I want to share a story about my engine machinist.


His name is Andy Werner. He's in his mid 70's. He started as a machinist in the 1950's. He's one of the friendliest people I've ever met.

I'm worried our country is loosing it's Andy's; the guys who know, like the back of their hand, the skilled trades. Andy is the guy who remembers going on site to local garages and boring straight 6 engines while the engine was still in the vehicle (with a special vacuum equipped machine).

Andy tells me about going to Van Norman's to learn about their machines, he said they were the biggest engine machine equipment manufacturer. Now they are out of business. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Norman


Andy tells me about the pistons that they used to sell; he'd have over-sized pistons and if you wanted a 30 over and he only had a 60 over, he had a machine that would grind it down, including the proper skirt taper.

He's the guy who can explain how in the old days they could reface lifters and send them out knowing that they would work. He explained to me that spring pressures used to be low enough that it wasn't a big deal like it is now.

He's the guy who showed me his crank grinder and spent an hour explaining how it works, and offered that I should come back and watch while he was grinding a crank sometime.

His shop is the one where a cast iron Kohler engine sits ready be renewed and provide another 20 years of service to it's owner.

He's the guy who sadly told me that our city used to have 5 machine shops; now it has only one.

He's the guy who told me he feels like someday they won't be around, because engines will be throw away.

He and his partner Ron are great guys. If they ever close up shop it will be a sad day in my neck of the woods.

Why do we put up with this "throw away" society? How greedy do our corporations need to be? When the only "Andy's" are in China, where will that leave us?

And don't get me wrong, I don't hate China or Chinese people. But we can't afford to bleed out the skills that helped make this country great.


Dan