oil filled my lungs. I watched a young apprentice try Continue reading Fundamental Metal Fabrication Skills