Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Phil,
We have tungsten welding rods that we have formed into bent Vee's for filaments for our ion source.
Back in the day at Grumman there were "G-Jobs" which ironically was short for "Government-Jobs," which were really personal projects.
When I took my Jeep to get it's annual safety inspection the mechanics would gather under my truck and look at all the mil-spec aircraft parts like Grade 8 AN bolts and nuts with through holes for "Safety-Wire" and braided stainless steel hydrolic lines that I used for gas/fuel hoses.
"You must work at Grumman," they said. LOL.
There are stories of guys making log splitters out of spare F-14 hydrolic actuators. I know one guy built and champaigned a Miget Race car that featured a Mazda Rotory engine. The frame was all aerospace titanium.
I have a 15-16 pound dumbell made of stainless steel that I had a welder friend make for me. I had excess to so many departments and knew so many people. Had some enemies too. Pretty much I was like a Navy SEAL operating within a fortune 500 Company.
I had access to a prototype CNC machine shop, had engineering support, and only the most expensive and best materials. This was a great 17 years for an artist. This career was a great place for a creative mind, but an unlikely place for an artist. Pretty much engineers are problem solvers, but so are artists, and I was a clever one.
When the downsizing happened I recycled lots of stuff to my friends. My friend Cris was building a race car for drag racing. Another friend had a guitar shop/music store.
My friend Steve claims that I single handedly downsized Grumman after the Cold War. Pretty much they were throwing everything away and emtying buildings so they could sell them.
I felt like "Robinhood" stealing from the large corporation and giving to small businesses and individuals. This was all tax payer money being thrown away into dumpsters. In a way I was just "recycling."
Back on topic: I use some Tungsten powder that we have in our lab for nuclear shielding (Tungsten is dense) in an aftermarket grip on my Monochrom as added "ballist." Sniper rifles are heavy for good reason, and it also is a force multiplier if I need to use my camera as a weapon in an emergency.
I think I vicariously obtained a military training because of that career at Grumman. Likely about 3/4's of the men I worked with were ex-military, and some were retired from military careers.
Master Sargent Jim Clinton couldn't stand my guts. Initially he treated me as if he was my "Drill Instructor," but eventually he would become a great friend and mentor. I would meet his family and have dinner at his house. His first impression though was that I was some punk kid.
One guy I worked with was a Vietnam Vet. Richie told me in confidence some of the things he performed that clearly are "War Crimes." Perhaps because I am an Asian and I looked like the enemy it was in a way a confessional.
Pretty hard to be rational killing people, even in self defense. Some men are good at it though and they do their duty.
On a lighter note: The 500 acre compound was fenced off and had guards, and one day I take notice of this woman guard because she was hot. Now realize that Grumman had a Verteran preference in their hiring policies and that this was over 25 years ago.
So I was going out with this girl and this guard I would later meet because she was my girlfriend's cousin's girlfriend who also was a woman. So happens that this guard at Grumman was a Ranger in Special Forces and her specialization was sniper/assasin.
She revealed as a woman she would not be suspected. Also because she could pass for white or Latina she could easily blend in and be non descript.
Separately I know this old geezer who happens to be a Julliard trained violinist and guitar player who was a sniper during the early Vietnam era. He tells a story of because of his musical mind that somehow it got discovered that he also had the mind to be a great sniper.
So here is the interesting smut: No one really knows that he killed about 300 people; it was revealed that he would be dropped behind enemy lines without Dog-Tags so that if captured or killed Oh-well our government would denigh any involvement; and he was taught a series of Akido deadly moves for hand to hand combat.
When he questioned his instructor, "Why would I need this training when I have a gun?" the instructor replied, "You might run out of bullets."
I write this because the general public really does not know or understand fully what really is going on.
I only know vicariously myself, but those 17 years of being around those men surely had a huge impact on me.
Cal
