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 over a workbench in a drafty shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice ruin a perfectly good piece of high-carbon steel because he thought he could skip the soak time. He was impatient, treating metal heat Continue reading The Importance of Heat Treating Metal
I remember sitting in my first fabrication shop back in the seventies, the air thick with the smell of cutting oil and the rhythmic, high-pitched whine of a drill pressing through a thick steel plate. I watched an older journeyman Continue reading Techniques for Drilling Holes in Metal
I remember standing in a shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to fix a pitted chrome bumper with a high-speed buffer and a handful of cheap, abrasive compounds. He was moving so fast he couldn’t even see the Continue reading Restoring Pitted Automotive Chrome Trim
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