I remember standing in a massive industrial fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a cheap, flimsy hacksaw through a thick piece of angle iron. The blade buckled, the teeth stripped, and he ended up Continue reading Selecting a Hacksaw for Metalwork
I can still smell the burnt ozone and hot cutting oil from my first real job in the fabrication shop back in ’82. I remember watching a young apprentice try to muscle a heavy piece of mild steel through a Continue reading Safe Metal Drilling Practices
I remember standing in my old shop back in the nineties, surrounded by a mountain of twisted offcuts and rusted shavings that looked more like trash than treasure. A younger foreman walked in, looked at the mess, and told me Continue reading Managing Metal Scrap in the Workshop
I remember sitting in my first fabrication shop back in the seventies, watching a young apprentice try to force a joint together by cranking the heat like he was trying to start a bonfire. He thought more temperature meant a Continue reading Techniques for Soldering Metal Components
I remember sitting in my old shop back in the nineties, staring at a vintage lathe I’d spent three months restoring, only to find a blooming patch of orange decay creeping across the bed because I’d been lazy with the Continue reading Ways to Prevent Metal From Rusting
I remember a Tuesday back in ’84, working on a heavy-duty structural frame in a shop that smelled of burnt ozone and old grease. I was trying to hold a thick plate steady, but the cheap, mass-produced metal-working clamps I’d Continue reading Different Types of Clamps for Metalwork
I can still hear the ringing in my ears from a Tuesday afternoon back in ’84, when a rookie in the fabrication shop decided he could force a dull, cheap tool through a thick piece of high-carbon steel. He was Continue reading Using a Cold Chisel on Metal
I remember standing in a loud, cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young kid try to force a job through with a cheap, handheld unit that wasn’t up to the task. He was peppering the sheet metal with Continue reading Using Spot Welding for Thin Metal
I remember sitting in a cramped fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a thick strip of steel into a curve using nothing but brute strength and a prayer. The metal didn’t just resist; it Continue reading Common Methods for Bending Metal
I remember sitting at my bench back in ’84, staring at a piece of sterling silver that I’d just ruined because I thought I could manhandle the tool into submission. I was young, impatient, and convinced that if I just Continue reading Metalwork With a Jeweler’s Saw