Posted by Steviegtr on 23/05/2021 22:10:41:
Just looked on google earth as i have never heard of Istria. Yes you are a long way from us in the UK.
Steve.
It is a nice part of the world and Trieste is only an hour away, although with COVID, I haven´t seen there in a year. It is relatively isolated from the rest of Croatia (and our COVID results are much better. No new cases at all yesterday) Other than the shipyards down in Pula (the former Austro-Hungarian Portsmouth – its military port), there is no engineering industry. They used to make big lathes over in Labin, at the Prvomaskja factory, but that has gone.
The lack of engineering limits local supplies. I can get metric fasteners in the local ironmongers, although nothing below M4 and there is a decent bearing factor locally. Metals (steel, SS and aly) come from the local builders merchant, but are of unknown specs and are aimed at tourist industry infrastructure. Someone down in Pula must do special steels but I have never found them. The local timber merchant has CNC cutting facilities and I can just give them a cutting list and they cut everything to size, which simplifies things.The local Lidl is handy, but you need to grab stuff when they have it.
Food and wine are excellent and cheap. The countryside is glorious, all vineyards and olive groves. I live in an old stone winery and for the first time, have room for decent metalworking and woodworking workshops. OTOH, there are no model engineers here. The internet makes things easier.