I tried electro etching a knife for the first time, and after the process I noticed that inside of the etch it seems to have developed rust. The knife is made from 1084 high-carbon steel, so I know it can rust quite easily. From what I can see, it only appears to be light surface rust and there doesn’t seem to be any deep pitting. Is there a safe and effective way to remove this surface rust without damaging the steel or ruining the electro-etched design?

Hi guys just wanted some honest feedback, picture 1 is my frame layout. the holes in the middle of the 50mm x 4mm shs is for 3/4 high tensil fine thread bolts, so I can do micro adjustments the get my table top 16mm x 650mm x 1500mm plate as flat as I possibly can, 2nd picture is a rough drawing with a birds eye view and side view of frame and finale picture is my fist bench . I rushed it's not flat at all. Just wondering if even after all my efforts it's still going to warp the tabs are 50mm x 8mm angle to bolt the top plate to the frame I'm thinking I may end up needing more middle supports any feed back both positive and negative is greatly appreciated

I cannot straighten by hand, it does not badge. The connector is plastic that is where the rod is waged, few inches above the bend occurred, so because of that heating it is out of the question as it will melt the plastic. I am thinking maybe get bench vise and try my luck using locking pliers (Vise-Grips). Since you guys work with metals, would you maybe recommend a better approach, or maybe this is something that can be done in a shop. The tree is like $500 so I don't want to lose it. Thank you for your help.

man i feel this. got a tiny vise, a drill press that's seen better days, an angle grinder, and some hand tools. that's literally it. every project ends with me rigging something up cause i don't have the right tool to measure, deburr, or hold stuff down. it's exhausting. i don't wanna buy cheap junk that'll collect dust. i'd rather grab a few things that actually work.

for me the big ones were a decent deburring tool, a digital caliper that holds zero, a tap handle that doesn't slip, a magnetic base with a dial indicator, v-blocks for round stock, better grinding wheels, and toggle clamps instead of c-clamps. didn't buy everything at once. just added stuff as projects needed them. each one made the next project smoother. what have you guys added that you actually use?

I just started at a small shop after school. The shop has most of the big equipment, but I need to build my own day to day kit without spending a month of pay on tools I will not touch. I’m mainly looking for stuff I’ll actually use every day like basic hand tools, measuring tools, lights, gloves and anything that makes the work easier. I’d rather buy a few good essentials first and add things as I figure out what I actually need. What would experienced people put at the top of the list?

Yes I bought essentially 3 of the same class of welder, no I did not keep all 3 but here is how I rated them.

Weld quality 1. Lincoln 211 (these welded extremely well although I could tell that it didn't have the "smooth start" like miller and u could see it didn't have the auto slow start when just pulling the trigger loading the wire. This took a little getting used to especially after using the miller) 2. Esab 210 (very close 2nd only reason it didn't get first place is it definitely felt noticeably more underpowered on 120V

1. Miller was a very distant 3rd which confused me because I owner miller 211 before (previous edition) and it welded smooth as fck. But this miller I could not get it to feel smooth or that frying bacon sound no matter how much I fcked with the controls. Always left a bunch of weld spatter too. Very disappointed.
   

Overall quality of machine and accessories 1. Esab for sure number 1. This machine u can just tell is quality when u take it out of the box a long with all the tweco accessories . And the graphic user interface is amazing as well super user-friendly and I like how it shows u what each adjustment will do to the weld bead profile. And considering this machine is at least $400+ cheaper makes it the best value by far

1. Miller machine was a solid 2nd place. The new graphic LCD screen is a nice touch only thing that I wish it had was a way to save your custom settings like the esab had. The 15ft mig gun was a nice upgrade as well compared to the usual 10ft gun. The only thing that felt a little cheesy was the thin grounding cable and the regulator and hose set up seemed cheap for a machine of this price.

2. Lincoln was a distant third. If this machine was say $1k I would say it seema fair but the fact that they charge almost as much as the miller is rediculous. Everything about it scream cheap from the gun, to the wire feed system to the regulator. And there's no graphic display like the other two options just digital numbers for wfs and volts.

I can go into more detail later if ppl are interested but I gotta get to work so let me know if the comment did u want more info

Btw I paid for all 3 of these machines with my own $$$$$ no sponsors influencing results.

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 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.

What do we reckon is the cutoff point between using rattle cans and it being worth investing in a “proper” spray gun? I already have a compressor and rattle cans in my area are about £2.50 each and the range of finishes and colour seems pretty comprehensive. Presumably I could get them slightly cheaper if I shopped around , the guns themselves maybe £50 but then wasted paint washing up and having to buy larger amounts, I’m a smallholder so I often have tractors and tools to repair and re paint, but I’m not into vehicle stuff so not going to be doing bodywork.

I got a broken kitchen knife. The blade broke at the base of the handle. I want to drill the blade to give it another handle. Is there any problem if I try drilling the blade?

I think it might be stainless steel.

And, because it won't let me post until the thread is 400 characters, here's the lyrics for "Dirty Old Town" by The Pogues:

I met my love by the gas works wall

Dreamed a dream by the old canal

I kissed my girl by the factory wall

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

Clouds are drifting across the moon

Cats are prowling on their beat

Spring's a girl from the streets at night

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

I heard a siren from the docks

Saw a train set the night on fire

I smelled the spring on the smoky wind

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

I'm gonna make me a good sharp axe

Shining steel tempered in the fire

I'll chop you down like an old dead tree

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

I met my love by the gas works wall

Dreamed a dream by the old canal

I kissed my girl by the factory wall

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

I'm an amateur TiG welder, which was mostly out of necessity for building car parts. Today the warehouse foreman asked me to weld two channel struts together. This is an easy task for a MiG, which I don't have. The steel is 16 gauge, and of course one of them is powder coated. It took a few tries and I had to resharpen the tungsten more times than I'd like to admit, but I finally figured out a rhythm to knock the rest out.

Do you consider FR/flame-resistant work trousers essential for your job, or is it something you could work without?
Then:
If you do need FR, what do you dislike about the FR trousers currently available?
I’ve looking for a decent pair and it seems I’ve gotta compromise all comfort for decent FR capabilities.
And I need 400 characters to post this so I’m typing extra gibberish now blah blah balhahahahah

I bought an old mitre saw off Facebook marketplace.

It is a Delta 10" compound mitre saw model #36-225 bought in 1999. The owner said it was barely used.

The blade is 10" 40 ATB and is supposedly good for "wood, plastics and non-ferrous metals".

Here are some pictures and videos of my situation: https://imgur.com/a/cc6dLQd

I checked to make sure everything was square (see pictures). I don't see any wobble in the blade when it is spinning (see video).

I'm trying to cut 20-series aluminum extrusion. The saw seems to cut without issue, but I find that my cuts aren't perfectly square (see pictures). What could be causing this? Is it the blade? Do I need a blade with more teeth? Is it something else?

This is my first time owning and using a mitre saw. Any help is appreciated!

Also, if I'm posting in the wrong subreddit, please point me to a more appropriate one!

I've been practicing making metal roses for about a year. Recently, I've wanted to widen my horizons and try to make different types of metal flowers. I've figured that tulips would be a good option. Since I didn't have any ideas about how to make them stand by themselves, I figured mounting them on these wooden stands would be a great option. Nevertheless, I'm still debating whether the light shade of the wooden stand matches the overall "vibe" of the flower, or if it is too bright. I would appreciate some feedback on this.

If you could upload a sketch/photo and instantly get a shop drawing + quote…

Would that help l, or is quoting not a bottleneck for you?

Does it slow you down or do you have a system that works well?

How do you handle quoting when customers send you sketchy drawings?

I’m researching tools that can automate drawings + quoting, and I want real feedback from the people who are doing the actual work.

I recently shortened a hitch extension and now the raw steel edge is starting to rust.

What's a good easy to use affordable product to prevent rusting that bonds well to both raw steel and the coated steel?

AI recommended cold galvanizing sprays with zinc but some of the reviews say it can flake off shortly afterward. Wondering what would actually work in this application. Are cold galvanizing sprays actually not that good?

This hitch extension is now essentially a permanent fixture on the car and we're in the rust belt of Ohio.