IC asked:


When we think of backyard activities, sports often come to mind. While sports are a great way to spend your time outdoors, they are not all that backyard activities include. In fact, while you may not necessarily think so, backyard activities also involve the completion of projects. If you are a home improvement lover, it is quite possible that your next backyard activity could involve the building or the remodeling of a structure.

In the United States, backyards are filled with millions of different things. Many homeowners have pools, barns, work sheds, or garages. If you already have these items inside your yard, you may want to think about remodeling them. Remodeling projects are ideal for those who wish to update or expand their backyard structures. Summer is the perfect time to complete many remodeling projects, especially those that are outside.

While many homeowners make the decision to remodel, there are others that choose to build. If you don’t have a barn, garage, or work shed, but you would like to have one, now would be the perfect time to start construction. In most areas of the United States, summer has the prefect weather conditions for many backyard projects.

The first step in building or remodeling a backyard structure is to develop a plan. If you already know what you would like to build and how you would like to build it, you are well on your way to a completed project. However, if you are unsure what you would like to build or how to build it, you may want to think about doing a little bit of research before you start your next home improvement project.

Perhaps, the easiest way to get ideas or directions on how to build a garage, work shed, or barn is to visit your local library or book store. In these locations, you should be able to find a number of books that will not only offer you suggestions, but give you directions on how to get started. Libraries are nice; however, you will only be able to keep the materials for a short period of time. If you are interested in saving your resource guides for another project, you may want to consider purchasing your own books.

Once you have decided on a structural design, you will need to obtain the necessary building supplies. The supplies that you need will all depend on what you are building or remodeling. Despite the fact that different projects will require different supplies, there are some supplies that are common among all backyard building or remodeling projects. These supplies may include wood, metal, saws, and many other common household tools.

As previously mentioned, summer is ideal for most construction projects. Even though the weather will most likely be cooperative, it may still be a good idea to check your local weather forecast. If you are doing a project that requires perfect weather, such as roofing or painting, you will want to plan your project around the projected weather forecast. With projects that require more than one days worth of work, you may want to wait until the weather forecast predicts steady weather. This will prevent you from having to stop your building or remodeling and then startup again later.

Although building and remodeling projects are great backyard activities, not everyone is able to do them. If you are inexperienced in construction, you may find it difficult or impossible to do the work yourself. If this is the case, professional assistance may be just what you need. Completing your own home improvement projects will save you money, but only if you know what you are doing. Poor building or remodeling jobs may not only need additional, costly repairs, but they may also be unsafe.

With something as large and important as most home improvement projects, you are advised against taking any unnecessary chances or risks. Whether you make the decision to perform your own home improvement project or sit back and watch a professional do it, you will still be outside, enjoying everything that your backyard and the beautiful weather has to offer.

JT Miller asked:


A lot of bead jewelry and custom jewelry makers work around the clock putting together custom pieces, coming up with new jewelry ideas and hunting for new supplies and materials to use in the inevitable next piece.

Making jewelry is a fun hobby and it can be very rewarding, but it can also drain your creativity if you’re making a lot of jewelry and it can even become tedious if you’ve come up with a wonderful idea but have to spend a lot of time lining up beads, joining links or making lots of similar custom pieces, whether its metal-working or glass lampwork beads that you’re making.

There is, however, a way to avoid jewelry making burn out and make some extra money while using your jewelry making skills: jewelry repair!

Repairing existing jewelry uses your jewelry making skills as well as some new creative processes you may not have normally used. Instead of making a necklace or bracelet from scratch, you generally need to take an existing pattern and find beads or pieces to replace missing pieces or at least ones that compliment the current piece.

Repairing jewelry also requires much less investment in raw materials and supplies on your part. Creating a piece of bead jewelry may involve over a pieces, including the beads, wire, clasps and pendants involved. When repairing a piece of jewelry you generally have most of the parts and may online need in new stringing material, a new clasp or a few replacement beads. You can often charge just as much to repair a piece of jewelry as you would to make it, so repairing jewelry is much more profitable from the outset.

Here are some more general tips to remember when repair jewelry for customers:

Don’t be afraid to get a little creative, especially if you have to fill in missing beads or pieces, but check with the customer first. Some people want their jewelry to be repaired to the exact look it had before, some don’t mine minor bead or clasp changes.

Matching pieces to older jewelry is often next to impossible. You have a better chance of finding replacement beads or pieces that are similar, though sometimes matching the color of certain gemstones can be a frustrating endeavor.

Keep an eye out for structural weaknesses in old jewelry pieces. Even though a clasp may not be broken, you may want to suggest replacing it if it old and worn out.

Don’t be afraid to advertise your service and price yourself as though you’re making a new piece. Not many people advertise jewelry repair as a service. Lots of women have jewelry pieces tucked away in jewelry boxes or drawers that are broken or in bad repair.

Don’t be afraid to price yourself accordingly. Often times you’re repairing a piece of jewelry that holds special meaning or is a particular favorite of your customer. You’re providing a service of not just fixing a piece of jewelry, but often you’re helping restore a memory or feeling!

Finally, remember to have fun with it! Both repairing and making jewelry are lots of fun and can be pretty profitable, but it’s up to you to find the right balance to keep you happy and making money at the same time.

Mike asked:


What makes metal building strong?

Metal buildings are stronger than wooden or stone buildings was best testified when 200-miles-per-hour winds struck America in the form of Katrina. While others buildings collapsed like a pack of cards, metal buildings weathered the storm.

The reason is the unique metal structure. In a metal atom, particles are closely packed in a crystal structure. This gives metal their strength and resistance against heat.

Are metal buildings better than the wooden ones?

Of course, yes. Metal buildings have several advantages over their wooden counterparts. Metal buildings are better because:

1. Construction of metal buildings involves no waste.

2. They are heat-resistant.

3. They are insect-resistant.

4. Metal buildings have low maintenance costs.

Are metal buildings costlier compared to others?

Not at all. In fact, metal buildings are more cost-effective. Although the price of metals keeps on fluctuating, on an average, a metal building cost half of what a wooden building would cost.

How much would I pay for getting a prefabricated metal building erected?

Nothing. Yes, amazing as it sounds. You can erect your metal building yourself! Professional dealers would provide you with dismantled materials which are marked components along with a guidebook to assist you as to how you should go about it. But if you do want an assistant, a contractor can help you.

Are all types of metal the same?

Beware of dealers who try to drive home the point that all metals are of the same quality to persuade you to buy a cheaper metal. The reality is that even the same metal can vary in quality. It is advisable to go to authentic companies to buy your metal building material and investigate before buying anything.

I own a glass factory. I have several very large glass manufacturing machines and thus require a very high ceiling. Can metal buildings work for me?

Metal buildings are prefabricated nowadays. So all you need to do is place your order with a professional contractor stating your requirements clearly for your new metal building. Being a glass factory, a lot of heat will be generated indoors. While other building materials might be susceptible to heat, metal buildings can withstand very high temperatures as well.

David Leonhardt asked:


Chances are that you would bend metal as a child. You might have been making pipe-cleaner people. Or you might have found paper clips fascinating. One thing is for certain, the metal you were bending as a child was not steel beams or tubes, and it never had to be strong enough to hold up a stadium roof or a roller coaster.

As adults, we rely on curved metal beams, pipe, tubes, and angles in everything from a simple park bench to spiral staircases to some parts of modern skyscrapers. Visit any airport or museum built in the past couple decades and count the number of curved metal structures you find.

Have you ever wondered how they do it? I mean, how can you bend a steel beam and still keep the strength to support an airport roof? Well, there are four ways.

Rolling metal

Rolling is the best known way to bend metal, perhaps because it is the least costly. Rolling uses an appropriate size die that adjusts to the steel tube, angle, pipe, channel, bar or steel beam and revolves at the same peripheral speed, turning in opposite directions. As the metal passes through the roll, the machine applies pressure to bend the tubing or the beam to the desired radius.

Rolling is effective when the material – metal, plastic, glass, whatever - must be bent a great deal. For instance, it can produce bends up to 360 degrees. This method is ideal for producing steel coils, spiral staircases and the like.

There are different kinds of rolling processes. Hot rolling (above the recrystallization temperature) mostly produces sheet metal. Most non-ferrous metal structures are rolled cold, but steel is usually rolled hot.

Because rolling requires less set-up work and uses pre-made dies, the cost is less than other ways to bend and form steel, so companies often choose this when it suits their specifications.

Bending metal with a mandrel

Mandrel bending is also fairly well known. In this process, a metal shaft, or mandrel, is fitted inside the steel tube or pipe. As the mandrel moves, it bends the metal around the appropriate sized die to form the radius.

Mandrel works best when the steel tube or pipe has a heavy wall and/or requires a tight radius because it prevents the material from rippling. Mandrel can only bend steel tubing up to 180 degrees, but it produces a bend that is uniform all the way up and down the pipe or tube. Obviously, this process is of little use for bending metal beams or sheets, however, it is used in bending exhaust pipes, molten glass and in very tiny cases, jewelry.

The press method for heavier pipe and beam

The Press method is the third way to bend metal. The steel tube, pipe, channel, bar or steel beam is fed through the press, which applies pressure every 6 or 7 inches until the material is bent to specifications

Press is used to bend bigger, heavier beams, pipes, channels, bars or tubes (24 inches or thicker) that do not require a very tight radius.

This is a less common process than rolling or mandrel. However, it is capable of producing large, load-bearing steel support beams used for schools, roofing, skyscrapers, gymnasiums, malls and bridges.

Table forming to bend metal tubing, pipes and beams

Table forming is the fourth process. The steel tube, pipe, or beam is laid out straight and the ends are pulled around the appropriate sized die to form the radius.

Table forming is used primarily to bend smaller, heavier steel tubes, pipes, channels, bars or steel beams that require a tight radius.

But if all that metal bending is too much for you, pick up those pipe cleaners and wow your kids with the colorful pipe-cleaner clowns you can form by bending metal at home.

Anna Woodward asked:


When you think of the word “bellows” you probably have a picture in your mind of the leather bellow historically used to blow air into their fireplace. However, there is another kind of bellow, a metal bellows, which is a high-technology product used in machinery, medical and industrial applications. Metal bellows are manufactured and sold by companies specializing in metal expansion joints and other piping systems. Some bellows are microscopically small while others are very large.

Simply stated, metal bellows are thin-walled flexible elements which allow for expansion in a system of pipes, while at the same time containing gasses and liquids in a pressure-filled environment. A metal bellow is also commonly referred to by the names: flexible metal element, element, corrugations, and compensator.

Each metal bellow is made by taking into account its pitch, convolution height, thickness, number of plies, convoluted length, skirt length, and inside diameter. Every metal bellows has a unique working pressure, life cycle, and spring rate which are entirely dependent on their shape and the material in which they are made of. These considerations, and some specific mathematical formulas, insure that a metal bellow meets the standards set by the Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association. The EJMA specifications exist to make sure that a metal bellow is able to perform under the specifications it claims to. This is for both productivity and safety.

There are generally two different types of metal bellow available on the market today. These two types of bellows are formed and welded. Let’s look a bit at each of them:

Formed Bellows - A formed metal bellows is manufactured by one of two processes.

These processes are mechanical forming, and hydroforming. Formed bellows are generally more expensive for a custom bellows than if it were welded. The higher cost is due to the tooling required to produce the original form. However, once the original form has been created then the subsequent bellow can be produced at a lower cost than individually welded bellow.

Formed bellow must be made of metals which have high elongation characteristics. For this reason, most formed bellow are made of brass. Formed bellows generally are used in applications where a lower performance is acceptable. Formed metal bellows are also generally larger than those which are individually welded.

Welded Bellows - A welded metal bellows is manufactured by welding individual formed diaphragms to each other. A welded bellows can be fabricated in many shapes and sizes and is generally a higher performance option than a formed bellows.

Welded bellow can be made of any metal or alloy which can be welded. Generally, materials such as stainless steel, titanium, and other non-corrosive materials are used to fabricate welded bellows.

Formed metal bellow generally are used in larger applications such as HVAC, and large piping systems. Welded bellows are generally very small and have to be manufactured in laboratories using high levels of magnification. Welded bellows are generally used in medical and aerospace applications.

As you can see there are many metal bellows available to fit many needs. Bellows are available from companies who fabricate metal expansion joints.

Kent Kelin asked:


Bronze Casting has been practiced for centuries. Many civilizations have used this alloy for weapons, sculptures, and general pieces of hardware. The popular way to cast bronze is the Lost Wax Casting process which was first used sometime in the 3000 BC near ancient Sumeria. The Lost Wax process is still used to this day and its modern equivalent Investment Casting is very popular with jewelry makers.

Bronze is the preferred alloy for metal working artists as it’s relatively easy to work with and resistant to corrosion. The properties of bronze tend to be stronger than most other alloys, except of course for steel, and lends itself easily to the molding and casting process. Many small foundries like the kind that can be found in a backyard or workshop find that bronze is a great material to work with and with a melting point of 1,700 Fahrenheit or about 925 Celsius many homemade furnaces are able to melt down the bronze quickly and efficiently.

Many modern day artists create their own furnaces with the metal casting in mind. These metal casters employ the Lost Wax Casting method which proves to be the best when dealing with the alloy. The Lost Wax Casting is making an original of the sculpture from wax and then creating a mold using this original. Often times the original is lost during the mold making process so keep that in mind if you want to hang on to the original for whatever reason. Molten wax is poured into the mold which is chased or smoothed of imperfections. During this point, any other pieces are attached and small wax tubes are placed into the piece. These tubes will be how the molten bronze is going to travel into the piece replacing wax with the alloy. When this is complete the artist will create a ceramic shell around the wax model. This shell will help form the molten bronze which will melt the wax. When the molten bronze is poured the bronze takes place of the wax. Afterwards, the artist will ***** the shell and reveal the bronze piece. This method allows the transfer of very exact detail from the wax to the bronze.

Patina is added to the figure at the artist’s discretion. The Patina is a chemical that when applied to bronze creates colors and makes the bronze take an aged look. The Patrina compounds used depends on the type of color desired. Ferric Nitrate will make the bronze take on a red or brown color while Sulphurated Potash will make black and Cupric Nitrate will create blue and green. Modern day artists choose to go with a very high polished bronze instead of using these compounds. This step depends solely on the artist’s taste and the look they are going for.

Bronze casting will remain a popular medium until another alloy is developed that exhibits properties that are easier to manage and are more resistant to corrosion. Casting the alloy is easily done so metal casters that want to experiment are encouraged to do so. Making anything from small figurines, large sculptures, and even cabinet handles can be accomplished with the use of bronze. The only limitations in bronze casting are with the caster himself.

Jimmy Cox asked:


One of the most satisfying experiences a fisherman can have is to catch a fish on a fishing lure he has fashioned with his own hands.

It is not necessary to be a skilled craftsman to make lures. If they possess the ability to handle the few necessary tools, they can make excellent lures. The lures may not look professionally perfect, but they will catch fish, and that’s all that really counts.

And if the angler makes his own lures, he’ll probably catch more fish, in the long run. The reason for this is psychological. An angler who uses a store-bought plug or jig tends to be hesitant about casting it around rocks, logs, piles, and masses of seaweed.

He figures he paid good money for it and doesn’t want to lose it - even though he knows some of the best fish are caught around such obstructions. And other lures such as jigs are most effective when bounced on the bottom, when they often get fouled and lost. So, rather than lose his costly lures our cautious angler casts into safer spots, which contain fewer fish!

Making fishing lures can be an enjoyable hobby, especially during the long winter months when fishing is slow. It has even been argued that the joy of designing and creating a lure offers as much if not more pleasure than the actual fishing.

Before you can make any kind of fishing lures you must have the proper tools. In fact, without the right tools you can’t do a good job, and you’ll soon become discouraged. On the other hand, if you are equipped with the right tools you’ll find lure-making easy and highly enjoyable. So the best procedure is to obtain as many of the necessary tools in advance before you start making your own lures.

Most anglers will already have some tools The rest can be bought without too much of an investment, and the others can be acquired as the need arises.

The biggest single item needed for making fishing lures is a bench, table, or desk. Fortunate, indeed, is the man who has a basement, den, or special room where he can have a permanent workbench and various power tools to pursue his hobbies.

After you have such a bench, table, or desk you need a vise which will hold the various lures for drilling, filing, bending, and other operations. Almost any bench vise of good size will serve the purpose. Unless you have a permanent workbench, this vise doesn’t have to be fastened to the table or desk until needed.

A small anvil is also useful if you plan to make many metal lures or parts for such lures. It is used for cutting, bending, punching, and riveting. However, if you get a big bench vise of the machinist’s or utility type you can use the anvil surface found on such vises. Or you can use a small block of iron with a smooth surface as a makeshift anvil.

A hammer, of course, is a basic tool for any kind of work, and for making fishing lures about two or three hammers will suffice. If you already have a claw hammer, you can use it for many lure-making jobs.

At least two saws will be needed. If you already have a hand saw it can be used for working with wood.

Some kind of drill is needed for drilling holes in wood and metal. If you have a home workshop with a drill press you can use it for most of the work to be done. It is especially useful when drilling holes in metal. A portable electric drill is also a big aid when drilling metal, especially if you have to drill many holes.

Pliers, files, screwdrivers and a sharp knife are the only other essential tools needed for making lures.

With these tools, the fisherman is able to make any number of lures irresistible to fish.

Ann Knapp asked:


The stamping industry focuses on clean cuts and fast forming. Clean cuts and forms prevent metal from losing strength or stretching. Cost and production rates are of equal importance. These necessitate finding a lubricant that extends the life of the tooling that forms the product. One of the most effective additives to metal working fluids that enables the presses, tools, and dies to provide these characteristics is chlorinated paraffin.

Chlorinated paraffin is an additive that uses paraffin, or wax, as a base. The wax helps the lubricant to stick to the part, during any type of metal forming operation. The paraffin clings to the metal and forms a shield of lubricity at the cutting edge. The lubricity shield prevents the metal from weakening at the cutting edge, and helps ensure a quality end product. Chlorinated paraffin is a ubiquitous additive in metalworking industries, as well as other industries.

Once paraffin is applied and after it has completed its job, it needs to be removed. The paraffin leaves a stick, oily residue on parts that is neither appealing aesthetically or helpful practically. Nothing can adhere to the part if paraffin remains; making plating or painting impossible if the paraffin is not completely removed.

Even if plating or painting is not next in the process, paraffin needs to be removed. Paraffin often interacts negatively with other oils or fluids that it may encounter in the steps of the production process following stamping.

Cleaning parts covered in paraffin can be a tricky issue. Paraffin sticks to parts in a honey-like manner, and many variables affect the cleaning process. Spray impingement, submersion, heat of the water, time spent in process, and alkalinity of the cleaning compound all play a role in determining the results of cleaning.

Spray and immersion need to be used together in the process to obtain optimal results. Spray uses the mechanical force of the nozzles to direct cleaning solution at the substrate and break the waxy coating away from the surface.

Higher PSI makes the spray more effective, but diminishing returns can be in effect. At some point, the higher cost of a higher PSI is not worth what will be gained. A PSI that is too high also has the potential to damage the stamped part itself, rendering the manufacturing process worthless. Discovering the PSI limit is one of the challenges in the cleaning process.

Submersion allows chemical action to take place. The surfactant in the cleaning solutions work underneath the waxy paraffin and lifts it off, by reducing the surface tension of the paraffin to the metal. The surfactant forces the paraffin to remain emulsified in the tank until a saturation point is reached, and then it drops to the bottom of the tank.

Unfortunately, no cleaning compounds exist which can force the paraffin to remain at the surface for easy removal. The paraffin is heavier than water, so, unlike oil, it sinks. This presents the challenge of cleaning and removing sludge from the bottom of the washer tank, or creating a product that can force the paraffin to remain at the surface.

Water temperature is also an important variable. The water needs to be hot enough to melt the wax and assist the cleaning solution, but if it is too hot it will encourage flash drying of the part. In a multi-step cleaning process, flash drying is a detriment to the process. If the part flash dries while even a small amount of paraffin remains on the surface, the paraffin will need to be removed with a cloth by hand. Testing must be conducted to determine the lowest temperature that can aid in the cleaning process and prevent flash dying of the part.

Testing

Testing has been conducted to determine the best combination of variables to produce a clean part. The following variables were tested.

Observations

- Hotter fluids lead to better cleaning, but only to a point. 150 degree water is more effective than 130 degree, but 170 degree water is not noticeably better than 150.

- Potassium hydroxide, with a pH of 12, is more effective than the citric cleaner, with a pH of 8, at all temperatures.

- The optimum concentration ratio of potassium hydroxide cleaner begins to lose effectiveness above 10%. At this level, the cleaner leaves stainless steel parts darker and aluminum parts laden with white rust.

Conclusions

Based on these results, recommendations for washing the parts in a large, slow moving, submersible rotary drum with a light spray. The water heat should be at least 150F with a 10% concentration of a moderately high pH cleaner with a surfactant package that contains potassium hydroxide.

Trader Lou asked:


Well, I made the mistake of telling my girls that I was writing about making jewelry this week.  That, of course, sparked their interest and the next thing I knew, we were stringing hundreds of plastic beads together to make necklaces and bracelets.  They were even trying to make rings, which, is not an easy task with their tiny little fingers!  Interest finally began to die down as we ran out of string and mommy ran out of patience from tying knot after knot! 

 

We are back today and getting started on our series of jewelry making.  Yesterday we talked a little about the history of jewelry making, where the word came from and how it got started.  Today we are going to go over some basic tips needed to get started and mention the different types of jewelry making. 

 

First and foremost, it is important to figure out what kind of jewelry you want to create.  There are several styles to choose from and it depends on how much money you want to spend on getting started.  You also need to think about how much work space you will need.  If you are just doing small projects like beadwork, you will not need much room.  If you are considering metal work or jewelry casting, then you will need space for the equipment that goes with those kinds of projects.

 

A way to help you decide is to go to the library and gather information on the different types of jewelry making.  The internet is also a vast resource for information as well as ordering supplies for your hobby or business.  Another thing to consider is to get some hands on experience.  Some of that is easily learned through a book or an article.  Other more difficult techniques will need to be learned by taking classes with an instructor.

 

Tomorrow we will start taking a look at specific kinds of jewelry making.  We will talk about what supplies are needed for that type of work.  We will also talk about the time it takes to learn certain skills so you can figure out what would best work with your schedule and lifestyle.

Linda S Johnson asked:


When it comes to art, the creative process does not end. It starts with the artist, but when he sets down his tools, the next step shifts to you – the viewer. How you interpret the art is your contribution to the creative process, as is what you buy and how you choose to display it in your home. In fact, think of your home as a canvas – a three-dimensional canvas that needs three-dimensional art. Getting creative means collecting from a wide variety of mediums, and there are none better to decorate empty spaces in your home with than metal art.

Metal art dates back thousands of years, a tradition carried on today by contemporary artists like Laszlo Tihany of Picci Designs.  A world-renowned sculptor from Hungary whose work is in private collections all over the world, Tihany’s metal sculpture pieces are as diverse as his background and include freestanding metal sculptures, metal wall art such as tribal masks, metal wall sculptures, wall clocks, and mirrors. In collaboration with Laszlo’s partner – award-winning artist Linda Colino – Picci Designs’ metal pieces have just the right balance of color, movement and drama that every home needs.

The most important thing to remember when decorating with metal art is to match the right room with the right piece.  For instance, you probably don’t want to display a red, five-foot metal sculpture in a small guest bathroom with a lavender floral theme. However, it just might be the perfect place for smaller pieces of metal wall art –purple metal wall sculptures, for instance, like wall clocks or mirrors. Reserve that tall, freestanding metal sculpture for the living room or den where you can give it the space it needs and deserves. Set it close to a window or lamp to maximize the play of light and shadows unique to sculpture art.

If one metal wall art piece is too small to fill a large space, try clustering several of them in a group. For instance, tribal mask metal wall sculptures are just the right size for three or more to fill a big wall. Hallways are a great place to go for the gallery look, which involves hanging your collection of artwork in a row with a foot or two of space between them depending on the size of each piece. Try keeping the pieces relatively similar in size and theme – all your variations of wall clocks, for example, or metal mirrors.

Just remember, the creative process of decorating with metal art by Picci Designs should never stop. What works best in one room now just might work better in another room later. Much like the artist’s work itself, decorating with metal art by Picci Designs is a creative evolution.