Awesome talent. Awesome work.
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HTIH (Hope The Info Helps)
Jeff
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. Mark Twain
Note: SDC# 070190 (and earlier...) -
Workmanship is admirable. Thanks, but I won't be attempting any time soon. -
About the only thing I have in common with this guy is that I have a 4 foot tree trunk sitting in my garage. No talent to use it like that though.Ron Dame
'63 ChampComment
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Amazing work. There aren't many like him left in the world for us to admire.Comment
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Right there is what you can call a lost art. Very few left.Comment
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To think that at one time there were dozens or even hundreds of coach builders in the US with many people who could do this type of work. A lost art to be sure.
I'd rather be driving my Studebaker! 
sigpicComment
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There's one in Fort Pierce, Florida at 'Custom Paint & body'. He's a young guy too !Originally posted by ndynis View PostComment
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Not totally 'lost'. There are several sheet metal working schools around the country. It does however take the right equipment. There is a shop in fort Pierce, Florida that can do it.Originally posted by wlfrench View PostComment
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My first thoughts was...count how many fingers are still there?Originally posted by swvalcon View Post
But, seriously, after first viewing this thread, I went out to my shop. While piddling around, I thought about this thread and the "lost art," aspect. My mind wandered to my naive youth, where having never ventured much beyond the hills of the Carolina's, my military travels exposed me to some realities of "human" existence. One "assumption" I had developed, due to my limited world exposure, was that "WE" U.S. Americans, were, at least, a bit superior to the rest of the world. A bit smarter, and in a childlike moment of assuming...just plain ol' luckier.
Early on, I quickly realized how wrong I was.
Unknown to me, during this time (1967) there was a book circulating titled "The Ugly American." It addressed the perceived attitude of traveling Americans toward the rest of the world. I didn't learn of this book until a very few years later, as a more mature (but still somewhat naive) college student. Obviously, the statute of limitations had expired on my high-school record, and I tricked a college into admitting me. It was during college, that a professor introduced me to the concept of "The Ugly American." Except, he and I had a serious disagreement about how it came about. His theory was that it was some kind of sinister development, meant to demean and degrade. My thought is that it was merely a natural result of poor education, lack of exposure, combined with a failure in teaching politeness.
Fact is...you could easily make the case for "The Ugly (place country name here)"...for any group populated by human beings.
To the "lost art" comment...it is not "lost." It is a daily occurrence all over the world. From the tip of Chili, to the villages of the Himalayas. There may not be cameras, fancy equipment, or even a garage to work in, but hard working, improvising, skilled craftsmen doing amazing work all over the world. I have seen them in action. Repairing rickshaws, jeepneys, carts, scooters, wagons, etc. Perhaps no exotic cars, but functional everyday items to make life work.
My comments are not to demean anyone who thinks of this as "lost art." But, the fact is, most of us live life so well that it is easy to see this as "lost." Our lives don't entail frequent exposure to this as a necessity. If this same craftsman was repairing the door of a beat up PT Cruiser, we would probably hardly notice. Even if the work and skill required is the same. Wonder how many folks in the back roads of Cuba would think about this?
One thing I have come to realize, if we truly have a breakdown in world order, it is these hard working folks, willing to risk sweating and dirty hands, that will stand a better chance of surviving.
John Clary
Greer, SC
SDC member since 1975Comment
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I agree with John on this. We here in the U.S. have had it so "good" that the need to perform this type of work isn't there. When you look at other countries and economies, you'll see that there is a necessity for these type of skills. Hats off to those with the ability and patience to do this type of manufacturing. BillComment
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