Hi, I'm trying to put together a gift for a relative, and I'd like to
ask for your help in selecting the items.

He's a recently-retired metallurgist, and has always wanted to get
into metalworking. In particular, he wants to eventually create metal
art of the type that is sold at craft fairs, etc. (He doesn't want to
restore cars or planes or anything.) Although he knows an awful lot
about the properties of various metals (being a metallurgist), he is a
complete beginner when it comes to metalworking.

So if we spend about $500 on a starter set, what should we get him? I
myself know nothing about this stuff, so I don't know if he should
start with steel, aluminum, or some other metal. I've seen one or two
kits on the web, but if they don't have everything he needs then I
must know what else to get him. Also, does he need a separate welding
setup or is a "torch" the same thing?

If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate your
recommendations on the following items:

* Tools
* Metal supplies
* Videos or books
* Anything else

Rough cost estimates and pointers on where to buy this stuff would
also be great. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

"Digital DJ" wrote in message
om...
Hi, I'm trying to put together a gift for a relative, and I'd like to
ask for your help in selecting the items.

He's a recently-retired metallurgist, and has always wanted to get
into metalworking. In particular, he wants to eventually create metal
art of the type that is sold at craft fairs, etc. (He doesn't want to
restore cars or planes or anything.) Although he knows an awful lot
about the properties of various metals (being a metallurgist), he is a
complete beginner when it comes to metalworking.

So if we spend about $500 on a starter set, what should we get him? I
myself know nothing about this stuff, so I don't know if he should
start with steel, aluminum, or some other metal. I've seen one or two
kits on the web, but if they don't have everything he needs then I
must know what else to get him. Also, does he need a separate welding
setup or is a "torch" the same thing?

If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate your
recommendations on the following items:

* Tools
* Metal supplies
* Videos or books
* Anything else

Rough cost estimates and pointers on where to buy this stuff would
also be great. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

"Digital DJ" wrote in message
om...
Hi, I'm trying to put together a gift for a relative, and I'd like to
ask for your help in selecting the items.

He's a recently-retired metallurgist, and has always wanted to get
into metalworking. In particular, he wants to eventually create metal
art of the type that is sold at craft fairs, etc. (He doesn't want to
restore cars or planes or anything.) Although he knows an awful lot
about the properties of various metals (being a metallurgist), he is a
complete beginner when it comes to metalworking.

So if we spend about $500 on a starter set, what should we get him? I
myself know nothing about this stuff, so I don't know if he should
start with steel, aluminum, or some other metal. I've seen one or two
kits on the web, but if they don't have everything he needs then I
must know what else to get him. Also, does he need a separate welding
setup or is a "torch" the same thing?

If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate your
recommendations on the following items:

* Tools
* Metal supplies
* Videos or books
* Anything else

Rough cost estimates and pointers on where to buy this stuff would
also be great. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Don't think I've ever seen a "metalworking starter set". Where did you see
the ones you mentioned. Seeing them would help with more suggestions.

First question is, does he have any tools now? For the type of art that you
mentioned a plasma cutter comes to mind. But you're not going to touch one
for $500. $500 isn't going to go very far unless it is just simple hand
tools, hence your knowledge about what he already has would lead you in that
direction. But for $500 you could get an oxygen/acetylene (torch) outfit for
welding and brazing with tanks and a cart. Find a local welding shop in your
area, look in the yellow pages. Or if you tell us where you live, I'm sure
someone here could direct you to a reputable place. Don't buy at a box store
like Home Depot.

Some ideas for smaller stuff; ball pein hammers, chisels, punches, hack saw,
drill motor, drill bit assortment, vise-grips, pliers, screw drivers, allen
wrench sets, files. These are things I would think everyone would want and
need. You could spend $500 and more just getting a good selection of these.

One good place with reasonable prices on line is Enco tools;
http://www.use-enco.com. They carry name brand items as well as their own
"Enco" line which is generally good enough for the garage
mechanic/metalworking guy.

Hope this helps.
Lane

Without knowing what processes he wants to utilize and with what materials,
it'll be very hard to make any recommendations (not that I would be the
person to do that). When my wife has bought hobby stuff for me over the
years, she's either talked to my friends, asked me what I wanted or given me
gift certificate. To be on the safe side, you could get him an Enco (or
whatever) catalog and a gift certificate. That way you'll know he'll get
exactly what he wants.

Peter

"Digital DJ" wrote in message
om...
Hi, I'm trying to put together a gift for a relative, and I'd like to
ask for your help in selecting the items.

He's a recently-retired metallurgist, and has always wanted to get
into metalworking. In particular, he wants to eventually create metal
art of the type that is sold at craft fairs, etc. (He doesn't want to
restore cars or planes or anything.) Although he knows an awful lot
about the properties of various metals (being a metallurgist), he is a
complete beginner when it comes to metalworking.

So if we spend about $500 on a starter set, what should we get him? I
myself know nothing about this stuff, so I don't know if he should
start with steel, aluminum, or some other metal. I've seen one or two
kits on the web, but if they don't have everything he needs then I
must know what else to get him. Also, does he need a separate welding
setup or is a "torch" the same thing?

If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate your
recommendations on the following items:

* Tools
* Metal supplies
* Videos or books
* Anything else

Rough cost estimates and pointers on where to buy this stuff would
also be great. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Thanks, all this info is really helpful.

Don't think I've ever seen a "metalworking starter set". Where did you see
the ones you mentioned.

The ones that looked closest to what I'm after are at:

http://www.tinmantech.com/html/kits.html

First question is, does he have any tools now?

As far as I know, he has nothing other than the usual home assortment
of screwdrivers & wrenches, drill, etc. Nothing specific to working
with metal, though.

For the type of art that you mentioned a plasma cutter comes to mind.
But you're not going to touch one for $500.

OK, how far off am I? Do plasma cutters cost in the thousands?

Many thanks for all your other suggestions. One more question...
where do I get the metal stock itself? How much should I budget for
that?

On 6 Jan 2004 21:01:27 -0800, (Digital DJ) wrote:
Hi, I'm trying to put together a gift for a relative, and I'd like to
ask for your help in selecting the items.

He's a recently-retired metallurgist, and has always wanted to get
into metalworking. In particular, he wants to eventually create metal
art of the type that is sold at craft fairs, etc. (He doesn't want to
restore cars or planes or anything.) Although he knows an awful lot
about the properties of various metals (being a metallurgist), he is a
complete beginner when it comes to metalworking.

So if we spend about $500 on a starter set, what should we get him? I
myself know nothing about this stuff, so I don't know if he should
start with steel, aluminum, or some other metal. I've seen one or two
kits on the web, but if they don't have everything he needs then I
must know what else to get him. Also, does he need a separate welding
setup or is a "torch" the same thing?

If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate your
recommendations on the following items:

* Tools
* Metal supplies
* Videos or books
* Anything else

Rough cost estimates and pointers on where to buy this stuff would
also be great. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Decorative ironwork is more the province of the blacksmith than the
machinist (see alt.crafts.blacksmithing). A basic set of tools would
include a large anvil, hardies, fullers, an assortment of hammers,
tongs, a coal or propane forge, a post vise, files, chisels, some sort
of grinder, etc. You might stretch $500 to cover all that on the used
market.

The blacksmith is said to be the only artisan who can make all his
own tools. But practically he really needs as minimum starter tools
an anvil and hammer. He can easily make his own forge. At that
point, he can make the rest of his tools, though most people do
buy many of them. Power tools can be useful to the blacksmith,
but they aren't essential tools.

OTOH, if his idea of art is more along the lines of fabricating metal
structures, then an oxyacetylene torch, a MIG welder, a plasma
cutter, an assortment of grinders, metal bending machines, drill
motors, clamps of all shapes and sizes, etc would be more essential
tools. $500 isn't going to put much of a dent in that list.

Start him off easy with an oxyacetylene torch outfit and a copy of
the Welder's Bible. (See your local welding supply shop. They'll have
gas welding equipment, and will lease tanks of gas used by the torch.
Total cost should be comfortably under $500.)

There are a number of projects in the Welder's Bible (as well as in
a number of books published by the Lincoln Welding people), which
should give him some ideas. Once he has the ability to weld and
cut steel, he can make some of the other tools he'll need to fabricate
more complex projects.

Of course if his idea of art is to make metal chess sets, or other
metal "jewelry", then he'll need tools more in the machinist's line.
That can get expensive fast if you buy things new on anything larger
than the tabletop scale. Collecting and restoring older industrial
machinery can become an engrossing hobby in and of itself, as
many in this newsgroup can attest. For anyone on less than an
unlimited budget, it is about the only practical way to obtain the
full set of machines used in the trade.

Gary

"Digital DJ" wrote in message
om...
Thanks, all this info is really helpful.

Don't think I've ever seen a "metalworking starter set". Where did you
see
the ones you mentioned.

The ones that looked closest to what I'm after are at:

http://www.tinmantech.com/html/kits.html

First question is, does he have any tools now?

As far as I know, he has nothing other than the usual home assortment
of screwdrivers & wrenches, drill, etc. Nothing specific to working
with metal, though.

For the type of art that you mentioned a plasma cutter comes to mind.
But you're not going to touch one for $500.

OK, how far off am I? Do plasma cutters cost in the thousands?

Many thanks for all your other suggestions. One more question...
where do I get the metal stock itself? How much should I budget for
that?


The Tin Man Tech sets are for those who want to shape sheet metal for making
skin parts for cars and airplanes and take special skills to carry it off
effectively. I doubt this is what your friend needs or wants. But hey, I've
been wrong before. BTW I have personally met Kent White. He is very talented
and a world renowned sheet metal worker besides a nice guy.

A decent plasma cutter starts out around $1500 and up.

The idea of a gift certificate would probably be best, and let him decide
how to spend it.

Lane

Digital DJ wrote:

Hi, I'm trying to put together a gift for a relative, and I'd like to
ask for your help in selecting the items.

He's a recently-retired metallurgist, and has always wanted to get
into metalworking. In particular, he wants to eventually create metal
art of the type that is sold at craft fairs, etc. (He doesn't want to
restore cars or planes or anything.) Although he knows an awful lot
about the properties of various metals (being a metallurgist), he is a
complete beginner when it comes to metalworking.

So if we spend about $500 on a starter set, what should we get him? I
myself know nothing about this stuff, so I don't know if he should
start with steel, aluminum, or some other metal. I've seen one or two
kits on the web, but if they don't have everything he needs then I
must know what else to get him. Also, does he need a separate welding
setup or is a "torch" the same thing?

If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate your
recommendations on the following items:

* Tools
* Metal supplies
* Videos or books
* Anything else

Rough cost estimates and pointers on where to buy this stuff would
also be great. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
old man retired, an engineer.. he always wanted a metal working shop, so
he went out and bought a new lathe, saw, mill, and cabinet after cabinet
of tools.. he must have spendt thousands and he could afford it.. was in
his basement where all the stuff was located and it was as neat as a
pin... not one thing out of place.. he was in the hospital at the
time... about one year later i saw his son... the old man died and the
son was stuck with getting rid of all the stuff in the house...
this was like 25 yrs. ago so dont ask about the tools i dont know.. his
other son was an alcoholic and lived at home and always brought another
drunk to the house who probably walked out with the antiques that were
throughtout the house along with the tools in the basement.?????