Vintage work crew photos

[VinnieL]

Personally I have always loved mechanical pencils. I have several. I love the way they write and draw. Used them for years making Crime Scene drawings.

[Beserkleyboy]

All good points...the smarter we get, the dumber we become...or something like that. Was not aware of STEM, but seems to be deeply entrenched in the Australian public and private schools.Common sense seems to be the first and most obvious casualty of the tech revolution...go figure. And just BTW, no kids here either...step grandson! one of 8...
Jim
30 yr Calif expat in AUS

[Toolmaker51]

Personally I have always loved mechanical pencils. I have several. I love the way they write and draw. Used them for years making Crime Scene drawings.

Hmmm. Crime Scene drawings. You a planner or investigator? lol.

I agree on mechanical pencils. Sort of costly, nice ones are worth it.
Graded wood pencils still have a good feel for drafting, but not so hot in general away from the board. To me, proper sharpeners have disappeared.
Mechanical pencils 1.1 Ø [lead holders] need a couple small items to function but are superior otherwise. Have a pretzel bucket full of spare lead, all grades, insuring I'll live to 130.
Clutch pencils [0.05 and 0.07 Ø] are convenient writing wise, and giving or losing one no big deal. 10 for $1.50. I'd like them more with colored lead easier to find. Time comes I want to mark drawing features red or green. So here I use ink most of all.
Drafting has really gone down hill, CAD users have no clue how line weight enhances readability. Big deal, the program reads it accurately. Programs don't crank handles. So colored ink stands in, when a lot of leader lines intersect without a break, to match coordinates.

[Toolmaker51]

All good points...the smarter we get, the dumber we become...or something like that. Was not aware of STEM, but seems to be deeply entrenched in the Australian public and private schools.Common sense seems to be the first and most obvious casualty of the tech revolution...go figure. And just BTW, no kids here either...step grandson! one of 8...
Jim
30 yr Calif expat in AUS

I'm not absorbed by conspiracy theories, but STEM works being subsidized by all kinds, mostly tech corporations. With vocational ed tossed out the window, STEM has become a tax shield. That easily could been a lobbyist's coup. Not unlike the health-care chimes ringing awhile here.
My previous employer compensated any participants 1:1 up to 100 hours a year. Granted, you had to complete your promise to accumulate more. At times we had 200+ 'volunteers'. Websters doesn't connect volunteerism with pay. Someone got it past tax authorities and stockholders. Absolute guessitimation says that could be $750,000.
The only way they'll remain afloat is generating successive generations of employees. What they used to get for free, with somewhat broader talents and interests.
Go figure.

[Beserkleyboy]

Toolmaker, Re: your pencil and drafting notes. I quite enjoyed mechanical drawing in High School, and always drew plans on a new or complex project before firing up the tools. And then came (at that time, 2007) Google SketchUp! Instant CAD for dummies...Now I draw EVERYTHING prior to working; it irons out most potential stuff ups. I also taught young Campbell at age 9 and he picked it up straight away. As he has gotten older, he has learned to plan ahead. His mum reckons that program has a huge effect on his organisational skills AND his patience. Chalk one up for Grampy! Whenever he comes over (occasional weekends at the beach, 315km from home), his first request is 'what are we gonna build, Grampy' or 'Can we do some drawing?' So, my bit of mentoring seems to be working... Good times...cheers
Jim

[PJs]

Whelp I've missed a couple of days here but love where you guys took the pencil stuff.

Berserkleyboy, good on that teacher and your G-son for adding writing instruments to the curriculum! I've always carried at least a pencil and for perhaps 3 decades carried a pen (YC Quad Point - RGB and backup pencil for drawing markups) and a .5mm mechanical pencil with eraser. [Never draw more in the morning than you can erase in the afternoon.] When my G-son was about 6-8mo. and just talking well, he used to point at them or try to pull them from my pocket when carrying him. So I taught him the names of each and within 30 minutes was able to point and he say the name...needless to say him and I write and draw a lot now at 3. Good to start'em young, imho.

Personally still like quality wood pencils and colored ones too. I've colored 1.5 Anatomy Coloring Books and a fair number of my own sketching's over the years and still a big fan of Sacred Geometry with a ruler, compass, and pencil, then color them in. My favorite pencil is still the mechanical drafting pencils and Staedtler Mars White plastic erasers with a desktop spin sharpener although I have a hand held with carbide teeth that I like a lot.

To me one of the best things is the smell of a freshly sharpened wooden pencil, preferably cedar...TM51 you are right about good sharpeners hard to find them of quality anymore.

As for STEM...it may be a bit corrupted but the idea of it can give kids purpose, kind of like Science Fair used to be. I'm all for giving kids a view of carrots that tempt them to explore and learn on their own and a nudge when they get stuck or need a vector. To me it's about time Industry stepped in to help educate kids, Europe has been doing it for years. A friend from Germany and I were having a conversation the other day about this very subject and their Vocation/education programs (heavily supported by industry) are really excellent and support a students abilities and wants....seems most people in Germany have at least a masters anymore, and half of the people I worked with back then were PhD's. STEM just need to be kept Real to the students with abundant carrots and Minimized Hype, imho.

Lastly, Kudo's to those workers and factories that allowed us to express our ideas through their hard work of making pencils.

PJ

[Beserkleyboy]

PJ. thanks for that. And just to keep the poor old pencil alive, here's a couple of pics of my sharpeners, both still SHARP! The Chicago is the everyday one mounted on the wall of the workshop. The green one has no name, but is probably early 20th century gear, acquired at auction ($5) of Cockatoo Island Shipyard gear in 1991. It still works well but needs an overhaul....


Cheers
Jim

[marksbug]

Ive been known to take a box of pencils and 1 at a time put them in my drill and sharpen them.. around hear the pens never work, the mechanicle peencils drop the lead out and...I like playing with my drill....all of them.

[Jon]

Car repair workshop; labeled as 1930. Nice ceiling storage. I guess they slit the beams, and then they just put a hook in there? Looks great with pistons.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

[PJs]

PJ. thanks for that. And just to keep the poor old pencil alive, here's a couple of pics of my sharpeners, both still SHARP! The Chicago is the everyday one mounted on the wall of the workshop. The green one has no name, but is probably early 20th century gear, acquired at auction ($5) of Cockatoo Island Shipyard gear in 1991. It still works well but needs an overhaul....


Cheers
Jim

That Chicago is no young'n either...looks to have a cast iron base. The green one is a beast but looks like you can't sharpen short pencils...

Thanks for the pics Jim!

PJ