Hi, my name is Steve Shelby. I sent an introduction when I
signed up for the list, but for some reason, it didn’t get
posted, so I’ll try again. Now that I’ve seen the list for a
couple of days I’m really impressed. My initial schooling was in
jewelry, and I worked in that field before I started working for
Fox Products Corp. in South Whitley, IN. They make double-reed
musical instruments which are sold throughout the world. I
worked there for 22 years making contrabassoons. My work was
very similar to jewelry work, lots of silver soldering, hand
grinding, filing, and shaping of keys. I’m now semi-retired and
do work for them as a contractor from my own shop. one of the
things I do for them is make master patterns (models) which are
used for making rubber or metal molds. These patterns are hand
sculpted out of brass to very exacting specifications, with a
tolerance of plus or minus .002" in most cases. I like doing
this work, and find it challenging. I’m now looking for other
manufacturers who might have a need for such skills, on a
contractor basis. Also, I should mention that Fox Products is
always looking for employees with jewelers skills. If anyone out
there is interested, I can give you their number. Here’s wishing
all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR, and much success in the new
century.
Steve Shelby
@sshelby