[Kevin in NJ]

For metal work I bought videos to watch. Shrinking magic I think was the one that really made a difference.

Understanding when it shrinks, when it is stretched and how it affects the dimensions of the metal changed how I approached metal work. I started doing things I did not think possible before.

I wanted all the fancy tools I saw people use. For a lot of the work as a hobbyist you can do well with a few quality tools and knowledge. It is much slower but you can pull of some good work. Where you start needing special tooling would be making long sections of a shape.

The one more pricey tool I would recommend buying if you want to be serious about fancy metal work is a decent TIG. The point heat lets you do things you cant imagine until you try it. I will not use MIG to put panels together anymore. I make close panels and tig the weld correcting the shrink as I go along. You can put together metal and have it to shape with minimal if any filler to level.