I remember sitting in my first fabrication shop back in the seventies, staring at a pile of scrap metal and feeling like a complete fraud because my beads looked more like a row of bird droppings than a professional weld. Continue reading Improving Tig Welding Skills
I remember sitting in my old mentor’s shop back in the seventies, the air thick with the smell of burnt oil and the rhythmic clack-clack of the heavy press. I was twenty years old and convinced I could force a Continue reading Techniques for Bending Metal Sheets
I remember standing over a piece of scrap mild steel back in ’84, thinking a little extra heat would solve everything. I was young, impatient, and frankly, a bit arrogant. I tried to weld a piece of high-carbon tool steel Continue reading Understanding Common Metal Alloys
I remember standing in my old shop back in ’94, staring at a rusted-out tractor part that looked more like a lump of coal than a piece of machinery. I’d spent three hours trying to blast it clean with a Continue reading Setting Up a Sandblasting Operation
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, working a heavy fabrication job on a custom chassis. I was reaching for a pair of pliers I’d picked up from a big-box hardware store just because they looked shiny and cost next Continue reading Essential Pliers for Metalwork
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a kid try to quench a high-carbon blade in cold water just because he was in a hurry to get to lunch. The sound of that metal screaming Continue reading Importance of Heat Treating Metal
I remember standing in a massive industrial plant back in ’84, watching a kid try to fix a cracked mounting bracket with a brand-new, high-tech laser welder he’d spent three months’ salary on. The machine was fancy, sure, but the Continue reading Essential Equipment for a Metalwork Workshop
I remember sitting in my old fabrication shop back in the late eighties, staring at a joint that looked clean but snapped like a dry twig the second it took a load. I’d been rushing, thinking I could just blast Continue reading Differences Between Brazing and Soldering
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, working a heavy fabrication job in a shop that smelled of ozone and burnt oil. I was wearing one of those flimsy, canvas-style aprons that some supplier swore was “industrial grade,” only to Continue reading Protective Clothing for Metalworkers
I still remember the first time I stood in front of a heavy industrial machine in my apprenticeship, the smell of cutting oil thick in the air and the steady, rhythmic hum of the motor vibrating right through the soles Continue reading Operating a Metal Lathe