I can still hear the sharp, rhythmic ping of a stray shard of steel hitting the concrete floor of the shop back in ’84. I was working on a heavy-duty bracket, feeling confident and a bit too rushed, when a Continue reading Importance of Eye Protection in Metalwork
I remember standing in a dusty fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a green kid blow through a perfectly good set of bastard files because he thought speed was the same thing as skill. He was trying to force a Continue reading Using Files for Metal Shaping
I remember sitting in my first shop back in the seventies, staring at a piece of brushed steel that looked like absolute rubbish because I’d tried to “speed up” the finishing process. I had grabbed a handful of whatever cheap, Continue reading Sanding Metal With Various Grits
I remember standing in a fabrication shop back in the late eighties, surrounded by a floor so cluttered with twisted offcuts and rusted shavings that you could barely walk without catching a boot on something. My foreman used to yell Continue reading Managing Scrap Metal in the Workshop
I remember sitting in a dimly lit workshop back in ’84, squinting through a cloud of grinding dust just to see the edge of a copper sconce I was trying to shape. The smell of hot ozone and scorched oil Continue reading Lighting Requirements for Metalwork
I remember standing in a massive fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to grind a bevel on a heavy steel plate while his table wobbled like a leaf in a gale. Every time his grinder bit Continue reading Building a Metalworking Workbench
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, working on a custom gate frame in a shop that smelled of ozone and burnt oil. I was trying to hold a heavy section of angle iron steady, relying on a cheap, flimsy Continue reading Types of Clamps for Metalwork
I can still smell the heavy, biting scent of burnt sulfur and cheap mineral oil from my first year in the fabrication shop. I remember a young apprentice—well, I was that apprentice—trying to force a drill through a hardened steel Continue reading Using Lubricants in Metalworking
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, working a heavy fabrication job on a custom chassis. I was reaching for a pair of pliers I’d picked up from a big-box hardware store just because they looked shiny and cost next Continue reading Essential Pliers for Metalwork
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, working a heavy fabrication job in a shop that smelled of ozone and burnt oil. I was wearing one of those flimsy, canvas-style aprons that some supplier swore was “industrial grade,” only to Continue reading Protective Clothing for Metalworkers