Back then it was truly amazing what was going on in little machine shops all over this country. Almost every gas station had a shop and most of them had at least a lathe. Many parts houses had full machine shops. There were thousands of WWII vets that had grown up on farms where things were fixed and had become machinist during the war. Many women had done intricate work during the war and had vast skills. Much rubbed off on their children. My dad was a machinist at Douglas. He built a bench lathe from a brake lathe & a piece of railroad rail for his shop at a grain elevator near Happy Texas. It was good enough for most repairs until he made parts runs to Amarillo where he had access to better machines. That man could literally fix anything. There were many like him who looked for a challenge. Sounds like your folks were some of them. I'm very interested in your work here and your mind set. I wish I had payed more attention and had more time with my dad. He died when I was 21 just as my experience was showing me that most other men did not know what he did. Sorry for the rant.
