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
I remember sitting in a cramped, soot-stained workshop back in ’84, listening to the rhythmic clink-clink-clink of a hammer hitting an anvil while the smell of hot iron and burnt oil filled my lungs. I watched a young apprentice try Continue reading Fundamental Metal Fabrication Skills