I'm sorry about the flicker in some of the footage. Unfortunately this issue arises oftentimes when filming with the GoPro in areas with electric lights and it can be hard to remove after the fact.
Flicker is forgettable, frame blending (which was there) I hate with passion, but all that is nothing. You own us subtitles for the post-credits! What was he saying, it made you laugh, we want to laugh too!
Really glad that most of the tools have been sold on, and will not be scrapped, as so often happens these days because nobody wants to work something that is not computer controlled. Also good that the owner is in charge of selling everything, as he knows what goes with each machine, so often when auctioneers get involved, they have no idea that some machines are useless without all the accessories that go with them.
In my experience, you usually don't find small shops scrapping out the equipment. It's larger companies that do that, where the cost of listing it, selling it, dealing with people wanting to pick it or deliver, etc, outweighs the value of the machines. And often to take the tax write-off, the equipment has to be destroyed. These days, anything that's functional or even remotely restorable can be sold.
My town had an old school German machinist years ago, when he immigrated he brought all his tools with him and he stood out for 3 reasons 1: his shop was perfectly clean and organized no matter when you came in even when he was working. 2: his workmanship was unmatched and so was his speed. 3: his talent and knowledge was unsurpassed in many fields not just machining. Unfortunately like all the best skilled trades people he's retired and I'm not even sure he's still alive anymore, I wish I could have worked under him for a few years.
My heart goes out to that Gentleman:- I'm 73. and unable to do all the things I used to enjoy due, to health reasons. I did my Fitting and Turning Apprenticeship course back in the 60's, before I went on to other career paths, but I have always owned (and used, until recently) a series of metal lathes. This video takes me back to my youth! Many thanks from an old bloke from Down Under who greatly appreciates your work and your mindset. All the best for the New Year, and Cheers from Rural South Australia !
Always sad to see a machinist with this much experience go. I'm convinced he's one of those people you could listen to for hours on end, talking about all the jobs he did, and with each story you'd learn something new. I wish him the best and also a happy new year.
I am a specialist welder, mouldmaker in Canada. Our CNC lathes are all Boehringer, some Weiler. Our shop used to be banked with 20+ Bridgeports, and lathes. A lot of it was replaced by fancy large 5-axis and smaller 3-axis machines. We kept the massive vertical and horizontal mills to process and square large stock. Looking at old photos, we had a lot of fantastic old German and Italian machines. There are still a few shops like this here. Sadly, the skills to be proficient in many of these tools is dying off with every old-timer retiring (in one way or another). Every moron (and some who aren't morons) wants to be a CNC Op in college or trade school: It's sexier than hand cranks and dodging hot chips. Training only CNC operators means no one knows how to machine anymore and that is reflected in how hard it is to find quality operators for most machines. While I love seeing inside these shops, it always is sad to know they will all soon fade away. Danke, as always, for sharing!
While true, many places also don't care to train. You either come with the skills, or there's no use applying. The only place around here willing to train last I searched was only willing to pay slightly above retail wages, so it's not just CNC killing the skill.
@@custos3249 Every one of the 'old country' gents (mainly from Europe) talk about how regimented the training systems where. Every jurisdiction had their apprentice system. Italians, Hungarians, Polish, UK & Ireland, Austrians, and Germans: They all had established methods of training in one way or another. Passing along the skills and knowledge to the next generation. Some companies are better at training than others. Colleges and vocational/trade schools are closing down programs (in my area, have been closing down since the 90s). Lack of funding from different levels of government and lack of enrollment seem to be the leading reasons (according to the instructors I knew who used to run those college programs). We need skilled people in this trade (and a lot of other trades). We run the risk of no longer making anything on this side of the world worth a darn.
@@custos3249 A relative sent me a posting for shop in the automotive mould field a while back: They wanted to pay $2 more an hour to be responsible for their cadre of apprentices (and their training) in addition to almost everything I already do on a daily basis. Some business in some fields are certain more fair with their compensation. I have been told that Automotive is the most 'stingy' of all the sectors here in North America but they can train well. That has certainly guided me far away, but I can't say from first hand experience. My technical career was found later in life. I wish so many more young people knew how fulfilling this kind of work can be.
A German/ American engineer friend of mine has a machine shop just like that one in Picayune MS. The shop is in an old movie theater from the 30's but the lathes, shapers, and other equipment are from the 1950's or 60's.
He has lived through a decline in German manufacturing and now a time when many have woken up to the necessity of what has been lost. I hope he, and other such professionals, live to see a resurgent manufacturing capability in whichever countries they reside.
I worked with a machinist shop in the late 90's. they had a lot of German machine tools that looked just like these. The machine shop made the parts for my machine. My machine was also German made. My machine made small Brad nails for nail guns. It was called a wafios nail/wire machine. It was an older machine from Around the World War II era & made 750 nails per minute. We had much newer wafios nail machines in a different part of the factory. They all ran like a well-oiled sewing machine!👍
Beautiful old workshop. Unfortunately, more and more of these businesses are disappearing. It is very difficult to get hold of such machines because they are usually all promised and spoken for. Judging by the old man's dialect, I would say that he comes from the Cologne area. Another era is coming to an end here. I hope you get the milling machine.
Wow! This really brought back memories of my grandfather's machine shop (he had a tool and die making company). Everything in his shop was that same colour of green, and I can almost smell the distinctive machine grease smell through the video! 😁 Thanks for taking us on this tour!
Hell, my grandfather was a tool and die maker here in Upstate New York also! Was looking at those machines and drooling. Any thoughts about starting a campaign to help you pay for that mill? I know I would give it. Anyone else?🤙🐾🐾🤙
What a Beautiful Gem, it's a shame it's closing down. I know we all get old, and things change. But wow.!, the Beautiful machines in there, They really don't make machines like that anymore. I really appreciate you sharing this wonderful shop with us all. God Bless the Machinists and his health. Thank you
Thank you for sharing this. What an amazing shop. My grandfather was a Machine Shop Worker from 1941 . It was a bittersweet moment as he was the last employee to close the door forever in 1987. The family was all there and it was a memory I will never forget. The building still exist and is still empty to this day.
So sad to see another old school shop closing down. Really enjoyed your tour of the equipment. Hope you manage to secure the purchase of the milling machine. I'm still drooling over all the content......Thank you.....Tony
Amazing shop, I bet the owner has a lot of stories to tell! I hope you keep up with him well into the future, dude can probably teach a thing or two to anyone!
All precision surfaces are in best condition (no drilled holes in the table from the drill press and so on) tells me that the owner of the machines takes care of this equipment.
I'm SO glad that these machines have homes to go to. It would have ruined my entire week to hear that they were being scrapped. Tools like these can continue to last for decades, maybe even centuries. I'd be willing to bet that there are machines being sold TODAY that will become obsolete junk long before these old work horses wear out.
Such a gorgeous shop with beautifully maintained equipment. Thanks for showing us this. This is real history and it’s important to document. Glad this equipment has found a home as well. Equally important to try and save these machines.
As a retired Marine Engineer, this was really refreshing to see. Glad to know that these machines will continue operated by others. Thank you for sharing.
It's not just Germany my freind . Shops like this gentleman's are going if not already gone. Many of my old shop colleagues have passed and are now just good memories I was fortunate enough to know and learn from . I wish your freind well and wish you a Happy and prosperous New Year .
Please thank your friend for sharing his shop with us and wish him a quick and painless recovery. The end of an era but hopefully others will be able to carry on some small part of your friend's legacy!
I was job shop machinist for 20 years...those machines take me back...a lot of machines I operated still had tags stating..this machine conforms to the war production act...really great machines
Absolutely amazing, so thanks to you and the owner for recording it. Something I really admire about Germany, is that none of the machines were imported as Germany made their own very high quality machines that were exported around the world. That’s something to be very proud of. Cheers, Stuart 🇦🇺
Beautiful, to the point of tears. I'm no machinist. But I love the era and I know about old-school German standards. (Like You. Even though you are a young man.) I really appreciate this quick video, beyond words. I wish you the best 2024 possible, and a long life. Your stories and memories must stay with us, for the future. 👍🏻👋🏻
More of these places are lost, everyone seems to be afraid of "hard work" these days. You my friend are the exception, keep it up, your material is fascinating.
I'm glad the owner found homes for his tools, I hope they are good homes that will use, maintain, and appreciate them. Very cool that he got the opportunity to live his dream for 25 years, and he has my best future wishes.
Thanks Gerolf, I really enjoyed this one. Well done for capturing the history here. These are fantastic skills that we are losing as a society - all your work and effort is helping to still make this current , thanks
It's encouraging that the machines are in splendid condition and are going to carry on being used for producing stuff. Hopefully it's by young people, like yourself, who are interested in keeping the faith, as far as using their hands for good purpose.
Nice to see the older shop. He is probably not much older than I am so the machine years are the same. Yes the ones I used were made in the US but machines are pretty much the same, even the colors for time periods. A few years ago I read a comment from a young machinist that you couldn't make anything without a CNC. I guess he didn't realise the jet age and the space age were well developed by non CNC machines. The great thing about small shops, they are willing to do small one time jobs. Yes it can be costly and why many farmers bought old machines for their farm shop. Thanks again for this video.
Es wird nicht mehr lange dauern und niemand weiß mehr mit diesen tollen Maschinen umzugehen. Mit jedem Arbeiter der "Alten Garde" geht so einen riesen Schatz an Wissen und können verloren.
Thanks for the video. I have my own metal lathe and milling machine, much smaller than the ones in this shop, but having done metal work on these machines makes me able to appreciate the shop and its owner. Sad that eyesight issues means he has to retire. Very good that most of the machines are going to someone who will use them and not just for the scrap yard. I took a tour of the Starret factory in July. They have some machines which go back to the 40's, in addition to some very modern machines. Fascinating. They also had areas which did various specific operations. I appreciate the skill of the folks putting calipers together. Very tiny screws and pieces. Not easy to do for the lay person.
Those Reseda Green machines are so alluring -- they are mostly 'unobtanium' for those of us in the USA. A Deckel style milling machine will last you a lifetime and is a complete game-changer for metal craft. Also, I could not help but think you would do well to have a modern lead-screw lathe like the Weiler in your shop since your antique lathe is quite limited in function having no lead screw nor modern tool post. I'm sure the machines will find happy and willing stewards. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the tour. Took me back to the old days when I also worked in a machine shop in Fort Collins Colorado, USA. Many of the devices shown in the video brought back memories. Best wishes for your New Year.
Thank you for this video. The old green machines are still working around the world wherever people were given the opportunity to buy them from shops that closed down. I saved screenshots of this shop to recall how it is organized. There are many machines in the space but each is able to be used without wheeling another tool out of the way. I hope that the reference charts on the walls are saved when the shop is dismantled. You know from selling posters and maps that paper "ephemera" has value, particularly for a hobbyist or young machinist who needs to look up the right size tool to use. Also, it's just cool to have visible links to past machinists who made so many lovely things.
My brother-in-law had a shop like this. He bought his equipment from places that were closing down in the Midwest when all the work was going overseas. He could make anything. I wish it was still there.
Its like looking upon the workshop of an artist, you can only imagine what was created and perfected in such a place ! The stories he could tell ! I hope it all finds a good home and continues to be cared for like he did. May he live well and share his stories for many years to come !
Such an honor to get to "talk shop" with a master. Hopefully you can score the machinery of your choice. Appreciate the gentleman letting us browse his outstanding shop. Wish him the best in his future endeavors.👍
What a beautiful machine shop! We have the same Thiel bandsaw at the place where I work at, too! So sad so see this great 'time capsule', as you very fittingly called it, go, but still, one can only wonder how many projects were realized in this great machine shop. I wish all the best to the (now former) owner of this beauty. And thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Thank you for documenting this mans shop, it is beautiful! We have the same thing going on in my area, Seattle Washington, the small job shops are closing one by one and the larger ones are getting really expensive which leads to the larger machines being scrapped from these small shops as not many hobbyist's can deal with heavy machines and 3 phase power. That said there are a few of us who do buy and use these machines, mostly for our own projects or in my case building a job shop for my retirement years. Great video and I didn't notice the flickering at all, but I was focused on those fine machines!
What a beautiful old shop. I am sorry to learn that it is all being sold off, but have seen a similar thing happen here where I live. I live in a city of over 40,000 people, with a long association with the forestry industry. In the 70s, there were three large scale logging companies, two sawmills, and a pulp and paper mill, all within a 35 mile radius of here. In addition to the associated maintenance shops that were part of the logging company operations, there were also several large machine shops in town. Over the last 50 years, one by one, all the machine shops have closed their doors. Even two of the logging companies, that operated large fleets of off road trucks and other speciality equipment, have also closed their doors. All the work now, is being farmed out to larger machine shops, operating modern equipment, two towns, one 35 miles, and the other, 70 miles from here. It was a sad thing for me, as a hobby machinist, to see these shops close, and all the capability of doing speciality work and all highly qualified tradesmen being put out to pasture, but somehow, the big companies can operate more efficiently with this new arrangement. What is ironic is, that with my equipment, I could get all the small welding and machining jobs I want, but I am 80 now, and want to work on my own stuff.
So glad to hear the tools are being passed on to new owners for continued use! Too often equipment like that--especially older tools, no matter their condition--gets junked. What a shop!
My dad recently cleared the remainder of a similar (but much smaller) ‘old-Skool’ workshop. The main machines were already sold and they were removing one large lathe, using a crane to lift it over the neighbours houses, as my dad got there. He did manage to score hundreds of good quality punches, taps, dyes, bits etc.. at a very reasonable price. It originally started as a response to a Facebook marketplace ad but when my dad went to buy the original item it turned out that the seller was clearing out his uncles workshop as he was now in his 80’s and ill health meant he was no longer able to work. It also transpired that he was an ex speedway rider and my dad had watched him race many years ago. Just another instance of ‘not what you know but who you know’ 👍🏼
What a wonderful workshop! Sad that it won't be sold as a whole and used as it has been used for so long. Nowadays everything seems to have to be CNC-machines...
I'm surprised that these workshops are dieing out in Germany. We still have a fair few in at least my area of Australia. The requirements of the mining industry etc make them viable.
Not a surprise: they killed their automotive industry. Were it at least useful to actually reduce CO2 emissions, but battery powered cars won't solve the problem.
so sad to see a man of this skill lose his site at least he found them new homes, it would cost a fortune to buy such a setup today. thanks so much for this trip
My father was a tool and die maker here in the United States. He started in the early 1950’s. I remember seeing all these sorts of machines in the early 1980’s in the plant my father worked in. Only the ones he worked on were bigger. You had to climb up on a lot of them to make changes and the parts they made were all moved around with cranes attached to the ceiling. All that closed up in the late 1980’s though. Most of those giant machines though were dismantled and sold to a Chinese company. At least some of them are still probably in use.
It is "Machinist heaven" neighbouring Allen Millyard (0:48") on one- and TOT (rest vid) on the other side. What you saddly could not transfer nor safe: the smell ! Oil + cut metal. That's when you really know "yeah, here the work is done". Tnx TPAI, hope you can score the machine!
Every propper factory had a machineshop like this. We had Jim in the machine shop, Jim was verry precise becouse he was a former watchmaker lost his job with the introduction of digital watches. His favorite machine was the Ai Hembrug lathe.
FYI- With gopro you need to manually set the FPS to something like 50fps or 100fps since you are likely on 50hz power (EU) vs US 60hz. And/or a slower shutter speed. One never thinks about the strobe effect till after when you watch/edit. What a wonderful machine shop! Its just laid out so well. If Post Apocalyptic did a gofundme for the mill... or you need something donated for the mill... I'm sure us subscribers would donate! Fröhe Festtage!
Enjoyed the video it brings back memories of my first job at the age of 18 back in 1984. I worked in a old school workshop with old school machines some of which where probably 50 years old then! There wasn't much we couldn't make we had an SIP jig borer numerous lathes some v. large with 60 hp motors! Gear hobbers and shapers and many other machines. It is not just the loss of this workshop and it's equipment which in itself is sad but the all the knowledge and experience the engineer who worked them that is very difficult to replace especially in this day and age. Good to hear the machines are not being scrapped though.
What a clearly well organized machine shop sorry to hear that due to eye surgery that he has decided to sell up, thanks for showing us a place of high quality engineering.
I have a machine shop fairly near me that looks like this guys shop. Its staffed by retired machinists who still make one off's and custom machined parts for anyone. No CNC anywhere in the building! It smells of cutting fluid and machine oil and is an absolute time capsule. Its sad that the town I live in had many large engineering companies who were world renowned but sadly are gone now - what skills have been lost to 'modernisation' with CAD and CNC machining. Thanks for the video and good luck for the old guys eye surgery.👍
I started my working life with such machines. They were more often battleship grey though we had some green ones. It was a military shipyard so repainting would use what was there no doubt. I spent some time balancing steam turbines and replacing blades. There were few places that had the space needed for making prop shafts and that was used for the repair and balancing. In the machine shop everything was BIG. 8ft horizontal chuck. Start a cut going and read a few chapters. Repeat. Horizontal reciprocating mills converted to cut semi-circular bearing housings for prop shafts etc.
As ever, thank you so much for taking the time to make and share this video. It's sad to see yet another master tradesman retiring and a lifetime of knowledge that will no longer be available. Imagine the benefit that he could bring to young aspiring Engineers of the future. It is great to hear that the machinery and tools will stay in use and I really hope that you get to become a custodian.
Absolutely marvellous. It's the same in the UK. The one man machine shop I used to use closed down simply from lack of work. It's sad as the guy would knock up anything I asked for and friends even sent me stuff from all over the country as he was so helpful. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep him in business with soaring costs.
I'm a velder in southern Sweden. We have drillpreses with 3 and 4 drills on one table (swedish made). the newest one is mad 1964, the one with 4 drills, the one with 3 in installed 1958. Still going strong.
I wouldn't be overly concerned about not being able to find parts. The great thing about having a metalworking shop is you generally just need to be able to get the material, and you can make parts that aren't available on the open market.
Wow, Thanks for the tour. The condition of the workshop shows the level of pride and craftsmanship 👍 Nice to hear the machines are getting new homes. Enjoyed ! Happy New Year
Schon verrückt, in den USA hat gefühlt jeder bessere Heimwerker zumindest eine alte Drehbank oder Fräse in der Garage und hierzulande findet man nicht einmal mehr professionelle Werkstätten wie diese hier. Schade, dass der Eigentümer niemanden gefunden hat um die Werkstatt zu übernehmen, aber immerhin finden die Maschinen ein neues Zuhause.
The slat boards on the floor remind me of my father's old shop, he would of been 105 this year.. I hope these tools live on for a long time making parts..
Good story that needs telling. The knowledge that man has is what's special. All those machines and tooling can make without it is scrap metal. Loved the grilles at the end.
Thanks for sharing. That hydraulic drill press is indeed a massive thing. I found it quite surprising that this is the last shop of its kind in a city of 1 million. In the States, many cities of fewer than 100k (at least those I have lived in) have a machine shop/metal fabrication shop of similar size and scope to this. Generally not 1-man operations, but the machinery would be similar. What one would not see, to stereotype a bit, is all that natural light (they're generally dark as caves), plants, flowers, or bicycle wheels. I enjoy seeing these small cultural differences and personal elements as much as the big machines in these videos.
Even though machining is out of my skill set, I can appreciate how lovingly well thought out the layout of the place based what I've seen in this video. It's definitely a bummer that it's going to close but hopefully the new owners take care of each item and that they will come to equally appreciate those tools and get good use out of them.
Brilliant presentation. Very sad to see all this being broken up, and the people that use them no longer passing on the wealth of knowledge they have amassed.
As each year passes we have fewer and fewer people with skill sets like this actually on the tools... Accumulated over decades from actual hands on work and learning from an even older generation... And as each puts down their tools the pool of knowledge shrinks... I hope your friends surgery goes well and he can enjoy his retirement = )
It is happening everywhere my friend.... It's the same in Portugal, all the small machine shops are run by old timers that are retiring and closing doors.
I work at a german University and one of our machine shops still looks like that and nearly all of the green Stuff still runs perfectly. Sadly a lot of tasks could be much easier done by a modern multiaxic CNC but the guys in the shop keep on producing miricles with the machines they have. I hope all these machines keep on running even if they are not suted for all the moden tasks, the are NOT useless.
I'm sorry about the flicker in some of the footage. Unfortunately this issue arises oftentimes when filming with the GoPro in areas with electric lights and it can be hard to remove after the fact.
It's no problem. It's a great video and the shop is fantastic.
There may be a menu setting for flicker reduction with the choice of 50 or 60 Hz.
Hey, it is what it is. Better this than nothing. Not every body needs the biggest & baddest, or the latest & greatest.
Flicker is forgettable, frame blending (which was there) I hate with passion, but all that is nothing. You own us subtitles for the post-credits! What was he saying, it made you laugh, we want to laugh too!
If he is going to have eye surgery, why is he going to close his shop?
Really glad that most of the tools have been sold on, and will not be scrapped, as so often happens these days because nobody wants to work something that is not computer controlled. Also good that the owner is in charge of selling everything, as he knows what goes with each machine, so often when auctioneers get involved, they have no idea that some machines are useless without all the accessories that go with them.
In my experience, you usually don't find small shops scrapping out the equipment. It's larger companies that do that, where the cost of listing it, selling it, dealing with people wanting to pick it or deliver, etc, outweighs the value of the machines. And often to take the tax write-off, the equipment has to be destroyed. These days, anything that's functional or even remotely restorable can be sold.
Yes, in some cases the owner has died and all that knowledge has been lost.
My town had an old school German machinist years ago, when he immigrated he brought all his tools with him and he stood out for 3 reasons 1: his shop was perfectly clean and organized no matter when you came in even when he was working. 2: his workmanship was unmatched and so was his speed. 3: his talent and knowledge was unsurpassed in many fields not just machining. Unfortunately like all the best skilled trades people he's retired and I'm not even sure he's still alive anymore, I wish I could have worked under him for a few years.
My heart goes out to that Gentleman:- I'm 73. and unable to do all the things I used to enjoy due, to health reasons. I did my Fitting and Turning Apprenticeship course back in the 60's, before I went on to other career paths, but I have always owned (and used, until recently) a series of metal lathes. This video takes me back to my youth! Many thanks from an old bloke from Down Under who greatly appreciates your work and your mindset. All the best for the New Year, and Cheers from Rural South Australia !
What an amazing Shop.
Im 26 , from Germany and im really thankful towards you for archiving history in a sense.
Danke!
Thank you, because you have respect for your own history.
You are a source of light. 👋🏻🌿
Always sad to see a machinist with this much experience go. I'm convinced he's one of those people you could listen to for hours on end, talking about all the jobs he did, and with each story you'd learn something new. I wish him the best and also a happy new year.
I am a specialist welder, mouldmaker in Canada. Our CNC lathes are all Boehringer, some Weiler. Our shop used to be banked with 20+ Bridgeports, and lathes. A lot of it was replaced by fancy large 5-axis and smaller 3-axis machines. We kept the massive vertical and horizontal mills to process and square large stock. Looking at old photos, we had a lot of fantastic old German and Italian machines. There are still a few shops like this here.
Sadly, the skills to be proficient in many of these tools is dying off with every old-timer retiring (in one way or another). Every moron (and some who aren't morons) wants to be a CNC Op in college or trade school: It's sexier than hand cranks and dodging hot chips. Training only CNC operators means no one knows how to machine anymore and that is reflected in how hard it is to find quality operators for most machines.
While I love seeing inside these shops, it always is sad to know they will all soon fade away.
Danke, as always, for sharing!
While true, many places also don't care to train. You either come with the skills, or there's no use applying. The only place around here willing to train last I searched was only willing to pay slightly above retail wages, so it's not just CNC killing the skill.
@@custos3249 Every one of the 'old country' gents (mainly from Europe) talk about how regimented the training systems where. Every jurisdiction had their apprentice system. Italians, Hungarians, Polish, UK & Ireland, Austrians, and Germans: They all had established methods of training in one way or another. Passing along the skills and knowledge to the next generation. Some companies are better at training than others.
Colleges and vocational/trade schools are closing down programs (in my area, have been closing down since the 90s). Lack of funding from different levels of government and lack of enrollment seem to be the leading reasons (according to the instructors I knew who used to run those college programs).
We need skilled people in this trade (and a lot of other trades). We run the risk of no longer making anything on this side of the world worth a darn.
@@custos3249 A relative sent me a posting for shop in the automotive mould field a while back: They wanted to pay $2 more an hour to be responsible for their cadre of apprentices (and their training) in addition to almost everything I already do on a daily basis. Some business in some fields are certain more fair with their compensation. I have been told that Automotive is the most 'stingy' of all the sectors here in North America but they can train well. That has certainly guided me far away, but I can't say from first hand experience.
My technical career was found later in life. I wish so many more young people knew how fulfilling this kind of work can be.
Fuck canada.
A German/ American engineer friend of mine has a machine shop just like that one in Picayune MS. The shop is in an old movie theater from the 30's but the lathes, shapers, and other equipment are from the 1950's or 60's.
He has lived through a decline in German manufacturing and now a time when many have woken up to the necessity of what has been lost. I hope he, and other such professionals, live to see a resurgent manufacturing capability in whichever countries they reside.
Best of luck getting that mill. She's a beauty, and the tooling is probably worth 3x the mill!
I worked with a machinist shop in the late 90's. they had a lot of German machine tools that looked just like these. The machine shop made the parts for my machine. My machine was also German made. My machine made small Brad nails for nail guns. It was called a wafios nail/wire machine. It was an older machine from Around the World War II era & made 750 nails per minute. We had much newer wafios nail machines in a different part of the factory. They all ran like a well-oiled sewing machine!👍
Beautiful old workshop. Unfortunately, more and more of these businesses are disappearing. It is very difficult to get hold of such machines because they are usually all promised and spoken for. Judging by the old man's dialect, I would say that he comes from the Cologne area. Another era is coming to an end here. I hope you get the milling machine.
Wow! This really brought back memories of my grandfather's machine shop (he had a tool and die making company). Everything in his shop was that same colour of green, and I can almost smell the distinctive machine grease smell through the video! 😁
Thanks for taking us on this tour!
Hell, my grandfather was a tool and die maker here in Upstate New York also! Was looking at those machines and drooling. Any thoughts about starting a campaign to help you pay for that mill? I know I would give it.
Anyone else?🤙🐾🐾🤙
What a Beautiful Gem, it's a shame it's closing down. I know we all get old, and things change. But wow.!, the Beautiful machines in there, They really don't make machines like that anymore. I really appreciate you sharing this wonderful shop with us all. God Bless the Machinists and his health. Thank you
Thank you for sharing this. What an amazing shop. My grandfather was a Machine Shop Worker from 1941 . It was a bittersweet moment as he was the last employee to close the door forever in 1987. The family was all there and it was a memory I will never forget. The building still exist and is still empty to this day.
So sad to see another old school shop closing down. Really enjoyed your tour of the equipment. Hope you manage to secure the purchase of the milling machine. I'm still drooling over all the content......Thank you.....Tony
Amazing shop, I bet the owner has a lot of stories to tell! I hope you keep up with him well into the future, dude can probably teach a thing or two to anyone!
I would love to listen to his stories.
All precision surfaces are in best condition (no drilled holes in the table from the drill press and so on) tells me that the owner of the machines takes care of this equipment.
I'm SO glad that these machines have homes to go to. It would have ruined my entire week to hear that they were being scrapped. Tools like these can continue to last for decades, maybe even centuries.
I'd be willing to bet that there are machines being sold TODAY that will become obsolete junk long before these old work horses wear out.
Such a gorgeous shop with beautifully maintained equipment. Thanks for showing us this. This is real history and it’s important to document. Glad this equipment has found a home as well. Equally important to try and save these machines.
Thanks for showing! I've been machining 36 years. What a treasure room!
As a retired Marine Engineer, this was really refreshing to see. Glad to know that these machines will continue operated by others. Thank you for sharing.
It's not just Germany my freind . Shops like this gentleman's are going if not already gone. Many of my old shop colleagues have passed and are now just good memories I was fortunate enough to know and learn from . I wish your freind well and wish you a Happy and prosperous New Year .
Please thank your friend for sharing his shop with us and wish him a quick and painless recovery. The end of an era but hopefully others will be able to carry on some small part of your friend's legacy!
I was job shop machinist for 20 years...those machines take me back...a lot of machines I operated still had tags stating..this machine conforms to the war production act...really great machines
Absolutely amazing, so thanks to you and the owner for recording it. Something I really admire about Germany, is that none of the machines were imported as Germany made their own very high quality machines that were exported around the world. That’s something to be very proud of. Cheers, Stuart 🇦🇺
Beautiful, to the point of tears.
I'm no machinist. But I love the era and I know about old-school German standards.
(Like You. Even though you are a young man.)
I really appreciate this quick video, beyond words.
I wish you the best 2024 possible, and a long life. Your stories and memories must stay with us, for the future.
👍🏻👋🏻
More of these places are lost, everyone seems to be afraid of "hard work" these days.
You my friend are the exception, keep it up, your material is fascinating.
Oh, I'm in Troy, Michigan. A suburb of Detroit {look, everyone's heard of Detroit, where the cars {kinda} come from.
So sad to see old master retire. Both machine and operator. Thanks for sharing.
I can almost smell it. What a wonderful place.
I'm glad the owner found homes for his tools, I hope they are good homes that will use, maintain, and appreciate them. Very cool that he got the opportunity to live his dream for 25 years, and he has my best future wishes.
Thanks Gerolf, I really enjoyed this one. Well done for capturing the history here. These are fantastic skills that we are losing as a society - all your work and effort is helping to still make this current , thanks
It's encouraging that the machines are in splendid condition and are going to carry on being used for producing stuff. Hopefully it's by young people, like yourself, who are interested in keeping the faith, as far as using their hands for good purpose.
Ich habe diesen Ausflug zu einem einzigartigen Geschäft genossen. Vielen Dank.
Nice to see the older shop. He is probably not much older than I am so the machine years are the same. Yes the ones I used were made in the US but machines are pretty much the same, even the colors for time periods. A few years ago I read a comment from a young machinist that you couldn't make anything without a CNC. I guess he didn't realise the jet age and the space age were well developed by non CNC machines. The great thing about small shops, they are willing to do small one time jobs. Yes it can be costly and why many farmers bought old machines for their farm shop. Thanks again for this video.
Es wird nicht mehr lange dauern und niemand weiß mehr mit diesen tollen Maschinen umzugehen. Mit jedem Arbeiter der "Alten Garde" geht so einen riesen Schatz an Wissen und können verloren.
Thanks for the video. I have my own metal lathe and milling machine, much smaller than the ones in this shop, but having done metal work on these machines makes me able to appreciate the shop and its owner. Sad that eyesight issues means he has to retire. Very good that most of the machines are going to someone who will use them and not just for the scrap yard.
I took a tour of the Starret factory in July. They have some machines which go back to the 40's, in addition to some very modern machines. Fascinating. They also had areas which did various specific operations. I appreciate the skill of the folks putting calipers together. Very tiny screws and pieces. Not easy to do for the lay person.
Those Reseda Green machines are so alluring -- they are mostly 'unobtanium' for those of us in the USA. A Deckel style milling machine will last you a lifetime and is a complete game-changer for metal craft. Also, I could not help but think you would do well to have a modern lead-screw lathe like the Weiler in your shop since your antique lathe is quite limited in function having no lead screw nor modern tool post. I'm sure the machines will find happy and willing stewards. Thanks for sharing.
What a dream shop. I'm glad that these will continue to be used and people will retain some of the knowledge of how to use them.
Thanks for the tour. Took me back to the old days when I also worked in a machine shop in Fort Collins Colorado, USA. Many of the devices shown in the video brought back memories. Best wishes for your New Year.
Thank you for this video. The old green machines are still working around the world wherever people were given the opportunity to buy them from shops that closed down. I saved screenshots of this shop to recall how it is organized. There are many machines in the space but each is able to be used without wheeling another tool out of the way. I hope that the reference charts on the walls are saved when the shop is dismantled. You know from selling posters and maps that paper "ephemera" has value, particularly for a hobbyist or young machinist who needs to look up the right size tool to use. Also, it's just cool to have visible links to past machinists who made so many lovely things.
Wow!! Heaven, I have seen it now. Many thanks from UK.
My brother-in-law had a shop like this. He bought his equipment from places that were closing down in the Midwest when all the work was going overseas. He could make anything. I wish it was still there.
Its like looking upon the workshop of an artist, you can only imagine what was created and perfected in such a place ! The stories he could tell ! I hope it all finds a good home and continues to be cared for like he did. May he live well and share his stories for many years to come !
Very cool. I worked in a similar shop in the 1970s in Ohio. Machines dated back to WW2. Last time I drove by it was still there.
Such an honor to get to "talk shop" with a master. Hopefully you can score the machinery of your choice. Appreciate the gentleman letting us browse his outstanding shop. Wish him the best in his future endeavors.👍
It's the slow passing of an era when a man like this locks down the shop for the last time...
I hope for a successful recovery from the surgery. Thank you for a glimpse into a master craftsman’s work space. Those tools are amazing
What a beautiful machine shop! We have the same Thiel bandsaw at the place where I work at, too! So sad so see this great 'time capsule', as you very fittingly called it, go, but still, one can only wonder how many projects were realized in this great machine shop. I wish all the best to the (now former) owner of this beauty. And thanks for sharing it with all of us!
I appreciate your thoughts man, it really is cool to see your adventures and projects! Keep it up 🙂
Fantastic you were able to make a video this machine shop, what an honor to be allowed in! Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you for documenting this mans shop, it is beautiful! We have the same thing going on in my area, Seattle Washington, the small job shops are closing one by one and the larger ones are getting really expensive which leads to the larger machines being scrapped from these small shops as not many hobbyist's can deal with heavy machines and 3 phase power. That said there are a few of us who do buy and use these machines, mostly for our own projects or in my case building a job shop for my retirement years. Great video and I didn't notice the flickering at all, but I was focused on those fine machines!
What a beautiful old shop. I am sorry to learn that it is all being sold off, but have seen a similar thing happen here where I live.
I live in a city of over 40,000 people, with a long association with the forestry industry. In the 70s, there were three large scale logging companies, two sawmills, and a pulp and paper mill, all within a 35 mile radius of here. In addition to the associated maintenance shops that were part of the logging company operations, there were also several large machine shops in town.
Over the last 50 years, one by one, all the machine shops have closed their doors. Even two of the logging companies, that operated large fleets of off road trucks and other speciality equipment, have also closed their doors. All the work now, is being farmed out to larger machine shops, operating modern equipment, two towns, one 35 miles, and the other, 70 miles from here.
It was a sad thing for me, as a hobby machinist, to see these shops close, and all the capability of doing speciality work and all highly qualified tradesmen being put out to pasture, but somehow, the big companies can operate more efficiently with this new arrangement.
What is ironic is, that with my equipment, I could get all the small welding and machining jobs I want, but I am 80 now, and want to work on my own stuff.
So glad to hear the tools are being passed on to new owners for continued use! Too often equipment like that--especially older tools, no matter their condition--gets junked. What a shop!
My dad recently cleared the remainder of a similar (but much smaller) ‘old-Skool’ workshop. The main machines were already sold and they were removing one large lathe, using a crane to lift it over the neighbours houses, as my dad got there. He did manage to score hundreds of good quality punches, taps, dyes, bits etc.. at a very reasonable price.
It originally started as a response to a Facebook marketplace ad but when my dad went to buy the original item it turned out that the seller was clearing out his uncles workshop as he was now in his 80’s and ill health meant he was no longer able to work. It also transpired that he was an ex speedway rider and my dad had watched him race many years ago.
Just another instance of ‘not what you know but who you know’ 👍🏼
I am glad that the owner of the shop has found new homes for the machines.
What a wonderful workshop!
Sad that it won't be sold as a whole and used as it has been used for so long.
Nowadays everything seems to have to be CNC-machines...
I'm surprised that these workshops are dieing out in Germany. We still have a fair few in at least my area of Australia. The requirements of the mining industry etc make them viable.
Not a surprise: they killed their automotive industry. Were it at least useful to actually reduce CO2 emissions, but battery powered cars won't solve the problem.
so sad to see a man of this skill lose his site at least he found them new homes, it would cost a fortune to buy such a setup today. thanks so much for this trip
These shops are going away in America as well. I hope you get the mill and give it the respect it deserves. Thanks for sharing.
My father was a tool and die maker here in the United States. He started in the early 1950’s. I remember seeing all these sorts of machines in the early 1980’s in the plant my father worked in. Only the ones he worked on were bigger. You had to climb up on a lot of them to make changes and the parts they made were all moved around with cranes attached to the ceiling. All that closed up in the late 1980’s though. Most of those giant machines though were dismantled and sold to a Chinese company. At least some of them are still probably in use.
It is "Machinist heaven" neighbouring Allen Millyard (0:48") on one- and TOT (rest vid) on the other side. What you saddly could not transfer nor safe: the smell ! Oil + cut metal. That's when you really know "yeah, here the work is done". Tnx TPAI, hope you can score the machine!
Amazing! What a treat to know someone like this that still exists...Thanks for sharing.
Every propper factory had a machineshop like this. We had Jim in the machine shop, Jim was verry precise becouse he was a former watchmaker lost his job with the introduction of digital watches. His favorite machine was the Ai Hembrug lathe.
FYI- With gopro you need to manually set the FPS to something like 50fps or 100fps since you are likely on 50hz power (EU) vs US 60hz. And/or a slower shutter speed. One never thinks about the strobe effect till after when you watch/edit. What a wonderful machine shop! Its just laid out so well. If Post Apocalyptic did a gofundme for the mill... or you need something donated for the mill... I'm sure us subscribers would donate! Fröhe Festtage!
Wow, Im so pleased to hear this is not just being sent to scrap which seems all too often the case. My lathe is the green period and I love it
Enjoyed the video it brings back memories of my first job at the age of 18 back in 1984. I worked in a old school workshop with old school machines some of which where probably 50 years old then! There wasn't much we couldn't make we had an SIP jig borer numerous lathes some v. large with 60 hp motors! Gear hobbers and shapers and many other machines. It is not just the loss of this workshop and it's equipment which in itself is sad but the all the knowledge and experience the engineer who worked them that is very difficult to replace especially in this day and age. Good to hear the machines are not being scrapped though.
What a clearly well organized machine shop sorry to hear that due to eye surgery that he has decided to sell up, thanks for showing us a place of high quality engineering.
Thanks for the shop tour. It is always a sad day when a shop closes its doors.
I have a machine shop fairly near me that looks like this guys shop. Its staffed by retired machinists who still make one off's and custom machined parts for anyone. No CNC anywhere in the building! It smells of cutting fluid and machine oil and is an absolute time capsule. Its sad that the town I live in had many large engineering companies who were world renowned but sadly are gone now - what skills have been lost to 'modernisation' with CAD and CNC machining. Thanks for the video and good luck for the old guys eye surgery.👍
I started my working life with such machines. They were more often battleship grey though we had some green ones. It was a military shipyard so repainting would use what was there no doubt. I spent some time balancing steam turbines and replacing blades. There were few places that had the space needed for making prop shafts and that was used for the repair and balancing. In the machine shop everything was BIG. 8ft horizontal chuck. Start a cut going and read a few chapters. Repeat. Horizontal reciprocating mills converted to cut semi-circular bearing housings for prop shafts etc.
I always admired these places. No matter what planet.
This is my idea of heaven. What a fantastic workshop filled with lovely old equipment.
As ever, thank you so much for taking the time to make and share this video. It's sad to see yet another master tradesman retiring and a lifetime of knowledge that will no longer be available. Imagine the benefit that he could bring to young aspiring Engineers of the future. It is great to hear that the machinery and tools will stay in use and I really hope that you get to become a custodian.
Absolutely marvellous. It's the same in the UK. The one man machine shop I used to use closed down simply from lack of work. It's sad as the guy would knock up anything I asked for and friends even sent me stuff from all over the country as he was so helpful. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep him in business with soaring costs.
I'm a velder in southern Sweden. We have drillpreses with 3 and 4 drills on one table (swedish made). the newest one is mad 1964, the one with 4 drills, the one with 3 in installed 1958. Still going strong.
I wouldn't be overly concerned about not being able to find parts. The great thing about having a metalworking shop is you generally just need to be able to get the material, and you can make parts that aren't available on the open market.
I worked as a machinist for 35 years , My first jub was making tapered threads on oil drilling pipes.
Wow, Thanks for the tour. The condition of the workshop shows the level of pride and craftsmanship 👍
Nice to hear the machines are getting new homes.
Enjoyed !
Happy New Year
I wish your friend good luck on his surgery. This is nice
Schon verrückt, in den USA hat gefühlt jeder bessere Heimwerker zumindest eine alte Drehbank oder Fräse in der Garage und hierzulande findet man nicht einmal mehr professionelle Werkstätten wie diese hier. Schade, dass der Eigentümer niemanden gefunden hat um die Werkstatt zu übernehmen, aber immerhin finden die Maschinen ein neues Zuhause.
I'm glad to hear the machines have new homes. Happy new year! Thank you for the adventure!
Nice tour! Looks like a great workshop!
The slat boards on the floor remind me of my father's old shop, he would of been 105 this year.. I hope these tools live on for a long time making parts..
This brings back memories of the late '70s when I worked at the Clarkson milling cutter factory in England.
Good story that needs telling. The knowledge that man has is what's special. All those machines and tooling can make without it is scrap metal. Loved the grilles at the end.
Thanks for sharing. That hydraulic drill press is indeed a massive thing.
I found it quite surprising that this is the last shop of its kind in a city of 1 million. In the States, many cities of fewer than 100k (at least those I have lived in) have a machine shop/metal fabrication shop of similar size and scope to this. Generally not 1-man operations, but the machinery would be similar.
What one would not see, to stereotype a bit, is all that natural light (they're generally dark as caves), plants, flowers, or bicycle wheels. I enjoy seeing these small cultural differences and personal elements as much as the big machines in these videos.
Even though machining is out of my skill set, I can appreciate how lovingly well thought out the layout of the place based what I've seen in this video. It's definitely a bummer that it's going to close but hopefully the new owners take care of each item and that they will come to equally appreciate those tools and get good use out of them.
Brilliant presentation. Very sad to see all this being broken up, and the people that use them no longer passing on the wealth of knowledge they have amassed.
As each year passes we have fewer and fewer people with skill sets like this actually on the tools... Accumulated over decades from actual hands on work and learning from an even older generation... And as each puts down their tools the pool of knowledge shrinks... I hope your friends surgery goes well and he can enjoy his retirement = )
Lovely film! How you must've enjoyed visiting this place and talking with the owner. Such wonderful old 'green machines' : )
It is happening everywhere my friend....
It's the same in Portugal, all the small machine shops are run by old timers that are retiring and closing doors.
Was für eine wunderschöne Werkstatt! Und nur Maschinen höchster Qualität! Sehr schön, danke für das Video. Hoffentlich findet alles eine neue Aufgabe!
it's always so sad to see things like this go.. Thank you so much for preserving what you can!
I work at a german University and one of our machine shops still looks like that and nearly all of the green Stuff still runs perfectly. Sadly a lot of tasks could be much easier done by a modern multiaxic CNC but the guys in the shop keep on producing miricles with the machines they have. I hope all these machines keep on running even if they are not suted for all the moden tasks, the are NOT useless.
Wow that was amazing to see Long time since I have seen a old school workshop like that. Man the takes me back decades
Fantastic glimpse, thank you PAI
Good to see drill presses that dont have holes drilled everywhere in the bed 👍
Wauw. These machines are like gold! Undrestructable and made to last
In my country those awesome moustache machinists are extinct and all machines were cut and scrapped. It almost makes grown men cry.