I remember sitting in my first fabrication shop back in the seventies, watching a young apprentice try to force a joint together by cranking the heat like he was trying to start a bonfire. He thought more temperature meant a Continue reading Techniques for Soldering Metal Components
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a thick strip of steel into a curve using nothing but brute strength and a prayer. The metal didn’t just resist; it Continue reading Common Methods for Bending Metal
People will tell you that if a tool is pitted with rust or has a seized joint, it’s nothing more than scrap metal waiting for the bin. They’re wrong. I spent forty years in heavy fabrication, and I’ve learned that Continue reading Restoring Old Metal Tools to Working Order
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, my forearms aching and my knuckles raw, staring at a piece of steel that looked like it had been chewed by a dog. I had just spent three hours Continue reading Techniques for Hand Filing Metal
I still remember the smell of ozone and scorched iron from my first year in the industrial shops—a scent that used to mean progress, but eventually started to smell like near misses. I once saw a young lad, eager to Continue reading Maintaining Safety in a Metalworking Workshop
I remember my first real day in the shop, standing before a massive, soot-stained anvil that looked more like a mountain than a tool. The air was thick with the scent of coal smoke and hot iron, and every time Continue reading How to Use an Anvil for Metalwork
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to save a few bucks by slapping a cheap, spray-on lacquer over a piece of raw mild steel. He thought he was being clever, Continue reading Different Options for Finishing Metalwork
I remember a Tuesday back in ’88, hunched over a piece of fine-grained steel in a shop that had nothing but a single, flickering fluorescent tube hanging from the rafters. I was trying to check a bevel, but between the Continue reading Choosing Effective Lighting for a Metal Workshop
I remember standing over a forge in my first year of apprenticeship, watching a senior smith pull a piece of high-carbon steel from the coals. The smell of scorched oil and the rhythmic hiss of the quench tank are sounds Continue reading Basic Guide to Heat Treating Metal
I remember back in ’84, working a double shift in a fabrication shop in Sheffield, I watched a young lad spend three weeks meticulously organizing a tool cabinet only to realize he’d placed his heavy anvil on the far side Continue reading Planning an Efficient Metal Workshop Layout