New member in San Francisco

[JONB]

Hi folks. My first metal shaping project was at age eight (51 years ago!). I took the lids from Milo cans and hammered them into hemispheres on the coir door mat by the back door. Both my folks smoked at the time but they pretty quickly tired of ash trays with no flat base and no notch for the cigarette. My next effort was in metal work class at high school, another ash tray, this time successful from a design perspective, but badly welded. I also did some metal spinning at the time (and want to try some velocity stacks for some carbs). More recently, I've made steel door hinges for a hundred year old door, a mount for a brake reservoir and heat shields for a bike. Now I'm making bench mount buttons for shaping, a slapper out of an old leaf spring and an oak slapper. I am as intrigued by the tools as much as the finished product. I've made flywheel pullers, three pin wrenches (for fork end caps), hammers and centre punches. One day, maybe a whole bike, frame and bodywork anyway. Unfortunately, I have the aspirations of a maestro and the skills/patience of newborn.