I am a returned subscriber to MEW and have been viewing the website for some time and I have at last decided to put my head above the parapet and declare my presence.
During my time as an observer I have marvelled at the wide ranging subjects, depth of knowledge and good humour of the correspondents, it has been fascinating and a credit to you.
I have been interested in engineering since an early age when I was brought up in West London in the 1960s, it was fostered by my Father, Ronald Poole, who was an Electrical Engineer by profession, a senior employee of Dewhurst and Partners and finally the Director running Engines & Electrics who built coolant pumps for the likes of Colchester (600 Group) and Cincinnati. He built me a shed workshop, bought me a pre-war Myford ML4 and refurbished it (complete with Type A drum switch), and a Startrite Mercury bench drill both of the latter I still have. From those days I have some Stuart Turner 7A castings in a poorly half machined state somewhere.
Regarding my changing career, despite my urban roots, I have a degree in Agriculture, then moved back to London and qualified as a Chartered Accountant but then in the 1980s any sort of engineering was abandoned in favour of work, courting, DIY and house renovating. I subscribed to MEW when it was first published but around that time my wife suffered a terrible brain injury which has left her partially disabled and once again my hobby engineering dreams evaporated.
Now I am semi-retired from accountancy and heading for full retirement, by one bit of good fortune in my life, I have a lot of spare room even though I now live in South East London, so I am putting together my dream workshop and as it has 3 phase supply I hope to acquire a lathe or mill, or even both, with a E & E pump one day.
Regarding my plans for “model” engineering going forward, other than general repairs to anything, my two interests are related to my farming days in the 1960s and 70s, vintage tractors of that era and small stationary engines, of which I have a few awaiting attention, and shooting so there might even be some basic gunsmithing one day.
Thank you for reading this far and sorry to run on. Although I cannot foresee the day when I can expertly contribute to the forum I am sure I will be asking simple questions as I go forward. I know I will continue reading it avidly.
Martyn Poole