Metal Working! Fitting, Machining, Welding, Sheet and General Metal Fab

[Flow-Rider]

Same here, I had it happen to me as an apprentice, boss closed up shop moved interstate, more $ than it was worth to start chasing a folded business for super ( I was pretty poor at that stage and very uninformed). 3 years of 'super' and the Master Builders/Tafe did nothing to help apprentices be money smart and actually check out your super vs your payslip, was more about quoting and doing the work rather than looking after your own self. I see a lot of others who were in the same boat (Canberra is a small place) and now we are all mostly out of the trade and into other professions. Valuable lesson that I wouldn't wish on anyone especially in today's climate.

That's not a good position to be in, but my story is similar.

The government departments were a whole different story in those days, before the mobile phone and computer days, you had to sneak out of work during working hours to find a phone box, and hopefully, no one from work would see you. I remember trying to find out what the minimum wage was for mechanics and the lady asked me if I was on a federal or state award (basically playing games so that they can't answer you), I knew nothing of these things and certainly wasn't going to ask anyone at work.

The problem I had was that not many in QLD in those days in small shops would pay above award wages or overtime on the books, so that meant I lost a lot of super. Most of my super ended up in different super accounts, the fees consumed what was left and they had a penalty for not continuing to pay into them. Couldn't amalgamate them without having days off work, and they didn't have much in them anyway.

 

[link1896]

….Our old factory manager used to say if we screw it up you'll never know about it. If you screw it up everyone will know about it.

Maybe Boeing needs to drop this moto though

 

[fjohn860]

Little bit of time on my hands yesterday so hatched a plan for proper sealing (on the hose) bleed fittings.

 

[SummitFever]

Little bit of time on my hands yesterday so hatched a plan for proper sealing (on the hose) bleed fittings.
View attachment 408879

Is the outer crimped onto the tube?

 

[fjohn860]

Is the outer crimped onto the tube?

No, threaded onto the inner. So as it tightens on the thread the hose is clamped between the inner and outer.

Like this fitting on my leyzne floor pump

 

[SummitFever]

No, threaded onto the inner. So as it tightens on the thread the hose is clamped between the inner and outer.

Like this fitting on my leyzne floor pump
View attachment 408880
View attachment 408881

Nice.

 

[fjohn860]

Expensive fittings compared to these, but fun to make.

 

[fjohn860]

New burnishing head on the left I made today. On the right, the agricultural one I made years ago. Left one for someone with a different fork stanchion size.