Hello!

[davefixesthings]

Hey folks,

I hope everyone reading this is doing great!

I'm another aspiring forum member from the southern coast of South Africa. My interest in metalshaping came about (as with most other folks, I suspect) via classic cars. Due to the relative scarcity of metalshaping tools here (and skilled practitioners, though there are a handful of incredibly talented folks dotted around the country), one inevitably ends up having to learn the basics out of pure necessity to move forward with their own projects.

On that topic, I'm really glad to see a smattering of my countrymen in residence here, including Barry, whose course in Stellenbosch I attended almost a decade ago. That was my introduction proper to metalshaping, and the vital impetus I needed to complete a number of projects, though these only involved rust repair and simple patch panels done with hand tools. It's only recently that I started investing more seriously in metalshaping-specific tools and equipment, as I found myself saddled with some pretty advanced rust issues in one of my project cars - a largely worthless but nevertheless deeply-beloved Triumph sedan. As it turns out, it wasn't just me - a handful of other local chaps had reached a crisis point with the amount of restoration work we have in our home garages that needs to be addressed, and the scarcity of the necessary equipment in our fair country. Unfortunately, our location means that much needs to be built from scratch unless you're prepared to pony up a small fortune for shipping heavy things to the southern hemisphere, and our less-than-advantageous currency exchange rate doesn't help in the matter.

I recently drew up and built a dinky little English wheel (with a box tubing frame), a pneumatic planisher, and a 'pocket' bead roller (mostly to address the singular problem of a rear-windscreen-surround). There are a number of other tools I have in the pipeline for myself and a couple of other friends in need, and I'm hoping to share some of them here. More importantly (being but a padawan in the subject of metalshaping), I hope to absorb as much of the wisdom and advice I can from some of the very experienced and knowledgeable people on this forum.

As it is, I've "lurked" here and there (often getting drawn in by Google Search results during research and development), and already learned a ton from even small 'throwaway' comments that members have made.

I hope this covers all my bases with regards to introductions, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

[galooph]

Welcome aboard, Dave!

[davefixesthings]

Thanks Dan! I see you're in the Stoke area - I bet there's some fascinating industrial history around you there!

[Jaroslav]

Hi Dave, scarcity leads to improvisation and the joy of a job well done. Good luck.

[Kerry Pinkerton]

Welcome Dave.

[Steve Hamilton]

Hi Dave welcome to the site!

[dwmh]

That's quite an introduction Dave. Welcome and enjoy the forum.

[davefixesthings]

Thank you very much Jaroslav, Kerry, Steve, and David!

[Chad.S]

Howdy.....

[davefixesthings]

Howdy, Chad!