Network Resources for Metalworking

There are several other metalworking-related resources on the Internet, such as mailing lists and WWW pages. Here are a few we are aware of.

• So the first one I list isn't even metalworking related! A handy reference available in most libraries is the Thomas Register, which lists many manufacturers and sellers of "stuff". They currently have an on-line presence on the World Wide Web:
  http://www.thomasregister.com

• http://www.metalwebnews.com
  Metal Web News "A Virtual Newsletter for the Online Metal Enthusiasts"

  An effort by William Gray and others to present a metalworking newsletter. Contributions are welcome.

• http://metalworking.com
  A service provided by Stevs Stallings and Practical Micro Design. Includes a "drop box" for pictures, shareware, and links to other sites.

• A blacksmithing newsgroup was created in early February 1998:
  alt.crafts.blacksmithing

• MIT has some interesting material on metalworking at
  http://me.mit.edu/2.70/machine/outline.html

• An excellent tutorial on spring-making is at:
  http://home.earthlink.net/~bazillion/springs.html

• The "heat treating industry" has a web page:
  http://www.heattreatingonline.com

• The Houston Home Metal Shop Club has web pages of interest, and are nicely designed:
  http://www.comwerx.net/biz/geotek/hmsc/index.htm

• Machine Design (a Penton publication) has some nice web pages that discuss a range of topics such as fastening (glues, clapms, etc.) and many other topics. http://www.penton.com/md, under "Basics of Design Engineering" for example.

• Model makers might find Chris Heapy's web pages interesting:
  http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/homepage.htm

  There's also a mailing list, modeleng-list, available by sending a request to majordomo@swcp.com.

• Small parts are useful to machinists, and robotics people also are interested in such things. Try looking at:
  http://www.robotics.com/resource.html

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available via:
  gopher://gopher.chem.utah.edu/11/MSDS
  http://hazard.com/msds
  http://turva.me.tut.fi/cgi-bin/wilma/msds
  http://www.enviro-net.com/technical/msds/
  

• Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) is discussed in the FAQ (question 35) but see also:
  http://www.pe.net/~brettj/edm/

• Metal properties: Metal Suppliers Online (MSO) includes a database of metal property data: http://www.suppliersonline.com/

• Two newsgroups related to crafts such as metalworking:
  alt.binaries.pictures.crafts
  sci.engr.joining.welding

• Steam engines:

  http://chaski.com/wwwboards/live_steam/,
  http://livesteaming.digiweb.com/

• CAD software and related goodies are available via: http://www.mecheng.asme.org

• A CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) mailing list was created in mid-May 1996. Here is part of their announcement:

  A new mailing list for the discussion of any CAM related software, hardware, questions, procedures, methods, terminology, etc. has been created and is now in operation. Topics could include, for example, software such as Camax, Mastercam, CimLinc, Cisigraph, SurfCam, etc, or subjects such as G-godes, APT source, different cutting methods and styles, or even actual CNC related topics.

  To subscribe to this list, send mail to majordomo@umcc.umich.edu with:

  subscribe cam

  in the body of the mail by itself. The subject of the mail is ignored. This will subscribe you to the per message version of the list. This means that for every message the list receives, you will receive one piece of mail. If there are 10 submissions to the list in one day, you get 10 pieces of mail.

  There is also a digest version available. To subscribe to the digest version, send mail to majordomo@umcc.umich.edu with:

  subscribe cam-digest

• There's a CNC newsgroup: alt.machines.cnc

• Gardner Publications, publisher of the magazines Modern Machine Shop, Production, and Products Finishing, has a web page:
  http://www.gardnerweb.com/

• Metal casting:
  http://www.teg.co.uk/teg/hoben/index.html

• If you are interested in clocks/watches, there is a CLOCKS mailing list. Send mail to listserv@listserv.syr.edu, containing the command "SUBSCRIBE CLOCKS your name".

  There is also a clock presence on the World Wide Web (WWW): http://glen-ellyn.iit.edu/~clocks/clocks/clocks.html

  A similar newsgroup is alt.horology.

  See also http://www.horology.com/

• Steam Engines: http://livesteaming.digiweb.com,
  http://chaski.com/wwwboards/live_steam/

• On the scientific side, there's sci.engr.metallurgy.

• There is also a Usenet newsgroup rec.woodworking that may be of interest to people who read rec.crafts.metalworking.

• WWW (World-Wide-Web) users may be interested in Enrique Vega's efforts which he calls ArtMetal. This includes a mailing list and a Home Page of:

  http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/edu/arts/metal/ArtMetal.html

  Enrique can be reached at evega@artmetal.pdial.interpath.net.

  See also the Prince Edward Island Crafts Council (Canadian):

  http://www.peicraftscouncil.com

• A crafts fair guide is at: http://www.teleport.com/~paulec/FAIRGUIDE/CRAFTLST.HTML

• A Usenet newsgroup was created around March of 1994, called rec.crafts.jewelry. Some of the questions on rec.crafts.metalworking have been jewelry related, such as casting small pieces; these might be more appropriate on the new group, or at least you might get more answers!

• A newsgroup called rec.knives was created in September 1995.

• A mailing list for knifemakers was created in early 1995:

  Such a list is now available, and may be joined by sending mail to majordomo@swcp.com containing a line "subscribe knife-list". Following is the announce text for the list:

  The purpose of this mail list is to be a forum where knife makers and bladesmiths discus technical, artistic, political, and business ideas related to the field of custom and handmade cutlery.

  Knife fighting techniques and martial arts are not part of the discussion, except where it relates to an actual knife design.

  In short, this mailing list is for knife makers, sword makers, bladesmiths, and serious collectors of custom and handmade cutlery.

• An older mailing list for knifemakers, collectors, and people interested in edged-weaponry martial arts and techniques is the EDGE mailing list. Requests to be added to this list should be sent to:

  EDGE-owner@HICOM.LUT.AC.UK

  Submissions to the list itself should be sent to:

  EDGE@hicom.lut.ac.uk

  Topics on this list have ranged across topics like discussions of the types of steels used in knives, and why select one over another; the qualities and selection of different types of pocket tools [such as the Gerber Multi-Plier, the Leatherman, the SOG Toolclip, etc.]; current sales on knives from mail-order or discount-house sources; why Japanese swords are made the way they are/were, and how to take care of such a sword; selecting modern reproduction swords for martial-arts purposes; and many other edged-weapon and edged-tool subjects. However, lately (April 1995) it has been heard that the list is largely dead and unresponsive.

• Silversmithing (commercial): http://www.gold.net/users/dy93/.
  Also, the Society of American Silversmiths at http://www.silversmithing.com

• The "industry", whatever that may be, has a WWW home page as well as a Telnet address, respectively:
  http://www.industry.net
  industry.net

• Then there's the manufacturer's Information Network:
  http://mfginfo.com/home.htm

• Metal finishing (electroplating, anodizing, galvanizing, etc.):
  http://www.finishing.com
  http://www.peganet.com/dalmar/dalmarhm.html

• METAL Machining and Fabrication:
  http://www.mmf.com/metal

• Used Equipment Network (UEN), WWW or Telnet respectively:
  http://www.hsix.com
  buyused.hsix.com

• The Global Recycling Network deals with used machines and tools:
  http://grn.com/grn/

• Powell's Technical Books (new and used) can be reached at http://www.technical.powells.portland.or.us, or you can get more info by sending blank e-mail to ping@technical.powells.portland.or.us. More info in the vendor list.

• Amazon.com claims one million titles, at http://www.amazon.com.

• Book Stacks Unlimited can be reached via telnet to books.com, or (216) 861-0469, or http://melville.books.com/scripts/main.exe? or http://www.books.com.