Working for Smith in the "stone age"

[Printer]

When you walked into Product Engineering in the early 80's it was all drafting boards and all you could see was the top of everyone's head. Yep! no computers, CAD, lasers, or cell phones. We relied on paperwork, books and old files for info, plus we had a collection of some of the most knowledgeable people in the business. Most had worked for the major gun companies at one time and some had worked for the Springfield Armory (the Federal Arsenal) before it closed in the 60's. Some actually knew and worked with John Garand and Eugene Stoner. They were a walking glossery of gun knowledge and history and I learned a lot. What a time! The only thing we had that was high tech was a archaic high speed video system which was problematic at best. We even had an ocillascope and a chronograph. Considering all the things we didn't have I think we did a pretty good job and put out some nice guns at the time like the 645, 686 and the development of the 40cal. round. More later.
Bob St.George

 

[Dot_mdb]

Eagerly waiting for more info. Thanks.

Bill

 

[mag318]

It's amazing how the industry has changed over the years, and a lot of it not for the better.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

How is that different then most of us that started work in that time frame? I know I had a drafting table in my office, wrote memo's long hand to be typed by the secretary, had colored pencils and engineering formula books along with the CRC on the desk and when I got my first promotion I got an electric pencil eraser as a gift.

Ah those were the days. (I think?)

Starched white button down shirts, ties and jackets etc.

I was lucky enough to have a scientific calculator.

It was not until the early 90's I got my first desktop computer. A compaq 386x33.

Yep the old timers were well respected and held most of the company history and records in their heads. We pups had to learn as much as we could before they retired.

 

[PERAZZI]

now corporations take on the "anybody can do it" mentality...

 

[Cyrano]

"More later"......Please, lots more later.

 

[Printer]

HI Peter,
Well said. Kids today don't have a clue how it was back then. They can't envision a world without computers. I remember when we just got TV in the early 50's. But we have come along way in a short period of time.
Bob

 

[Peter M. Eick]

You have me beat by a few years, but I do remember our first TV. Later than you but it was sure interesting to see.

What really struck me was air conditioning in the car. Our 68 IH had it and that was so neat in the desert. You could actual get cool going for a car ride over cooking in the back seat.

I still have my electric pencil sharpener and electric eraser. I will hang onto those until they day I retire and give them to the next generation. To me they were a major badge of honor in the office. Sort of like 10 point dividers or your first Kroy pen.

I will say computers are great though. I use them heavily at the office now. I have at least 5 of them in my office. Some days though, the seem like they just let me make mistakes faster.

Take care.

 

[jrm53]

When I got into the engineering dept. in 1991 where I worked they had moved from drafting tables to computers I had to learn Anvil 5000 and thought it was great, then we got Pro-Engineer a 3-d program that was great. You could design an assembley, assemble it and make it function. If you had a part that was oversize it would give you a heads up that it would not work. The only problem that I saw was we started on version 13 and when I retired I think we were on version 22, each one was a little different. Jeff

 

[shouldazagged]

Remember a song by Leroy Anderson, "The Typewriter"? Most of you won't, but I often think that most young people in graduate school today have never seen a typewriter or even a free-standing word processor.

When I started engineering school at Purdue in 1955--didn't last, I have the mathematical ability of a doorstop--I carried a slide rule. Dietzgen log log duplex decitrig. That configuration was prescribed, whether you bought K&E, Dietzgen or Post. It really was pretty amazing what you could do with the damn things. I still have a collection of slide rules, if anyone is interested.

I wasn't good in the drafting courses either. I write lefthanded and upside down...

 

[S&W5906]

My computer courses pre-date the PC. In fact I was out of college before the IBM PC came out. We have always had drafting sets in the family and I own a Hamilton Standard drafting table. Also have lathes, drill presses, welders, grinder, etc...... as I like to build things or rebuild things. Like old Gravely tractors. My oldest currently is a 1925 D. So yes, I'm old school. Computer were the Mark 1 Brain in the old days and electronic ones have been both a boon and a bane.

 

[SMSgt]

I remember setting the points on my '64 GTO with a matchbook. Didn't need no stinkin' 'puter back in those days.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I only got rid of my Typewriter about 2 years ago. It was an electric IBM pre-ball type. I forget the model. It had a great keyboard.

 

[A-37]

Tour

About 1960, we had a layover at Westover AFB and I took a tour through the S&W factory in Springfield. I recall seeing a room with a bunch of old guys working at their carpeted benches fitting and assembling revolvers. A lot of talent there.

The assembling still has to go on but, with CNC parts, I wouldn't expect to see much meticulous fitting anymore.

I still have the tie clasp the guide gave me. Used to have a silver one, too.

 

[GJH77]

...wrote memo's long hand to be typed by the secretary...

And they used carbon paper to make the copy for the files!

 

[rwsmith]

I was on the drawing board for many years

I was never really great at the board. If I remember right we didn't get cadd until the late 80's and it was crude. But after some computer advancements I could design/draw like gangbusters and the bosses were amazed at my 'incredible speed' as they put it. I kept a drawing table around for years but hardly ever used it again except as a place to pile things. You couldn't drag me back to a drawing board now. It was a great time, nostalgic and we had lots of neat old timey instruments for drawing by hand but for production, give me a computer. I like old cars, old guns, old songs but now mostly just for hobbies.

 

[HereSinceTheLongHunters]

I built and loved my drafting board.. the rulers were damned sexy... any scale you'd ever need. Had the cheap clamp light. The tape was the most obnoxious part.. always yellow and looking like it's been there for a hundred years. Living without ACAD would be tough tho.. it saves so much time. Its the craftsmanship that I miss... computers can't do aesthetics like humans... Someday.. we may have to slow down a bit.. and put some people back to work crafting as only people can.

 

[revolver59]

The good old days, where we had service stations with a pop machine, no gas stations with convenient stores. We had pay phones, not cell phones, we had telex, but no fax machines, we had radios, but no color tv,no cable, no netflix, we had books to read and no computers,no computer games, we had comic books. The funny part about all of this is that people seemed to be more mature,settled, responsible, had honor and dignity, cared more for each other, and the dollar was a lot more valuable then, than it is now, and so were people. People had values. Values that money can't buy. We have given up our values for the dollar, as a very simple example, look at our ammo prices, and what is going on with it!! What a shame, why have we lost our values. What would our grand fathers and great grand fathers think of us if they would see what has become of their grand children, and great grand children!If this had happened in their time, they would have shared what they had, with their friends, neighbors,and at times even strangers. The good old days will keep getting older,forever.

 

[amazingflapjack]

revolver 59-the answers are simple, and not far away.

 

[POSSIBLEXS]

I'm glad some body brought up "slide rules". I still have an old machIne that uses a "Vernier scale" to set the mechanical stops. When ever a new (and most always younger) person is trained to use that machine, the first thing I have to do is give them a crash course in how to read a vernier scale. I almost always get that same look, as if to say, "you mean that actually works?" I don't mention that "Pierre" invented the thing in 1631. I don't need to remind any of you that visual acuity is why iron sights still work. You remember, those were the blades and notches on that old gun.

BTW, Wikipedia has a little animated diddy that explains the whole thing.