Weekend Update

 

I finished chopping the stump out over the weekend. I whacked on it a bit Saturday after coming home from the gym and then finished it up yesterday. I still need to clean up the wood chips and get some black dirt to level up the hole and then plant some grass seed. I'll get that done this week.

Gas prices haven't hit $12.99 yet but they have shot up around here recently. After working on the stump, I got the Himalayan out and rode over to the filling station to top off the tank. $5.049 for premium unleaded which is exactly $1.00 more than regular. However, I'm finishing up cardiac rehab this morning, so I won't have to be driving much in the future. The motorcycle gets about twice the mileage my truck does and the bicycle, of course, only uses the energy I put into it. Short hops around here I can use a two-wheeler for most things. The Himalayan has saddle bags, and I have a small trailer for the bicycle, so trips to the grocery and hardware can be accomplished on two wheels.

Changing direction, I saw a couple interesting things on Facebook recently. I no longer post anything or comment since they censored my anniversary post a couple of years back, but I do enjoy some of the "Reels". Unfortunately, I didn't get the links for two of the most interesting ones. 

First up was one from Steve Morris Racing Engines. He took an aluminum block and cylinder heads to a welder that has to be one of the best in the business. He welded up water jacket holes in the block with no preheat or cleaning using a very small, water-cooled torch. Rather than pure argon shielding gas, he used some secret-squirrel blended gas containing helium, lots of amperage and the frequency control way up there. I really wished I would have bookmarked it; I'd like to watch it again - lots to learn there. The reel is about 30 minutes long but if you're a welder and run across it, it's definitely worth watching.

I've been following The Tool and Die Guy also. He posted a written test a few days ago that was given to want-to-be machinists to find out what they knew prior to being hired in and investing a lot of time and money in them. I took the test and I'm sure I got them all correct but I've been around for a long time now. I don't know how I would have done straight out of high school, but probably better than many of the mopes that showed up in my college classes.

And last but not least, MachinistX. There are MachinistX reels and a website. The focus seems to be addressing the issues of recruiting new blood into the trade and passing along the knowledge of the old timers before they retire. 

I'm not a machinist per se, but as a long-time educator and a concerned citizen, I like to hear what others are doing to recruit people into the trades along with what's being done to bring manufacturing and craftsmanship back - somebody has to weld those submarines after all.