I have gotten into recycling in a serious way, to the point of courting others' contributions and working with an outfit (that pays well enough to pay for the longer trip) some miles away. I would like a press -- hydraulic, Archimedes screw, or something that hasn't occurred to me -- that I could use to compress cans, scrap metal, and various plastics into dense cubes, so that I'd only have to load up the gas-guzzling pickup truck once per redemption trip. [more inside]
posted by quarantine on Jul 8, 2009 - 11 answers

What are some cheap fire-retardant materials I can use to protect my garage when welding? [more inside]
posted by SNACKeR on May 22, 2009 - 9 answers

Hi, I recently bought a 110 volt Lincoln wire welder from Home Depot and I'd like to learn about fcaw welding. I'm trying to find free online instructional videos about fcaw welding, especially ones that show close-ups of the welding puddle and how to move the tip, etc. But any beginner's videos (or other info) on fcaw would be great. Thanks...
posted by atm on Jan 22, 2009 - 4 answers

I want to learn how to Weld. I live in New York City. [more inside]
posted by Freen on Dec 29, 2008 - 7 answers

Metal art/craft question - I need to scratch a design into a lot of cold rolled 22 gauge steel. [more inside]
posted by Sophie1 on Aug 27, 2008 - 8 answers

I'm taking up welding as a hobby and was hoping someone might know of a good metal supply shop that would be a open to hobbiest (i.e.: they are willing to sell small quantities and have weekend hours). I find that home depot and lowes offer a limited selection of steel, so it would be nice to find a place i can buy mechanical tube steel, small gage pipe, and other misc steel.
posted by NGnerd on Mar 4, 2007 - 11 answers

Will putting a MIG welder in my garage make my house an insurance nightmare? [more inside]
posted by jgee on Jul 2, 2006 - 4 answers

From computer pro to trades....can I sanely do it? [more inside]
posted by Kickstart70 on Jun 18, 2006 - 17 answers

I want to teach myself welding from a book. Is this possible? [more inside]
posted by johngumbo on May 1, 2006 - 18 answers

Arc-welding or Oxy-Fuel welding? [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Dec 18, 2005 - 9 answers

I wish to have metal bars, rods and plates cut, bent, welded, ground, and painted for a Burning-Man-esque outdoor shedlike functional art piece slash Christmas present. I have rough schematics but no skills. In your personal direct experience in the Southern California area, who and/or what company is best at this sort of one-off work for semi-knowledgeable artistic individuals? [more inside]
posted by felix on Oct 28, 2005 - 5 answers