Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Metal Work

There's nothing like a good metal shop.  T here's sparks, and grinders and welding machines.  I had the opportunity to spend part of the afternoon in a metal shop this afternoon, throwing sparks, working on a project that that the whole family will enjoy.  I know I enjoyed it, because I was working with my son, who has a metal shop across the driveway from his house.

That's my boy, throwing sparks working on a stand for the project.  I should have had the camera out earlier, but we were collaborating, which means I was holding things in place while he worked his magic.  About the time we decided to take a break, his wife came out to the shop to tell us that supper was ready, so we washed up to eat.  A magnificent crawfish fettuccine, with mushrooms, and baby spinach, and all kinds of yummy goodness.  Then we went back out to the shop, and in another hour, had finished the project.  It's another target for wax-bullet shooting.  I wanted to get this done, because I've ordered the electronics and they'll be in soon.

Here's elder son, and my oldest grandson with the almost finished project.  I'll paint it tomorrow, but the hard part is done.

The strength of my family is that we have lots of crafts in our repertoire.  We've got mechanics, we've got metal workers, we've got leather workers, and woodworkers and flooring guys. Water-techs and cops, industrial maintenance, and historical re-enacting. We do carpentry, and roofing, and there's nothing we can't figure out.  Among the ladies, we've got nurses, and pharma techs, and graphic artists, and crochet-ers, and barbers, social workers, archaeologists, and .... well, the list goes on.  There ain't noting this family can't tackle.

Thanks, son, for the afternoon.  Your old man appreciates it.

6 comments:

Jester said...

You have an amazing family!

Anonymous said...

I like the fact that you have a tight knit group. They seem to get along well together.
Dumb question number 78....what with all the heat and humidity in your area...how come no insulation in the shop? Or do you have metal covering the studs and insulation? I've been thinking of building a shop here in Texas and I'm trying to come to grips with how thick I need to make the insulation.
Steve

Old NFO said...

Yep, it's pretty much what's 'expected' for a good Southern family... :-) Multiple talents and an ability to get the job done!

Eaton Rapids Joe said...

I love a good smelling metal shop!

Under appreciated fact, metal shops have a smell all their own and active ones smell different than inactive ones. Welding smells, metal cutting fluid smells, a hint of ozone. The only smell I really dislike is the occasional smell of a scorched, rawhide hammer.

I feel at home in a metal shop.

Pawpaw said...

Steve - There is no insulation in that shop. It's simply a steel skeleton, with steel skin. It's there to keep the rain off, a place to work ad store tools. It's hot in the summer, and cold in the winter, although a welding shop is never really cold. When you're working, there's a lot of hot metal laying around. However, in the summer, not even a 20-tonA/C unit could keep that place cool. We melt metal in there.

However, it is in the shade, and when you fling the doors open and crank off the fans, air moves, and it's tolerable. Did I mention fans? The boy has one hellatious faan. It pushes air all through that shop.

Typical of many southern shops, this thing is bare-bones, but it's functional and great things come out of the shop. It's an updated, upgraded working shop, like the blacksmith shops of old, and like those shops, magical things happen there.

Old Grafton said...

All those skills are family survival skills when times get hard and money gets tight. Most of us have seen some of that; it's why we learn to do things ourselves as much as we can. A family that works together is the way God intended it. My family's much the same as yours-together we "Get 'Er Done"!