What do you do for a living?

bladsmth said:
A couple years back I was commissioned to make a gift for the Queen of England.

Stacy
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I remember that. But my memory is failing me. I remember being blown away by it, but I don't recall what it was. Can you refresh my memory?
 
I worked for 30 years in the automotive before getting out with a company pension. Also, enjoyed woodworking in the shop before converting it into a knife shop back in 2004. Currently I do the following. And you have a nice day there Charlie. :)

1. KnifeMaker,
2. Graphices Designer,
3. Songwriter,
4..Musical Entertainer,
 
I'm a product designer specializing in plastics for an engineering company that consults in the chemical, medical, and industrial products industries. The company also taps my machinist background which recently has become the majority of what I do there now. It is ironic, I started out as a hack machinist as I beat my way into product design (got a degree and worked as an design engineer for several years) and I finally get a real job as a professional product designer and now I'm moving backing into production machining and manufacturing. Feh...

During the good old days I would design stuff and prototype things in our lab - these days I'm trying to tweak programs and process to eek out more capacity that we ever planned on. (I can drill a hole at 55 IPM! ..wow..)

I still own my old machine shop and I occasionally do work in there for old customers, but that space is filling up with knife stuff now, which I enjoy a lot more. I think I would enjoy making knives for a living if I could make a living making knives - but I don't see myself going full time.

One of the things that got me interested in knives was a search for abrasion resistant steel for slitting a highly abrasive media into strips before feeding it through a press. I still have that press and I think one day I might adapt it into a hammer.
 
This is what I did in my past life. I worked at Acushnet Rubber Company for 34 years, started in 1967. For 25 years I was in Production Control in different scheduling positions and also for the last 15 years as the Production Control Manager. We were the sister company of Tietlist Golf Ball. When they down sized in 2001 they let all us Ole Farts go. Then I worked in a Machine Shop for a year and then I went to Resolute Boat were I repaired and painted the Scully Boats. The Scully Boats were made out of carbon fiber. For the last 6 years I stayed home to take care of my Lady. Since her death I have been unemployed.
 
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Mechanic, interior and exterior house painter for 20 years, and now when the shop gets warmed up its belt grinder city evry day, half the nites and most weekends. How good can it get?
Ken.
 
I have a small autobody repair shop in rural Pennsylvania. In 1999, I got mugged by a tri-axel dump and since have done whatever it takes to make aliving. Fix a few cars/trucks,paint tractors, paint old ladies wrought iron furniture, make knives, pick ginsang, sell hides, whatever it takes.
So, I reckon I'm a jack of all trades.
 
bladsmth said:
It ended up being a silver topped replica of the Pocahontas jug, a water vessel presented to Pocahontas by King James and Queen Anne in the end of the 16th century.

Here is the original thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=472213&highlight=gift+queen

It was a lifetime experience.
Stacy
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I remembered it being a vessel of some kind and there was a historical precedence for it. I also recalled the two materials and the luminescent interior. I remember it was beautiful. I forgot it was a water jug. And I forgot about you in a kilt. I'm going to try to forget about you in a kilt again...
 
The first job I ever received a paycheck for was a Goldsmiths assistant in my Grandfathers jewelry store. I was 17 going to school for Building and construction technology. After I graduated I moved across the state to get a job as a finish carpenter for the biggest home builder in the Poconos. After a few years of that I moved back home as a sub contractor(for what I thought would be just the winter so I could move to Montana).
Well I met my lovely wife 18 years ago had some beautiful kids and now I needed benefits. So I applied to the biggest best paying employer in town. Now after 14 years I am what they call a labor gang boss at a small independent refinery, this entails if it is broke I fix it no matter what it needs done or how long it takes.(some days are really long).

I have alway had a thing for knifes and the people that make them, but never thought about following through with this craft till lately I've had a lot of fun so far and have learned many things here to shorten the learning curve.

Todd
 
29 years on the Hanford Nuclear reservation in Washington State trying to clean that post WWII Manhattan Project mess up....lots to do but, we're getting there! I work in the metal fabrication shop there.
 
I was told they were the Secret Service SWAT team. However, I would not be surprised if they were DSS. They were no nonsense chaps.
Stacy
 
When I was in Kosovo I got to see some interesting things, one was a DSS team, very impressive and SOCEUR's Commander visited, his team was everthing you ever imagined they would be.

The biggest goat rope we had with VIPs was GEN Meigs visit. He wanted to go out on a patrol with a squad, I politely suggested to my commander to forward to the task force CG that it might not be a great idea... of course I'm just a sargeant so what do I know? Ummmmm lessee, huge entourage of PSOs, with the vehicle convoys trying to go down narrow roads in town causing traffic snarls, the angry people put the PSOs on edge. Helicopters hovering over the patrol causing locals to be nervous. They had security a block in each direction from the patrol involving almost a whole infantry company. All so a 4 star could get out and do a PR walk with 10 guys. Don't get me started on what I think about GEN Meigs..... :mad:
 
I put in 32+ years in Alabama's education system. The first 21 was teaching Auto Body Repair at a two year college. The next 9 or so was as an assistant dean.

Now I am glued to my shop fooling with sharp objects all day long.

Robert
 
Will Leavitt said:
When I was in Kosovo I got to see some interesting things, one was a DSS team, very impressive and SOCEUR's Commander visited, his team was everthing you ever imagined they would be.

The biggest goat rope we had with VIPs was GEN Meigs visit. He wanted to go out on a patrol with a squad, I politely suggested to my commander to forward to the task force CG that it might not be a great idea... of course I'm just a sargeant so what do I know? Ummmmm lessee, huge entourage of PSOs, with the vehicle convoys trying to go down narrow roads in town causing traffic snarls, the angry people put the PSOs on edge. Helicopters hovering over the patrol causing locals to be nervous. They had security a block in each direction from the patrol involving almost a whole infantry company. All so a 4 star could get out and do a PR walk with 10 guys. Don't get me started on what I think about GEN Meigs..... :mad:
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Did something like that in Somolia. There is a big differance between brave and stupid. What some of these morons will do to get press coverage of how "Brave" they are. We were all thinking WTF! most of the locals won't go there so what does that tell you ROCKHEAD! We do what they say to do but that doesn't mean it's smart.

OH and Im an Electronics tech for a govt contractor. Was in USMC.
 
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I was the spokesperson and public relations supervisor for Camp Monteith, Kosovo. My PA team was taking photos of him with the Soldiers, he makes this huge gesture and said "Hey, knock the pictures off, I'M here for the Soldiers" smarmy bastard. I told his chief of staff that the pictures weren't for his high holiness the General, they were for the troops he was with. The chief of staff told me to make sure I got him copies of the photos for the General..... arrogant, flashbulb loving, dickhead, making some belittling comment to one of my troops so he could seem like he hated press. I would hate to see his "I love me" room :barf:

I wonder why they medicalled me out.....
 
I've had a LOT of jobs in my past. My "career" started with 4 years in the Marines as a computer networker and in information security. I am getting my bachelor's degree right now in economics. I really can't ever see myself having a desk job but at this point, the way the job market is, I won't complain if it ends up being that. A great way to build a shop at least.
 
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