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What will happen?

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bogstandard:
After reading of the sad passing of Jerry Howell, I got to thinking (not often I do that).

Over the last few years we have lost such a lot of the people who made model engines for us a way of life, prolific engine builders and plan producers such as Tom Walshaw (Tubal Cain), Bob Shores, Bill Reichhart, and unfortunately only a few days ago, under very suspicious circumstances, Malcolm Stride. These are people who are being referred to by modern day machinists, and also some of the greats are there as well, Edgar T Westbury, Lillian "Curly" Lawrence (LBSC) and Elmer Verberg, to name a few.

What will happen when the last of the few from nowadays are gone? It seems there is no-one standing in the wings as worthy successors to replace them. We seem to be just copying all the old designs, not really reinventing new ones.

There are very few really good plans being released, Jan Ridders is about the only good modern one I can think of, and a couple of French ones who I follow.

I am wondering if it is because the modern generation doesn't really have access to the old machinery and engines from the past, and almost anything produced today isn't worth modelling because it is all classed as disposable.

Are we all to be left looking into the past?

Lets hear all your views on this please. Will model engineering as we know it soon disappear?


Bogs

Spen50:
Here's my thoughts:
Metalwork in general is not taught in schools any more due to H&S and other causes such as, it's not seen as "academic",  it's seen as dirty and hard work and not many kids these days like that.  All I get from my kids is " it's too hard can't you do it" when asked to do a bit of filing or hacksawing.

I could go on but it would turn into a rant about declining standards etc.

kvom:

--- Quote ---We seem to be just copying all the old designs
--- End quote ---

I don't regard that as a bad thing, necessarily.  I've always been fascinated by complex machinery.  While at university I was an editor of the school weekly paper.  In those days, the paper was produced with type cast on a Linotype machine, and one of my duties was to go to the printer and proofread the copy.  I could have watched the mechanisms of that machine all day.

jim:
i think engineering is on its knees anyway, this country used to have 100,000's of skilled engineers. nowadays most young people don't want to know.

i've trianed a lot of apprentices over the years, its sad to see that most of them have no passion for engineering.

a few years ago, at a place i used to work (and served my "time" at) the apprentices finished their year in the trianing center and everyone of them chucked the tools they'd made during that year. tap wrenches, punches, vee blocks, die holders, even drill drifts. i asked a few of them why, they said they didn't want to work machines!!!

most people nowadays don't even have toolboxes.

sorry to rant

rleete:
About a year ago, I came out front where the neighbors were standing around talking.  I was filthy, having just redone the brakes on my Jeep.  I bragged that I had just spent less than $300 in parts, and just over 2 hours to do a job that the shop quoted almost $1k to do.  The response was one of incredulity.  "You do your own brakes?  Aren't you afraid of not stopping?"  Well, no.  Since I did them myself, I am reassured that they were done right.  Not a single person in that group had ever worked on a car.  I'm considered somewhat of a wizzard for doing my own work, instead of paying to have it done.  I also used to build my own computers.  Not much point in it these days, as Dell and other suppliers can do it for not a lot more than I can, but I still do the odd job of fixing and/or upgrading my and my friend's rigs.  That, too, invokes looks of surprise.  It's all greek to the uninitiated.

If dad sits and watches sports on the weekends instead of working on stuff or making something, the kids are likely to grow up doing the same.  Not many are adventurous to start tearing into something that they have no practical experience doing.  And, not too many parents would be comfortable letting junior tear into the family car.  No 12-16 year old is likely to spend the bucks to get a lathe or mill, so if dad or grandad or the uncles don't have them, there isn't any machinery to work on.  If my father hadn't had some woodworking tools, I'd never have had the experience to use any, and never aquired the skills to get my own tools later on.  So, you old hands take it upon yourselves to teach as much as you can.  Websites like this on and others help, but the hands-on personal instruction is invaluable.  Books and text can only convery so much.


On the other hand, the modern hot rodding community is alive and well.  Hondas, Miatas and other small cars are regularly turboed and tuned to amazing HP levels.  Lots of websites and lots of parts suppliers out there.  They wouldn't exist if there wasn't a demand, and the demand wouldn't be there if someone hadn't started the whole thing.  So, I think there may be more interest than is readily apparent.  Remember, the reason those aformentioned individuals stand out is because they were one in a million.  The next one may be just as yet undiscovered.

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