Re: Observations on an old cat


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Posted by Sherman in Idaho [108.162.245.23] on Friday, July 08, 2016 at 18:26:08 :

In Reply to: Re: Observations on an old cat posted by Jerry in Idaho [162.158.68.47] on Friday, July 08, 2016 at 18:00:47 :

I'd like to think that someday when all the whiz-bang stuff has fallen apart and not enough people have the smarts or the ambition to do huge global-scale cooperative projects like build microchip fabrication plants and orbiting communication satellites, a few old-timers (maybe some farm boys) will dust off the old machines with nameplates on them like Clausing, Bridgeport, Brown and Sharpe, Allis-Chalmers, Caterpillar, and Sunnen-Sioux (or in the mining world, Ingersoll, Eimco, Atlas, Nordberg, Cryderman), and start making things once again. Somebody will get out an old book and re-discover the art of making casting patterns out of wood, with risers in the right place, and allowance for shrinkage. Somebody will actually build a new coke oven right here in America (which they will then use to make not only virgin steel but also acetylene for welding and silicon carbide for grinding), and somebody else will notice that the rocks right under our feet (here in the Coeur d'Alenes anyway) contain all the chemicals needed to make a car battery.

Have you read about the old hermit who lived on the Salmon River who made the most beautiful muzzle-loading rifles you ever saw, with nothing but hand tools, most of which (including the rifling machine) he made in his own blacksmith shop? There wasn't even a road to his house. Millionaires offered him big money for them, but I don't think he ever sold one. These things can be done.

If nothing else, we should save the old books. Because by the time people need to re-discover the old technology, they won't be able to google it or watch a YouTube video on how to do it.



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