We’ve all been told to make a place for everything and put everything in its place. My dad was always big win this, and it’s sound advice, really. After all, how can you put something away if you don’t know where “away” is? And the older we get, the more […]
Tools
Six Tools To Cleanly and Accurately Cut Sheet Metal
Whether you’re making a patch panel or fabricating a new design from scratch, cutting sheet metal can be a challenge. The key to a good, clean cut is having the right tool for the project. Some tools are great for long, straight cuts while others are made specifically for making […]
Pro Tip – Chase Those Crusty Threads
The restoration process is about more than just taking a vehicle apart and putting it back together. It’s about total reconditioning, and quality restoration shops often spend more time doing work that’s never seen. Occasionally the professionals share their secrets with us, and here is one such example. It’s no […]
Selecting the Right SCT Drums for Your Project
One of the most versatile tools we’ve ever developed for your shop is the Eastwood Countour SCT surface conditioning tool. If, you’re not already familiar with it, the patented Contour SCT is a hand-held drum-type sander/stripper/polisher. Instead of traditional rotating discs or pads, it uses a variety of task-specific 4-inch […]
Selecting the Right Metal Tubing for Your Brake and Fuel Lines
Whether you’re restoring a classic car or building a custom machine from scratch, numerous decisions will come up that will require serious consideration. Among them is the choice of which type of tubing to use for brake and fuel lines. It’s a choice that influences not only the vehicle’s safety […]
Six Ways to Add Structure and Stiffness to Sheet Metal
Whether you’re repairing a vehicle or fabricating something from scratch, you’re likely to work with sheet metal eventually. From fenders and doors to battery trays and truck beds, it makes up most of a vehicle’s non-mechanical components. The problem is thin, flat metal doesn’t offer much in the way of […]
How To Form Perfect Brake Line Flares
Replacing brake lines or fuel lines is never fun. One of the most frustrating challenges of making new lines from scratch is getting a good flare on the end. And without a good flare, you’re practically asking for future leaks. There are all kinds of tools to make flares, but […]
Why is Sheet Metal Measured by Gauge Instead of Inches?
Have you ever wondered why carpenters get to work with 1/2″ drywall but metal fabricators have to specify sheet metal thickness in terms of gauge? It’s a legitimate question that a lot of folks who are new to metal fabrication wrestle with. To make matters more confusing, the range of […]
5 Tips To Get the Most Out of Your Torque Wrench
Whether you’re torquing down a cylinder head or bolting wheels back up after a brake job, there’s no substitute for a torque wrench when you need to accurately, uniformly fasten mechanical components together. Whether you go old school with the mechanical click-type wrench or prefer the reassuring beep of the […]