My 14 year old son is much better at concrete work than I am.

The sidewalk project started off as a chip away and repair job, but quickly resulted in a complete replacement of 4 sections, and a fill and cap of the old coal chute.

I tried getting on my knees to scree and float the concrete, but quickly realized I was in too much pain. My 14 year old son realized what was going on with me, took the tools out of my hands, helped me to the porch, and poured 35-80# bags of Quickrete with his friend. I directed from my vantage point, and they did the work...with my son doing most of it.

He must really be paying close attention to the DIY shows we watch in the evenings, because his work, while not the best looking out there, was sufficient enough to redirect the rain from the foundation of the house into the yard.

We started the project at 7am, and finished it about an hour or so ago. Each bag was mixed one at a time in the wheelbarrow, and dumped. His friend was raking it where it needed to go, while my son was mixing the next batch. He'd grab the 2X4, scree it down and smooth it with the float. After an hour or so, he'd grab the broom, texture the surface, edge the side and cut the edges in.

Would you trust your 14 year old with a project like this??

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

First off JP it's great to see you post. With your recent health situation, I get concerned when I don't see you post for awhile.

Secondly, you're reaping some due rewards for being a good parent in two ways. First off he recognized your pain wanting to help however possible and secondly was able to do a respectable job of it.

I'm sure your pride in him at this point is relieving some of your pain in more ways than one.

Hang tough and get better soon. You have many fans on this forum that are sincerely concerned about you.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

It is always nice to see your child's upbringing show itself in ways like this.

Hope everything works out with you. Some of us are always ready to help aid and assist a true brother.

There are those among us who recognize a gift when we see one.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Thanks, Larry. I've been busy these last two weeks, studying and getting some needed hands on experience with some modern sporting rifles I don't otherwise have access to...I'm studying to become a Gunsmith. My goal is to be able to repair and restore firearms in my basement, with an emphasis on military surplus, and deal in milsurps as well. My ultimate goal is to be able to teach my son a trade that he can pick up or fall back on as he sees fit as an adult...it's what my father was able to do for his sons, and what I feel I need to do for my son.

Since I am no longer of use to my chosen trade of 27 years, and I don't see that changing, I figure this is something I can do to provide for my family, and my son's future.

Since the exam is on complete tear down and rebuild of an AR-15, and needed the experience to pass the exam.

I appreciate it, brother.

I've worked hard to get him to this point in life, and it's finally coming to fruition. I'm damned proud of him!

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Sounds like an excellent plan. Demand for gunsmithing must be at an all time high now....of course once Obama is no longer president the demand might go way down.

I can see it now....NRA supporting a democrat since it has been so good for business!

Sorry, the post began as a simple congrats but morphed on me....the congrats part is completely sincere, the other part mostly whimsy.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Your gun smithing goal sounds like good a one and teaching your boy even a better one. I've done some piddling and modifying 1911's and it can be more challenging than most people understand.

I too learned from my Dad a skill to fall back on and it saved my bacon several years ago. When my niche software industry went virtually belly up, I ended up probably the best paid fork truck mechanic in Texas for about a year before moving back into a position using my previous experience. Some of the people who went down with our niche industry had nothing at all to fall back on while they transitioned. A few of them never really transitioned and are in really tough shape.

It's good to know that you're hanging tough.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

Are you planning to get a FFL?

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

Yup...I've got the paperwork started, just waiting to hit the point in my studies where they suggest to send it all in. My local Police Chief has already signed off on his part, and he's forwarded it to the county sheriff for his signature (won't be a problem, he's gun friendly). I should have it back in a week or two. I already have the fingerprint cards and other documents ready to go.

I already have my Collector's License (C&R)...I've had that for a touch over a year. I had my Manufacturer's License back in the 1990's when I did contract work for Tom Deeb, owner and president of Hi Point Firearms. I allowed it to lapse since then. This time is for my Dealer's License. With it, I will legally be able to charge for work done to other people's gun.

My goal isn't really to open a storefront yet. We'll have to see how business goes before I make a decision like that. However, since going to see the Chief, I've been contacted by my neighbor, who's on the borough council, and told that if I were to show interest in one of the four vacant fronts in the down town district, that they would be very friendly to me. I'd have to weigh the cost of having the insurance, firearm stock and such prior to go down that road.

Who really knows what this may do for us?? My main goal is to be able to teach my son and daughter something they can use in the future.

The concrete work my son and I did yesterday was needed to seal a leak into what we call the "Wet Room". It's a 10X12 room with one small window that has always been damp and musty. I knew it was caused by the 2" crack running the length of the sidewalk. Once it dries, I'll squirt some concrete sealer caulk in the joints, and it should be sealed up pretty good. I plan on putting a dehumidifier in the room for the next month to help dry it out really well, then hit the walls with DryLok and paint the floor. The window will be replaced with glass block and a well anchored exhaust fan.

Since the walls are 12-14" thick limestone, a steel door would be the best security feature to add, along with adding a new zone for my alarm system. When done, the room will be like a vault. It will be large enough to add a shotgun storage rack, storage shelves, and my work bench. I already have another room with a drill press and small bench lathe, as well as a grinder set up to polish, and it's set up with a good exhaust fan as well, which makes the wife happy. I can clean firearms down there without the smell of Hoppe's #9 solvent coming bothering my wife.

If this gets me off of disability, and back into being a productive member of society, I'll be a very happy man. It may take a year or more to get to that point, but it's a doable goal, I think. If I can make this business work without the need for a loan...I'd be ecstatic!!!

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

A good friend is in similar circumstances. He's been with our Game and Fish dept. for 15 years, ruined his back and had less than successful surgery. Now, a year after surgery no doctor will certify him for being able to lift 50 pounds, a requirement for his job. The state has put him on disability and won't hire him back. He has been a luthier for years, building flamenco guitars as a hobby and mostly giving them away to friends. My son has one. Somebody saw one of his pieces somewhere and cold called him offering 1500 bucks to have one built. He's off and running but is now faced with having no money to set up a decent production shop. I told him if that guy will give you 1500 for an axe the next guy will give you 3K, don't sell yourself short. Build them one at a time and sock the money away.
A big part of what's wrong with kids today is they don't know how to do anything physical. They don't even know they OUGHT to know how. Portable skills are one of the best things parents can give their kids. Doesn't matter if it's waiting tables or pouring concrete. My 19 year old is home from college. Yesterday he ran a crew at the vineyard. They planted 150 new Tempranillo vines. He came home, took a nap and then went back to work the tasting room for the evening. He just left this morning to go form dough at a friend's bakery in town. Tomorrow he'll be dehorning babies, a chore he doesn't mind that I have always despised. He doesn't get paid for home chores, but the rest of it is hustling money for fall so he doesn't have to work during school. Good for you and good for your boy!

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

I have a handful of Mosins sitting in my safe, some need sporterized, and others are worthy of cleaning up and restoring. Only 2 were picked up with my C&R, so those will be restored.

The others will get new triggers, poly stocks, picatinny rails for scope mounting,,accurized and sold. I figure that after the work is done, using today's pricing instead of last years, I should be able to pull at least $400+ with a box of ammo. They should be easy to sell near the beginning of deer and bear seasons.

I couldn't agree more. Kids think that everything should be handed to them. they enter into adulthood, move out, and expect to have everything that their parents have...without working for it. They don't understand that their parents had to swing the hammer that drove the nail into the deck that they grew up enjoying in the back yard. They can't fathom doing manual labor, because everyone has been saying that it's not worth doing because it doesn't pay enough.

Kids today are also the throw away generation. They don't know how to R&R household items. To give an example. Two weeks ago, we pulled all of the window, stand, and box fans up to clean and put them in service. Four of them were being difficult, not wanting to turn on without assistance. My son and daughter suggested we go out and buy new...to which I said no. I showed both of them how to take them apart, clean, oil and reassemble. Each one is working perfectly now, without issue. To replace them would have cost me roughly $150, since they aren't on sale yet.

I'm hoping that I'm able to at least teach my kids to stand up straight in the face of adversity, grab a shovel, and start digging themselves out of tight spots in life. So far, it seems as though my youngest two are picking up on that...my oldest still thinks she's a princess and everything should come to her and be her way in life. With her having a child soon, perhaps she'll begin to grow up and be and adult.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

My daughters were more princesslike when younger but all are hard workers now. My son too.....though he doesn't do much with his car he is doing household repairs to some extent. He is one heck of a horse trader too.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

A horse trading hobby can be as bad as a gambling addiction. Don't ask how I know.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

Do you mean goat trading?

I did not in this case mean actual horses.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

This is the kind of stuff I did with my Dad growing up all the time. Priceless learning. In 10 years how many 20-somethings will know how to pour concrete on their own?

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment