I would not go so far to call metal forming a "dying art". Here in Canada our trade schools still have apprenticeships in the metal trades and metal forming is a trade. I can think of maybe a dozen top end restoration shops in this area that do metal forming. Metal forming could be ship building, machine shop lathe work and milling, metal spinning and forming sheets of metal for automotive restoration.
My friend has a Made in England English wheel, pneumatic planishing machine and the oldest of metal forming tools, a hammer and a sand filled leather bag on a stump. I have and use the sand filled leather bag. I made a stand to hold my leather metal forming bag. The top of the stand is a 18 inch round two inch thick steel cut-out. this gives the bag lots of stability. I have and use English bumping hammers, often. Some of the bumping hammers are from EASTWOOD and my favorite is a 100 year old bumping hammer made from Lignum vitae. This wood is so dense it will not float on water.
I have made cab corners for the L&R IHC cabs with the sandbag and finished the work with an inexpensive import planishing hammer. Don't ask. I will not make a cab corner for you.
My 1940 Ford had lots of metal forming on the new reproduction inner fender aprons to clear and accommodate the charge-air ducting from the supercharger to an intercooler and then on to the intake manifold.
The trade must not be all that near to death because there are more than a few American companies selling and or building metal forming machines. Eastwood and Mittler Brothers are two that come to mind.
The ever popular English Wheel is still in production. The prices of these machines are in direct relation to how well they work. If a person pays a few hundred bucks for an import wheel, they will not get the same finish in a comparable amount of time as you might expect with an expensive English wheel. I was bidding on a proper made in England, English Wheel and my last bid of $2000 was not enough to win. I worked with the guy who out-bid me. I know he never uses the wheel.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=english+ ... 20&bih=963 My first trade was in Sheetmetal. I did a four year metal forming apprenticeship in the early 1960s.
After buying the machines to move metal I do not see where I saved any money. I suppose the only real benefits I got after spending lots of money on machinery was being able to do what I want, when I want, in a way I want it done and then having the satisfaction of having done a job that will be as good as anything I could buy if it were available.