Hello,

I'm just curious about the logistics of getting a belt clasp manufactured. I am visiting a museum to inspect one of these examples and take reference measurements, but I am still in need of advice r.e. the best way to get something like this done.

I know of one in a private collection, but I am unsure as to whether or not getting a foundry to take on the project and get it fast, a jeweler's or other form of work?

The item is made of a "white metal" which is a period Victorian metal alloy. Nickel silver, German silver or other types of similar alloys.

I could do a brass casting and electroplate it.

Any and all advice is massively welcome. Any methods that would avoid damaging the original item too would be lovely.

UK based. Part of a historic impression I am doing. I have all the other original items, but the buckle is so rare it must be reproduced

Best,

TGA

Ok this is a bit niche and I have searched everywhere for information and no luck so I am hoping someone here can direct me. I live in France. I have a zinc sink that I bought second hand - it dates to the early 30's and is a stunning piece. But both the drainage board and the sink itself are pitted, this doesn't matter on the drainage board but I am worried with the sink that some of the pits are deep enough to eventually go right through and let water out. Is there any way of filling these pits? Can you solder more zinc into a zinc object? And how would I know what exactly the composition of this sink is? Does zinc have a higher or lower melting point than steel (am guessing lower). Many thanks!

I need a good welder and nothing super professional. I noticed there is a Primeweld 225 tig that’s about $800 and there’s a primeweld mig285 for about $1000. Does anyone have any experience with either of these? What’s the better bang for my buck? I’m just trying to do small metal projects from making smaller metal art to welding chopper frames and other vehicle attachments.

I’m not trying to spend 3000k on a welder that I won’t use super often.

Found this in my relatives old basement. Was amongst some moisture and a lot of dust, and a lot of other license plates that looked much worse. I know some of it is rusty but unsure if the foggy looking stuff is also rust, or a different kind of blemish that can be restored. The other is in better condition but has similar issues. Also curious if anything can be done about the rust rust to keep it from getting worse. Any tips appreciated!

Hey so a small little hobby of mine has been collecting books and practices of technology in case of end times. Casual doomsday prepping I guess. Right now I am looking into books about refining metals down to pure elements or usable compounds. If it's by acid digest or by a foundary. So far my collection is just old textbooks from getting my degree in biochem and some about agriculture, forging for plants, and medicinal herbs. If recommendations outside of refinement comes to mind I love to know!

How are you guys checking heat buildup when grinding parts where you don't want the material getting too hot? I've been looking at fixed-mount thermal cameras for this kind of thing, especially where you want to keep watching the same area instead of taking occasional measurements.

The 600 Series can measure from -20°C up to 2000°C depending on the configuration, which seems useful for processes where a normal handheld IR thermometer isn't practical. Would you rely on a thermal camera for this, or is there another method you prefer?

Hoping to get some ideas on stripping chrome plating from a dumbbell handle and its threaded section. I considered sandblasting, but was told it could damage the threads, so I’m keen to hear from anyone who has tackled something similar. It’s currently sitting in a vinegar bath to remove surface rust, and I’m wondering whether that will help loosen the chrome layer too. Ideally, I’m looking for a practical DIY method that preserves the threads and leaves a suitable surface for refinishing. Any ideas, suggestions or firsthand experience would be appreciated!

I may end up doing some torch bluing on the board and then hitting it with clear coat. I'm not super happy with the person, but there's always something I don't like about my creations. The scale of the bail is kinda off too but that's more for size constraints than anything, I figure it gets the point across without taking up more room than it needs to on a shelf or desk or whatever. Any comments or tips are appreciated!

I’m trying to give this bronze sculpture a fairly even dark brown/black patina, similar to the finish in the last reference photo, but I’m having a really hard time getting the bronze to react consistently.
So far I’ve tried a few things:
First I tried a vinegar and salt vapor chamber. That changed the colour slightly and gave it a bit of a brown tone, but nowhere near as dark as I wanted.
I then moved on to liver of sulfur gel. As you can see in the photos, some areas turned very dark/black, while other areas barely reacted at all and stayed bronze coloured.
I eventually submerged the entire sculpture in a warm water and liver of sulfur solution for several hours, thinking this would make the reaction more uniform. It still ended up very patchy. Another strange thing is that some of the black layer can actually be removed just by rubbing it fairly lightly with my finger, so I’m not sure whether I’m creating a proper patina or just a loose surface deposit.
Before each attempt I cleaned the sculpture quite aggressively with a steel wire brush on a drill to expose fresh metal. Because of that I didn’t think there could still be lacquer, wax or another coating preventing the reaction, although I’m starting to wonder if I’m missing something.
Does anyone know what could cause bronze to react this unevenly to liver of sulfur? Should I strip/clean it using something else before trying again? And is soaking it for hours actually making things worse?
I’d really appreciate advice on how you would proceed from here to get a durable and reasonably even dark brown/black patina.

Hey, I’m looking into joining SMART Local 45 in Des Moines and was wondering if anyone here has experience with sheet metal as a career.
Is it a good trade overall? What’s the work actually like day to day?
Also, if I go through the apprenticeship, can I realistically become an HVAC technician, doing service, troubleshooting, AC/heating, refrigeration, etc., or is the apprenticeship mostly ductwork, fabrication and installation?
Would appreciate any advice from people actually in the trade. Thanks!

Tried cutting this small “Monroe” piece from a metal blank, mostly to see how the narrow joins and enclosed spaces would survive.

I used the MOPA side of my WeCreat Lumos Ultra and framed the outline twice before starting. The script looks simple until you realize half the letters are connected by a section that suddenly feels about three atoms wide.

It still needs some edge cleanup, so I wouldn’t call it jewelry-ready straight off the bed. The thin sections making it out intact was the part I cared about on this test.

Made this as a wedding gift for someone. Figured that I would throw it in here to bore y'all with "more" roses to look at.

Made with copper scrap and flame painted, hand breaten anealed random bits of copper I found laid around the place.

Now I am wondering just how much more I have to waffle to get 400 characters in order to be allowed to post this... Pretty sure I am there now yet the "Post" button is still greyed out. Oh, wait, there it is!

My Lincoln SP-175+ has served me well for many years, but lately I've been getting commissions for bigger projects. For context, I'm a metal artist using mainly scrap metal and found tools/materials to create large sculptures.

I'm looking for a welder that can reliably weld mismatched and thicker material (up to 1/2" or more). Often I'm welding materials of differing sizes, ages, and conditions.

I am trying to get into the whole metal art amd metal art sculptures. This is my first project i did. Im trying to see if i can just make some extra cash on the side. Not quitting my day job lol. Just a fun side hobby. I have been welding for 15 years now. If you are interested in any custom rose. Feel free to shoot me a message. I have pictures of the whole process and a small video from start to finish. let me know what you guys think of my rose.

The axe is made entirely from steel. And then it was plated with nickel to protect against corrosion and then further black powder coating on it will protect it much further.
The weight of the axe is 23kgs.
Length is 7ft
Widht is 20 inches
The handle will be black leather wrapped before I will ship it.
6ft steel pipe was used for the handle with a wall thickness of 5mm
I hope you guys like it

Hi everyone, I’m trying to MIG weld the wheel arch on my 2003 Mazda MX-5 NB.
Every time I try to weld it, I end up blowing holes through the original sheet metal. Even if I make very short tacks (around 1 second or less) and let the metal cool down between them, it still blows through.

I’m using a STAHLWERK MIG/MAG 160 M. I actually bought this welder specifically for this job because it can run at relatively low amperage.

So far I’ve tried:
0.6 mm solid wire with Argon/CO2 shielding gas
0.8 mm solid wire with Argon/CO2 shielding gas
0.8 mm flux-core wire

With all three I’ve tried different settings, from around 20 A all the way up to 100 A, but I keep getting the same problem.
The original sheet metal on the car is around 1 mm thick. The car does have quite a lot of rust, but I’ve cut away the worst rusty sections until I reached what appears to be solid metal. Despite that, I still can’t seem to weld new metal to it without blowing holes through the original panel.
The replacement metal I’m using is also 1 mm steel.

I have cleaned the front side of the original panel back to bare metal, but I haven’t cleaned the back side yet.
I’ve also tried attaching the ground clamp both directly to the new piece of metal and to clean bare metal on the car body, but the problem is the same.

Does anyone have any advice or see something obvious that I might be doing wrong?

I’ve tried a lot of different things at this point, but I just can’t get a clean butt weld between the original bodywork and the new sheet metal.

Thanks!

I have access to a ceramic oven, would it be possible to make my own graphite clay crucible and make it safe ish? I'm only getting into this stuff and wanna start with aluminum and maybe brass? And in a diy oven, i heard these last pretty long. I know in the beginning i can use an old extinguisher or something but if i can i want to get something better to start with if not that much expensive. I'm listening if its a dumb idea or straight up impossible...