If you’ve ever wanted to give low-carbon steel a tougher, darker, more interesting finish in the home workshop, this video shows you how to hot-blue steel with a blowtorch and linseed oil.

This is a simple, old-school workshop finish that can look fantastic when done properly. It’s not magic, and it’s not the same as a factory gun-bluing process — but for the right project it can give mild steel a dark, rich, characterful finish with minimal equipment.

In this video I cover:

• how to hot-blue low-carbon steel
• using a blowtorch to heat the steel
• using linseed oil as part of the finishing process
• what the steel is doing as it heats and colours
• how to get a more even result
• what kind of finish you can realistically expect
• and the limitations of this method in the real world

This is practical DIY workshop finishing — not showroom nonsense.

So if you’re working with mild steel, making a project at home, restoring a part, experimenting with steel finishes, or just want a simple way to make fabricated steel look more deliberate and less raw, this report should help.

Topics covered include:

• hot bluing steel
• bluing mild steel
• blowtorch bluing
• linseed oil steel finish
• DIY steel bluing
• how to blacken steel
• how to colour steel with heat
• mild steel finishing
• workshop metal finishing
• home shed steel projects

As always, this is about practical results, realistic expectations, and doing better work in a real shed.

#bluing #steel #metalfinishing #mildsteel #blowtorch #linseedoil #diy #workshop #fabrication #welding #howto #homeworkshop #autoexpert #johncadogan

If you want to understand how blow torches actually work, this video is a technical deep-dive into the combustion chemistry and physics of torch design — including the differences between butane, propane, Trade MAP / MAP-Pro, and the role of air vs oxygen as the oxidiser.

This is not just a product comparison.

It’s an explanation of what is actually going on in the flame:
how different fuel gases burn, why flame temperature changes, what oxygen really does, how torch design affects performance, and why some setups are dramatically better for heating, brazing, soldering or cutting.

In this video I cover:

• blow torch combustion chemistry
• how propane burns
• how butane burns
• how MAP-Pro / Trade MAP burns
• air-fuel vs oxy-fuel torch design
• flame temperature and heat transfer
• how oxidiser choice affects torch performance
• why oxygen changes everything
• how torch design affects efficiency and usable heat
• why hotter is not the whole story

If you’ve ever searched for:

• propane vs butane torch
• MAP-Pro vs propane
• oxy propane vs air propane
• how blow torches work
• torch flame temperature
• combustion chemistry of propane
• how oxygen affects flame temperature
• best gas for a blow torch
• torch design explained
• brazing torch science

…this report should help.

The aim here is to explain the underlying science clearly enough that you can make better decisions about torch selection, performance, safety and real-world use in the workshop.

#blowtorch #propane #butane #mappro #mapgas #oxytorch #combustion #chemistry #physics #brazing #plumbing #welding #homeworkshop #tools #autoexpert

Trying to choose the right blow torch for your shed?

In this video, I compare butane, propane, Trade MAP / MAP-Pro, and the difference between using air or oxygen as the oxidiser — because the “best” torch depends entirely on what you’re actually trying to do.

If you just want to heat something up, loosen a stubborn bolt, do some light plumbing, braze properly, or avoid buying an overhyped setup you don’t need, this report will help.

I cover:

• butane vs propane vs MAP-Pro
• air-fuel vs oxy-fuel
• which torch burns hotter
• which setups are actually useful in a home workshop
• what’s good value
• what’s overkill
• and which torch is the right tool for different jobs

There’s a lot of confusion in this space, and plenty of marketing nonsense. Some torches are cheap but limited. Some are hotter but cost more to run. Some sound impressive, but make no practical sense in a normal home shed.

This is a practical guide to help you choose the right torch once — based on what you actually do, not what the packaging claims.

So if you’ve ever asked:

Which blow torch is best?
Is MAP-Pro better than propane?
Is butane enough?
Does oxygen make a big difference?
Which torch should I buy for a home workshop?

…this one’s for you.

#blowtorch #propane #butane #mappro #mapgas #oxytorch #brazing #plumbing #diy #workshop #tools #homeworkshop #welding #autoexpert #johncadogan

Are you over- or under-welding your DIY projects? Here's how to know for real.

In this episode: Applied physics and engineering versus nutbag net zero apologists

Greenwashing doesn't get more blatant than hooking an electric bus to a diesel generator on a mine site in the Pilbara...

Another victory for net zero integrity.

A huge proportion of people who tow 2 tonnes+ are doing so illegally - unwittingly, perhaps, but still illegally. I suspect the percentage of illegality grows considerably with the weight of the trailer, too.

This has obvious legal and safety implications. And of course manufacturers are in an 'arms race' where 3.5-tonne tow capacity is not just the 'gold standard' - they know they're not selling as many cars as they could if they don't offer that.

Compliance is not as straightforward as it sounds - so here's how you crunch the numbers to stay 'roadside weigh station ready'.

The '$75,000: Do the "right" thing' problem: You can buy a Tesla Model Y, or a RAV4 Hybrid + rooftop solar.

One of these options will leave you 4 tonnes of CO2 better off.

And it's not the option many people want it to be.

A viewer asked me recently an innocent, and seemingly simple, question: Why are EV fires in the news all the time, and yet power tool batteries (which use the same fundamental tech) are so ubiquitous and seemingly safe? The answer opens a wormhole into the non-linearity of complex systems and failure mechanisms.

Prepare to bleed from the ears.

Volvo is recalling almost 35,000 EX-30 battery EVs globally (almost 3000 here in Australia) because the batteries mught just catch fire without warning.

All you have to do to enter this lottery is charge to 100%, and see what happens.

They don't actually have a fix. The 'fix' (if you can call it that) is to refrain from charging beyond 70%, indefinitely.

But that's OK because ... net zero. Obviously.