How To: Weld figurines

Watch this instructional metalsmithing video to weld a set of figurines out of sheet metal, nails, and a coat hanger. Oxy-acetylene welding is the only gas flame type of welding that is hot enough to melt all commercial metals. Use 22 gauge sheet metal to make clean and safe metalwork. Use a plasma cutter to quickly cut out the basic pieces. You can also use a blacksmithing hammer to bend the metal into unique props fpr your metal figurines.

How To: Make a shopping cart chair with MAKE magazine

Kick back with John Park as he demonstrates how to upcycle a no-longer-usable shopping cart into an easy chair. This Make: magazine-based project offers an introductory look at how to cut, bend, and shape metal using metal cutters, saws, vice grips, and other tools common to home workshops. John also attempts a “deluxe” version of this project that employs motors and switches to transform it into a “go-kart chair.” View the clip to see his mixed results, and download the PDF.

How To: Make a cool recycled license plate mail box

Laura and Charles are a thrifty couple to have around in this time of recession. Using old license plates, some rivets and lots of love, they will teach you how to make a license plate mailbox. A simple and easy craft project that could be fun for the whole family, imagine the look on the mailman's face when he sees your new creation sitting in the front of your house. Your mailbox will be the talk of the neighborhood and who knows you just might start a trend! A friendly video with simple in...

News: Artist Burns Chairs into Decorative, Fragile Steel Ring Seats with Fire

For his thesis at Design Academy Eindhoven, artist/designer Tuomas Markunpoika Tolvanen created this incredible chair using tubular steel cut into thin rings. How did he get them to stay that way? He burned them. His project is called Engineering Temporality, and the inspiration came from his grandmother whose Alzheimer's disease is deteriorating her health and memories. Once he cut the rings, he laid them over an existing chair, only partially covering it. The fire acted as a varnish, creati...

How To: Make Chain Mail Armor from Start to Finish

This article is a guide for making Chainmail Armor from start (simple wire) to finish (a finished chainmail shirt). We will be using the European 4 in 1 weave, as this is the most common weave. This is the weave that you usually see in movies. There are several sections to this guide: Materials, Making the Rings, Weaving the Rings, and Making the shirt.

News: Chinese Ironworkers Build Massive Transformers Megatron Tank

Jiiang Chen and Yang Junlin, of the Wing Wah metalcraft factory in Huizhou, China, forged together a 10,000-pound replica of the Megatron tank as seen in the movie Transformers 2. The tank is from a series of other massive works from the company's "Legend of Iron" project (see last year's insane Megatron below). The tank was assembled and welded together with mostly scrap metal by the two expert craftsmen. In a word... insane.

How To: Craft a "Harry Potter" style wand that lights up

With the first installment of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" out, don't be surprised if you find yourself more than ever wanting to whip out a twelve inch phoenix feather wand and wrist twirl your way to defeating your own personal Voldemort. While this video won't teach you how to do magic (so sad), it will teach you how to craft a very cool-looking "Harry Potter" wand that can do the "lumos" spell.

How To: Weave a suit of elven chain mail

This tutorial shows you how to make an elven style of chainmail. This is an intricate style of chainmail that is nevertheless very sturdy and gives good coverage. Good for anyone looking to make their own armor for Renaissance Faires, larps, the SCA or other historial costuming events.

How To: Draw out metal in blacksmithing

When getting into blacksmithing, learning proper hammer strikes and heat levels for your metal and forge are good to know, but one of the most important techniques to know when hammering your metal is "Drawing Out", which is a method that you use to make your metal thinner and longer or thinner and flatter. In this video you will get a full tutorial on how to implement this basic, yet important, technique.

How To: Use an anvil in blacksmithing

When getting started with metal work and blacksmithing, you may be confused as to what you can do with an anvil. In this video you will learn every aspect about the anvil and how to actually use each section of the anvil for cutting, shaping and more!

How To: Use basic hammer strikes in blacksmithing

Blacksmithing is an ancient art of metalsmithing that has never gone away and is still done today! Knowing about heat and what sort of metals to use is good, but if you are just whacking at the metal wildly without any sort of form, you're doing it wrong. In this video you will learn the eight basic hammer strikes in blacksmithing that you will need to know to do any sort of blacksmithing.

How To: Get started with welding

Welding is a method of permanently joining metal pieces together. If you're looking to get started in the field either as a hobby or as a career, then check out this great video. In it you will get tips on how to get started and where to look as well as what tools you will need.

How To: Mimic the look of antique brass

You can easily copy the aged look on old brass jewelry and hardware. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, oxides naturally. But you can encourage the process to go faster by using vinegar and salt water, or a rag soaked in ammonia. Use these techniques to mimic an antique patina.

How To: Use machine shop tools to build prototypes with MIT

This ten-part series on machining skills for prototype development comes straight from MIT & Erik Vaaler. It's one of the most extensive video tutorials available on the web for machining. MIT's artificial intelligence laboratory's primary work is done for their robotics group. And most of their equipment is unavailable to the public because they're machines that MIT have built directly in their machine shop, or items that came into the shop needing repair. But if you can get your hands on so...

How To: Make chainmail quickly

Like A Flint demonstrates how to quickly make chainmail. First, find heavy gauge wire at a construction site or a craft store. Then, wrap the wire around a dowel or a tube until it forms a coiled spring. Remove the coiled spring from the tube and clip the spring into rings with a pair of wire cutters. Using two pairs of pliers, open up the ring and thread four rings inside of it. Close up the ring. Keep adding rings on top of rings until you achieve a chainmail like design. The process of mak...

How To: Make chainmail armor at home

Chainmail is quite difficult to make, but with this two part tutorial, you will soon be on your way. In these videos, learn how to make a piece of classic chainmail armor at home. Make smaller pieces to use as jewelry or decoration or make a whole suit for a cool knight costume.

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