[Jewelry making - Article 00294] - Re: [Orchid] Keeping trade secrets

[Ian W. Wright]

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Hi Lisa,

    If everyone kept their 'trade secrets' how would any of us learn
    anyhting? I consider myself fortunate at having been born into an
    area of extremely friendly people and having pursued a career which
    took me into very many interesting places. In most of these places I
    met people doing jobs which I found fascinating and who were pleased
    to discuss with me how they did things and why. A couple of 'for
    instances' from the past were a mark maker, now sadly long dead, who
    made marking punches by hand and who I spent many happy hours with.
    He had worked through the age of the great steamship companies where
    each company had its own complex crest marked on all the cutlery and
    flatware made by the many local Sheffield cutlery and silversmithing
    firms he worked for. He also made similar complex design punches with
    pictures of elephants, tigers etc. incorporated into them for the
    marking of the opulent silverware ordered by Indian and Arabian
    potentates and also 'signature stamps' exactly replicating the
    person's signature which were used by the British Admiralty
    inspectors. All these punches were made without the use of machinery
    - all being done by the skillful use of files and gravers only. I
    once sat with him while he made me a complete set of alphabet punches
    in 1 1/2 hours! Another place I regularly spent time in was a glass
    engravers where two men, working with nothing more than large
    polishing spindle motors with tiny copper disks fitted to the ends,
    converted plain lead crystal bowls, glasses and goblets into
    scintillating works of art with personalised crests and coats of arms
    incorporated into all-over designs. My third most favourite place was
    a musical instrument restorers where two brothers sold and restored
    all types of musical instruments - one doing all the brass and
    woodwind instruments and the other all the string instruments - here
    again I learned by looking and asking questions not only how to
    repair these specific instruments but techniques which are applicable
    to many aspects of metal and fine woodwork. In all these places I was
    not only tolerated but welcomed (as long as I volunteered to put the
    kettle on and make a cup of tea for everyone as soon as I arrived!)
    and, in each place, I was encouraged to take up the tools there and
    then, and try out the techiques we had discussed. During a few weeks
    of contract work in an aircraft factory I learned all the rudiments
    of CNC programming by talking to the machine operators and, when I
    was just newly married and setting up my first home (many years
    ago!!), a discussion with my mother's piano tuner got me a series of
    invitations to his home where he taught me all I needed to know about
    piano action repairs to be able to completely strip and restore an
    old piano I had been given, including making a complete new set of
    springs and dampers - all information freely given with no strings
    attached (no pun intended ;o)). 

    Now, in the course of my work for others, I find that giving them
    the information on just what I have done and how it was accomplished
    actually increses their appreciation and brings more business from
    their friends and contacts. It may seem hard to believe, but, in the
    last 6 - 9 months, every single customer has given me more than I
    have asked for my work and I am certain that this is just because I
    have 'involved' them in it! 

Best Wishes
Ian
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK

 
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