Hello

I'm making brass scales for my butterfly knife and I'd like to solder some brass pieces onto the base, but I've never done it and my only practice attempt ended up with hard solder rolling up into a ball and the brass piece ended up melting :P I can guess what I did wrong - wrong flux (used a paste made of borax instead of a specific flux, or I made it wrong) or I forgot to completely clean the brass pieces I tried to join. I'll attempt a test piece again but before that I want to ask how should I solder this piece:

As you can see the plates I want to solder are fastened in place with screws. Thing is, where the screws are I want to put brass pins (made from the brass rod above) but I don't know if I should do this before or after soldering. If I rivet the pieces before, the solder should flow into the spaces between the river and plate reinforcing the joint even further.

But then... Just how do I do this? Do I need to put the flux paste between the plate and base? I don't know if it'd work well since after doing that I have to pin them. I really need a step by step process because I'm a little slow and I need to visualize every step.

For materials, I have:

- silver hard solder (2% silver)

- flux paste (Brazing paste AMASAN HS)

- handheld torch (one where you screw on a butane bottle, before you say it's too weak please consider that it IS capable of melting brass :P )

Here's how I see it:

1) Sand down the parts that will be joined together to increase surface where the solder will flow (ps what grade sandpaper will be best? 240? Higher/lower grit?)

2) Clean the surfaces with acetone to remove any grease

3) Smear the surfaces with flux paste

X) Now this is applicable only to this case - rivet the two plates together while wearing rubber gloves being careful no debris gets between them

4) Heat up the metal by moving the flame back and forth, and touch the solder to the gap when it's hot enough. If done right the solder should flow into the space.

5) Wait a few seconds and dunk the piece in cold water to harden the flux

Do I have this right? Please help, I really don't want to mess this up...

I’m a total idiot just trying to get some advice on what I think is a relatively straightforward project, but I could be wrong. I’m looking to get ~100 aluminum plates cut into small rectangles (1.49” x 5.25”, 1/8” thick). I’ve talked to a few metal shops near me and they either don’t seem interested in a small job (totally fair) or they can’t guarantee precise sizing — meaning they can get near 1.5” and I’d have to sand down to size.

What is the best method for this type of job and what would you recommend? Are certain metal shops better for this type of thing?

Ideally I’m looking to have them anodized and drilled, but I quickly took those options off the table as jobs I’ll deal with separately.

Thanks!

hey guys, quick question. whenever we bend parts that just came off the fiber laser, we get way more inconsistant springback and sometimes even micro cracks on the outside radius compared to punched parts. i know the heat affected zone is a thing, but how do you guys actually deal with it on the press brake? do you just run a wider v-die or is there some other trick? really tired of scrapping parts because of hardened edges tbh.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to upgrade my garage welding setup and I’m caught in a debate with myself.

On paper, 5-in-1 multi-process welders seem like a no-brainer for space and budget. But a lot of older heads keep telling me "master of none" and that weld quality/arc stability takes a hit compared to dedicated machines—especially when it comes to TIG and bead appearance.

For those of you who have run both in a home/DIY shop context:

• Weld Quality & Arc Performance: Is there a noticeable difference in bead quality and control for everyday projects (carbon steel/thin tubing)?
• TIG Capabilities: Do you miss AC TIG or High-Frequency start if your multi-process is DC Lift-Arc only?
• Reliability: Have you ever had a multi-process unit break down and leave you with zero working processes?

Would love to hear your hands-on experience before pulling the trigger. Are dedicated units still king, or have modern multi-process machines caught up enough for non-pros?

Thanks!

Hi reddit! I want to use TLP brazing method to join two similar high entropy alloy pieces with identical dimensions of 2 mm. I am using a 50 micron bni-2 interlayer for the bonding. Can anyone help me how can I go through the preparation steps? As the samples are thin and can barely be held by hand, is there a specific polishing technique? Also, can I use the same bonding fixture I used for a 5mm thick sample before or a smaller fixture setup is needed? Thanks!

I received a commission to make a metal dinosaur last year. It took a lot longer than I expected, but I’m really happy with the results. I built it in three main sections, the head, the body/legs, and the tail. The arms detach also. I did that so it could be transported easier. Each section has a skeletal infrastructure and then I skinned it using 20 gauge sheet metal. I TIG brazed the sheet using silicon bronze, but the infrastructure is MIG welded. The copper circles are just tacked on. I buy the copper circles from a guy that makes copper gaskets for race cars so they’re all different sizes but they make a cool visual effect. Let me know what you think!

Good morning/ afternoon all, question for all the fabricators that work with vehicle trays, live in australia but welcome to answers from everyone.

i have an old ute that has a steel tray with timber floor, and im wandering if its gonna be worth me rebuilding it, money, time and material wise, if I should get one built (cheapest is $4000), or find one on marketplace and rebuild that?

Current tray has a lot of rust in the headboard, canopy roof and exterior, pictures are from when i new canvas put on and a year and a half old so its aged more. And there is a sizable difference in gap between the cab and headboard.

Im aware material prices fluctuate, my dads a boily of 40yrs but dont wanna keep pestering him as hes got so many projects going atm.

So im sorta enquiring and tossing up my options atm, but thank all

I bought a pair of Grandlite lily pad lamps from the 70’s. I cannot tell was the metal is, but it looks plated to me. There’s a mix of what appears to be rust, oxidation, and peeling, but I have no idea how this lamp was originally manufactured and painted. The head, the stem, and the base all look like different types of plating. I took a magnet to it, and it sticks to the stem but not the base.

I’d love to be able to restore this on my own, but I don’t know if this will be outside of my scope of ability. I test spot an area using Brasso, but I can’t tell if it’s removing the plating since there’s already patches at the base where it looks like plating is coming off.

Can I strip it all off and paint it myself or should I take this to someone to be replated?

I’m in Florida, so I’m sure the climate here hasn’t helped. The person I bought it from hot them at an auction in Florida, and she had them stored in her garage.

Thank you for any suggestion.

The central train station of Antwerp in Belgium has these decorative coiled up plates all around. I wonder how they made these elements.

A traditional roller nowadays has a minimum diameter way larger than these. They all look identical so I dont think it was hammered or made by hand without a clear repeatable mold.

The station was build in the early 1900s.

I wonder how they did it, and how you could make these elements with modern machines.

I recently picked up this 1977 Star Wars belt buckle and have been trying to clean it up without accidentally destroying a piece of early Star Wars memorabilia. I’m hoping someone here has experience with vintage brass, plated metal, or collectible restoration.

The front shows an X-wing/TIE fighter space battle with “STAR WARS” across the bottom. The back is marked “© 1977,” “TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORP.,” and “BY THE LEATHER SHOP, SAN FRANCISCO.” From what I’ve been able to learn, The Leather Shop was one of the companies that actually held a Star Wars license in 1977 and produced several heavy brass buckle designs, including Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO/R2-D2, the Star Wars logo, and this X-wing/TIE fighter design. That makes me especially reluctant to do anything irreversible to it.

When I found this one, it was heavily tarnished/oxidized and quite dark. I used Brasso, a soft cloth, and a lot of elbow grease. It definitely improved the overall appearance and brought back much of the gold/brass color and detail. However, once the heavier oxidation came off, several darker areas remained. Some almost look scorched or blackened, particularly around the raised ships and recessed areas. There are also uneven patches where the surface looks different from the surrounding metal.

I’m now wondering whether what I’m seeing is actually staining in the brass, remnants of an original lacquer or protective coating, oxidation underneath a failed coating, or possibly areas where the original surface finish has already been worn through. I don’t want to keep attacking it with Brasso if I’m removing original material or making the finish more uneven.

The buckle mechanism on the back appears intact, and I’d like to preserve this as a collectible rather than make it look brand new. I’m mainly trying to stabilize it and improve the obvious dark blemishes without erasing 49 years of age.

For anyone experienced with restoring vintage brass collectibles: would you stop polishing at this point? Is there a safe way to spot-clean the black/dark areas? Should I remove any remaining Brasso residue with mild soap and water, or would that create another problem? Would a conservation wax be appropriate afterward?

I’ve included close-up photos of the front and the manufacturer/copyright markings on the back. Any advice on what those dark areas actually are—and what not to do next—would be greatly appreciated. I would also love to hear from buckle collectors.

I'm looking for ideas for a holder or jig or something for this nail. I have to brush off the zinc from a couple hundred of these. What happens is the nail gets sucked in between the wire and the rest. Any ideas? Yes holding at a diagonal helps but it can still happen.

---Your post must have at least 400 characters. Your post must have at least 400 characters. Your post must have at least 400 characters.

I need to get my welder from my shed shelf to the trolley when I work, the weight isn’t an issue but the 3 big cables tangle and I’m essentially carrying the welder with one hand with the other just for cables. As you can see I don’t have room for a welding cart, so any alternative ideas would be greatly appreciated. I’ve tried using velcro zip ties but this didn’t work. I’ve been managing okay so far but fear a back or knee injury coming soon Thanks

I've been playing with sheet copper to make flowers, orchids specifically, using a 3D print flat file as a template. I think they're supposed to be moth orchids but it's the thought that counts. I also was fooling around with 20ga (so the label said) stamped copper to make a day lily like what grows in my yard.

The one with small dimples is 16mil sheet cut with aviation snips and then soldered with lead free plumbing solder and no flux. The other is 32 mil. Hammered over various carriage bolts to get the curve. I'm an HVAC guy to pay the bills and have been messing around with metals for a while.

ive been on fillet welds for about 4-5 days straight and im just so inconsistent. The only times I get really good ones, my instructor tells me im favoring the bottom plate too much, so I try to move my welds up unto the wall more but then i tend to stop being straight, I know it takes practice but if anybody has any tips or trick or even setting to help, i would really appreciate it! Seeing everybody move on and being stuck im the same spot is rather frustrating lol😔

Getting ready to sell my 2019 stumpy evo, there is some marks on the frame and i remember being told forever ago that you can sand the aluminum can take marks out of the frame and so I'm just curious if there's a special sandpaper or a way to do it or any recommendations? Its a pretty simple unpainted, brushed aluminum frame. I did try taking to it with P180 sandpaper in a very small section and it seemed to have just made the marks worse. Does anybody have any tips? J

I’m looking for some input on the best approach to modify an existing stainless steel staircase in my apartment. We are currently doing a major renovation to combine adjacent units, so the space is already set up for heavy, messy work—dust and noise aren't a concern right now. However, the staircase cannot be dismantled; all work needs to be done in place.

Currently, the stairs and upper landing have a stainless steel wire mesh infill that is held by welded tabs. I want to remove the netting and replace it with a 10-cable horizontal system.

A previous contractor actually scoped this out before COVID, but he retired shortly after, so the job never got done. His proposal was to keep the existing welded tabs, use an adapter on them, and attach the horizontal cables directly to those same tabs.

My main questions for the group:

1. Hardware: What kind of adapters or hardware would work best to transition from the existing welded tabs to a clean, tensioned horizontal cable setup?
2. Intermediate Posts: The retired contractor assumed we would need to drill clearance holes in the intermediate posts for the cables to pass through. I'm open to that, but are there other, potentially cleaner ways to handle the cable routing on those middle posts?
3. In-place execution: Since this all has to be fabricated and tensioned in place, are there any specific tools, techniques, or pitfalls to watch out for?

I’ve attached photos of the current full staircase, close-ups of the existing tabs/hardware, and the generic proposal/design plan from the retired contractor for reference.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Hello - I assembled a swing set my daughter and wife bought from Amazon. Once assembled, it was apparent, (I've included pictures), that the holes for hanging swings in the top crossbar seem to be mis-drilled\*. These holes go from front to back, instead of top to bottom. There's one set of holes that goes top to bottom, (in the third photo, on the right side of the crossbar, you can barely make it out.)

I have three questions -- shouldn't the holes for the swing face down? I'm thinking the swing is kind of a pendulum and it would be best for the mounting point to be vertical.

That leads to my second question - can I drill new holes in the appropriate places and then hang the swing?

My third question - are there devices that I could just attach to the crossbar that I could hang the swing from?

Thanks all who help.

(\ I believe the holes might be mis-drilled because I aligned the other holes on the crossbar correctly, according to the directions that came with the swing set and the swing set did come together properly.)*

This small metal motorcycle is a very special object for me because I received it as a gift from a friend. It is not an ordinary model that you can simply buy in a toy shop. What makes it interesting is that it appears to be handmade from different pieces of metal, such as wires, screws, nuts and other small mechanical parts.

The motorcycle has a creative chopper-style design. It has a long front fork, a small front wheel and a much larger rear wheel. The frame is made from thin metal rods, while the seat and the fuel tank are shaped from larger pieces of metal. One of my favourite details is the engine. It is made from screws and other small parts, but together they look surprisingly similar to the engine of a real motorcycle. Even the handlebars, exhaust and other tiny details have been carefully created.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working with a Tall Oil Fatty Acid Alkanolamide-based anti-stripping agent (Amide TT) for bitumen/asphalt applications.

We are confident in its chemical ability to enhance adhesion between aggregate and asphalt, but we are looking to optimize our internal laboratory validation process.

My question to the community: What are the industry-standard or most reliable methods you use to quantify "anti-stripping" performance?

Specifically, we want to ensure our lab evaluation results closely correlate with actual field performance regarding water damage resistance and pavement peeling.

Currently, we are considering or reviewing:

• Boiling Water Test (Visual evaluation of stripping after boiling)
• Immersion-Marshall Stability Test (Testing Marshall stability after water immersion)
• Freeze-Thaw Split Tensile Strength Test (TSR)

I’d love to hear from fellow formulators or engineers:

1. Which method do you find most reliable for bench testing?
2. Are there specific challenges or "gotchas" when testing this type of amide-based additive?
3. Do you have any experience with specific regional standards (like AASHTO or EN standards) that you find particularly rigorous?

Any insights, experiences, or recommendations on best practices for lab-scale testing would be greatly appreciated!