The History

LAZZE Metal Shaping History!

My name is Lars, but I go under my nickname LAZZE, (Lassie)
I would like to tell you the history behind my metal shaping technique.
When I was growing up, about four or five years old, I started to build things, I liked creating something from nothing, or from something that another person had no use for. Around the age of eight, I got into working with metal, because my dad was always making something and his hobbies inspired me.
We had one problem, I could only bend a sheet of metal one way, like over a pipe or in a vise; 90 degrees or similar, and one of my first projects was to build an exhaust for my moped; two cones and a straight piece in between with a pipe on both ends. That was my starting introduction to Metal Shaping.
I learned to bend sheet metal but if I wanted to bend a sheet in three dimensions, I just couldn't do it. I could cut the piece and bend it, weld it and make it the best I could, but the result wasn't exactly what I wanted.
So at that time I said to myself, "there must be another way to do this instead of making dies and stamping the parts that I needed". That question stayed in my mind for a long time, and after many years of struggling, I saw a picture of an English Wheel.
I understood then, that it was possible to shape the metal convex or concave, and that got me very excited. I built my first English Wheel and with a simple construction I began to shape the metal in 3D.
The result wasn't completely satisfying, but I knew that if I improved the wheel, the frame, and the C-shape, I could get better results. So I developed a new version, and I felt that I was on the right track. Over many years I developed my English Wheel to what it is today; an outstanding tool after years of constant improvement.
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 Shrink / Stretcher together with my English wheel.
At first I thought the Shrink / 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 make it right but learn from both 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.
 

• When we’re done than we know how we should have done it, it’s true

The LAZZE Method;
The way I look at a Metal Shaping project today is not the same as I did in the past
The answers have changed over the years, because I’ve learned more and my students taught me so much because in every class the student do something different or a new mistake that I never seen before and I can learn five times faster than if I did everything by my self.
Today I look at things in a three dimensional way and break down a project in specific pieces.

• Remember, it's very important to have a clear 3D mental picture in your mind of what you want to do. If you don't have that, the chances of completing the project the way you envisioned it is very small. That's the same with anything; you must have a clear mental picture of what you want, because your mind always think in pictures.

A typical example of that, happened to me a long time ago, actually 1991 when I built my first 33 Roadster body in steel from a '33 Ford 4dr body, my friend asked me "How did you do that?" I answered, “I don't know, I just made it”.
When I started thinking about it a little more, I found that I had a clear mental picture from a ‘33 5W coupe that somebody cut the roof off, to build a roadster. My mind was communicated to my arms and commanded my arms to do the job, so I created the first ‘33 Roadster body ever in Sweden.
That car turned over to be a 33 3W Coupe and that was the start for the Metal Shaping Classes I'm teaching today.
After having taught Metal Shaping for over 16 years, I’ve helped a lot of people build their own cars and other things from scratch. It always starts with the 3D mental image.

The 3D mold can be a left fender and I'm going to make the right side. It can be a wooden buck; it can be a fiberglass body or body parts.
If I don't have anything to measure from I prefer to make a wire frame that I made as a framework, that gave me something to look at to give my mind the proper commands for what we are going to make.

• That's where most people fail; they don't have a clear mental picture.

From that I can make templates, I use these layouts to see what shape the panels are going to look like. When I have all that and have cut out the sheets I need, I can look at the 3D picture I have and find out where the highest point is.
The important thing is to start from the inside on a panel and wheel up the convex shape in the English wheel if the panel is so big so I can't shrink from the outside.
So let’s say it's a door skin for a 33 VW Coupe, it's a good example, I start to wheel up the crown, the convex. There is a video about that to on my free videos. When I wheeled up that so the templates fit, then I can go to the next step; which is to put the bead on the door skin.
When that is done I can continue to the next step, it depends on how tall the doors are, but if I only need the door skin so it's little taller than the bead, then I can trim the edges with so much extra so I have enough material to fold the edge around 180 degrees around the door frame and do that in the Bead Roller.
With this explanation, you can see that we do everything Step by Step, that's how we make the impossible possible!
We learn step-by-step. We make the parts step by step and we put the parts together to a car body, or whatever it's we make one piece at a time.
 

Metal shaping is not hard at all when you learn how to do it, the toughest part is what's going on in your mind,

• What do you think about when it comes to Metal Shaping? Is it hard or easy?

I took a seminar in Stockholm in Personal Development by Bryan Tracy, you can look him up at www.nightingale.com to learn more (not Metal Shaping) and I began to study the program after the seminar, but nothing happened, I was frustrated, I wanted results now! It didn't happen, so I figured out that it took me 33 years to be the person I was, and if I want to change that person to get better results in anything I do, I must have patients and let the process work over a longer period of time.

Then one day after year and a half, a light turned on in my head, I saw the first glimpse that I was thinking and reacting differently, and in that second I knew I was on the right track, the process was working!
To get more experience in a specific area you must give yourself a chance to learn the process over a period of time, you must develop new habits, that's how it works.
Metal Shaping is no different. The Metal Shaping courses we offer you are step-by-step programs that take you through the entire process.
We spend the first part of it explaining the foundation of the tools and machines, and then we look at all the hand tools, equipment and tricks that I use; after that, it's time to begin working with the tools and machines.
I show you step-by-step the techniques I’ve developed over many years to achieve the best results with the least amount of work.
The next step will be practical application and you make;

• a motorcycle fender, cowl panel, rear quarter panel, door skin for 33 Ford 3W Coupe, Aluminum scoop, dashboard and other parts that you can shoose from in the 3-days step 1 Class.

You’ll be making the parts you’ve always dreamed of but were not confident enough to attempt.

• Common misconceptions about metal shaping

A common misconception about Metal Shaping is that Metal Shaping is hard. It's just the opposite, if you treat sheet metal the way the sheet metal wants to be treated, you can create anything you want, but you must think in 3-dimensions. If you start fighting with it, it won’t do what you want and you’re going to fail.
The reason people think they can't do it is because they can't see the step-by-step process. They look at the whole thing and their minds can't figure out where to begin. It looks daunting when seen from that perspective.

• The truth is, it's incredibly, amazingly EASY — once you know how. It will take self-discipline at first to get you going. Self-discipline is a simple, learn-able skill. And just like any other skill, riding a bike or hitting a baseball; it all comes down to mastering a few simple, fundamental techniques.

If you want to master Metal Shaping, you must have self-discipline to practice about one and a half hours every day for about one to two years. You will develop the skills in your mind and body and you'll learn to overcome mistakes and learn from them.
You’ll find that mistakes become opportunities to learn new techniques.
Ask yourself, Why is Lazze so good at Metal Shaping? The answer is because I practice everyday, or at least many times every week and I take notes along the way. I learn from every student, who make new things that I haven't seen before and I also learn from their mistakes.
I have five students in each class, which means that I learn five times faster than if I did it by myself, and that also means that I have so much more to teach you and other people in the upcoming classes from the collective experiences of the previous class.
Once you ingrain the Metal Shaping techniques in your mind, it becomes easier and easier the more you practice. You will know exactly where you're going, but I'll also mention that in Metal Shaping and everything we do, we are always going to run into a few problems. The real winners will solve these problems and go forward, and that is the fun part in Metal Shaping; we always discover something new.

• Learning can be fun!

Each and every step in-between will be clearly defined and easily achievable. With each step you take, you will see exactly how much progress you've made and how fun this is.
The best part is it will all happen automatically. It won't be hard. It won't feel like a struggle; it works. Naturally, effortlessly, almost without even trying, you will create the shape you want, whenever you want. I'm here to tell you that you do have that power!
Stop and think for a second about how different things would be if you had the power of self-discipline and begin applying it to Metal Shaping. You'll get better and better, the more you practice; that's how it works.

Here are seven exercises - new habits to develop your Metal Shaping skills

• Take a "Hands on Class"  Develop a firm foundation in Metal Shaping techniques. Ask around; “who has a good reputation in Teaching Metal Shaping?”
• Watch videos, read and look at instruction manuals that show you step-by-step how it's done, if you do the same thing as they show you, you’re going to have the same result, It's simple as that. If you use the same tools/machines as they using, you are going to get the same results, it can't be other than that. Try to pick up as much information as possible from people who are good at Metal Shaping.
•  Make a new habit and begin to practice a little every day on the English Wheel, Bead Roller and Shrink/Stretcher. That's all you’ll need along with some hand tools. You’ll begin to understand that you’ll either be shrinking, stretching, cutting or bending; that's all you can do in Metal Shaping.
• Make something pretty simple, a small patch panel for a car body and build up your self confidence step-by-step in Metal Shaping. DON"T MAKE SCRAP PIECES, it's not good for your learning process.
• Write down the things you’re doing, so you can remember the details and go back to repeat them often. The more notes you take; the faster you'll improve at Metal Shaping.
• If something goes wrong you can always go back and look at the last thing you did. Analyze the problem and you might find the solution in doing the opposite of what you did in the first place. You'll find that you must either Shrink Stretch, Cut or Bend, to solve the problem.
• Promise yourself to persevere, whatever happens, keep going, and if you need help, the help is out there. There is always someone out there with a solution to your problem who can support and coach you to get what you want.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help, the solution may come to you in the middle of the night, as it has many times for me. There usually is a solution to your problem hidden in the basics of Metal Shaping.

Benefits of an on-going program
The benefits of a LAZZE’s Metal Shaping education program is that you either learn hands-on or you learn from DVD video classes or Instruction Manuals; all three will show you step-by-step how to take your skills up to the next level.

• Learning by doing is the key to mastering Metal Shaping!

Pick a program that has support or backup from a coach, that's even better. You can ask questions to problems that you run into and get answers quickly. It's always going to happen. After so many years, I still get stuck on problems in metal shaping and look around for answers.
I document all my projects and have a library of solutions to common and unique problems that I encounter, so I can help to solve your problems and allow you to go forward with your project.

Why choose my Metal Shaping courses?

•  First of all, to be part of LAZZE’s Metal Shaping program, DVD video or hands-on classes, you'll be having much more FUN! You learn by doing and I'll explain everything in detail.
• Time and Money is what you’re going to gain. If you do it as a hobby, you’re going to save time and energy. When you can do the job on your car faster and with better quality, you don't have to pay someone else to do the job for you.If you do it for your own business, you’re going to do a better job and do it faster. That means you will earn more money, which gives you more freedom and you'll see your business growing. Your customer will be overwelming what you can do.
•  You'll feel the satisfaction from creating something from nothing. The creative process will improve your overall thinking and problem solving skills.
• You’re going to make your dreams come true! It happened to me and it's going to happen to you. Just do the same thing with the metal as I do, and you’re going to have the same outcome.
• Think about it this way, when you learn how to shape Metal any way you want, the sky is the limit for what you can do, you can create anything you want, it doesn't matter as long as you control the sheet and that's what I'm going to teach you.
• You can increase your income a lot, when you do better jobs and do them faster. You get more customers because you’re building up your reputation on every job you do.
• People will recognize you and the job you do and they'll talk to their friends about you and you know that word of mouth is the best way to build up a reputation, and who knows; you might get your car in an article in some magazine one day.
• You’re going to feel motivated to do more, the more you learn, the more motivated you'll be. I have seen that so many times on the hands-on classes; students can't stop working when they see that they can shape metal anyway they want to!
• You'll feel energized; you have something to look forward to. You’ll want to learn more. Metal Shaping can quickly become a passion.
• You'll feel that you can build anything you want, and that's exactly right.

Take control of your ability to bend metal with your hands. Learn to shape your future with the help of a master Metal Shaping teacher. Start today to build your confidence, your skill and your income with Lazze Metal Shaping education.
Whether you choose to take the hands-on classes or DVD video program or Instruction Manual books, make the decision to get started now. You are on your way to an exciting new opportunity.
Subscribe at www.youtube.com/lazzemetalshaping and you will be among the first to know about the exciting up coming free videos and new programs from Lazze Inc.
To your success,Lazze Jansson
Lazze Inc.,P.S.
I had many students who come from all over the world to take my hands-on classes.
Now I am making it simpler for people to learn Metal Shaping with the power of vidoes and Instruction Manual books.