Obsolete skills
Discussion
I'm into fountain pens. Proper ones that fill up from an ink bottle. Which for my age is fairly unusual.
I've got about 30, in varying degrees of repair, and I can even do very basic calligraphy if the mood takes me.
I'm 23 so not that many years ago I was at college. Classmates, and even some teachers, were generally intrigued by the various pens I took to college (mainly the bruised and battered pens), and I was often explaining the ink stains on my hands to people as when I was 17/18 and writing all day (and most of the evening...homework...ugh!) with an old fountain pen, that seemed to happen a lot.
I got at least two classmates into them as well, on the basis that the huge amounts of writing we had to do was MUCH more comfortable with a fountain pen. I even took my exams with a fountain pen.
Still got the pens, I rarely have to do any writing these days but when I do I usually still end up with the odd ink stain.
What does surprise me is that so many people of my age have never even heard of them, let alone used them.
I've got about 30, in varying degrees of repair, and I can even do very basic calligraphy if the mood takes me.
I'm 23 so not that many years ago I was at college. Classmates, and even some teachers, were generally intrigued by the various pens I took to college (mainly the bruised and battered pens), and I was often explaining the ink stains on my hands to people as when I was 17/18 and writing all day (and most of the evening...homework...ugh!) with an old fountain pen, that seemed to happen a lot.
I got at least two classmates into them as well, on the basis that the huge amounts of writing we had to do was MUCH more comfortable with a fountain pen. I even took my exams with a fountain pen.
Still got the pens, I rarely have to do any writing these days but when I do I usually still end up with the odd ink stain.
What does surprise me is that so many people of my age have never even heard of them, let alone used them.
AW111 said:
Prompted by a post in the trivial thread, I have the following skills, among others :
Drafting (pen & ink on film)
Stick arc welding
Hand splicing wire rope
All of these took time and effort to learn, earned me money at the time, and are now totally obsolete.
What collection of useless skills do we have on PH?
What should we do with that power?
Ive literally just come off a ship where i was the sole engineer on board, had to use stick welding to fix a broken crosstree and the AB had to splice some new towing rope..Drafting (pen & ink on film)
Stick arc welding
Hand splicing wire rope
All of these took time and effort to learn, earned me money at the time, and are now totally obsolete.
What collection of useless skills do we have on PH?
What should we do with that power?
Morningside said:
21TonyK said:
Don said:
I can code in 6502 Assembly Language...
And a few others, long lost and now useless skills that at the time were super cool things to be able to do.All my skills seemed to finish in 1989.
cookmysock said:
OP - rather surprised that you think stick welding is becoming obsolete. Working in the construction industry, mostly the oil and gas side of things, stick welding is essential. As long as we keep using metal products, we will be welding them together. Sure, new technologies have seen many fantastic automated processes, but the stick is still needed for some of the finer and more difficult welds as well as the fit up work before the automatics come into play.
Another lost skill - mammoth hunting, skinning, then eating it
Ok, obsolete may have been an exaggeration, but I haven't seen anything but mig, and now tig, for a long time in light industrial use.Another lost skill - mammoth hunting, skinning, then eating it
zarjaz1991 said:
I'm into fountain pens. Proper ones that fill up from an ink bottle. Which for my age is fairly unusual.
I've got about 30, in varying degrees of repair, and I can even do very basic calligraphy if the mood takes me.
I'm 23 so not that many years ago I was at college. Classmates, and even some teachers, were generally intrigued by the various pens I took to college (mainly the bruised and battered pens), and I was often explaining the ink stains on my hands to people as when I was 17/18 and writing all day (and most of the evening...homework...ugh!) with an old fountain pen, that seemed to happen a lot.
I got at least two classmates into them as well, on the basis that the huge amounts of writing we had to do was MUCH more comfortable with a fountain pen. I even took my exams with a fountain pen.
Still got the pens, I rarely have to do any writing these days but when I do I usually still end up with the odd ink stain.
What does surprise me is that so many people of my age have never even heard of them, let alone used them.
At school we used them and I still do when hand writing. I think most of the ink evaporates out of the oen/ cartridge these days rather than actually bring written away onto paper.I've got about 30, in varying degrees of repair, and I can even do very basic calligraphy if the mood takes me.
I'm 23 so not that many years ago I was at college. Classmates, and even some teachers, were generally intrigued by the various pens I took to college (mainly the bruised and battered pens), and I was often explaining the ink stains on my hands to people as when I was 17/18 and writing all day (and most of the evening...homework...ugh!) with an old fountain pen, that seemed to happen a lot.
I got at least two classmates into them as well, on the basis that the huge amounts of writing we had to do was MUCH more comfortable with a fountain pen. I even took my exams with a fountain pen.
Still got the pens, I rarely have to do any writing these days but when I do I usually still end up with the odd ink stain.
What does surprise me is that so many people of my age have never even heard of them, let alone used them.
I am running out of cartridges and went into a big store of stationary here last week. Enquiring to where their ink cartridges were, I was basically told to come into the modern age!
I'm 28.
Gingerbread Man said:
At school we used them and I still do when hand writing. I think most of the ink evaporates out of the oen/ cartridge these days rather than actually bring written away onto paper.
I am running out of cartridges and went into a big store of stationary here last week. Enquiring to where their ink cartridges were, I was basically told to come into the modern age!
I'm 28.
I have to buy the ink bottles online now. If you're lucky you can get standard blue ones in W H Smith but any other colour needs the internet.I am running out of cartridges and went into a big store of stationary here last week. Enquiring to where their ink cartridges were, I was basically told to come into the modern age!
I'm 28.
Cartridges...Tesco and WH Smith have the basic ones but for anything more fancy it's online again.
The Range sometimes have them though.
When I did use cartridges as a teenager, I used to like extracting the little ball bearing type thing out of them when they were practically empty....that was nice and messy.
zarjaz1991 said:
Gingerbread Man said:
At school we used them and I still do when hand writing. I think most of the ink evaporates out of the oen/ cartridge these days rather than actually bring written away onto paper.
I am running out of cartridges and went into a big store of stationary here last week. Enquiring to where their ink cartridges were, I was basically told to come into the modern age!
I'm 28.
I have to buy the ink bottles online now. If you're lucky you can get standard blue ones in W H Smith but any other colour needs the internet.I am running out of cartridges and went into a big store of stationary here last week. Enquiring to where their ink cartridges were, I was basically told to come into the modern age!
I'm 28.
Cartridges...Tesco and WH Smith have the basic ones but for anything more fancy it's online again.
The Range sometimes have them though.
When I did use cartridges as a teenager, I used to like extracting the little ball bearing type thing out of them when they were practically empty....that was nice and messy.
Parker's never had the balls, but the 1/2 size cartridges had I recall.
I fellow I did some work for many moons ago was a steeple jack. He must have been in his seventys then, but could find no one to replace him, and the work kept coming in, so he kept going. That and wooden shingles was his game. Every so often he was flown out to somewhere Saudi and carried on his trade on a few projects our there. Never sure how to came to aquire that aspect of it.
I wonder if he ever found anyone. He used to always tell tales of being up a steeple and looking down to find his Ivor Williams trailer being nicked. So many went missing, it was cheaper to buy new than to insure.
I wonder if he ever found anyone. He used to always tell tales of being up a steeple and looking down to find his Ivor Williams trailer being nicked. So many went missing, it was cheaper to buy new than to insure.
zarjaz1991 said:
I have to buy the ink bottles online now. If you're lucky you can get standard blue ones in W H Smith but any other colour needs the internet.
Cartridges...Tesco and WH Smith have the basic ones but for anything more fancy it's online again.
The Range sometimes have them though.
When I did use cartridges as a teenager, I used to like extracting the little ball bearing type thing out of them when they were practically empty....that was nice and messy.
The Range does a lovely selection of Windsor and Newton drawing ink. I use a dip pen a lot so it is perfect. Also have used it in a Parker with the refillable cartridge- it works well. If you use a dip pen you can use water colour paints, gouache and all sorts with it.Cartridges...Tesco and WH Smith have the basic ones but for anything more fancy it's online again.
The Range sometimes have them though.
When I did use cartridges as a teenager, I used to like extracting the little ball bearing type thing out of them when they were practically empty....that was nice and messy.
Quarter inch tape editing with an edit block,razor, chinagraph, edit and leader tape.
Taught it at university, when digital editing was rapidly coming in to the radio industry. I never used the skill after uni,
I can edit on RCS and load up cart numbers faster than anyone I know. It's a long dead system used in radio stations long long ago.
Taught it at university, when digital editing was rapidly coming in to the radio industry. I never used the skill after uni,
I can edit on RCS and load up cart numbers faster than anyone I know. It's a long dead system used in radio stations long long ago.
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