Techniques
Methods, processes or procedures
Printing using a 3D printer
3dPrinting
Forging and other techniques used in blacksmithing
Blacksmithing
Design of parts, assemblies or circuits using a computer
CAD
Casting of aluminium in the flowerpot furnace
Casting
Assembling metals using welding or fastenings
Fabrication
Milling is machining things using a rotating tool. Typically this is done using a milling machine but with a bit of ingenuity it also be done in the lathe.
Milling
Cutting a circular groove or hole leaving the centre material in place or forming a separate disk. A more efficient technique that boring or drilling in that it removes less material
Trepanning
When I was an apprentice at Dowty we were sent to Stroud College to learn some specialist skills and complete an electronics project. We decided to build a tracking solar panel that followed the sun. For this we needed a framework to support our mocked up panel. So I temporarily joined the metal work class and watched the demonstration of lots of different types of welding. I also learnt how to braze using Oxy-Acetylene. I practiced this on the framework for the tracker.
More recently I attended an evening class at Chelsea College of Art and Design with some other
beginner welders where I built a giant flea sculpture using MIG welding.
After doing some research I bought a small DC TIG welder from
R-Tech Welding who I also use for
welding supplies. The reason for picking this is that it’s has less sparks so is safer for my small workshop and can be used on a wide variety of sizes of steel. I did not need to use the welder in a lot of different places so transporting the argon tank is not an issue. I have used this welder for variety welding projects in my workshop shed which you can see listed below. If you use MIG or TIG then I can definitely recommend getting a large refillable gas canister (in my case argon) as the small disposable canisters will run out quickly and it will become expensive very quickly. I found that even for a quick project such as my Obelisks that required multiple canisters.
Welding
Articles
October 28, 2018

This week I discovered that another of my articles had been published. Model Engineer’s Workshop had published my piece of sand casting using 3D printed patterns and aluminium, for some reason the article does not appear in the table of
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Posted in: Techniques
Tags: 3d Printing, casting, Routing, woodwork
October 22, 2018

Some good news this week, my latest article has been published in HackSpace #12. I teamed up with The Kuriologist to make an interactive candy bowl in the style of a Monkey Skull. Also, 4 of my projects made it into “Book
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Posted in: Techniques
Tags: Routing, tapping
July 27, 2015

Bespoke furniture maker Jamie Hubbard asked on twitter the other day if anyone knew the name of the following screw which he’d dug out of an old car light fitting. I thought they looked very like the screws you get
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Posted in: Techniques
Tags: bolts, screws, tapping, thread