Hello from Northern Illinois

[weldtoride]

I am a recently retired shop teacher, primarily autos and welding, but had to teach a little in all the shop disciplines occasionally thru the years. During a break from teaching, I worked in industry as an ASE certified Master Mechanic, as well as in construction during my summer "vacations." I continue to work part time.

I am here to learn metal shaping, as my automotive training/dealership experiences were all on the mechanical side of things. I am beginning to acquire some equipment for home, no longer having access to the extensive array of equipment present at my former employ.

I have an active interest in car restoration/customizing; advanced sheet metal skills are what I am trying to learn from this site.

Quite frankly, I am posting this so that I will gain access to more archived information on this site. Evidently I don’t have permission yet because I have not posted this intro. I understand the idea of community that is intended here, it is not an unreasonable one. However, please don’t expect too many subsequent posts from me yet. As a former teacher/presenter, I always encouraged feedback and audience discussion/participation. That said, I also completely understand and respect the active listener’s role. Just because a person is quiet does not necessarily mean they are not actively listening. It is my time now to be the active reader version of the active listener.

Mark from Northern Illinois