All I wanted was to read a post!

[brains ironically]

But since I went through all the stuff to register, might as well stick around!





Newish to metal-working; welds still look like a bad horror movie; also want to learn how to do some shaping, so I figured I'd start by building a bead roller.

Dennis

[weldtoride]

Welcome, Dennis.

Everyone here started out with "booger welds", practice will lead to better welds.

As for building a bead roller, I humbly suggest you start with a cheap off-shored one from any number of suppliers, and practice your welding by adding stiffening members, or making a stand for it.

True, the off-shored tools dont have hardened dies, but as a hobbyist, you're not likely to wear out any dies soon.

[blue62]

If your interested in learning metal shaping.
Invest in a large sandbag, a stump and a good blocking hammer.
A bead-roller has limited uses and teaches you nothing about metal shaping.