Living with old tech and compromises

We can bemoan the loss of practical skills and problem solving in the current generation but the failing is squarely upon us as their seniors. We (in the broader sense of “we”) embraced the current technology and abandoned more practical tools and technology for the “easier” route. This generation just grew up in the world we created.
I taught my 16 year old nephew how to solder last time my brother brought his kids to stay with us. My brother has no practical skills whatsoever- he is the “just look it up online” kind of parent. I cobbled together a vintage stereo system for my nephew (he is into vinyl) and showed him how to tin wires. I sat with him as he did it over and over and over until he got it. Then I showed him how to remove and replace components on a PCB (including wicking and repairing traces) and had him make perfect peaks on a junk PCB…over and over and over- he loved it!

I gave him the basics on safety with electricity (you are the path of least resistance) and he was off to the races.
He has gotten his own soldering station and apparently replaced a bad capacitor in my bothers guitar amplifier and found a cold solder joint on a ground strap which had plagued that amp with a low hum for years.
It’s not always a lack of interest in the younger generation, it’s a failure of tutelage.

Our "Boris" was named "Stan" and I recall a funny story...

One of the other engineers was installing and impressed current cathodic protection system on the existing gas line that fed the heat treat department (large gas fired furnaces for carburizing and hardening parts). He was tracing the line on the drawings that were from the 1940's, and had the whole route planned out, and where all the anodes would be placed.

He was there with the crew ready to drill holes in one particular area of the factory floor, when Stan happened to walk by, and asked him what the project was. He explained that they were drilling holes through the floor for anodes for the underground gas line. Stan pointed up to the gas line above his head and said "You mean that gas line?"



Some of the line was underground, but not all of it. So the whole project had to be revised...

Stan's title was "Master Mechanic" even though he had a desk job and for that reason some of the engineers didn't give him a lot of respect, but I recognized him as a guy who had been there for 40 years and knew the place like the back of his hand, so I would often seek his advice. He was an invaluable resource.