You see TV build guys on a 42 minute show doing a custom car, and they spend 2 minutes of the show on actual fabrication, and 40 minutes on fabricated drama. This was 42 minutes of pure genius. Thank you for sharing your talent and thought process!
We are currenlty mostly drama driven......i can only imagine my Dad with all the information on UA-cam at his disposal. In this modern age there are few that really want to be craftsman (which takes dedication, perseverance and patience) and more that want to be be mindlessly entertained.
Robert B. You are so right. I don't know why those shows think we want to see anything but the "how to" of the project. There's enough drama in life already.
The measuring and meticulous working of the metal is everything. I was a sheet metal mechanic for twin engine civilian prototype aircraft fuselage and wing panels back in the sixties. The fuselage and wing panels had to fit perfectly down to 3 millimeter’s. I was there when it made its maiden flight. It was a thrill to see it take off with the designer and the test pilot knowing that their lives were at stake. The plane was called an Aerostar.
Ex soviet jet aircraft manufacturers were skilled at fabricating to hundredths of a millimeter. At the high speeds intended the airframes had to be virtually perfect. Kirkham bought an exSoviet aircraft manufacturer and put the skilled staff back to work building replica Cobras in aluminium and some cars in copper.
It's great to see a young guy keeping the early coachbuilding skills alive. I watched a show where a older guy was building a Ferrari type of vehicle on a wooden jig. The guy was using an older Ferrari as a pattern and didn't have the skill set that this young man has. His cars are works of art and I would love to drive one... Keep up the videos
I know, right? Everything else is not real. Everything else is a simulation. Even attitude is simulated. Take you, for example, your are just a fart in the brain of one of the programmers. (not a real fart though, a metaphorical, simulated fart).
You don't look old enough to have acumulated all these great skills. Its obvious you have a natural born aptitude for this high quality workmanship. You are also a very good instructor, carefully explaining all the whats and whys. I much appreciate your videos.
Ok, I've just stumbled across this video, and it's hands down the most watchable metal fabrication video I've ever seen. Instructive, relaxing, interesting - this is genuinely on a par with a good TV show.
I am restoring a 66 El Camino that's pretty much a rust bucket and I am having to make a lot of panels myself. I have a small English Wheel very little metal working tools but I am making it work. Your work is awesome and inspiring just watching your videos has given me a new edge thanks so much for sharing. Lee
OUTSTANDING, this young fellow realizes fabrication is not a race and involves patience. I would definitely watch his show on motor trend . His passion is overwhelming as well as educational.
I love aluminum all my work has been steel. My equipment was all home made but worked excellent. .thanks 50 years of woking metal and still learning..great job
I accidentally happened onto your channel and I'm glad I did. I'm a retired precision machinist. I did alot of prototype work for mechanical engineering for most of my career. But this metal shaping (shrinking and stretching) is obviously an art! The patience and foresight involved is incredible! Thanks for sharing.
Your passion comes through in your unhurried, but finely detailed explaining of the process of shaping metal. And what I didn’t see in your video was any indication that this was all about you. Not at all......it was all about the process and the metal. Too many others use UA-cam as platforms to display their egos. Very well done.
Videos like this from a true master craftsmen are repositories for knowledge in a sea of planned obsolescence. This sort of knowledge is becoming rare, and as we become more and more dumbed down this video will become priceless. Someday, not so far in the future, we are going to need to relearn how to make things and this video like those other master craftsmen who shared their expertise will be the seed from which a new society is built. Thank you.
Much improved since this freshman work. Here you learned the kinks before grace. Even so this effort matters. Not the most beautiful thing. Yet the Minnesota heart begins on the anvil
I don’t have any experience in metal fabrication as complex as you are doing here so I marvel at your skill but also your ability to explain it to me. I get it immediately.
having been a sheet metal worker and fabricator for many years , this took me back to my youth when i worked with a guy who made bodies with compound curves ,he didnt have a shrinker in the 60,s a wheel and gas,to get the curve he would pie slice the sheet and gas weld them ,then hammer weld the joins, i could never do do this , he made it look easy , but im impressed by chris as he is a young man
I was drawn to the picture of your car's curves and sleek lines. Decided to watch video. Had no idea what to expect. I just wanted to commend you with a big pat on the back. Your explanation of attention to details needed to accomplish this feat are absolutely tremendous. It was utter joy listening to your tutorial. You are totally on track as you hone in on the task. Making a video and teaching all the while. God Bless You and best wishes for a long life doing what you LOVE. And you are just a young fella. PHENOMENAL !
As a young amateur, I am forever grateful seeing videos like this. Artists like yours should be held up against others in whatever industry they're in. You didn't have to educate the whole people here - yet you took the time and effort on probably posting one of the most explanatory and step by step approach in whole youtube about metal shaping. Thank you, very much.
A tip of my hat from an old “tinbasher/panel beater”, (as we used to be called here in the UK), to a young, talented, knowledgeable & talented one. It’s great to see the craft is in good hands, well done for picking up the baton. Beautiful & long may you continue to create works of art, you’re truly gifted.
I was so astonished when I first learned that the way these shapes were once achieved was by hammering sheet over what looked like a wooden ribcage made rom 2”x4”s. And here all this time I believed that there was an employment of quite different methods. Today we have so much technology and computer design softwares to aid in these efforts, that it would seem logical that these old and original methods for doing bodywork had basically been disposed of so that the present day technologies could be embraced and better learned. Not every mechanic builder necessarily likes to mull over a computer and literally plot one point at a time on CAD software either, I know I wouldn’t. So why not embrace the older ways of doing it?! Thanks for sharing, and beautiful work there!! Great music and clean shop, too!!
A master of your craft. Really your explanation demonstrates your experience of working with your material, your tools, and your creativity to solve problems and create your vision. Wow!
I'm in awe of your artistry and craftsmanship but also of video production and the way you calmly verbalize as you work. If only all tutorials were like yours.
Absolutely one of them best demonstrations and talk throughs on what is going on with the metal i have watched, for a guy that is self taught you definetly have a good understanding of the alluminium, to the people that gave you a thumbs down obviously have no idea about the skill level you have shown, thanks for sharing some of your skills and also in the way that you have made this video. cheers from down under.
Fantastic tutorial. It is so relaxing to watch an artist at work and listen to words like mistakes happen this is how you learn. Chris has a straight forward positive , even toned presentation with logical explanations for his choices of tool and material. And did I mention along with the light metal some light metal music in the backdrop. love the classical jazz. I could not not subscribe. Thanks so much.
Dude, you had me captivated for 42 minutes. Honestly one of the most informative and helpful videos I've ever seen. Not too many distractions, calming sax in the back. I really liked this video. A little bit of a change in pace compared to most other channels. And I really like the lighting in the shop.
I think my Jay Leno garage binge sent me here. This is amazing, I watched every second of this video and I now appreciate fabrication much more. Thank you sir.
Chris, I've only just today, 28th Nov 2018, found your site / channel. ..... I really like your style & videos, you are an excellent engineer. Your explanations are easily understood, I think novices can learn a lot from you & your videos.
Fascinating and informative to see how you solve the compound curve creation process. I've done similar in model making using simply paper but now thanks to your exemplary explanation I think I may attempt the same using soda cans as my material. I tried heavy aluminum foil but it's not rigid enough, you need the resilience & springiness of thicker sheet.
What a wonderful, informative instructor you are! You impart an amazing amount of information in such a short time. Love it! Thanks. Time to subscribe.
This guy has the patience of a saint. So well explained and with no ego. He just gets on with each task in a well proportioned manner. Hat's off to him, a true craftsman- and did anyone watching miss the usual AC/DC type crap music thundering in the background? I mean, did the fact that you could hear every single word of what he was saying sound good? Absolutely! So why do other UA-camrs feel they have to drown their video's with utter shit music? I did mention AC/DC didn't I? Well done sir!
Thanks from Australia. As a landscaper I like your knowledge of when to use a machine or a hand tool. I can't teach my boys that. And they tend to attack the ground with poor results. You have that zen thing happening. We call it common sense and know how. Thanks for sharing. .
This was old fashioned ingenuity... Great to see a young person with this kind of talent and skill . Your work will be a masterpiece with everyone trying to figure out who did it and most of all how did they do it . Thank you for this education .
Hi Chris. Very nice video. I've not seen anyone else show a project like this fender from start to finish. There are so many informative small details as result of your taking the time to do such extensive coverage of this project. Thanks so much. Great work, Chris Conley
Very cool! My grandfather used to work on old Noorduyn Norseman planes and did a lot of body work but I was so young and never really saw how he did it. As I grew older he was doing more fiberglass which is totally different. Thanks for sharing!
This is a great tutorial, the product looks splendid, and is a consistent path for people who this doesn't come naturally. I'm envious of some of the tools I see.
First Erchfab, then Trev's blog, then Ron Covell and now this. All very different but a sheer delight to see REAL craftsmen at work. How many banks would I have to rob to buy a R2?
Wow this is a great video. I always wondered how metal was shrunk and curved. To me what you are able to do is simply incredible. This borders on magic. Thanks so much for sharing your skill with us!!
It is hard to classify or categorize this man...artist, sculptor, car builder, craftsman ....he is so very talented and patient..rolling work of art..Thank You for showing us a glimpse into the Runge Cars workshop
Beautiful work. When I was a kid, way back in the 70's, my grandmother's best friend had worked as a metal former in WWII. In the 70's she was retired and started doing metal forming again. She made little pedal car bodies, fake gas tanks for bicycles etc. Nowadays metal forming is becoming a lost art. Very few people can do it anymore. I tried it a few times and made a beautiful piece of aircraft wreckage. lol You make it look easy but the reality is, metal forming is 1/2 art. Even after you know the theory behind it, it still takes a great deal of practice. Granted, I was young when I tried to learn (13-14 yo) but after spending the summer trying to learn I couldn't get past crude shapes and I certainly wasn't making what I was wanting to make. I joke but yea, aircraft wreckage about sums up what I was able to make. I have been wanting to try again now that I am older and more patient. Anyhow, it's an art form that has eluded me and it's good to see at least a few younger people are keeping it alive.
came across this video and my jaw was on my computer table. Thank you for taking time to show the technique and explaining how it is done. Beautiful work. I am going to binge watch your other videos
Great work. I was really captivated by the work you were doing. Great shop music too. Lots of excellent advice and narrative on what you are doing and your thought process behind your actions. I’m a fabricator by trade and you have managed to take some of my favorite parts of the trade and make a business of them. Excellent artistry. Thanks for sharing.
I'm putting together a homebuilt plane. Didn't like the lack of contour (graduation?) in a few points. You've opened a new chapter for me with this video. THANKS!
A must for anyone thinking about giving this a go. I started knowing nothing, and at least might be willing to attempt it now, given the tools. I'm sure I still know next to nothing, but starting with the tips and demo this guy gives would DEFINITELY raise the learning curve over trying to "give it a go" from scratch. Cars gonna be COOL! ;-) I had a chance to buy an original AC COBRA many many years back that was polished aluminum, not even gonna tell you what for....REALLY REALLY REALLY should have done it. What they are worth now is staggering.
thank you for making these videos. Really appreciate you going to the trouble of explaining your thought processes. Many craftsmen like you show how they work and never say a word. What is going on in your head and why you choose a certain path really helps. Pleas e keep making them!
The first time I saw aluminum bent like this was in my airplane A&P school where one of the students (who was a metal worker) made an aluminum instrument panel for a 1937 Aeronca we were restoring. The panel was rather simple, but where it did shine was where the guy had rolled over the edges of the panel and shrank the corners so there were no wrinkles. Later, he made the engine cowling which was mostly flat pieces. The nose of the cowl was where he also did some rolling and shrinking. It was a work of art.
The finished product was breathtaking. I had the pleasure of seeing FF008 in Franklin,Tn last year and the owner was more than happy to tell me about your cars! I wish I could share the pictures I was able to take.
I watched, fascinated at this; I know nothing about the subject, I'm more a sculptor - building and shaping materials into a solid buck to use for GRP moulds. Bottom line is I'm simply a monkey-see monkey-do person. This makes me want to at least try this. Thank you for sharing your skills in a straightforward way.
Dr Verity Strange-Fish I totally agree. Me too, I'm fascinated with learning this type of industrial art. I've always been pretty good at making things with my hands, and seldom need to spend much time, if any, in sketching out plans of any kind. In recent years, I've used those skills much more than I did, when I was a young man, and have found that I can trust the image in my mind's eye, as a guide to building my projects. I never took the time to learn metal fabrication or welding, but I've never put my hands on any kind of tool, and been unable to learn to use it. For quite a few years, I've been learning what I can, about metal fabrication and welding, without actually tooling up or taking courses. Since I was a kid, I've dreamed of building cars by hand, but until I began watching these videos, I could only guess about how to go about it. When I watch content like this, I get so excited about putting my hands to work like this, that I can hardly contain myself. I've undertaken learning to sculpt, cut, and polish stone, over the past decade, and it naturally led me to want to sculpt metal, and wood. Building cars must be one of the ultimate three-dimensional forms of art. Chris is so good at what he does, and I can't help but admire his skills, and the fact that he's learned how to do all of this, pretty much on his own. I've watched most of his videos several times, by now, and look forward to following his work into the future.
22:20 was interesting to see your hand pushing motion was creating a upward arch in the material. But then my 22:42 your pushing motion started to look more like a pulling motion to bring the curve back the way the fender needed to curve. The pulling motion was much more visible at 22:47. I'm not sure if that is really what was happening, but it sort of looked like it to me. Quite fascinating to watch a master at work. Beautiful job!
WOW!! What a show of Talent and Craftsmanship. I was totally mesmerized watching this video. I'm sure I will do it again. I restored/rebuilt from scratch the airplane in my thumbnail in 1980. I had to build a new aluminum cowling with a torch a plastic hammer and a big bean bag. :O) I wish I could have seen this video then. I really appreciate what you have done here. So beautiful. You are a magician. Thanks for sharing your' knowledge of metal working. Not to mention the great description/training of what you were doing and why. Great Job.
I don't know what is the craziest thing here... that this young guy is doing so good and amazing at traditional metal work or that all what he does appears to be so "easy" and I know by experience how hard it is do so such an amazing job as he does...
Thank you so much I really really enjoyed this video. You make it look so easy but I know it's not. I'm a carpenter and I love to sculpt wood. I had bought a new bicycle with a very nice classic style frame and couldn't do much riding in winter so it lived our living room next to the tv for a couple months. I would find myself mesmerized by it flow and symmetry. My hobby is rebuilding old car's and especially trucks but making panel repairs is limited to basic small area patches. Although retirement is looming in the near future and I have a dream. I like to build a Shelby cobra from scratch at least the body. I know this will require considerable schooling and practice but I just lose myself in my work as I can see you are enjoying yours.
First find a Cobra to copy/scaan. Rent a hand optical/lazer scanner. it plugs into your 3-0 port of your laptop computer. In 30 seconds flat an intire hood of a 69 Mustang will appear on your screen as lines of surface geometry. This is extremey cool tool. See Handi-Scan#700 athough there are mucho cheeper brands(should find UA-cam vids on this scanner and exactly what i am saying). Then find a friend with a 3D design program that he does for his employer. Get him to download your scanned program.Then get him to regular copy machine to copy 1/4 scale crossections of your scanned Cobra++ where the lenghtwise(car lenght) possitions of 2 x6's strongbacks go to secure all your crossections. The things i am talking about i've done already. Have a whole unique composites(plastic PEEK/ Carbon-Fiber) business prospectus enabling me to do any part of any car with no forms or other bs just 3D printing and multiple panels joined by a (my) proprietary method. Just for shits&giggles look at www.compositeenvisions .
Wow Chris, your smart, intuitive, thoughtful, soft spoken, great jazz tunes..why can't I live next to you? Impressive ambition. Reminds me of the Maserati Birdcage.
Your name precedes you, sir. The word "Runge" drew me as would a magnet. This is certainly not the only place I've seen it. Thank you for demonstrating to a new world that there is a place for old tech and explaining the techniques involved. I'm off to watch the next part about buck building then to Jay's Garage here: Runge Cars - Jay Leo's Garage to see a few of them in action. Thank you!
If only doctors paid half as much attention to their work as he does. We would all be safer off. Amazing detail. Even down to the condition of the tools. Truly inspiring.
Put certain things in uber talented people''s hands and they make ordinary things like a basketball, tennis ball, paint, or piece of ordinary metal do amazing things. I can see me investing in some metal working tools soon. Thank you for the video! Just amazing. I saw you on Jay Leno Garage and was amazed. But, seeing you work is a real treat. Thank you so much! Rashad
I tip my cap to you sir... almost grateful to see a young man drawn to this dying art. I used to create motorcycles long before the craze started as it is today. So my appreciation and acknowledgement here is qualified. Today I design and create confectionary and furniture... but if I had my life over again... I would imagineer cars such as you do. Congratulations and I will be watching to marvel as your skill improves into the future. Advice once given to me years ago I'll pass onto you: "Dont ever give up on what do are doing... it's too special to lose to the world". Bless you.
You live whilst you learn and for the last 40 or so minutes I live taking in deep breaths of knowledge. Nice work, good explanation and now I am inspired to try it myself. Well done and thanks for taking the time to make this video and share it.
I saw you on Leno's Garage and WOW, your work is amazing! Still can't wrap my brain around how your "shrinking" hammer does it's job without expanding and stretching the sheet metal, simply incredible! You're a sculptor man.
Great video,thank you. The grade of metal used and heat treating makes so much difference. Aluminium is so lovely to work with. I repair old aircraft and enjoy it so much.
You see TV build guys on a 42 minute show doing a custom car, and they spend 2 minutes of the show on actual fabrication, and 40 minutes on fabricated drama. This was 42 minutes of pure genius. Thank you for sharing your talent and thought process!
We are currenlty mostly drama driven......i can only imagine my Dad with all the information on UA-cam at his disposal. In this modern age there are few that really want to be craftsman (which takes dedication, perseverance and patience) and more that want to be be mindlessly entertained.
Robert B. You are so right. I don't know why those shows think we want to see anything but the "how to" of the project. There's enough drama in life already.
Indeed this guy has serious talent and watching him explain and actually become part of it is not something you see often...
I agree
Best metal working I've ever seen. Masterfully presented. Thank you for real time useful technical information. Simply awesome show and tell.
The measuring and meticulous working of the metal is everything. I was a sheet metal mechanic for twin engine civilian prototype aircraft fuselage and wing panels back in the sixties. The fuselage and wing panels had to fit perfectly down to 3 millimeter’s. I was there when it made its maiden flight. It was a thrill to see it take off with the designer and the test pilot knowing that their lives were at stake. The plane was called an Aerostar.
Ex soviet jet aircraft manufacturers were skilled at fabricating to hundredths of a millimeter. At the high speeds intended the airframes had to be virtually perfect.
Kirkham bought an exSoviet aircraft manufacturer and put the skilled staff back to work building replica Cobras in aluminium and some cars in copper.
No macho egotistical attitude and no heavy metal music playing in the background. It's nice to see a real craftsman at work.
ua-cam.com/video/kWDyUXR83ng/v-deo.html
It's great to see a young guy keeping the early coachbuilding skills alive. I watched a show where a older guy was building a Ferrari type of vehicle on a wooden jig. The guy was using an older Ferrari as a pattern and didn't have the skill set that this young man has. His cars are works of art and I would love to drive one... Keep up the videos
@@coolkidbmx6851 fuck off back to your cave you prepubescent teen
That’s what make a real craftsman... his choice of music...
I know, right? Everything else is not real. Everything else is a simulation. Even attitude is simulated. Take you, for example, your are just a fart in the brain of one of the programmers. (not a real fart though, a metaphorical, simulated fart).
You don't look old enough to have acumulated all these great skills. Its obvious you have a natural born aptitude for this high quality workmanship. You are also a very good instructor, carefully explaining all the whats and whys. I much appreciate your videos.
Probably one of the most relaxing car builds I've seen,that soothing jazz.
Ok, I've just stumbled across this video, and it's hands down the most watchable metal fabrication video I've ever seen. Instructive, relaxing, interesting - this is genuinely on a par with a good TV show.
I am restoring a 66 El Camino that's pretty much a rust bucket and I am having to make a lot of panels myself. I have a small English Wheel very little metal working tools but I am making it work. Your work is awesome and inspiring just watching your videos has given me a new edge thanks so much for sharing. Lee
A true technical artist, combining the best of skill and vision. Awesome craftsmanship.
OUTSTANDING, this young fellow realizes fabrication is not a race and involves patience. I would definitely watch his show on motor trend . His passion is overwhelming as well as educational.
I love aluminum all my work has been steel. My equipment was all home made but worked excellent. .thanks 50 years of woking metal and still learning..great job
I accidentally happened onto your channel and I'm glad I did. I'm a retired precision machinist. I did alot of prototype work for mechanical engineering for most of my career. But this metal shaping (shrinking and stretching) is obviously an art! The patience and foresight involved is incredible! Thanks for sharing.
Your passion comes through in your unhurried, but finely detailed explaining of the process of shaping metal. And what I didn’t see in your video was any indication that this was all about you. Not at all......it was all about the process and the metal. Too many others use UA-cam as platforms to display their egos. Very well done.
You know that the man is a master craftsman when he simplifies his teachings and makes it look simple! Eager to see more!
Videos like this from a true master craftsmen are repositories for knowledge in a sea of planned obsolescence. This sort of knowledge is becoming rare, and as we become more and more dumbed down this video will become priceless. Someday, not so far in the future, we are going to need to relearn how to make things and this video like those other master craftsmen who shared their expertise will be the seed from which a new society is built. Thank you.
Much improved since this freshman work. Here you learned the kinks before grace. Even so this effort matters. Not the most beautiful thing. Yet the Minnesota heart begins on the anvil
I don’t have any experience in metal fabrication as complex as you are doing here so I marvel at your skill but also your ability to explain it to me. I get it immediately.
having been a sheet metal worker and fabricator for many years , this took me back to my youth when i worked with a guy who made bodies with compound curves ,he didnt have a shrinker in the 60,s a wheel and gas,to get the curve he would pie slice the sheet and gas weld them ,then hammer weld the joins, i could never do do this , he made it look easy , but im impressed by chris as he is a young man
I was drawn to the picture of your car's curves and sleek lines. Decided to watch video. Had no idea what to expect. I just wanted to commend you with a big pat on the back. Your explanation of attention to details needed to accomplish this feat are absolutely tremendous. It was utter joy listening to your tutorial. You are totally on track as you hone in on the task. Making a video and teaching all the while. God Bless You and best wishes for a long life doing what you LOVE. And you are just a young fella. PHENOMENAL !
As a young amateur, I am forever grateful seeing videos like this. Artists like yours should be held up against others in whatever industry they're in. You didn't have to educate the whole people here - yet you took the time and effort on probably posting one of the most explanatory and step by step approach in whole youtube about metal shaping. Thank you, very much.
You have no idea how much I appreciate you sharing your processes. You're helping me pursue my own dream in doing so.
You are definitely an artist, love your work. I’ve seen a couple of your cars on Bring a Trailer, they are very appreciated.
A tip of my hat from an old “tinbasher/panel beater”, (as we used to be called here in the UK), to a young, talented, knowledgeable & talented one. It’s great to see the craft is in good hands, well done for picking up the baton. Beautiful & long may you continue to create works of art, you’re truly gifted.
I was so astonished when I first learned that the way these shapes were once achieved was by hammering sheet over what looked like a wooden ribcage made rom 2”x4”s. And here all this time I believed that there was an employment of quite different methods. Today we have so much technology and computer design softwares to aid in these efforts, that it would seem logical that these old and original methods for doing bodywork had basically been disposed of so that the present day technologies could be embraced and better learned. Not every mechanic builder necessarily likes to mull over a computer and literally plot one point at a time on CAD software either, I know I wouldn’t. So why not embrace the older ways of doing it?! Thanks for sharing, and beautiful work there!! Great music and clean shop, too!!
Dude!!!...You're a Great teacher...thank you for sharing your knowledge
i've seen lots of metalshaping videos on yt and still looks like black magic to me. You guys are magicians
A master of your craft. Really your explanation demonstrates your experience of working with your material, your tools, and your creativity to solve problems and create your vision. Wow!
Fascinating! Metal forming as shown here is a rare trade skill. It takes years to obtain the expertise shown here. Outstanding work!
I'm in awe of your artistry and craftsmanship but also of video production and the way you calmly verbalize as you work. If only all tutorials were like yours.
Absolutely one of them best demonstrations and talk throughs on what is going on with the metal i have watched, for a guy that is self taught you definetly have a good understanding of the alluminium, to the people that gave you a thumbs down obviously have no idea about the skill level you have shown, thanks for sharing some of your skills and also in the way that you have made this video. cheers from down under.
Chris, you have NO idea, how much I appreciate you taking your time out to teach us. Love your organica nd sensual work. And the jazz!!
Fantastic tutorial. It is so relaxing to watch an artist at work and listen to words like mistakes happen this is how you learn. Chris has a straight forward positive , even toned presentation with logical explanations for his choices of tool and material. And did I mention along with the light metal some light metal music in the backdrop. love the classical jazz. I could not not subscribe. Thanks so much.
Mr RUNGE YOU ARE BRINGING BACK THE ARTISTRY OF AUTOMOTIVE COUTRE
I am just amazed at what you can do to make the metal take the shape you have in your mind. You sir, are truly an old school craftsman.
Dude, you had me captivated for 42 minutes. Honestly one of the most informative and helpful videos I've ever seen. Not too many distractions, calming sax in the back. I really liked this video. A little bit of a change in pace compared to most other channels. And I really like the lighting in the shop.
You are a true artist.
I had never watched metal formed as you have done. When first observed, I expected you would need to make pleats like cloth.
you made something that always seemed like magic make absolutely perfect sense.
Ridiculously young to have Soo much talent and knowledge. True metal artistry. Saw these cars on Jay Leno's garage. Beautiful.
The real ‘me’ is coming out when I watch you work and instruct. Thanks.
I think my Jay Leno garage binge sent me here. This is amazing, I watched every second of this video and I now appreciate fabrication much more. Thank you sir.
Very skilled commentary Chris, so easy to follow exactly what you mean.
Chris, I've only just today, 28th Nov 2018, found your site / channel. ..... I really like your style & videos, you are an excellent engineer.
Your explanations are easily understood, I think novices can learn a lot from you & your videos.
Fascinating and informative to see how you solve the compound curve creation process. I've done similar in model making using simply paper but now thanks to your exemplary explanation I think I may attempt the same using soda cans as my material. I tried heavy aluminum foil but it's not rigid enough, you need the resilience & springiness of thicker sheet.
This is the most interesting video I have watched bar none. I am a woodworker and metal is foreign, you make it seem easy and simple. Thank you.
The jazz in the background is perfect. Well done sir.
Great job and impeccable explanation on a high quality video. This is so underrated! This video should be in the hundreds of thousands of views.
Now it is :)
?????
now 1,020,183
over 1 million and still counting!
I just now realized one can change out those little skateboard wheels for different rolling profiles. Very good vid.
What a wonderful, informative instructor you are! You impart an amazing amount of information in such a short time. Love it! Thanks. Time to subscribe.
This guy has the patience of a saint. So well explained and with no ego. He just gets on with each task in a well proportioned manner. Hat's off to him, a true craftsman- and did anyone watching miss the usual AC/DC type crap music thundering in the background? I mean, did the fact that you could hear every single word of what he was saying sound good? Absolutely! So why do other UA-camrs feel they have to drown their video's with utter shit music? I did mention AC/DC didn't I? Well done sir!
This might be my favorite video on youtube. Learned more about working metal in 40 minutes than i could imagine.
Nothing else but my compliments for your work.
Thanks from Australia. As a landscaper I like your knowledge of when to use a machine or a hand tool. I can't teach my boys that. And they tend to attack the ground with poor results. You have that zen thing happening. We call it common sense and know how. Thanks for sharing. .
There is something very satisfying watching someone that knows what they are doing
This was old fashioned ingenuity... Great to see a young person with this kind of talent and skill . Your work will be a masterpiece with everyone trying to figure out who did it and most of all how did they do it . Thank you for this education .
Hi Chris. Very nice video. I've not seen anyone else show a project like this fender from start to finish. There are so many informative small details as result of your taking the time to do such extensive coverage of this project. Thanks so much. Great work, Chris Conley
Unbelievable ! this man is an artist whose canvas is not only beautiful but curvy !!
I'm pretty sure I've never subscribed to a more talented craftsman with a lower subscriber count. Bravo sir, keep publishing!
Matt I really appreciate your kind words. As time allows I will try to put together more videos like this.
Very cool! My grandfather used to work on old Noorduyn Norseman planes and did a lot of body work but I was so young and never really saw how he did it.
As I grew older he was doing more fiberglass which is totally different.
Thanks for sharing!
This is a great tutorial, the product looks splendid, and is a consistent path for people who this doesn't come naturally. I'm envious of some of the tools I see.
Unbelievable kid , you put all the greats under extreme pressure. Wow !
Nothing like a craft that will never die and someone that is trained in applying that trade. Fantastic!!
Almost mesmeric to watch a true craftsman at work; this is art!
First Erchfab, then Trev's blog, then Ron Covell and now this. All very different but a sheer delight to see REAL craftsmen at work. How many banks would I have to rob to buy a R2?
Wow this is a great video. I always wondered how metal was shrunk and curved. To me what you are able to do is simply incredible. This borders on magic. Thanks so much for sharing your skill with us!!
It is hard to classify or categorize this man...artist, sculptor, car builder, craftsman ....he is so very talented and patient..rolling work of art..Thank You for showing us a glimpse into the Runge Cars workshop
Beautiful work. When I was a kid, way back in the 70's, my grandmother's best friend had worked as a metal former in WWII. In the 70's she was retired and started doing metal forming again. She made little pedal car bodies, fake gas tanks for bicycles etc.
Nowadays metal forming is becoming a lost art. Very few people can do it anymore.
I tried it a few times and made a beautiful piece of aircraft wreckage. lol
You make it look easy but the reality is, metal forming is 1/2 art. Even after you know the theory behind it, it still takes a great deal of practice. Granted, I was young when I tried to learn (13-14 yo) but after spending the summer trying to learn I couldn't get past crude shapes and I certainly wasn't making what I was wanting to make. I joke but yea, aircraft wreckage about sums up what I was able to make.
I have been wanting to try again now that I am older and more patient. Anyhow, it's an art form that has eluded me and it's good to see at least a few younger people are keeping it alive.
came across this video and my jaw was on my computer table. Thank you for taking time to show the technique and explaining how it is done. Beautiful work. I am going to binge watch your other videos
Great work. I was really captivated by the work you were doing. Great shop music too. Lots of excellent advice and narrative on what you are doing and your thought process behind your actions. I’m a fabricator by trade and you have managed to take some of my favorite parts of the trade and make a business of them. Excellent artistry. Thanks for sharing.
I'm putting together a homebuilt plane. Didn't like the lack of contour (graduation?) in a few points. You've opened a new chapter for me with this video. THANKS!
A must for anyone thinking about giving this a go. I started knowing nothing, and at least might be willing to attempt it now, given the tools. I'm sure I still know next to nothing, but starting with the tips and demo this guy gives would DEFINITELY raise the learning curve over trying to "give it a go" from scratch. Cars gonna be COOL! ;-) I had a chance to buy an original AC COBRA many many years back that was polished aluminum, not even gonna tell you what for....REALLY REALLY REALLY should have done it. What they are worth now is staggering.
You are the Bob Ross of metal working. Great job. Very informative and relaxing to watch.
Screw Bob Ross this guy's the Picasso
I hope your channel get a lot more subscribers and views, the knowledge that you are sharing is getting rarer by the minute.
It is a real privilege to see craftsmanship like this. Many many thanks forthis fascinating, entertaining and informative view of your artistry.
thank you for making these videos. Really appreciate you going to the trouble of explaining your thought processes. Many craftsmen like you show how they work and never say a word. What is going on in your head and why you choose a certain path really helps. Pleas e keep making them!
The first time I saw aluminum bent like this was in my airplane A&P school where one of the students (who was a metal worker) made an aluminum instrument panel for a 1937 Aeronca we were restoring. The panel was rather simple, but where it did shine was where the guy had rolled over the edges of the panel and shrank the corners so there were no wrinkles. Later, he made the engine cowling which was mostly flat pieces. The nose of the cowl was where he also did some rolling and shrinking. It was a work of art.
Amazing work! Glad to finally find an in-depth video focused on pure craftsmanship!
I've wanted to see how this art works for decades. Thank you for revealing it like this, and thanks for including the bumps along the way.
dude you did a very impressive job there, that was not easy in any way and you made it look pretty easy
I love your Westfalia stool and VW decklid hiding in the shop. Still need to buy a set of valve covers for my VMW motorcycle like yours. Thanks Chris
great informative video. Easy to follow for someone who isn't a car guy like me.
I"m in absolute awe. You are a true master-craftsman. Way beyond "nice job". Thank you.
The finished product was breathtaking. I had the pleasure of seeing FF008 in Franklin,Tn last year and the owner was more than happy to tell me about your cars! I wish I could share the pictures I was able to take.
I watched, fascinated at this; I know nothing about the subject, I'm more a sculptor - building and shaping materials into a solid buck to use for GRP moulds. Bottom line is I'm simply a monkey-see monkey-do person. This makes me want to at least try this.
Thank you for sharing your skills in a straightforward way.
I'm also a sculptor, but in wood. I love this craftsmanship and understanding of materials. Simply beautiful.
Dr Verity Strange-Fish
I totally agree. Me too, I'm fascinated with learning this type of industrial art.
I've always been pretty good at making things with my hands, and seldom need to spend much time, if any, in sketching out plans of any kind.
In recent years, I've used those skills much more than I did, when I was a young man, and have found that I can trust the image in my mind's eye, as a guide to building my projects.
I never took the time to learn metal fabrication or welding, but I've never put my hands on any kind of tool, and been unable to learn to use it.
For quite a few years, I've been learning what I can, about metal fabrication and welding, without actually tooling up or taking courses.
Since I was a kid, I've dreamed of building cars by hand, but until I began watching these videos, I could only guess about how to go about it.
When I watch content like this, I get so excited about putting my hands to work like this, that I can hardly contain myself.
I've undertaken learning to sculpt, cut, and polish stone, over the past decade, and it naturally led me to want to sculpt metal, and wood.
Building cars must be one of the ultimate three-dimensional forms of art. Chris is so good at what he does, and I can't help but admire his skills, and the fact that he's learned how to do all of this, pretty much on his own.
I've watched most of his videos several times, by now, and look forward to following his work into the future.
I. Sirius,
learn to use commas.
22:20 was interesting to see your hand pushing motion was creating a upward arch in the material. But then my 22:42 your pushing motion started to look more like a pulling motion to bring the curve back the way the fender needed to curve. The pulling motion was much more visible at 22:47. I'm not sure if that is really what was happening, but it sort of looked like it to me. Quite fascinating to watch a master at work. Beautiful job!
WOW!! What a show of Talent and Craftsmanship. I was totally mesmerized watching this video. I'm sure I will do it again.
I restored/rebuilt from scratch the airplane in my thumbnail in 1980. I had to build a new aluminum cowling with a torch a plastic hammer and a big bean bag. :O)
I wish I could have seen this video then. I really appreciate what you have done here. So beautiful. You are a magician. Thanks for sharing your' knowledge of metal working. Not to mention the great description/training of what you were doing and why. Great Job.
I don't know what is the craziest thing here... that this young guy is doing so good and amazing at traditional metal work or that all what he does appears to be so "easy" and I know by experience how hard it is do so such an amazing job as he does...
Thank you so much I really really enjoyed this video. You make it look so easy but I know it's not. I'm a carpenter and I love to sculpt wood. I had bought a new bicycle with a very nice classic style frame and couldn't do much riding in winter so it lived our living room next to the tv for a couple months. I would find myself mesmerized by it flow and symmetry. My hobby is rebuilding old car's and especially trucks but making panel repairs is limited to basic small area patches. Although retirement is looming in the near future and I have a dream. I like to build a Shelby cobra from scratch at least the body. I know this will require considerable schooling and practice but I just lose myself in my work as I can see you are enjoying yours.
First find a Cobra to copy/scaan. Rent a hand optical/lazer scanner. it plugs into your 3-0 port of your laptop computer. In 30 seconds flat an intire hood of a 69 Mustang will appear on your screen as lines of surface geometry. This is extremey cool tool. See Handi-Scan#700 athough there are mucho cheeper brands(should find UA-cam vids on this scanner and exactly what i am saying). Then find a friend with a 3D design program that he does for his employer. Get him to download your scanned program.Then get him to regular copy machine to copy 1/4 scale crossections of your scanned Cobra++ where the lenghtwise(car lenght) possitions of 2 x6's strongbacks go to secure all your crossections. The things i am talking about i've done already. Have a whole unique composites(plastic PEEK/ Carbon-Fiber) business prospectus enabling me to do any part of any car with no forms or other bs just 3D printing and multiple panels joined by a (my) proprietary method. Just for shits&giggles look at www.compositeenvisions .
So brilliant!!!!! Thank god these skills are still alive!!!!
Wow Chris, your smart, intuitive, thoughtful, soft spoken, great jazz tunes..why can't I live next to you?
Impressive ambition. Reminds me of the Maserati Birdcage.
Thank you for the kind words.
Hey man I was thinking the same thing I was like damn this would be a cool neighbor
I have always believed that a clean tool is a happy tool. Thank you.
Cool video! I saw Runge at Leno's Gatage episodes the first. Now he shows how he does it. That's a way cool!
Your name precedes you, sir. The word "Runge" drew me as would a magnet. This is certainly not the only place I've seen it. Thank you for demonstrating to a new world that there is a place for old tech and explaining the techniques involved. I'm off to watch the next part about buck building then to Jay's Garage here: Runge Cars - Jay Leo's Garage to see a few of them in action. Thank you!
If only doctors paid half as much attention to their work as he does. We would all be safer off. Amazing detail. Even down to the condition of the tools. Truly inspiring.
Put certain things in uber talented people''s hands and they make ordinary things like a basketball, tennis ball, paint, or piece of ordinary metal do amazing things. I can see me investing in some metal working tools soon. Thank you for the video! Just amazing. I saw you on Jay Leno Garage and was amazed. But, seeing you work is a real treat. Thank you so much!
Rashad
I tip my cap to you sir... almost grateful to see a young man drawn to this dying art. I used to create motorcycles long before the craze started as it is today. So my appreciation and acknowledgement here is qualified. Today I design and create confectionary and furniture... but if I had my life over again... I would imagineer cars such as you do. Congratulations and I will be watching to marvel as your skill improves into the future. Advice once given to me years ago I'll pass onto you: "Dont ever give up on what do are doing... it's too special to lose to the world". Bless you.
You live whilst you learn and for the last 40 or so minutes I live taking in deep breaths of knowledge. Nice work, good explanation and now I am inspired to try it myself. Well done and thanks for taking the time to make this video and share it.
I saw you on Leno's Garage and WOW, your work is amazing! Still can't wrap my brain around how your "shrinking" hammer does it's job without expanding and stretching the sheet metal, simply incredible! You're a sculptor man.
ok...I thought I knew metal...but is like a whole new world. What a great professional view, thanks for the video.
Well that was amazing. I always wondered how an English wheel and shrinking worked. Thanks for a great no fuss video.
Awesome---great attitude. You look to be enjoying this work as much as I watching---Thanks
Great video,thank you. The grade of metal used and heat treating makes so much difference. Aluminium is so lovely to work with. I repair old aircraft and enjoy it so much.