Introduction from Northern California

[machine_punk]

Good afternoon! I am pleased to finally find a forum aimed directly at the area of metalworking I most enjoy...sheet metal forming.

I've just finally got the money and time to start enjoying the hobby of metalworking. I particularly enjoyed the metalworking course I took in junior high school, but just didn't pursue it at that time. I've always worked with wood, including a time I worked with a cabinet builder for a while.

I've done a lot interesting things in my life...been in the Army National Guard as a combat medic, been in the Air Force as a registered nurse, lived in Japan, Korea, and England, been a tournament director for Texas Hold'em tournaments, and, just recently, made it to the top 100 contestants (out of several thousand) for Masterchef Season 2 (which is on TV right now).

At the age of 30, I decided to learn something new each year. This ranged from learning to play the guitar, taking martial arts to taking a cooking course in France, to ballroom dancing, to taking an autobody metalworking course in England--where they specialized in classical Jaguars.

The course renewed my interest in metalworking. While I really enjoyed being able to shape metal and making 'perfect' large panels from small pieces of formed sheet metal, I began to realize that I REALLY like the look of solid rivets. Lately, I've been getting my metalworking shop together...mainly buying tools on CList and the online auction site. I've got some fantastic deals on air tools...usually buying old tools, disassembling them, and getting them working well again.

I've really only been practicing with the solid rivets so far...making test pieces and riveting them together. I really enjoy the engineering challenge of making objects which use rivets and the only fastening device. I plan to build airplane-like furniture, like Moto Art, only 'from scratch.' I have the materials to start getting my shop together. I'd like to build, rather than buy, most of my shop fixtures. Instead of a peg board to hold tools, I plan to build a reconfigurable rack system (based on the music/computer rack system), where all the tools get their own bracket, custom made and riveted to a standard blank (19" wide), which can be moved around the rack system on the wall to meet current needs. I also plan to build my own tool boxes. One of my ideas is to cut off the last 2.5 feet (.75 meters?) of a 1986 Volvo station wagon...take the door off, and replace the door with tool drawers whose fronts match the profile of the hatch door I just removed (so, the tool cabinet will look like the back of a Volvo station wagon, except with drawers, instead of a hatch door).

Anyway, I'm running long here. Looking forward to seeing what all of you are working on.

Kev

[HEATNBEAT]

Welcome to Allmetalshaping Kevin!

[David Gardiner]

Welcome to the site Kevin. I am glad you liked the course at Contour. I have had a couple of people come to me after taking the course for further learning experience. One of the guys now works at my friends coachbuilding company www.vintagecars,com he got the job after I recommended him.

I have done qhite a bit of riveting. It can gat old fast if yo have a lot of it to do! Sounds like you have a lot of ideas! I am like that I can hardly keep up with the new ideas.


David

[machine_punk]

Thanks for the kind words, David. I took a quick look at your site. Great work! I am pleased with how your projects turn out. I tend to prefer the British custom car and coach building scene.

I love to travel. If I ever make back to England, I'll make a point to stop by and see your shop.

I just posted my first project on this forum...take a look in the "beginner projects" section. My first projects will be outfitting my shop.

kev

[Overkill]

There are a few metal shapers in this area, hiding in various corners.

[machine_punk]

John - looks like you are about 1.5 hours away from me. I was about to ask if you knew of any metal sources in the area, but you live just above the one i already found (Industrial Reuse in Windsor). Seems to be a lot of people with shops up in your area (well, at least a lot of people selling tools on c-list).

[Richard-S]

In Santa Rosa there Is Bataef Salvage, down on Mountain View Avenue, which intersects Santa Rosa Avenue right across from Friedmans. They have a lot of stuff: new steel and aluminum, junk steel, aluminum, and stainless, junk machinery, and probably the best hardware selection in town. An especially wide selection of stainless fasteners.

I was there today and bought a handful of 1/8 and 1/4 inch pipe fittings out of the junk pile for fifty cents. I need them for the waste oil burners in my foundry in Mexico.

Sometimes they have the darndest things. Several years ago I found four sheets of 1100 aluminum out in the junk pile. That's my favorite; I like the color when it's polished. A little bent, but I bend it all up anyway in my sculpture studio. I bought all four at the price of scrap.

[machine_punk]

Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out the next time I am up that way. I can see that I am just going to have to start making a monthly run to the scrap yards around here. Everything is just far enough away that I need to cut down on how often I go...my Ford E350 15-passenger van is a thirsty beast (but I only drive 4 miles to work. I'd bike that, but there is a rough neighborhood between home and work...not unheard of for people to have their bikes taken at gunpoint).

[Overkill]

I know that lots of guys here haul their scrap metal to American Canyon to get a better scrap price than offered in Windsor. Don't know if you can buy out of there too.

There is also Masselli's (sp?) in Petaluma. But they seem to like their stuff a bunch ($$) but do have a huge selection.