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
I remember sitting in my first apprenticeship, my hands shaking slightly as I tried to smooth out a jagged edge on a piece of scrap steel. My mentor didn’t hand me some fancy, computerized measuring tool; he just tossed a Continue reading Selecting the Right Metal Files
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 drafty fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to force a joint together with a rivet that was clearly too short for the job. He was sweating, cursing, and hitting that metal with Continue reading Techniques for Riveting Sheet Metal
I was hunched over my workbench last Tuesday, staring at a rusted-out Stanley plane I’d picked up at a yard sale, when I realized just how much junk is being passed off as “patina” these days. Most folks think antique Continue reading Restoring Vintage Hand Tools
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 real workshop forty years ago, the air thick with the scent of coal smoke and hot iron, listening to a master smith tell me that a man is only as good as his patience. Continue reading Basic Principles of Forging Steel
I remember standing in my first real shop back in ’78, staring at a piece of cast iron that looked like an anvil but behaved more like a sponge. Every time my hammer struck, the vibration didn’t go into the Continue reading Choosing the Right Anvil for Forging
I remember standing in a fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to file a piece of heavy mild steel while his workpiece danced and jittered like a nervous dog. He’d gone and bought one of those Continue reading How to Use a Bench Vise
I remember sitting in my old shop back in the late eighties, staring at a piece of carbon steel that I’d spent six hours prepping, only to watch it turn a blotchy, uneven mess because I’d tried to force the Continue reading Ways to Develop a Steel Patina