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he has WAY more patience than me
Been watching him for a couple years now on the advice form Gordon or Al. This guys shop, skills and knowledge are OUTSTANDING ! I didn't believe it when I heard you could "shrink " metal with a hammer until I saw it done by him ! Guys like him and a few others are a dying breed. I sincerely hope some others take up his torch for the future.....................Bruce
Wray's a good friend and his shop is about a 20 minute drive from me, out into the country. He ALWAYS has some fabulous projects going on in there and should be ramping up his regular metal working classes as the Covid panic eases. Wray's a very cool guy who crams a lot into every day. His metal working classes are frequent (monthly or less) and very well attended from people all over the world (even Mexico, Bruce!) His current shop was supposed to be his last as it was 3X bigger than his prior shop. He ran out of space in less than 2 years. 
Another friend, Hot Rod Ron, took a Wray's $1,200 class and ended up making a pair of front fenders for his '34 Dodge coupe. He had found a pair in Kentucky that looked pretty sad for over $2K for the pair so a brand new, hand-made pair for $1,200 AND new-found metal working skills seemed like a bargain. Here's Ron's Hot Rod, sitting in front of Wray's shop. BTW, the front fenders and running boards are all one piece:
( @edsnova This is the guy who was giving me tips to pass along for your bead roller)
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@Gordon Nichols posted:... the front fenders and running boards are all one piece:..
Holy Smokes
Absolute master.
So far the big insight I got from his videos is that there are many ways up the mountain: wood bucks, wire form bucks, shot bags, stumps, English wheel, bead roller, heat shrinking, hammer shrinking, die shrinking, etc. and so forth. Almost as many right ways as wrong ways.
That is incredibly freeing for a guy like me with only a hammer and an innate sense of rage.
I intend to make a flexible shape pattern from my half tonneau so I'll be able to repurpose the wood from the buck I made.
@edsnova It all starts with training on what happens to metal under compression, expansion and the influence of gentle heat. After that, all of the tools are just there to enhance those three.
If you make the trek to Lime Rock I’ll take you to Wray’s as a side trip - my treat (it’s about a 90 minute trip - we have a guest room and in-garage parking). Bonus points for showing up in the Spyder, for sure, but it will be a great visit for you (or a group, if we get others to come). Lunch at BT’s Smokehouse and BBQ - #1 in all of New England and a Brisket Rueben that is a spiritual experience.
Come to think of it, O’Brien Truckers is just around the corner. We could drop by to see Dennis’ DeTomaso Pantera or his ‘34 Panel Truck. And Hot Rod Charlie should have his Singer-Like ‘85 Porsche Outlaw done by then and on show at LTP on Sunday, too.
Lots of stuff possible in 2021, just get vaccinated!
gn