"K" recovery and "demand" job skills

[addertooth]

7milesup,

If she is of an artistic leaning, hand engraving would probably suit her better. With the modern pneumatic engraving machines, the need to chase a graver with a hammer has all but been eliminated, and produces superior results for most. I took my cheap Chinese knock-off engraving machine to a class, and it was met with a VERY jaundiced eye by the instructor.... until he used it. He found it was actually superior to the badly overpriced American made machine (it was a copy of). To his amazement, the Chinese version had added refinements which allowed for better control of the "hammer strikes". In a humorous sense of "reverse justice", the American machine has now incorporated many features of the Chinese clone into their American product (and, of course, raised their price even more). I normally buy American, but at the time of purchase the Chinese Pneumatic engraver was around $500, and the American one was over $2000. I do also have the hand gravers and hammers too, but mostly out of nostalgia.

Once again, these are only two examples of vanishing skill sets. There are many more examples. I also restore antique fountain pens, which was part of the motivation to setting up some machine shop tools. I cannot go to Walmart and buy a replacement part for a 100 year old Fountain pen. But, considering these old pens were largely made on classical machine shop equipment, most parts can be replicated in the garage. You can buy an Antique pen, which is in poor condition for 15 to 50 bucks, restore it, and have it immediately jump up to 200-500 dollars (depending on the pen, some pens just aren't worth much even when restored).

Below is an example of a 100 year old Conklin Vines pen, which had the wrong nib when purchased, and a failed ink sac. It was purchased for about $37 bucks, and then restored. It is an example of a "flex nib pen" which leaves a wider line when more pressure is applied when writing, but leaves a fine line when little pressure is used. Artists love flex nib pens, and pay a premium for them. Vintage pens are universally accepted as being the best for this kind of work.

 

[C-Bag]

The more I see the ongoing collision of automation and the death of manual craftsmanship I keep seeing that old Monty Python skit in my head. The one where everybody is Supermen, but can’t fix anything. And the “hero” is Bicycle Repairman!

There are already niches for handmade things and young folks who want only stuff that they know who made it and how it was made. Yet oddly scant interest of people that age to learn those crafts. Maybe this is just a transition period. I mean not that long ago there were not that many who even knew about scraping, much less it being such a big deal.

 

[Aaron_W]

There are several old "craftsman occupations" that have had critical shortages for decades. The shortages in these professions have only become more dire with time.

I recently bought a 1942 printing of "Shop Theory" from the Henry Ford Trade School. Out of curiosity I looked up the school (it closed in the 1950s). Henry Ford started the school in 1916 because he was concerned young people were no longer learning how to work with their hands. I would say you are right that this has been an issue for decades. I know it has been talked about my entire life, and apparently a concern more than 100 years ago.

 

[Packard V8]

Random thoughts:

The reason it's so difficult to find skilled tradesmen to do home repairs is those considering the trade soon learned they would have to deal with homeowners and/or landlords who want it done on a weekend or the middle of the night, but want to wait for a bill to be sent and then pay by credit card or not at all.

It costs a minimum of $100 just to answer the phone and show up in the driveway with a few tools and the most likely materials. Anything done after that is time and materials, but the homeowner only wants the clock to start when the tradesman walks through the door and then only at minimum wage and the cheapest internet parts price he can search up.

Brain patterns of young people are just programmed differently today. They didn't grow up playing outside and using their hands. Back in the early 1960s, Marshall McLuhnan explained that it's not what the video game is about, but the act of being in/on the blue screen for hours on end has programmed their brains to bypass the external world and crave continual stimulation. Just fixing things or making things is impossibly slow and boring.

The medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium - that is, of any extension of ourselves - result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.

jack vines

 

[Dhal22]

More like $150+ for a plumber to show up at your door. That doesn't include the fact that we may not get the job. Or have the materials Then we gotta buy materials and make a profit.

 

[visenfile]

Long time ago (1960's) I had a friend who was an accountant. When he retired he became a handyman to the upscale neighborhoods around San Diego, I guess he was a "white collar" handyman. Business was so good he eventually quit due to the backlog and demands. So can a franchise be created? Seems like it could be in view of how the basic business of food prep has been exploited. Not by me, but perhaps someone.

I have offered tradesmen $50 often to just make a 15 mile trip to bid, and I have offered $50 after their "no bid" visit. Most refuse because they have provided for quoting effort in their operating costs. I once sent $50 to an outfit who bid on driveway repair because I wanted to maintain a link for future business. The check was returned. Local signs (driven to ground) for driveway repair included telephone numbers . No reply after phoning. This reminds me of monopolistic behavior like Parisian real estate or babysitters where access is a solemn secret and hoarded . I guess there is also a sense of power there probably whetted by economic factors. Blah blah blah,,,enough already.

 

[ericc]

I hate paying the high prices. I am not talking about minimum wage. This is not even 10X minimum wage. These guys ask for a lot of money. I once asked what I would get paid if I just waltzed in to do the job. The reply was "$15 per hour, loser!" Where are these $100 to $600 per hour rates coming from, then? That is just too high.

 

[kb58]

... and fully embrace the concept that a minimum wage job should pay enough to buy a house and a new car.

A friend, back when he was a teenager, worked in a grocery store, and at one point, everyone went on strike except him. He said he ended up in a loud argument with his coworkers about their reasons for striking; them pointing out that they can't make a living at it; him pointing out that jobs like theirs were never were intended to support a family, pay a mortgage, and make car payments. I agree - they're a "bridge job", where you work there as you make your way through school, on to something better. Probably only a matter of time before we here this same "reasoning" from McDonald's workers. Sadly, I think this comes from the sense of entitlement that many young Americans have, that the world owes them a house and BMW, regardless what line of work they choose, if any.

 

[addertooth]

I tend to apply the "rule of tool cost" on many repairs. If the cost of the tools (to perform the job) is less than the cost of paying someone else to do it, I tend to buy the needed tools, and do the job myself. It has also funded me upgrading my tools many times in my life. For jobs which show up periodically (fixing drippy faucets, electrical, vehicular problems), I only have to buy the tool once, and reap the rewards for the rest of my life.

On the plus side, I usually perform the job to a higher standard than they guy who claims to make their living doing it. Caring enough to sweat the details is important to the outcome.

 

[kb58]

I tend to apply the "rule of tool cost" on many repairs. If the cost of the tools (to perform the job) is less than the cost of paying someone else to do it, I tend to buy the needed tools, and do the job myself...

Same here. About 30 yrs ago, the timing belt on one of our cars broke, and the repair estimate at the time was around $1000. So I spent around $800 on tools, did it myself, and still have them all. A great investment.

That said, we have a tree that needs to be removed, and while I could do it myself, I also consider the cost of falling out of said tree, and the trouble and expense of dealing with ~2000 lbs of green wood. The wife saying "hire someone" may win out, this time.