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[Debs.]

I, like many here, am proud of my ability to 'make things'.....practical, engineering-skills, learned and refined by use and the joy of achievement.

Viewing this http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/William_Doxford_and_Sons#The_Manufacturing_Process

I am minded of the wonderous pool of talent and skill that British engineering once so-proudly boasted.

"Britain: the little country that could!"

What happened......where did it all go?

[Richie London]

it got sold down the river to brussells

[Richie London]

when i left school in 1976 everyone went into apprenterships in engineering, i dont know any young apprentices. now its a 4 weeks training and your a qualified electrician or plumber.

[TheBoy]

Successive governments, both Tory and the right wing lot we have now, havetried to kill off manufacturing in this country, and tried to make sure we (as a country) only do service.

Hence, no engineering left, and no real apprenticeships in that sector

[The Red Baron]

it certainly is a shame what this country has lost over the years. 

[STMO123]

There are still some bespoke items that need to be made by hand but, in the main, things are 'manufactured' by a robot these days.
The only way to make lots of money is to make lots of the same thing, so it makes sense really.

[Ken T]

That's substantial engineering. I certainly wouldn't get that prop on my 3 1/2" lathe !.

I liked the flame cutting out the crankshaft parts. I have done some at night classes, but that was 6mm sheet. Those crankshaft parts look about 2ft thick.

My Grandpa was a foreman millwright at NB Loco, building steam engines. I'll try and dig out some photos I have of his work.

Ken

[STMO123]

That's substantial engineering. I certainly wouldn't get that prop on my 3 1/2" lathe !.

I liked the flame cutting out the crankshaft parts. I have done some at night classes, but that was 6mm sheet. Those crankshaft parts look about 2ft thick.

My Grandpa was a foreman millwright at NB Loco, building steam engines. I'll try and dig out some photos I have of his work.

Ken

My grandad was a shipwright Ken, you dont see many of them nowadays.

[Ken T]

There are still some bespoke items that need to be made by hand but, in the main, things are 'manufactured' by a robot these days.
The only way to make lots of money is to make lots of the same thing, so it makes sense really.

Yes there was one of those "Grand Design" programs recently where they were making a circular staircase from plywood parts, fitting together like something from Ikea. They had the parts cut out using a laser cutter :-? What ever happened to marking it up using a pencil and using a jigsaw ?.

Ken

[crazyjoetavola]

I, like many here, am proud of my ability to 'make things'.....practical, engineering-skills, learned and refined by use and the joy of achievement.

Viewing this http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/William_Doxford_and_Sons#The_Manufacturing_Process

I am minded of the wonderous pool of talent and skill that British engineering once so-proudly boasted.

"Britain: the little country that could!"

What happened......where did it all go?

This is an important topic Debs and I would love to get into it but have a job to look at - maybe later: y - but in the meantime, I would suggest it's the natural result of our legislators desire to bend over and take whatever Brussels doles out ( if you forgive my freedom ) 

The loss of pride, loss of individual responsibility, the expectation to have everything handed to us on a plate, the loss of practical skills being taught in schools, the desire to accept nothing but the glaringly obvious and the breakdown in how children are brought up to have enquiring minds by their over-worked, consumer conscious, Hello reading, Coronation Street watching, sport addicted parents, to name but a few other causes.

Damn you Debs I'm lit up now, so I'll have to return to this later

From a 75% Misanthrope ( the OOF saved me ) to a failed one, have a good day

[Darth Loo-knee]

In Stoke-on-Trent alone we have lost The Pottery Industry, British Steel and Coal Mines 
Doultons got bought by an Indonesian Company if I remember rightly, which has not being able to sell the wear, so I have heard they are wanting to re open Doultons in Stoke but dont actually know how true that is.

[Nickbat]

I think that one of the reasons for this is the snobbery that is based in our culture and has become more pronounced over the last few decades. Increasingly, youngsters in secondary school have been encouraged to go to university to study academic courses, or if they're not that academic, something more wish-washy like media. Those who want to work with their hands have been increasingly perceived as slightly dim. Why would anyone want to get their hands dirty, when they can earn bucket loads doing one of many non-jobs in the public sector?

So, as a society, the middle classes have come to look down on physical tasks like plumbing, carpentry, engineering, building, etc. The result is that these industries have been deprived of the pick of the best and most able candidates from school. Expertise has not been handed down and has thus been lost. The result is, as we so often notice, that even those in the physical labour markets have a sense of being somewhat second class, since they are looked down on, and they act accordingly.


"Hallo, Daaaarling! I hear young Samantha has got engaged, you must be thrilled"
"Yes"
"And what does her husband-to-be do?"
"He's a sheet-metal worker"
"Oh. Er, well, bye darling, must dash. I'll call sometime"


Ring any bells?     

[Andy B]

.....
"Britain: the little country that could!"

What happened......where did it all go?

 ..... and not a pair of safety specs insight!!! :-?         

[KillerWatt]

"Hallo, Daaaarling! I hear young Samantha has got engaged, you must be thrilled"
"Yes"
"And what does her husband-to-be do?"
"He's a sheet-metal worker"
"Oh. Er, well, bye darling, must dash. I'll call sometime"


Ring any bells?     

Reminds me of the first woman who was potentially going to be my mother in law, her head couldn't have been any further up her arse if she tried...and she definately had delusions of grandeur about her social standing in life.

[Debs.]

 ..... and not a pair of safety specs insight!!! :-?         

.....just the ubiquitous multi-function safety wear item that was the cloth cap!.....