New member

[fidlstyks]

Hello world, I have been watching this site some over the years. I am also a member on smokstaks  here in the states. I have decided the Europeans started the modeling hobby, and feel they have  a good fallowing , so decided to join.
  I have made models and worked at tearing things apart since I was old enough to pick up a  screw driver, where I was first schooled by my grandpa back in the sixties, that I should not take apart his carburetor.  He ran a shop, mostly blacksmithing and welding. He was retired by the time I came along, but grew up watching him machine on hit and miss engines.
  He took me to Prairie Village South Dakota, in 1972,where I found an older gentle man who had machined nearly every Stuart design available. He of course ran them on air. When I advised him he could give me one, (kids) , he told me that when I grew up some day, I could try making them myself. I now know what he was meaning when he had a negative form of maybe in his voice, as it is not for everyone to be able to do. It took me about a dozen more years, but I finally had a model made, and was completely bound by the joy of showing it off.
 I have no idea where the first ones I had constructed would be, but am sure they are out there some where, it has been over 30 years. Most of them ran fairly well, but of course had some lacking I have now decided.
   My dad started me casting. We had been buying parts for the hit and miss engines at the Waukee Iowa swap meet for some time, when my dad got the idea he would cast parts him self. At the time, a farmer could not afford parts. I of course thought he was nuts, I of course  had no idea. After he finally got me to tell him where the sand was, that I  had my cycle stuck in, he formed a 1/2 mold in a an old wood joined box, and while melting a hole in grandpas ladle, melted some aluminum, and poured half a shape of an Associated detent arm. It was now no stopping him. He went to the bookstore, and found some C W ? Amen books, ( when people ask me for how to get started information, that is where I tell them to go ), and he started making flasks, some of which I still use. We started casting brass in the basement, and I eventually starting melting cast iron. We purchase foundry items at local auctions, where the larger foundries had went out of business.
  I lived for a short time in down town Indianapolis Indiana, where I worked in a larger foundry in the early 90s. I have learned much, having now cast about a ton a year in cast iron.
  I made my own model patterns in the early  80s, casting and selling kits, and finished models. I soon decided it took me too long to build and sell running models for a living, but have still made quite a few kits I sold. I have been rather limited in some aspects, in comparison to other builders. One drawback was I made too small a kit for many, and the fact I only had loose piece patterns. There is nearly no where to get castings made with out properly constructed match plate patterns , and one single man can not be as industrious as a large foundry.
   I have met many of the greater modelers now gone such as Ed Chick, Dick Shelly, DeBolt, and Bob Manskee who liked building Holt models, and of the complete crawler that was totally functional ! , and several other old timers that use to show at Central Hawkeye near West Desmoines Iowa , and LeSuer Mn. Many now gone but not forgotten.
   I plan to post in your forum and show some of my manufacturing, hoping to entertain some, and hopefully garner the interest of younger people as to what can be done if you try.
  Every thing I have learned came from older foundry men, other model builders,and books. For my machining learning, I have Henry Fords Technical book, Shop Theory. I learned much of what I have done using it as a reference. I have about 1,000 books, mostly on manufacturing and design as well as other informational reading. I like old books, especially world history, and marvelous inventions, and people.
   

[b.lindsey]

Welcome to MEM and thank you for the nice introduction. I am glad you have decided to join us and from your background it sounds as if you will fit right in with the great groups we have here.

Bill

[PStechPaul]

Welcome aboard! I'm not sure I'll ever get into foundry work and metal casting, but I enjoy machining and I would like to learn how to use the welder I have had for ten years, still in the box. I'm taking machine tool classes at the local community college and will be making a Stirling engine this semester. My interests and skills are mostly in electronics, designing test equipment, and more recently EVs and electric motors and battery monitor and charging systems. I plan to attend Cabin Fever in April as I did last year, and if you can make it to York, PA it would be good to meet you there.

[metalmad]

Welcome to the group
I do a bit of Casting on a novice level and am always happy to see others join that can teach me a few tricks 
Pete

[Don1966]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Don

[vcutajar]

Hi fidlstyks and welcome to the group.  Glad you decided to join.

Vince

[fumopuc]

Hi fidlstyks, thanks for your introduction. Welcome to MEM.

[ths]

An entertaining and informative introduction fidlstyx, welcome. Cheers, Hugh.

[ths]

An entertaining and informative introduction fidlstyx, welcome. Cheers, Hugh.

[Dave Otto]

Welcome to the group!

Dave

[Jo]

  Matthew,

Sounds like you have done lots of interesting things that the members could learn from.

Jo

[ironman123]

Welcome to the forum.  Teaching us of your knowledge and experiences will be rewarding.
Ray

[Kim]

Hi fidlstyks,
Welcome to MEM!
Kim

[Roger B]

Welcome to the forum    It looks like you have done a huge amount of stuff already  Pictures are always welcome 

[fidlstyks]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I plan to show some of my projects, and hope to sew some ideas in peoples minds of what one can do if he tries, and as it seams we admit here, practice as we try.