The right tools make a big difference

I was very happy, now I could shape the metal in 3D, but I still couldn't control the sheet metal the way I wanted. I was closer, but I had a long way to go. I started to use the small Twin Shrinker / Stretcher together with my English wheel.

At first I thought the Shrinker / Stretcher was a toy, but I was amazed at what I could do with it. I could control the sheet much more, but as you know when you see that you can control the sheet the way you want to, you get hooked. I wanted more; I wanted to do much more.

One day I saw a Bead Roller, a hand operated machine that companies in Sweden used for applying sheet metal on houses, around windows and roofs, but nobody thought about using it for making car parts, a light turned on in my head!

I found one that was hand operated, but it only had one pair of die, I tried it and after applying two beads on a sheet, realized that I needed a motor on this thing if it is was going to work the way I wanted. I mounted a motor on it and I found an electrical foot pedal to control the back and forth action. At last I could do much more of what I wanted with the sheet metal.

Learn from each experience and go forward.
I developed my techniques, machines, tools, instruction manuals and videos, over the years, so now everyone can learn Metal Shaping and learn it much more quickly than I did!

We can cut, bend, shrink or stretch sheet metal, that's all we can do, when we learn these techniques, we can create anything we want.

It has been a long journey to where I am today in Metal Shaping. There has been many obstacles along the way, and I can tell you, I have been ready to give up many times, but something inside tells me, "Try a little bit more" so I did. I discovered new ways and learned something more from every obstacle, the more I learned the more I could control the sheet, and the more fun I had.

One of the biggest fears I’ve had relates to making mistakes. I grew up believing that it wasn't good to make mistakes. You must do it right the first time, and that ended up with the fear of even starting a project.

Later in life I found out that to be successful in any area, you must be able to both make mistakes and learn from them to succeed; they go hand in hand. You can't have just one, you must do both, but remember, don't make the mistakes twice while expecting different results, that's insanity.

Even if I built a car body and it was 75% good (100% is perfect) I knew that next time I can make it 95% good, and that’s ok; I’m learning. I remind myself that it was all made from a flat piece of sheet metal; that was pretty amazing. I felt very good about what I did, and it's important that you feel good about your work as well.

I've always been interested in making some of my own body panels and miscellaneous items for my hot rods. At the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky I visited Lazze's booth met him and came away with a very positive feeling. I decided to sign up for the Step One class the following September even though I was in my late 50's. Lazze's class provided hands on learning and instilled self-confidence in his students.

His outgoing positive personality created a comfortable environment. After the comfort level I achieved in Step One, I choose to attend the Step Two course and was overwhelmed with what I learned in the two classes. Today I am making metal pieces/panels for myself and friends with hot rods and airplanes. I highly recommend anyone interested in metal fabrication pursue these classes. You will not only learn to create with metal, but will walk away with an increased sense of self-esteem to follow your dreams.

Thanks,

Phil Becker - Illinois