Doing Things The Old Way

[Jccarlton]

Like making fine automobiles. The old way. With a hammer and a pad. True craftsmen at work is always inspiring. This is just cool:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02868.html

[Tom Ligon]

Neat! Although I don't think you can buy the particular hammer pictured at Home Depot.

I have a hammer pretty close to that, one of a set of about 15 in my blacksmith forge set. I hope one day to learn to use them with a modicum of skill. I have a friend who is learning to be a copper/silver smith.

I think my own preference for forming a bullet train nose would probably involve a wooden form, a sheet of dead-soft 6061-T0 annealed aluminum, and an explosive charge. One big hammer blow, and then polish out the wood grain in the resulting cone. I'm not nearly so patient as those craftsmen.

[kunkmiester]

So much that's not done anymore. You also can't find anyone capable of making the foot+ thick armor plate for battleships anymore--no one wants metal that thick that big these days.