Old machining pictures - for your pleasure

[KiddZimaHater]

I stumbled across these and thought you guys might enjoy them:
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[KiddZimaHater]

Two shots of real-life "Rosie The Riveter's" in action. I dig it.

[gda]

I love seeing the old shots of people wearing ties and operating machines.

[boslab]

You know sometimes when you look at these old pictures you just wonder, what happens just before the photo, just after the photo, are they even still alive ? probably not, makes you wonder how thier lives turned out?
I think i'm due my medication now doctor.
Snapshots of a life
mark

[Liger Zero]

Is that the same lass who was running that giant turret lathe? I remember the picture circulating awhile ago... I might have it in my 'bucket later... Wife is playing a video game and I'm the designated map-maker tonight. '


EDIT: No it is not!

[The Artful Bodger]

One of my friends told me of her mother turning shells in Derby, England, in WWII, she said the machine 'operators' did nothing other than start and stop the machines as there were experienced machinists responsible for loading the workpieces and making all tool adjustments etc.

I suppose it was a way for one skilled machinist to 'operate' a dozen or so machines at one time but I do hope the operators got to learn and experience at least some of the satisfaction of machining.

[Evan]

During WWII in Scotland my wife's grandfather was not allowed to enlist as he was a master machinist. He went to work early in the morning and came home late. Others in the community were jealous and mean spirited as he was young and healthy like their sons who were on the front lines. They couldn't understand why he was at home, relatively safe unlike their sons. He was spat on and had to take it as he was absolutely forbidden to even mention where he worked let alone what he did. He never did say to anyone what he worked on even until he died. Because of his skill it was undoubtedly something very secret. My intuition from the conversations we had was that it may have had something to do with bomb sights. He was very good at fine work and always complimented me on my crude efforts from the lathe at my job that I took to show him.

[RobbieKnobbie]

Slightly off topic, but I love the color and lighting in those color shots... but not as much as I like the smart jacket on the dapper dan running the lathe in the in the first photo!

[hornluv]

Slightly off topic, but I love the color and lighting in those color shots... but not as much as I like the smart jacket on the dapper dan running the lathe in the in the first photo!

I agree. That is a nice jacket, although it clashes horribly with the pattern on his pants

BTW, The second picture showing Ms. Rodriguez at the horizontal mill makes me nervous. She's leaning on the machine with her hand a foot away from a cutter that looks to be spinning pretty fast. Fast enough to eat her hand anyway.

[wierdscience]

The best part to me is getting to see the machines when they were new.

I wish we had pics like that from back around 1820.