Desperate to find out what should be coming to ITV 2 at some low-point in your not-too-distant future?

I bet you are:

On “The Salt ‘N Pepa Show,” VH1 will follow the ladies as they attempt to reunite on and off the stage in this funny, often touching reality series. They soon discover however, that achieving this is easier said than done since most of their past issues are still unresolved. Salt is angry about being unappreciated when they were together and Pepa blames Salt for breaking up the group. Their lifestyles are also polar opposites: Salt has indeed found God and is living a quiet life in Long Island with her husband while Pepa is still the party girl and up for anything. Can they overcome their differences long enough to heal their friendship and perform again?

To my eternal shame, I have yet to tune in to find out.

But not only am I bringing you what you’d wish for in your Christmas TV schedule, it wouldn’t be a Tinbasher Christmas if I didn’t tell you what to buy for that sheet metal worker or DIY enthusiast in your life. Ladies and gentlefolk, I give you the nut bolt and screw salt and pepper shakers:

These Salt and Pepper shakers are definitely something different. Pick them up, turn them whatever way and shake them, and….. nothing…. Bend then shake them however, and the Salt or Pepper will be sprinkled from the gaps that will have appeared between the coils. Once you are finished the shaker will return to it’s original form.

Designed to look like a hex-head-bolt and a countersunk head bolt these innovative devices bring a new dimension to your salt and pepper.

Features:

* Innovatively designed Salt and Pepper Shakers
* ‘S’ or ‘P’ to identify contents of the shaker
* Available in Stainless Steel or Black

Aye, I know; there are some of you thinking what a great thing these are to get your husband, and the husband half thinking they’ll only get lost in your toolbox.

Me? I’m off to push it good.

Here’s a message left by a certain fella called Ron looking for help with the following:

Nice information!
In the past I have built my own hydraulic press brake 60 Ton X 4 ft wide. I utilized dual ram’s salvaged from a catipiller, I utilized hydraulic dual selonoid valves to allow balance and stop control, not fancy but served the purpose up to 1/2″ plate and more.

I am looking for drawings of a similar press but with a professional touch. Are there professional drawings available?
The previous home built press handled only 4 Ft. width, my intentions are to build a six or eight foot press brake this time around! Is their any one out there that can help me with drawings of such?
I will share pictures if any one is interested!
Thank you for any help I receive from other like minded individuals!

You can email Ron at snyder[@]wispnet[dot]net – don’t forget to remove the brackets and change the dor to an actual dot as in period/full stop .

It appears as though he’s looking for something a bit more substantial than the last press brake project I posted.

I’m obviously something of a visionary. Well, when I say visionary, I mean I’ve found another blog post about stainless steel pocket cups after I’d touted a return to the vest-pocket ashtray.

Anyway, the above fella somehow got somebody at Boing Boing all excited because he’d made his own – wait for it – stainless steel pocket protector.

“The first thing I noticed when I met Dan is that he was wearing a aluminum stainless steel pocket protector. He said he made it himself after realizing that he was tearing through at least one plastic pocket protector a week. The side seams are sewn with copper wire and coated with cellophane tape so it doesn’t snag his shirt. I think it’s a real beaut.”

Well I suggest popping round to a see a seasoned sheet metal place that knows how to weld stainless steel if you’re having to cover the seams with sellotape. I also expect you’d come across quite a few other handy contraptions they may have rustled together whilst there’s a lull.

Anybody else care to share some little project they’ve completed to make their life easier round the workshop?

Following on from the same lady who gave us the antique sheet metal tools, we also have the list of sheetmetal fabrication books dating from as early as 1907.

Here’s the listing of the books as it was provided to me in the email:

Antique books

1. sheet metal

a) Sheet Metal Work; Neubecker; approx 1912; fair cond.; sections include: tools and methods of obtaining patters, workshop problems, skylights, roofing, cornice work, index. 263pgs

b) [Practical] Exhaust and Blow Piping, a treatise on the planning and installing of fan-piping in all its branches; W. H. Hayes; 3rd ed. 1922 [copyright 1918]; The Sheet Metal Publication Company, New York; excellent cond.; chapters include: connecting dust separator and feeder, constructing the feeder nozzle and switch, designs for hoods and sweepers…; 200pgs

c) Sales catalogue for roofers and sheet metal workers; LD Berger, merchant and manufacturer, tinners’ and roofers’ supplies, 59 2nd st. Philadelphia; 1914; poor to fair cond; includes pictures, descriptions, and pricing for a wide variety of tools and sheet metal products, cornices; 255pgs

d) Warm Air Heating and Winter Air Conditioning; The Lennox Furnace Company; 1948; good to excellent cond.; chapters: different types of heating systems describedk designing a gravity warm air heating system, industrial and commercial wramair installations; good to excellent cond; 285pgs

e) Practical Sheet Metal Work and Demonstrated Patterns; Volume III – skylights; a comprehensive treatise in several volumes on shop and outside practice and pattern drafting; 1911; good cond; David Williams Company, New York; chapters: Making flat skylights; a novel method of building a double pitch skylight with gable ends; pattern for a valley bar, a turret skylight, details of a lifting sash…; 114pgs

f) Practical Sheet Metal Work and Demonstrated Patterns; Volume V – Cornice Patterns; a comprehensive treatise in several volumes on shop and outside practice and pattern drafting; 1911; good cond.; David Williams Company, New York; Chapters: Pattern for a Head to fill the end of a cornice cut off obliquely, pattern for mullion intersecting gable mold; pediment chart, pattern for a miter a different angles, pattern for bottom on bay window…; 112pgs.

g) The New Metal Worker Pattern Book, a treatise on the principles and practice of pattern curring as applied to sheet metal work; Geo W. Kittredge, David Williams Co. New York; 1907 [copyright 1896]; fair to poor condition; contents: terms and definintions, drawing instruments and materials, linear drawing, geometrical problems, principles of pattern cutting, pattern problems; 421pgs.

h) Standard Practice in Sheet Metal Work; National Association Sheet Metal Contractors, a reference book compiled for the use of architects, engineers, sheet metal contractors, installers of warm aair heating systems, and vocational training schools; by the trade development committee of the national association of sheet metal contractors of the U.S.; 1929; very good condition; Sections: roofing, gutters, skylights and ventilators, metal cornices, metal ceilings, blow pipe and exhaust systems…; 767pgs.

I don’t have any pictures of these, but I suppose some could be arranged if need be. I’d appreciate anybody who has any knowledge or interest in these to get in touch and I’ll pass your information on.

Three or so weeks ago I was contacted by a lady who’d inherited her grandfather’s entire set of sheet metal tools and has had them in her garage since he passed away 30 years ago. She’s not only wondering what’s what, but would also like to determine how much, if anything, they’re worth. She could very well be prepared to donate all or part of the collection to a museum if somebody was interested.

I’ve uploaded all the tool pictures to a flickr account and there’s 70 pictures (by my bad mathematic reckoning) of all manner of old school sheet metal tools including snips, pliers, calipers, saws, drills, tapes, set squares and a host of other bits and bobs – in fact, you can check the entire sheet metal tool collection out here.

If anybody knows exactly which certain tools are which and/or what they may be worth, please feel free to leave a comment under any of the corresponding photos.

Now I’m not on any kind of cut and nor are we necessarily trying to sell them off. We’d just like to get as much information on the collection as possible.

I also have the lady’s email address for anybody who’d like to get in touch with her personally.

Thanks.