I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

Plane tickets are payed for. Nothing left to do now but to ride through the skull and twirl your moustache into an agreeable style!

Daryl's Memoirs

I left school when i was fifteen and started my apprenticeship in 1962. In those days you finished school after grade ten and went straight to work. Most of the time people got jobs through word of mouth or someone would vouch for you and say you were a good kid. There didn't seem to be as much of an age gap as there is these days. I guess people just grew up faster and by fifteen i was treated like all the other men.
A friend of my fathers got me a job as a Fitter and Turner for J.H. Stronman. I think my dad put the word around that his kid needed a job and that's how it came about.
The workshop was at Stones Corner but is no longer there. I think theres a radio station on part of the land where a section of the workshop was. I'm not sure i haven't been to Stones Corner in a lot of years, but most of the industry moved out in the 70's so its all different to when i remember.
In those days when you had a job interview it was normal for the owner of the company to come out to your house to meet your parents, have a chat and make sure your a good kid.
The year before when i was still at school i saw a pulse jet rocket in the window of a hobby shop on Adelaide street in the city. I can't remember why but the shop was closed on what must have been a Saturday. After looking at it in the window for a good while i figured i could make one myself without having to buy the kit. My dad always bought Popular Mechanics which was like a hobby book from England, and from memory there was a small article on pulse jets which helped somewhat.
The pulse jet i made worked, but didn't work real well. It had a spark plug when it should have used a glow plug and not having a welder i brazed the rocket together, and when it got hot it blew out the side. I never bothered with jets after that.
When the owner of J.H. Stronman came for the interview i showed him the pulse jet I'd made and i think that's what got me the job. I started the following Monday and got assigned to a fella named Tom machining rough castings to make winches for ships or making dies to stamp stainless steel plate into ash trays mostly.
Not sure what else there is to say. Hope that helps. Daryl

Is There A Doctor In The House?

Stand aside I'm a welder. Did a first of many welding tests this afternoon and started off with what i know best to get the easy shit out of the way first and passed Advanced TIG welding straight up with flying colours!
The teacher seemed impressed and we got talking about getting a pressure vessel welding certificate when i get my trade papers, which may mean nothing to some people but for me that's like a PhD or doctorate in welding.

Which Side Are You On?

Will you be a lousy scab or will you be a man?

Watch This

Now i never watch movies, they just take time away from me trying to piece together where exactly my life went south but i saw this and thought it was well worth the lost time. The plots a little thin on in parts but the main character does a bang up acting job. 9 fist pumps out of 10!

The Wheels Are Turning

Some day i hope to live up to that guy.
There's a certain pride that comes from welding. Its an art and its fucking hard to do exceptionally well.
For over four years now I've been working as a welder fabricator building fuel tankers and related parts and as a result the job has given me a good opportunity to learn to TIG weld. By most peoples standards i might be considered good but in my own i have a long way to go. Same goes with MIG welding.
I could easily leave it at that and keep working as a second class welder, I already did my trade as a motor mechanic many years ago and for most people that's enough. But..... I gotta live what i preach, and most importantly for me theres no pride without achievement.
So since the bosses at work weren't prepared or interested in helping me out, little Docco went out and helped himself. I talked to the TAFE college about it all and i have about 200hours training and testing i have to do before they can sign me off as a qualified welder. Most of that will be stick welding which i haven't done in a long time and will probably never do again after I'm signed off.
It won't be easy and will probably take over a year to complete but i can guarantee there will be a massive piss up when i get my papers.

Goner Run A Muck

Who's in?

Look What I Invented

Next time man. My life has always been one big awkward moment, and i'm stealing your ultrasonic idea as my own.http://blog.oldtimerworkshop.com/

More Style Awards

There was a few cars at Greazefest that for me really stood head and shoulders above the rest. Just when i thought dressing up a dummy in a period correct Elvis jumpsuits was about the ultimate anyone could do, the whole "scene" takes a turn and makes me realise you can never second guess.
Best Use of Garden Waste aka The Cyclone Look
Its hard to pin point what it is about this car that makes it so rad. Is it the sweet jungle theme that's going on or the two thousand dollar price tag he had on it. For me it was when i realised the pain in the ass it must have been to tow it home slash dump. Best Munster Mobile aka Better Than a Dance Recital
Life is thirsty work. If your not wasting 8 hours a day being the bread winner and every Sunday trying to dodge the nag who wants you to take the kids to dance recitals, your trying to find time to build a sweet ride. And nothing says spare time well spent better than a radical Munster mobile. See it and weep bitches. As always judges decisions are final.

More Greazefest

I'm well over rusty hotrods. The End.

Greazefest

Robs flathead powered "Gasser" soon to be chopped. Robs the real deal and performs his own stunts.

Sweet little 50' Ford in mint original condition.

Not a big fan of garage names painted on doors unless you actually have a garage, but a cool truck still.

Little show rod will hopefully be finished for next year. I'd ditch the dirty old Clevo motor though, for me they never dress up nice.

Maybe One Day You Can Understand

Sorry but I'm a child football star so it makes it hard for me to relate to you.
My son thinks everyones dad is a football star, he's to young to understand any different and i just try to teach him that its important to be humble about it all.
What was that? why yes that is the trophy for under 9 Best Back thanks for noticing, but did you see the under 8 and under 12 Best and Fairest trophies? It was nothing really anyone could have done it..... well maybe not you but someone with a lot of talent could have.

Gone AWOL

Been real sick lately and not just the normal mental sickness i usually have. The dentist thought it would be a good laugh for me to get a few wisdom teeth out, which worked out good for a few days until i woke up with a little cough and a shit load of blood. Turns out a little blood vessel under the old tooth decided to squirt the wrong way and i about near painted the toilet bowl red with my crimson goodness.
Went back and the good dentist sorted out the problem, and i can honestly say the high light was when he had to cut the stitches to open up the wound and laser the blood vessel. I just wanted to stand up and high five everyone!
Anyways should be good in a few days, car show hopefully Sunday and back to work Tuesday. Haven't done much to the cars lately, I'll get back into it soon.