I remember standing over a rusted-out lathe back in ’84, watching a kid try to scrub away decades of oxidation with some fancy, overpriced chemical spray he’d bought online. He was scrubbing like his life depended on it, but all Continue reading Methods for Cleaning Metal Surfaces
I remember standing over a piece of copper back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a finish by cranking the torch way too high. He thought he could skip the prep work and just blast the color Continue reading Creating an Antique Patina on Metal
I remember standing in a massive industrial shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice waste a perfectly good sheet of mild steel because he thought he could “eyeball” a series of repetitive cuts. He’d spent more time cursing his Continue reading How to Build Metalworking Jigs
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, working a heavy fabrication job in a shop that felt more like a tomb. I was grinding down some thick stainless, and within ten minutes, the air was so thick with metallic dust Continue reading Importance of Ventilation in a Metal Workshop
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 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 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
Most folks see a hairline crack in an old skillet and think it’s headed straight for the scrap heap, but that’s a load of nonsense. They’ll tell you that once the iron breaks, the piece is dead, but I’ve spent Continue reading Repairing Cracked Cast Iron Items
I remember standing in a fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to bridge a massive gap with a fillet weld just because he was too impatient to prep his edges. He thought he could hide a poor Continue reading Common Types of Welding Joints
I remember sitting in my first shop back in the late seventies, staring at a catalog filled with shiny, overpriced equipment that promised “professional results” for the amateur. I spent half my paycheck on a fancy power hammer that ended Continue reading Essential Tools for Metal Forging