Metal Working

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Boru. If you just want to pass some time as a hobby, doing up or restoring an old car involves so many skills, you'll learn stuff and never be bored.
eg, any old car, doesn't have to be fancy, an old mini, or an austin, etc. It covers, painting, welding, electricals, stitching? You can do as little or as much as you want...
(ps, I enjoy working on the old horse more than I do driving it) ...

(as many here will tell you, it's not just for grease monkeys. There's actually a lot of theory involved in doing things like degreeing a camshaft or setting up proper rocker arm geometry...)

I’m so uninterested in cars that I’d give up on the project early on and let the wife turn it into a bird feeder.

Boru

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

For a novice who wants to knock some steel into something useful - or just fun - you will get the most bang for your buck with a mig welder, a side grinder with some cutoff blades and some sanding discs and a bench mounted drill press.

You can get all new - easily - for under $1000 USD....

Or hit some garage sales. You would be AMAZED at some of the good quality tools you can find at such sales....

I got both bandsaws (vert and horz) for $50 each. My floor mount Packard drill press for $40. I got a new Ryobi sawzall for $2. It's well worth a bit of driving about on a Saturday morning with the SO....


He who dies with the most TOOLS wins...

I should have been clearer. I’m interested in setting up a small, traditional forge or smithy, not so much a machine shop. Forge welding instead of mig, files instead of grinders, that sort of thing.

Boru

[popeyespappy]

For a novice who wants to knock some steel into something useful - or just fun - you will get the most bang for your buck with a mig welder, a side grinder with some cutoff blades and some sanding discs and a bench mounted drill press.

You can get all new - easily - for under $1000 USD....

Or hit some garage sales. You would be AMAZED at some of the good quality tools you can find at such sales....

I got both bandsaws (vert and horz) for $50 each. My floor mount Packard drill press for $40. I got a new Ryobi sawzall for $2. It's well worth a bit of driving about on a Saturday morning with the SO....


He who dies with the most TOOLS wins...

I should have been clearer. I’m interested in setting up a small, traditional forge or smithy, not so much a machine shop. Forge welding instead of mig, files instead of grinders, that sort of thing.

Boru

What do you plan on making? Ornamental stuff or knives and tools. Are you interested in Damascus?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

OR if you want angry burns on  your person that make great conversation starters how about jewelry making, silversmithing and the like.

That shouldn’t be an issue. Once the burns heal, they’ll blend right in with my existing network of scars.

But yeah, precious metal smithing is definitely an idea in the mix.

Boru

Don't fry the stones!

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I should have been clearer. I’m interested in setting up a small, traditional forge or smithy, not so much a machine shop. Forge welding instead of mig, files instead of grinders, that sort of thing.

Boru

What do you plan on making? Ornamental stuff or knives and tools. Are you interested in Damascus?

Simple stuff to start with (obviously) until I learn what I’m doing. Eventually, I’d like to get into ornamental wrought iron work.

When I was a kid, we had a Gypsy farrier come round periodically to shoe the few horses we kept. He also made wrought iron doodads - picture frames, tool racks, drawer handles, etc. Beautiful stuff.

Boru

[popeyespappy]

What do you plan on making? Ornamental stuff or knives and tools. Are you interested in Damascus?

Simple stuff to start with (obviously) until I learn what I’m doing. Eventually, I’d like to get into ornamental wrought iron work.

When I was a kid, we had a Gypsy farrier come round periodically to shoe the few horses we kept. He also made wrought iron doodads - picture frames, tool racks, drawer handles, etc. Beautiful stuff.

Boru

Last week I got to visit the storage area of a NPS historic area in Louisiana. One of the things that caught my eye was an old leather forge bellows. I remember something very similar at my grate grandfather's property in the early 60's. When I recognized it for what it was the park manager asked if I wanted to see some of the stuff made on that forge. Around the corner there were several ornamental iron crosses made by former slave Solomon Williams for his friends and relatives in the black cemetery. One of the the crosses he made is currently on display at the black history museum in DC.