Maybe there should be a heritage industry classification for businesses like this that get tax concessions to keep them viable so they attract new workers by having a guaranteed future if they take on an old skill
Hell yeah brother all the best Old workshops should be protected under heritage listings to preserve original metal working process of the industrial revolution that built the world we now live in. I love it when I get to go to one of these places and buy some good hand made products my self the polishing wheels I use are made in Australia in an old workshop there the best wheels you can get anywhere
Wonderful! I'm an Aston enthusiast in the USA, and here is a famous family of Aston racers, Hipwell. Such a great story, and I echo the sentiments of others that industries and businesses like these need to be preserved for future generations.
The government wont do anything to aide these types of businesses because they don't create enough tax revenue. They would rather have marijuana farms that destroy communities but makes lots of money. These types of old school businesses are disappearing everyday. Unfortunetily this shop will probably be out of business within the next 5 years. Where then are you going to get rims or a hubcap for your old classic car? Its a real shame.
@@norberthofer5830 While these certainly should be supported, marijuana farms and marijuana use are definitely not causing any kind of societal problems. But people like yourself tend to cause problems in general due to your narrow minded, pig headed view and ignorance. Relax, smoke a joint and have a good shag! Jeez! 👍🏻🙄😄
@@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006 it won't be health and safety it will be his insurer when they do a walk around to asses there liabilities please dont feel im having a go i work in a place like this not metal spinning but sheet metal work and all the "improvements" come as a result of lowering the bosses premiums
It breaks my heart to see to such hard working people beautiful people with a beautiful art will disappear due to fast modernization. I hope this business survives.
Yes, I had to chuckle at that statement myself. Mind you its difficult to use "a man with an enormous tool" in a sentance without raising a little giggle.
Love it. Like he said, it's like Merlin's Cave. Such a shame that places like this, with so much history and a bit of magic about them are dying out. I think we'll have lost something very valuable when these sorts of skills are no longer around. There's real satisfaction and pride of workmanship going on here. You don't get that in some huge Chinese factory churning out disposable shite.
Mike it’s just wonderful that you have made this short movie highlighting this business. True craftsman surviving from the days when Birmingham was the city of 1000 trades supplying the whole world with its goods. Birmingham is a great city with brilliant highly skilled people. Thanks Mike.
I am 30 years old, but I have a car from 1966 and I see how the spare parts today do not have the same quality as when they were produced by brilliant people like this craftsman. I am very sad to know that this art will one day die, because people, besides being lazy, got used to horrible and disposable cars. I live in Brazil and here we had national automobile industries that the government itself made a point of murdering, great Engineers who are worthless, anyway, I would like to have the honor of being able to meet a man like this and be able to learn this beautiful profession. day you read my comment, know that there is a fan on the other side of the ocean who admires your work a lot.
They called Birmingham and the Black Country the Skilled Workshop of the World and you know that was and in this case still True. Great video showing the skilled crafts men still up for the job. Well done all involved.
75 years ago that shop would be full of workers.. Now we have machines making plastic hub caps if you are lucky to purchase a car with hub caps, lost art indeed. I would love to hand craft a hub cap, perhaps bucket list
I own the tooling for the former "Lmarr Disk" business run by Mike Rabin, (diseased) of Glenn Ellen California. We still subcontract the metal spinning portion of our work to 70 year old sage and savvy metal spinners, actually a dieing breed. Yet we own over 200 mold dies for pre war cars, and produce wheel covers for Pebble Beach bound vehicles still. We sell about one set a month for the last 4 years as a compliment to a huge amount of other restoration work that we also do. The tooling and skill to operate and produce high quality spun covers takes a lifetime of experience. We produce the highest quality parts only through subcontracting operations to fewer and fewer HIGHLY SKILLED individuals using our materials and and dies. We cast and machine other fittings needed similarily. The equipment shown in Brewers shop simply does not exst anywhere else in such a dedicated and functional way. Yes, the craft is only held up by a tiny concentrated need and a thin thread of dedication and enthusiasm. The torch of craftsmanship is heald high by Mike Brewers business. One of the very few! Wow, What a shop!
I am a tool & cutter grinder that makes almost exclusively special cutting tools from standard tools or high speed steel and solid carbide blanks. Now days most all it could be done on the CNC grinders. What I work on the numbers are so small it not worth the setup on the CNC. So I see your point you and I work on what other can't or won't .
I always thought they were stamped out I never realise how much work goes into making hub caps I learn something new today. I lost a few hub caps on my 1968 Toyota it was a good thing I had a few extra because the car was starting to be scares when I owned mine now they are just about extinct
Nice one Mike, really good to see you promote this guys business, another dying art that I hope will survive and prosper in the modern age. If anyone is interested check out Ernest Wright in Sheffield UK I believe it's the last hand made Scissor manufacturers we have. I have bought a couple of pairs, highly recommended if you like top quality !
Love engineering works ...You don't even realise that it is a part of history and human at time were not dependent on machines..I called it self equipped....Love from INDIA
I once had the opportunity of watching a woman polishing surgical stainless steel dental tweezers in China and even there she was wearing eye protection and a mask. They are truly talented people who do this sort of polishing.
Good to see places like this still working and making good quality parts with the old tool's that originally made the parts at is as good as the original not a cheap Chinese copy that will last 5 minutes and look great from 40 feet and 40 mph but don't pick it up it might break in half Great work Mike and keep turning them motors round 👍👍👍
Fantastic video. Automatic subscribe in my book. So glad to see you focus on a local shop and bring awareness to the public that places like this still are still in operation. Such a shame it's a dying art form. Young people need to be introduced to the idea that jobs like this are available. I'm not sure how vocational schools operate in the UK but here in the US we have local community colleges that partner with the schools in the area to offer vocational technical skills to young people who are interested in doing work like this from carpentry, to metal working, electricity and automotive repair. They even offer courses to prepare students for the medical fields.
Questi artigiani artisti del duro lavoro dovrebbero essere aiutati a livello statale in qualsiasi parte del mondo, questa manodopera sta scomparendo...
For a Bedford VAL you would need six trims, two inward dished, as seen here for the rears but for the four front they would need to be outward dished. Fantastic company and more power to their elbow(s)
Lovely to see workshops like this still operating with these lovely machines. A lot are shut down for Health & safety reasons. I was a metal smith for 32 years using these type of spinning lathes. Well done mike for filming this art.
Hipwell Arden, are still in business today (August 2020). And I do hope that this company will continue for many more years. As far as I know most wheels these days are aluminium, and of corse without a Hub Cap / wheel Disc. Therefore demand for old school Hub Cap’s must be limited to some extent...Back in 2006 I needed a replacement wheel disc for my 1975 Cadillac Eldorado Hardtop Coupe. I tried to get NSO, New Old Stock, but with no look, had to make due with a hub cap from a salvage yard. I just wonder now, if Hipwell Arden could have made a nice new one for my 1975 Eldorado ?. Its a 15” brushed stainless steel full wheel disc with 60 slot holes around.
Isn’t that the Truth . No such thing as a True Craftsman any more. Kids today want to learn how to do something in a day. Then get the top dollar for doing it. A craft takes time. You’ll know when you’re there!!!
Id like to see sets were made for the Riviera's, like the Spinner caps. These took some effort but I can only imagine what it would cost to recreate some nice wire wheel spinner caps today.
i work in a sheet metal shop and what he was saying about people retiring is spot on i am 59 thats the average age we have one nipper 45 and are most skilled is 2 years past retirement it's the way it is ; metal spinning is dangerous a lot of lost fingers and thumbs ,ouch .
Maybe there should be a heritage industry classification for businesses like this that get tax concessions to keep them viable so they attract new workers by having a guaranteed future if they take on an old skill
Trevor Petersen yeah!
Trevor Petersen I also hate when these historical buildings get knocked down.
that would make too much sense for the GOV
Peter R that's why it won't happen
Hell yeah brother all the best Old workshops should be protected under heritage listings to preserve original metal working process of the industrial revolution that built the world we now live in.
I love it when I get to go to one of these places and buy some good hand made products my self the polishing wheels I use are made in Australia in an old workshop there the best wheels you can get anywhere
Good old Birmingham, cracking video
Wonderful! I'm an Aston enthusiast in the USA, and here is a famous family of Aston racers, Hipwell.
Such a great story, and I echo the sentiments of others that industries and businesses like these need to be preserved for future generations.
The government should help these workers to keep them going. 💙.
The government wont do anything to aide these types of businesses because they don't create enough tax revenue. They would rather have marijuana farms that destroy communities but makes lots of money. These types of old school businesses are disappearing everyday. Unfortunetily this shop will probably be out of business within the next 5 years. Where then are you going to get rims or a hubcap for your old classic car? Its a real shame.
@@norberthofer5830
While these certainly should be supported, marijuana farms and marijuana use are definitely not causing any kind of societal problems. But people like yourself tend to cause problems in general due to your narrow minded, pig headed view and ignorance. Relax, smoke a joint and have a good shag! Jeez! 👍🏻🙄😄
@@geoben1810 Dude, drop the pipe and get out of your mom's basement.
The health and safety executive has probably already shut him down for not having emergency cut outs on his lathe
@@turboconqueringmegaeagle9006 it won't be health and safety it will be his insurer when they do a walk around to asses there liabilities please dont feel im having a go i work in a place like this not metal spinning but sheet metal work and all the "improvements" come as a result of lowering the bosses premiums
Real craftsmanship.
Good stuff. Love to see people preserving traditional crafts.
It breaks my heart to see to such hard working people beautiful people with a beautiful art will disappear due to fast modernization. I hope this business survives.
Another trade that will dissappear out of existence, unless it is preserved by car enthuniast.
☹️
It`s done by robot arms in some factory`s
True, the real estate will eat away this piece of old history
Old school craftsmanship. High quality work.
There are lots of little businesses like this in Birmingham doing fantastic skilled work
Truly astonishing - though I might re-consider the statement, 'made by a man with an enormous tool'...
I wasn't entirely sure that I heard that correctly so I played it back a couple of times so I'm glad someone else thinks that's what he said.
Yes, I had to chuckle at that statement myself. Mind you its difficult to use "a man with an enormous tool" in a sentance without raising a little giggle.
Not to mention the later 'bit of lube'!
Love it. Like he said, it's like Merlin's Cave. Such a shame that places like this, with so much history and a bit of magic about them are dying out. I think we'll have lost something very valuable when these sorts of skills are no longer around. There's real satisfaction and pride of workmanship going on here. You don't get that in some huge Chinese factory churning out disposable shite.
Well said
the worse thng is that some scrap metal guy is just waiting to get his hands on all that tooling.
Mike Brewer always makes me grin.
its good to see craftsmanship still alive in this country, keep up the good work.
Mike it’s just wonderful that you have made this short movie highlighting this business. True craftsman surviving from the days when Birmingham was the city of 1000 trades supplying the whole world with its goods. Birmingham is a great city with brilliant highly skilled people. Thanks Mike.
Technology can never take the place of craftsmanship. This man is my hero! I admire your job!
Well W.D. Keep this PAGE going mate from Australia 🇦🇺🇳🇿🇨🇦🇲🇹🏁🥂🍾.
Huge respect to the skills and collection of tools. This skill should continue on.
"a man with a massive tool", I would put that on my business cards, great video, very entertaining.
i was too late:):)
I am 30 years old, but I have a car from 1966 and I see how the spare parts today do not have the same quality as when they were produced by brilliant people like this craftsman. I am very sad to know that this art will one day die, because people, besides being lazy, got used to horrible and disposable cars. I live in Brazil and here we had national automobile industries that the government itself made a point of murdering, great Engineers who are worthless, anyway, I would like to have the honor of being able to meet a man like this and be able to learn this beautiful profession. day you read my comment, know that there is a fan on the other side of the ocean who admires your work a lot.
Amazing! Glad your showcasing local businesses!!!
They called Birmingham and the Black Country the Skilled Workshop of the World and you know that was and in this case still True. Great video showing the skilled crafts men still up for the job. Well done all involved.
Fantastic, what a treasure trove. Love your enthusiasm Mike, genuine all the way 👍
Truly an art ! And the new generation will NEVER appreciate the making of a hubcap, Thank You for sharing !
This is good news that Mike Brewer show cases these now small independent manufacturers 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Terrific exhibition of skills by these guys. Thankyou!
75 years ago that shop would be full of workers.. Now we have machines making plastic hub caps if you are lucky to purchase a car with hub caps, lost art indeed. I would love to hand craft a hub cap, perhaps bucket list
Great video, from my home town, brilliant !!
Really proper! That's the people who knows how to enjoy the good life.
Is there any more small business like this for the world to see we love 💕 it in Australia 🇦🇺.
I hope they got a web page where I can buy some hubcaps for my Nissan Junior
lawrence we have one here in South Australia, they are called Southern Metal spinners, southernmetalspinners.com.au/
That was fantastic loved seeing how they are made
I love theses shows seeing these companies
Beautiful story. Hope to see more master craftsmen videos. Thank you !
Beautiful stuff !!
Great video, thanks for sharing .
Absolutely brilliant fantastic job amazingly so cool, glad someone still does this, loved watching cheers KC Tassie 🇦🇺😎👍
I love the video I watch every Wednesday night
I own the tooling for the former "Lmarr Disk" business run by Mike Rabin, (diseased) of Glenn Ellen California. We still subcontract the metal spinning portion of our work to 70 year old sage and savvy metal spinners, actually a dieing breed. Yet we own over 200 mold dies for pre war cars, and produce wheel covers for Pebble Beach bound vehicles still. We sell about one set a month for the last 4 years as a compliment to a huge amount of other restoration work that we also do. The tooling and skill to operate and produce high quality spun covers takes a lifetime of experience. We produce the highest quality parts only through subcontracting operations to fewer and fewer HIGHLY SKILLED individuals using our materials and and dies. We cast and machine other fittings needed similarily. The equipment shown in Brewers shop simply does not exst anywhere else in such a dedicated and functional way. Yes, the craft is only held up by a tiny concentrated need and a thin thread of dedication and enthusiasm. The torch of craftsmanship is heald high by Mike Brewers business. One of the very few! Wow, What a shop!
Honest work
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!
Fantastic talent and workmanship 👌
Fascinating
Amazing craftsmanship! It's an art form without a doubt. Cheerio from across the pond!👍🏻😉✌🏻🇺🇸
Sensible, productive people. Tops.
I love this manual work.congratulation.master of the masters.
Great craftsmanship.👍👍👍🤩
I am a tool & cutter grinder that makes almost exclusively special cutting tools from standard tools or high speed steel and solid carbide blanks.
Now days most all it could be done on the CNC grinders. What I work on the numbers are so small it not worth the setup on the CNC. So I see your point you and I work on what other can't or won't .
I enjoyed that, thanks Mike.
AMAZING,Thank you for sharing
This reminds me of the picture you’d form in your head whilst listening to the cat Stevens song Matthew and son.
Wonderful
Brilliant
👍👌👏 Simply fantastic! Thanks a lot for making teaching recording editing uploading and sharing.
Best regards luck and health.
Nice to see this many business like this in Brum and surrounding areas, Vaughtons still make Aston Martin Badges in jewellery quarter.
I always thought they were stamped out I never realise how much work goes into making hub caps I learn something new today. I lost a few hub caps on my 1968 Toyota it was a good thing I had a few extra because the car was starting to be scares when I owned mine now they are just about extinct
Nice one Mike, really good to see you promote this guys business, another dying art that I hope will survive and prosper in the modern age.
If anyone is interested check out Ernest Wright in Sheffield UK I believe it's the last hand made Scissor manufacturers we have.
I have bought a couple of pairs, highly recommended if you like top quality !
Love engineering works ...You don't even realise that it is a part of history and human at time were not dependent on machines..I called it self equipped....Love from INDIA
Great work
I collect hubcaps and these are beautiful!
Roy you should wear a mask when buffing it was one of the first industrial deseases to be recorded
I once had the opportunity of watching a woman polishing surgical stainless steel dental tweezers in China and even there she was wearing eye protection and a mask. They are truly talented people who do this sort of polishing.
Good to see places like this still working and making good quality parts with the old tool's that originally made the parts at is as good as the original not a cheap Chinese copy that will last 5 minutes and look great from 40 feet and 40 mph but don't pick it up it might break in half
Great work Mike and keep turning them motors round 👍👍👍
Great stuff keep up the good work 👍🙂😊
Fantastic video. Automatic subscribe in my book. So glad to see you focus on a local shop and bring awareness to the public that places like this still are still in operation. Such a shame it's a dying art form. Young people need to be introduced to the idea that jobs like this are available. I'm not sure how vocational schools operate in the UK but here in the US we have local community colleges that partner with the schools in the area to offer vocational technical skills to young people who are interested in doing work like this from carpentry, to metal working, electricity and automotive repair. They even offer courses to prepare students for the medical fields.
I though that was William Shatner for a second .
Bill shatner hasn’t aged since he turned 60, amazing!
Yup - MB hasn't half piled on the beef, almost to the point of looking bloated. But yes, he does indeed resemble Shatner.
What a great video.
Questi artigiani artisti del duro lavoro dovrebbero essere aiutati a livello statale in qualsiasi parte del mondo, questa manodopera sta scomparendo...
For a Bedford VAL you would need six trims, two inward dished, as seen here for the rears but for the four front they would need to be outward dished. Fantastic company and more power to their elbow(s)
Brilliant .
Lovely to see workshops like this still operating with these lovely machines. A lot are shut down for Health & safety reasons. I was a metal smith for 32 years using these type of spinning lathes. Well done mike for filming this art.
I think that it's called a "Fly press" not a "hand press".
We call them hand presses in Birmingham.
Love it mate
Great those small workshops!
What's going on with the sound btw? Sounds like double stereo?
Hipwell Arden, are still in business today (August 2020). And I do hope that this company will continue for many more years.
As far as I know most wheels these days are aluminium, and of corse without a Hub Cap / wheel Disc. Therefore demand for old school Hub Cap’s must be limited to some extent...Back in 2006 I needed a replacement wheel disc for my 1975 Cadillac Eldorado Hardtop Coupe. I tried to get NSO, New Old Stock, but with no look, had to make due with a hub cap from a salvage yard.
I just wonder now, if Hipwell Arden could have made a nice new one for my 1975 Eldorado ?. Its a 15” brushed stainless steel full wheel disc with 60 slot holes around.
So very cool.
Enjoyed that
Another great cottage industry in the classic vehicle market catering for niche stuff but hand crafted with years of skill and artisanship.
awesome 👏🏻
Would be cool, if you put there details in the description for us restores, so we can contact them, thankyou for sharing Rgds KC Tasmania Australia
Isn’t that the Truth . No such thing as a True Craftsman any more. Kids today want to learn how to do something in a day. Then get the top dollar for doing it.
A craft takes time. You’ll know when you’re there!!!
A man with a massive tool!! ..... really
Those are the honest people doing hard work and making diamonds. Does your bloody new car has this charm?
Id like to see sets were made for the Riviera's, like the Spinner caps. These took some effort but I can only imagine what it would cost to recreate some nice wire wheel spinner caps today.
What about these three holes in the middle, are they a part of design?
The car emblem attaches in the middle.
Awsome
i work in a sheet metal shop and what he was saying about people retiring is spot on i am 59 thats the average age we have one nipper 45 and are most skilled is 2 years past retirement it's the way it is ; metal spinning is dangerous a lot of lost fingers and thumbs ,ouch .
Do you also make hub caps for classic caravans, as the classic caravan movement find it hard to source suitable traditional replacements
A man with a massive tool !😅
Great.I would like to be an apprentice at your shop.
I will definitely buy some 1965 impala non-ss hubcaps
I bet they don’t know how to make 1956 Cadillac Coupe Deville hub cap, cause I really need some for mine.
I wanna learn this
What about the three holes in the centre?
Good video Mike (Y)
How meny fly press’s are in that place
Great,I can finally complete my stolen hubcap collection ..!!
It's where they got the centrecaps for their Messerschmitt kr200 episode
Being the best in the world at something is better then riches.
I should have done a lot of stuff... Before watching this of course, just forgotten about anything and sit flabbergasted 😯.
Is it the same p6 in both pictures
a true craftsman and mike honestly interested and not actting the goat
That makes a change. Brewer is so damned annoying!