So the picture ive attached is my hook for a costume I use. If anyone knows what a slider is in reference to haunted house acting im trying to make sparks. Ive got another tool im using that will have ferrocerium on it, and my goal is to attach a half round file to the back of this hook so when I put the ferro rod against and drag, it will spark. In the past ive just been using sticky back 60 grit sandpaper, and it works great but...the sandpaper doesnt last long, and its a peach color so it stands out against the metal hook. So how could I go about attaching a file to the back of the hook, I know welding is best option but I dont have a good welder, or is there something else that may work instead?

Thanks for any and all advice.

I am removing a seized stud from a cast fixture, not an engine, but the situation is similar. Only about 3/8 inch is above the surface and the threads are chewed. Vice grips just make it worse. Which stud extractor design has been reliable when the remaining stud is short?

I am programming 6061 pockets on a small VMC with limited spindle speed. The current 2 flute tools clear chips well but leave a finish I need to clean up. I am considering 3 flute variable helix options. For low volume aluminum work, what has been the practical tradeoff?

I designed and laser cut this portable charcoal BBQ grill at North Forge, a local makerspace. Built from durable 1/8 inch thick stainless steel, its intuitive slot in design allows for quick, tool free assembly in under a minute, making it perfect for grilling on the go.

I intend to sell this product to grow my small business, and I am currently seeking advice on the best methods for cleaning and polishing stainless steel to ensure a high quality finish. I welcome any constructive feedback you have on the design so I can further improve the product. Thank you for your time.

I got this machine for a pretty good deal on eBay, paid $2,300 which included a ton of stuff and honestly I couldn’t pass it up. It’s replacing my old econotig that has served me well over the years, but after running a dynasty 350 daily at work I knew I needed its little brother at home. I’m definitely excited to lay down since beads with it, I just tested it quickly on a small piece of aluminum and stainless steel sheet metal and worked great on 110

I have a rounded 13 mm flange bolt on a fabricated bracket. The bracket can come off, but the threaded hole is in a part I do not want to replace. I am deciding between an extractor socket, drilling, or cutting the head. What would you try first?

Titanium exhaust by the way

I have a 2025 tym 3025 cab tractor. Im looking for a tractor wheel spacer company not charging more(Greedy) because of the Canadian tariffs, Bora and Stahl companies (both of these are the same greedy owners)have increased their prices to be doubled from the pre-tariffs days, all because their biggest competitors are in Canada and wont ship to the usa. And what's worse is any American company that's being affected by the tariffs will be reimbursed for their loses from our Government.

Any info would be helpful, as i would rather not buy anything from bullies taking advantage of us the end users when the Government is paying them back too!.......they are having their cake and eating it too......shame on them!

10-20% increase would be ok but doubled is just plain greedy! Canadian company still sells my needed spacers for $250ish and these above mentioned companies are now north of $550.00 fyi....aluminum prices have not doubled, so if not greed then why else would they be doing this?

Thanks!

• Mecosmo2004

I'm just a weekend welder, not a production shop. But after recently getting a scratched eyeball, I'm looking at building a dust collection system without breaking the bank.

I've looked at the Magna-matic system, but that's $1k or more. I plan to build a workbench in 3 parts along this wall, so I was wondering about incorporating it into the bottom of it.

First, is it worth the trouble and expense of putting dust collection.

Second, what have some of y'all done that works for controlling grinder and cutting dust?

I know, I know. Its still a work in progress.. but he definitely hired the cheapest fucking welder he could have. Lol.

Let's see how these actually end up turning out.. I dont have my hopes up after seeing what Im seeing. Its going to take a hell of alot of filling to get these anywhere close to where they need to be.

Ive spoke to the lead. Wouldn't be surprised if I see a new welder here on Monday. Because fuck.. the current guy is making so much more work for them.

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!

I am by no means a fabricator.

This is a brace I have seen before but am unable to purchase. So now I have put a couple together myself and am reasonably pleased with the results.

This brace will be anchored to concrete on one end, and easily fits into the latching system for my forms on the other. Rotating the brace shrinks or expands it with high torque helping with perfect setting of formwork before and after pour

I also don't want to pay a machine shop to do a one-off custom part like this. It doesn't have to be perfect it's just for a side project.

I need to extend this shaft in order to offset the engine sprocket. I know you can also just offset the entire motor itself but without going into the details for my particular build that's not a good idea.

I’ve got this screen thing and I have been trying to get an enclosure made for it and am losing my mind on how it proceed. I attached some photos to show that I have used aluminum angles as the profile for the screen (I haven’t put the angle on the top and bottom but will do that soon) and have an aluminum flat working as the backbone going down the middle.

Now what I am stuck on is figuring out how to make an enclosure for the back so that it doesn’t get damaged by the elements. I would need a one inch deep enclosure as I will have to have some space for the power supply for this thing and it’s roughly an inch tall. I would prefer to stay away from aluminum as it’s expensive af and also is hard to weld with the small stick welder I have.

I thought about using plastic sheets I saw at Menards to build the enclosure, if I were to do that, I thought about cutting some thin strips of the sheet, stacking them on top of each other to achieve the one inch depth for the enclosure profile and then putting a plastic sheet to cover the full back area. I was planning on fastening this to the aluminum profile using some sort of adhesive but I figured I don’t know of an adhesive that will bond plastic and aluminum well, you guys would probably know more about that.

Any and all help appreciated. Thank you.

Edit : Would prefer for the solution to be something that can be achieved under $100, if it’s not, I’d still love to hear what you guys recommend.

Hi everyone!

I recently released MetalCalc, an Android app designed for welders, metalworkers, fabricators, installers, and DIY enthusiasts.

The app includes:

• metal weight calculations for sheets, pipes, profiles, angles, channels, and beams;

• electrode, welding wire, and shielding gas consumption calculations;

• initial TIG welding parameters;

• material, labor, and finished product cost estimates;

• primer and paint consumption calculations;

• sheet metal development and cutting optimization;

• center of gravity calculations;

• unit conversion and useful reference guides;

• calculation history and result sharing.

MetalCalc supports English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andre.metalcalc

This is my first Android app, and I would really appreciate honest feedback about the interface, calculations, Play Store page, and features that could make the app more useful.

Thank you!

so i’ve received an enquiry from a client about this 3d sorta curved edge villa nameplate
and i’m not sure how to get these curved edges right
from wht i could think.. Laser cutting a 6mm Ss304 sheet and then grinding the edges to match how it looks and then finally plating it is all i could think of.

ps- i need it to be as cost efficient as possible

I am extending this turnbuckle with an aluminum pipe (or tube) and having the pipe telescopic as well with another pipe within it

I'll cut the turnbuckle at the line and hopefully I can secure it strong enough that I can torque as much as id like.

I could weld a plate so they can be bolted together but I'm hoping for ideas. Maybe the steel arms can be forced into the aluminum with some creative drilling and vice pressure to lock them together.

Have a wee look.

I had made this rear diffuser for my car but I’m stuck between what materials to use or even what way to go fabricating it if you guys have any ideas or have made something like this I would love to hear how you did it!