Ron Covell
FABRICATION
MIG Welding made Easy
MIG Welding is widely used for car and motorcycle building and modification, but few people really understand how each of the variables affects the finished weld. This program can be easily understood by a beginner, but it covers information even seasoned professionals can learn from. Ron Covell goes through the entire process step-by-step, and gives clear descriptions of how each factor changes the weld, including wire speed, voltage, wire stickout, gun angle, travel speed, and gas flow. He also covers plug welds, patch panels, welding aluminum, and using flux core wire. You’ll especially enjoy the special bonus section on Plasma Cutting! 70 minutes
Ron Fournier Master of Metal
Ron Fournier is known as the father of modern metalworkers. This program features rare interviews with his students, colleagues, and family, as well as a fascinating interview with Ron himself, where he traces his steps to becoming a leader in the industry. You'll see in-depth comments about many of the challenging construction details. We think you'll find this behind-the-scenes portrait of Ron Fournier's life and career a fascinating journey! 40 minutes
TIG Welding Basics
TIG welding has been long recognized as the premiere welding process, which can make beautiful, strong welds on nearly any metal. In this easy-to-follow program, Ron Covell covers the basic processes used for TIG welding, covering proper machine setup, joint preparation, electrode selection and preparation, torch technique, and perhaps most importantly, what to check for when things go wrong! Ron’s thoughtful description of the welding process, coupled with the close-up photography that brings the action into clear view makes the seemingly difficult process of TIG welding easy to understand. 80 minutes
Building a Chopper Chassis
See a chopper frame built before your eyes! Ron Covell goes through the entire process, starting with an overview of frame design, explaining the concepts of rake, trail, and stretch. He covers the use of chassis jigs, then goes on to show how to bend and fit tubing to create a chopper frame to match any design. Ron’s clear and detailed explanations will help any builder get on the road quickly, with a minimum amount of wasted effort. He also shows the use of both entry-level and high-end tools for layout, cutting, and bending. With the excellent instruction found here, building a frame may be an easier project than you imagine! 70 minutes
Chopping and Sectioning
Inspired by the Rod & Custom ‘Dream Truck’ Ron Covell and Joe McGlynn radically rework a '56 Studebaker pickup - giving it a 4' chop, a 6” section, and pie-cutting the hood. Every step is shown up-close, with clear detail, and the ongoing commentary brings out many of the ‘fine points’ of the work.
You'll see how and where to lay out the cuts, different ways to cut the metal, and how to fit the pieces back together to establish flowing contours. There are demonstrations on the English Wheel, planishing hammer, and Pullmax, plus TIG welding and plasma cutting. Special attention is paid to getting the hood and door gaps uniform.
Although chopping and sectioning are radical modifications, Ron and Joe’s thoughtful, methodical way of working through the steps is easy to follow! 100 minutes
English Wheel Techniques
Ron Covell brings his signature easy-to-follow style to using the English wheel, a machine notoriously difficult for beginners to figure out. Starting with the machines history and a clear explanation of the principles that enable the machine to move metal, Ron shows the basic tracking patterns that are used to shape panels of various sizes and configurations.
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In addition to the common techniques of wheeling, Ron also shows some lesser-known processes, such as using a rubber top wheel, and doing embossing with the machine. Whether youre brand-new to the English Wheel or an experienced user, youll find valuable information in this video. 86 minutes
Basic Techniques for Working with Steel
This is probably the most comprehensive metalworking video to date: Ron Covell thoroughly demonstrates basic hammer and dolly techniques, and shows how to do high-level metalwork that requires no filler. In the video, he starts with a 1932 Morgan in very bad condition, and goes through every step of perfectly restoring the body. Great coverage of hole filling, patch panels, wired edge repair, rust repair, TIG welding, metal finishing, and shrinking. You’ll see how top-quality metalwork can be done with very simple tools! 100 minutes
Shaping Aluminum with Hand Tools
Ron Covell's first video, now considered a classic. Watch Ron go through every step of making a track roadster nose, demonstrating techniques suitable for making virtually any body panel. He starts with a station buck defining the shape, shows clearly how the patterns are made, then starts shaping each piece and finally joins them together. Annealing, mallet and sandbag rough shaping, hammer and dolly smoothing, metal finishing, and both oxy-acetylene and TIG welding are covered in depth. If youve never seen metal shaped by hand, you may be astounded how simple the process is! 105 minutes
Working with Tubing
This video is filled with fantastic close-up shots, which bring the action into clear view. Ron Covell shows dozens of ways to work with tubing, including bending with heat, bending with both inexpensive and high-end tube bending machines, mitering, flaring, and tapering tubing. There is an extensive section that deals with using U-bends, showing how to create anything from simple water pipes to elaborate headers. Most of the techniques use only simple shop equipment! Youll love it! 95 minutes
Hammerforming Techniques
Two of the best-known names in metalshaping have teamed up to teach you the ins and outs of the hammerforming process. Hammerforms are very easy to make, and they enable you to create parts that have the look and accuracy of die-stamped parts. They allow even beginning metalworkers to produce parts they can be proud of. Ten different hammerforming operations are demonstrated, from a simple tank top to a beautiful rolled edge detail on a complicated pontoon fender for a Bugatti. The two Rons bring over 70 years of combined experience to the viewers, and youll see how their different styles of working with metal compliment each other. This video has striking close-up shots that bring you close to the action, and clear descriptions of all aspects of the hammerforming process. 76 minutes
Making Motorcycle Gas Tanks
In this long-awaited video, Ron Covell shows the ‘intimate details’ of making two very different gas tanks. The first is a flat-bottomed chopper style tank made from steel, and the second is a comma-shaped tank made from aluminum. Details of rubber mounting are clearly shown, along with demonstrations of forming with hand tools and with an English wheel. Two-video set (over 2 3/4 hours of instruction) 167 minutes
MOTORCYCLE VIDEOS
Motorcycle Masters
Travel with Ron as he visits some of the leading bike stylists in the nation. Bob Thrash, John Buttera, Jim Nasi, Jesse James, Mike Berg, and Paul Yaffe all show their latest and greatest creations. Some of the most innovative metalworking today goes into making custom bikes, and you can see the leaders of the pack in this video. It's a tour you won't soon forget, and it takes you into places normally closed to the public. 52 minutes
Ron Finch Motorcycle Artist
Ron Finch is well known as a builder of fantastic custom motorcycles. This 45 minute video explores his work over three decades, and offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at his unique style. Ron shows the 'intimate details' of nine motorcycle masterpieces, and gives a tour of his museum-like self-built motorcycle shop. You'll see demonstrations of the unusual processes he developed for his wild multi-colored surrealistic paint jobs, and you'll watch him do his signature metal sculpting on fenders and tanks. The last segment of the video features the paintings and sculpture Ron created for an architectural commission. 45 minutes
More Motorcycle Masters
Join Ron Covell as he visits some of the nation's most exciting motorcycle designers and builders. The first stop is with Lynn Ashcroft from Salem Oregon, who has a truly unique vision with his bike designs. Next is Hank Young from Marietta Georgia, who mixes traditional hot rod themes with his bike designs. From Duncanville Texas, Joe Martin, of Martin Brothers Bikes shows his incredible bikes, with metal and paint detailing like no other! Salinas Boyz' Cole Foster shows his fantastic 'Bobber' style bike, along with some other fine projects. The last stop is with Teddy Kimer Jr. of Teddie's Hot Bikes in St. Petersburg Florida, who shows his sensational 'Zoso" bike (on front cover), that won top awards at the Grand National Roadster Show, the Rat's Hole show in Daytona Beach, and was also featured at the Essen Motor Show in Germany. This video offers a rare view inside the shops and minds of some of the nation's top builders! 74 minutes
SHOP TOURS
Shop Tour Volume 1
Join Ron Covell as he visits master metalworkers in six fascinating, but very different shops. Youll see Richie Willett displaying his outrageous custom-built phaeton, Fay Butler demonstrating the power hammer and planishing hammer, Ron Fournier demonstrating metal shaping and displaying his highly detailed model cars, Terry Steagall showing how he created his 85% scale Shrunken Truck, John Glover demonstrating wheeling techniques in his home shop, and Jim Alley of Profile Racing Products giving a tour of his fabulous facility, specializing in pro-street Anglias. 48 minutes
Shop Tour Volume 2
Visit the workshops of Jackie Howerton, Alyn Swedberg, Bobby Walden, Dave Propst, and Bobby Alloway, where you'll see some of the top vehicles in the country being built, as well as some of the most innovative shop equipment anywhere. Each builder has a unique style, and they bring their creativity to life in this colorful video. 50 minutes
Shop Tour Volume 3
The first stop is with rod builder extrordinare Dick Carroll, who shows his brilliantly designed speedster. Next is Cass Nawrocki, showing his high-end restoration projects, and demonstrating his unusual techniques on his well-tooled English wheel. Richard Pauza, with Brett and Patrick Kinsfather are building a pair of 32 Ford inspired cars with demanding, curved-tube chassis construction. Tom Lipton shows a variety of metalshaping machines hes built, including his powerful Helve hammer. Tom puts his wheel and hammer through their paces, and youll be amazed to see how quickly they shape metal. 63 minutes
Shop Tour Volume 4
Join Ron Covell as he visits some of the top car builders in the nation. The tour starts with Bruce Terry in Seaside, California, who shows a custom bodied bike, beautifully stylized '36 and '37 Ford roadsters, his unique English Wheel, and a full-size Ferrari front end sculpture made from copper.Alan Johnson, in Gadsden, Alabama is next, showing his '32 Ford coupe, and several cars under construction. George King from Huntsville, Alabama, proudly shows the '37 Ford coupe Alan recently built for him. Marcel and Luc De Ley from Corona, California are next, showing their incredible arsenal of high-end metal shaping equipment, and many custom-bodied cars in different stages of completion. The last stop is with Troy Trepanier in Manteno, Illinois, who gives an in-depth tour of his beautiful '62 Chevy project car, named "Chicayne". 45 minutes
Shop Tour Volume 5
Stan Carter shows the powerful metal shaping machines hes built from surplus materials, while his son Kyle shows how Stans power shrinker plus Helve and Planishing hammers can speed the work of making motorcycle gas tanks from heavy-gauge steel. Jim Hume shows the impeccably crafted land speed record car he is building from scratch, a tribute to the work of a gifted and inspiring builder! Ed Scutchfield proudly shows an RS 60 Porsche Spyder he has beautifully re-bodied. The metalwork is so flawless that the owner doesnt plan to paint it! Ed also gives a demonstration on a rare McGee edge-wiring machine, and shows some parts made using simple stamping dies. Colton Hardison shows the sensational 33 Dodge pickup truck he scratch-built the body for using a Yoder power hammer, Pullmax, and Ecklold Piccolo. Rick Speed Lefever closes the tour with his brilliant pro-modified quad-turbo Mercedes racer. The craftsmanship and engineering on this car is phenomenal, with lots of titanium, billet aluminum, and exquisitely crafted carbon fiber. As a bonus, Rick demonstrates the tent method of welding large titanium structures like his fabricated rear axle housing. 48 minutes
Beyond the Boundaries
This video features six builders who have taken truly unique paths with automotive design. Aerodynamic pioneer and visionary Jocko Johnson traces his path from record-breaking dragsters in the 1950's, through wood and metal sculpture, to his Bonneville racer like no other. Drag Racing legend Kent Fuller displays his truly innovative flathead-powered monocoque streamliner, built on a surprisingly modest budget. The late "Big Daddy" Ed Roth shows the consruction details of "Stealth", the last car he built. Mike Cooper displays the "Tubester",the sensuous 1933 Ford pickup whose design went from simple to spectacular. Michael Leeds shows "Bertha" a hugeboat-tailed roadster built on a Seagrave fire truck chassis. And last, Randall Grubb shows "The Blastolene Special" a custom-built speedster designed around a 1790 cubic inch air-cooled V-12 tank engine! 1lb. 60 minutes
In the Shop with Craig Naff
Craig Naff is one of the finest metalworkers in the nation, with milestone credits to his name such as the Smoothster, Cadzilla, and SmoothNess. This video features a tour through Craigs shop, showing his projects and equipment, then he demonstrates making a skirted fender with a wired and beaded edge. Youll be amazed as the fender takes shape, with each piece formed so perfectly that little finish work is needed. 97 minutes
Steve Davis Shop Tour
Steve Davis is one of the premiere metalworkers in the nation. He talks about the fine points of high-end metalwork, his tool collection, and gives great demonstrations of making gas tanks and hoods, and of gas welding aluminum. He gives an in-depth look at the beautiful metal-finished modifications to a 32 Ford coupe. 48 minutes
