I remember standing in a massive industrial fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to use a glorified toy to join two thick sheets of steel. He was sweating, cursing, and probably about five minutes away from blowing Continue reading How Spot Welding Machines Work
I was hunched over my workbench last Tuesday, staring at a pitted 1920s bevel edge plane that looked more like a lump of orange scale than a precision instrument. Most folks will tell you that if you want to save Continue reading A No-nonsense Guide to Removing Rust From Vintage Tools Without Wasting the Metal
Most folks see a heavy layer of black oxidation on an old silver spoon and think the piece is ruined, or worse, they think they need to go out and buy some expensive, chemical-laden spray from a supermarket aisle. That’s Continue reading A No-nonsense Guide to Cleaning Tarnished Silver Without Wasting Your Time or Your Metal
I remember sitting in my first shop back in the late seventies, the air thick with the scent of hot oil and burnt scale, listening to the rhythmic clack-clack-clack of a pneumatic hammer. My mentor, a man who didn’t say Continue reading Techniques for Joining Metal With Rivets
I was out in the garage last Tuesday, staring at a cracked cast-iron skillet that a neighbor had practically begged me to throw away. He’d spent a fortune on one of those fancy, pre-packaged metal repair kits he saw in Continue reading Essential Tools for Metal Repair Kits
I spent thirty years in heavy industrial shops where a misplaced wrench could mean a lost hour or a bruised knuckle, and if there’s one thing that gets under my skin, it’s the modern obsession with buying expensive, plastic modular Continue reading Stop Wasting Good Steel on a Mess: How to Organize a Small Workshop Space So You Can Actually Get to Work.
I remember standing in a massive fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice spray a high-end clear coat over a piece of steel that hadn’t been cleaned properly. He thought he was saving time, but within a month, Continue reading Applying Protective Coatings to Metal
I remember a job back in ’88, working on a custom chassis for a client who thought he could save a few bucks by using a handheld drill for everything. The sound of that bit screaming against hardened steel is Continue reading Guide to Using a Metal Drill Press
I remember standing in my first real shop forty years ago, staring at a piece of molten brass that looked more like a glowing mistake than a tool. The air was thick with the smell of burnt sand and scorched Continue reading Introduction to Metal Sand Casting
I remember sitting in my first industrial shop back in the seventies, the air thick with the smell of ozone and hot scale, watching a young apprentice try to hide a botched weld by slapping on a generic, sandblasted finish. Continue reading Creating Textures on Metal Surfaces