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I Forge Iron

Owning / doing our best


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DANNERS! I thought you went for the cheap stuff Matt.You are SOOO busted. ;)
Danners are one of the best boots going.I wouldn`t wear my Matterhorns in the shop and they are a poor(but not cheap)imitation of Danners.
You must have been an officer in the USMC and stationed much further north than you are now.


I was an ossifer -- but the Danners were a graduation gift. B) Sadly, I rarely had good cause to wear them. Although the winter I spent at Quantico it did get down well below zero several days, if you can believe that. Very odd for Virginia. Was happy to have them then.
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I was an ossifer -- but the Danners were a graduation gift. B) Sadly, I rarely had good cause to wear them. Although the winter I spent at Quantico it did get down well below zero several days, if you can believe that. Very odd for Virginia. Was happy to have them then.


Nice to be able to stand in a puddle of slush that almost reaches to the top of your boots and still have dry,warm feet.Now THAT`S quality!
I used to run in my Matterhorns and even passed a PT test in them and my BDUs rather than running shoes and PT uniform.Won $100 on that bet.There will always be people who underestimate the Infantry.
Danners were a little heavier but not by much.Mine were a going away present from my recon platoon.My second pair cost me my pro pay for the month.
Gotta have good boots when you travel,live and die on your feet.
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I completely understand the idea of not going out and buying a Ferrari or even a Cadillac when what you really needed was a compact model pick up truck.


Gets my goat that a "compact" pickup costs MORE than a full size, and that V8 in the larger truck is getting the same published gas mileage as the V6 in the smaller! Think somebody did their "best" on it?

Been shopping for a truck or SUV for over a year, and gonna be at least 6 months more till I can purchase. I got a specific set of metrics to aid my shopping:

4 wheel drive (my wife's request, she is on call almost 24/7, and roads are not always plowed nice)
towing of 3000# or greater (I want a boat, and need a utility trailer)
People mover: back seat with LATCH child seat system
adjustable enough for my wife and myself (she is 5', I am 6')
NOT red (I will take any other color, blue, green, or yellow being preferred)

Best for a task is often requiring the task to be well defined and understood before you can determine what you need, want, and can settle for. I would like more than I need. I would LOVE a Suburban, but that is much more vehicle than my current needs require! Used is OK, but my wife would prefer new (go figure)

Phil
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I have been wearing Wolverine boots for years, and bought a pair of boots "completely made in the USA from materials from the USA" and will not buy a pair of that brand again. The insoles were inadequate, stitched in under the steel cap, and glued in with a soft set adhesive that allowed the insole to slide! Boy howdy did that make my feet, knees, ankles, hips, and back hurt! And I _don't_ live in my boots!

I spent a few hours scraping the insoles out to put in Dr.Sholls (Why YES I am Gellin') because I have very wide feet and new boots were out of the budget since this pair was only 6 months old and nothing was wrong with the upper or sole.

Phil

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I believe that we will once again return to a society of quality given ever increasing pressures to reduce consumption. Increasing populations, diminishing resources relative to population size, and a growing awareness of the finite nature of present resources all push us towards durable quality over disposable quantity. Even now we are seeing areas of China that are less attractive due to improvements in labor compensation. As these trends grow more widespread and lead to a more equalized global labor market (measured in decades of course), manufacturing jobs will return to local production where quality will surely be more closely tied to consumer choice. I don't mean this in a political sense but an economic and environmental sense. The process that got us where we are was a long one (industrial revolution to post-industrial society) and the road back will likely not be as long simply because of the increase in population putting stress on our resources and the ease with which ideas can be communicated to new labor markets. Sometimes I think folks view trends as one way streets and that just isn't the case. All systems ebb and flow. It of course will make little difference in a single generation, but over time I believe it will.

Society will never get over the invention of the plow...

Mark

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I have been wearing Wolverine boots for years, and bought a pair of boots "completely made in the USA from materials from the USA" and will not buy a pair of that brand again. The insoles were inadequate, stitched in under the steel cap, and glued in with a soft set adhesive that allowed the insole to slide! Boy howdy did that make my feet, knees, ankles, hips, and back hurt! And I _don't_ live in my boots!

I spent a few hours scraping the insoles out to put in Dr.Sholls (Why YES I am Gellin') because I have very wide feet and new boots were out of the budget since this pair was only 6 months old and nothing was wrong with the upper or sole.

Phil


Some times boots can be like tools,merely a start point.
Having 8-1/2 EEEE feet I feel your pain,Phil.
I don`t usually buy any French products(yes,for political reasons) but I couldn`t pass up a pair of lightly worn Vasque hiking boots I found in a local thrift shop.They were sized right(9 ultra wide). Those boots lasted 3 years total,longer than any other work boots I had ever owned.They were truly a joy to wear.Unfortunately new ones are insanely expensive and,like most things,the quality has gone downhill. :(
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A lot of older tools were junk too - even if made in America. My great uncle lived on the farm his whole life and kept all sorts of knick-knacks that dated from before 1900 through the 1980's when he passed away. I remember there were many "antiques" that had broken prematurely or just didn't work due to bad design - on the other hand, the better quality tools were still being used daily. It's the same with guns; millions of cheap firearms (mostly pistols and shotguns) were made since the mid 1800's - but about the only ones seen or collected now are the name brands.

My entire career has been spent in manufacturing and I have seen a large amount of work move offshore but the Swiss screw-machine company I work for now is extremely busy and we have added about 15% to our workforce in the past 6 months. Our biggest problem is that we can't find qualified people - many applicants can't pass a basic math test and have horrendous work records. However, the general view in the US government and the educational system is that manufacturing and the need for trades is obsolete so all the new school grads should go to college - even though many can't write a legible sentence.



I think this is why we have the quality of merchandise we buy, Our society is getting to lazy and stupid to care about quality. In the old days it wasn't complicated to get a machine repaired. Good machinist were in old barns and garages scattered around the country with dated and self made equipment, now mostly the metropoliton areas have good, capable shop equipment, but no craftsman to operate them.
I see a lot of college hamburger turners, and it is a job, but hardly worth the money for college training.
Who is the cause of this dilemma of tradesmen demise? Look in the mirror, we are.
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Some times boots can be like tools,merely a start point.
Having 8-1/2 EEEE feet I feel your pain,Phil.
I don`t usually buy any French products(yes,for political reasons) but I couldn`t pass up a pair of lightly worn Vasque hiking boots I found in a local thrift shop.They were sized right(9 ultra wide). Those boots lasted 3 years total,longer than any other work boots I had ever owned.They were truly a joy to wear.Unfortunately new ones are insanely expensive and,like most things,the quality has gone downhill. :(


Yet another thing we share, we must be lost brothers... Im a 9 1/2 EEEE
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Thats weird, 9 EEEE! My foot is as wide as it is long.

Doing my best every day.


From the looks of it so far your best is most assuredly good enough!
I look forward to seeing the finished product Mike.

Got that "Easter egg" of a PITA squishtail almost sorted out for my brother.The 300 rear wheel has got to go!Time to put some sensible shoes on "Rex"(as in T-Rex) so he can walk straight.
The 113 S&S motor is sure fun though,long as it`s going in a straight line.
My old shovel"Sweaty Betty" will stay on it`s heels though and pass it no problem in the curves.
If it wasn`t such a pain for me to post pics I`d put some up of the "bling bike".Maybe when my son is here to help.
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I must plead poverty. I started buying cheap tools cause I needed them and couldn't afford better. Later on I bought cheap tools because they tended to sprout legs and I'm sure the only complete sets were at all of my employee's homes and all of their friends.

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I must plead poverty. I started buying cheap tools cause I needed them and couldn't afford better. Later on I bought cheap tools because they tended to sprout legs and I'm sure the only complete sets were at all of my employee's homes and all of their friends.


I don`t think your problem stems from your choice of tools Grant.
Perhaps some different choices about what comes thru the door would help keep things from walking. <_<
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I don`t think your problem stems from your choice of tools Grant.
Perhaps some different choices about what comes thru the door would help keep things from walking. <_<



I dont necessarily agree.... I loose tools to people all the time... Granted its mostly my fault... But my son needs to do something at home and takes something... my partner joe comes and gets things all the time and I have to make a trip over to gather up all my tools... my uncle Chuck who is a contractor borrows it.... I want to help out when i can and I think there intentions are good.... But sometimes things just dont find there way home...

I have a set of Trumph shears that work really well... They seem to always either be at Chucks or Joes... I paid about $400 for them and I bet of the several hundred hours of use they have got maybe 4 of them where from me.... Yesterday Chuck needed to use them and he had to go try and get them back from Joe... Seem like when I need to use them I end up with hand shears becuase its too much work to track them down... :( :(
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I don`t think your problem stems from your choice of tools Grant.
Perhaps some different choices about what comes thru the door would help keep things from walking. <_<


Not sure how you do that Bob. It was less of a problem when I had 4 or 5 guys, but with 15 it happens. Probably went home innocently enough for a weekend project or something, just never found their way back.Buying $5.00 socket sets solved the problem for me, but probably added to it too.
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Not sure how you do that Bob. It was less of a problem when I had 4 or 5 guys, but with 15 it happens. Probably went home innocently enough for a weekend project or something, just never found their way back.Buying $5.00 socket sets solved the problem for me, but probably added to it too.


It just comes down to accountability.If you don`t cause people to be accountable then they will not be,that simple.

When I worked at that General Dynamics shipyard you could borrow anything you could transport home up to and including tow behind equipment.In order to do that you went,after shift,to the appropriate office and got written clearance to take it out of the gate.Without that written clearance you couldn`t get past the guards or get your vehicle into the yard.
Listed on that pass were what you were borrowing,your name and badge# and the length of time you expected to need the gear or the return by date.A copy of the signed pass was kept with management and 2 copies went with you.One of those two was posted in the guard house when you left with the gear and one you kept.
If the gear was not brought back by the agreed upon date(or an extension granted) you were sent a written notice and 14 days after that they started to deduct payments from your paycheck till the item was either brought back or paid for.

Accountability of and for the tools and a system to track where all the tools were was key to having top quality tools where they were needed and yet work out something that allowed those tools to be loaned rather than stolen and lost to the company.I was told that losses due to theft went down to near zero and production was never effected by the loan of needed gear.

Just takes a little thought and communication gents.The bottom line was ,you can borrow anything you want if you do it properly and we write it down.If you are irresponsible and that irresponsibility effects our ability to make money then it will also effect YOUR take home pay too.
Simple and effective.

If you were caught with company property in your lunch box and no note you were immediately terminated.The local unions were on board with that.

BTW-I loan tools out of my house and shop too but everything gets written down,everything!The list includes the tool,date and name of who carted it off.
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