We all know that you work alone. A Barnes gun is 100% Barnes.
Have you ever thought about taking on an apprentice?
How do you intend to pass on 'The knowledge' you have acquired over the years??

Sounds like the old apprentice and pass down question.. Here's one of Gary's older comments on the topic: [www.glbarnes.com].

Thanks Jerry, just read it. It all makes perfect sense, just seems a shame for the Barnes Airgun episode to end when Gary does. All great crafts should be carried on, precious knowledge hard fought for, given to the next generation. Though of course, that knowledge is Gary's, and as such remains at his discretion weather he has the time or inclination to pass on....

Just take note:

The stuff is written down. The drawings are there. There's a vast amount of documentation, pictures, and shop records. Sure - there are holes in it - but there's probably 90% content and just 10% holes.

Make sure it doesn't go to waste. And, put a good bid on it for the sake of my estate.

Don't get in any hurry though: I have alot of work to do yet. And, I plan to refer to those documents, and get around to some of the projects I've had to put on the back burner.

Thanks for your concern for the work. Glad you appreciate it.

Just a note too: I have no known terminal health issues. Just to make that clear. I suffer from chronic pain (degenerative disc desease), and fibromyalgia (makes me feel like I was beat up all the time). They aren't life threatening ... they just suck all the enjoyment out. Medication helps. I have a couple of good Docs. Heck ... one pain Doc is a bud and customer. About six to eight other Doctors, of various specialties, are friends and customers. They'll keep me going.

Gary

Yeah, the apprenticeship thing has sorta faded from view in the modern era. For some reason, capable, intelligent, trainable young airgun-machinist-apprentice-types just won't work for the occasional bowl of thin gruel and a cold cell up in the rafters of the shop anymore. That's the problem these days; all those potential apprentice types have been spoiled by modern luxuries like eating every day, living indoors, and being paid a regular wage for their work.

The only way you can legally make someone work under the old midevil-apprenticeship model these days is if they're self-employed.

That's true ... or we can just buy stuff made by those living fossils of the modern age (our friends the Chinese).

Meaning ... they evidently do work for gruel ... and in conditions which our society forbids our workers.

So ... we just close our manufacturing plants, look the other way, and buy from them. Simple.

Isn't the idea of a Chinese-made Barnes an oxymoron?

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Roose Hurro Wrote:
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> Isn't the idea of a Chinese-made Barnes an
> oxymoron?


I'd say more of an abomination.....

While the quality of the Chinese guns has risen dramatically, the fact remains that they are knockoffs of proven designs from elsewhere in the world. The"good" chinese guns are just better quality copies of good Euro guns......

A Chinese Barnes clone? in the short term, great for those of us lusting, um, desirous of a Barnes rifle. But what happens 5 years from now.... and our eastern friends are still selling the same model(s)? Gary's work is so great because it evolves as Gary grows as an artisan. The clones wont. Even if they get a high quality copy, it'll be just that. And one locked in a moment of time to never change.

Besides, those guys drink tea.......

Gary,
Please don't think I was implying that you were at death's door !!
The only reason I raised the subject was because I was reading an article in the Times newspaper about how apprenticeships are on the up again in this country..
Over here, the Gov' will pay the wages of an apprentice, and give the Master various tax breaks. By the replies from you guys, I take it that it doesn't happen in the States then?!
When I was 16, I became an Optical Engineer Apprentice. A Gov' backed 5 year course, they paid my pittiful wages, my boss got all sorts of concessions.
I was happy as I was getting a trade(with minimum wage) and the boss was happy as he had a dedicated young man who had already shown his eagerness to learn the art of shaping glass by turning up each morning for a pittance.
My boss was a good man who taught me well and he had my loyalty at his beck and call for the next ten years........

Good apprentices are a bit like rocking horse poo, very rare!!

I guess we just do things diffrently here in the UK.

Ok, vaugely interested question answered thankyou.

Hello Paul,

No offense taken. Just filling in details for our readers.

No - I'm not aware of any apprentice program like that here. As you describe it, it sounds very workable.

I doubt the existence, here, of anyone willing to apply for a program, such as you describe. Also; here, zoning laws prohibit employing people from residences. Should you have your business in a location where you may have an employee, there's a host of obligations, paperwork, matching withholdings, insurances, etc. For a period of time, around 1991, we owned a restaurant. We had about 30 employees. What a nightmare. I'd never do that again. You spend ALL of your time correcting problems, doing the things the employees deem themselves too good to do. Catching theft. Firing and hiring. Covering for incompetence.

You were the exception. Sounds like it was good for both you and your employer.

Best.
Gary

Pablouk,

You ought to get together with Gary and design/build Barnes special bigbore scope. Then the only thing he wouldn't build on it, are the o-rings and the actual glass in the scope. Dory

Hmmm, glass for a Barnes Bigbore.......
I'm thinking 9-50x75 fully coated, onboard range finding and 'Anti Jerry Swipe' protection!
We used to make glass for the Challenger 1 MBT but I'm sure I could get the guys to downscale a bit for you!
Left that trade a good few years ago but still have various scars with 20/30 grade grit still under it, and no doubt will be there for life.
Now I find myself training young starters in the brewery trade, and I find it a very fulfilling job. Sure you get the idiots who just waste your time, but you also get the odd 'goodun' who makes it all worthwhile.

Guess you need to get those grandchildren of yours fast-tracked into the shop Gary!!!!

Such a pity, a fellow airgunner in the gang that runs a brewery as well, and there he is stuck on the wrong side of the pond...sigh...

9-50x75...better make that anti-swipe really good!

That's right ... all I'm left with is 4X Turkey scopes. He doesn't WANT those.

as ive written before , you can teach most people how to do something , its just hard to teach them why.
or , here is another way of looking at the same question
if ,
someone has the blueprints for say ,,, a rolex,,, and they make all the parts the same as the blueprints , a faithfull copy of all the original bits , and then they put all the parts together , and finish with a working watch,,,,,,,,,,, is it a rolex?

Dyson Diver Wrote:
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> as ive written before , you can teach most people
> how to do something , its just hard to teach them
> why.


Worse than Why, is motivation.

I think a crappy craftsman with a desire to build excellent product is better than a genius machinist with no deisre to create.

I hired a desktop person who's tech skills were somewhat lacking per the position description, but her people and educational skilss were outstanding. 6 months later she is pushing hard on the senior tech staff. She was then, and maybe more so now, very hungry. Taht you cannot teach.

Dyson Diver Wrote:
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>is it a rolex?

No. Its like a rolex.

Short of doing a Doc Beeman kinda thing.... the Barnes line stops when Gary does.

But..... there could be a school of "Barnesian airgun thought"........, like Bauhuas is/was in the design world........

Agree with you 101% there

just think we should start looking after the old lad a bit better ,,, dont leave him out in his war wagon in the cold ,, extra whiskey in his hot chocolate ,, and an extra flecey blankie on his feet , in the old rockin chair in the corner , of an eve , infront of the old log fire , in a barnes wonderland ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, nahhhh , no chance , just keep carving that steel gary .

Ah ... ya had me goin' there for a moment. I was starting to snuggle in ....

Then comes the bucket of cold water. Story of my life!!!!!

Gary

Oh c'mon Gary, you know there's no bucket. It's just that the very moment you get snuggled up in your fleecy blanket, comfortably esconced in your cozy chair in front of the roaring fire with a nice mug of Irish coffee...that's when you'll feel the first drip of cold water, probably right down the back of your neck. From the leaky roof of course, which will then need fixing. And when you're up there fixing it you'll find something ELSE that's also broken, which will take most of the day to repair, just as soon as you get back from the hardware store for the supplies you know you have somewhere out in the garage, which of course you can't find right now for the life of you.

So after you've finally fixed the leak and cleaned up the tools (and found the supplies that you were looking for earlier) you can finally get back to your fleecy blanket. Of course the fire will have long since burned out, your coffee will have a layer of scum over it that requires an ice auger to perforate and you will find that while you were up on the roof the leak saturated a three-foot square section of ceiling that's fallen down onto your comfy chair and is in the process of ruining the hardwood floor beneath.

See? No bucket!

STOP .... STOP!!!! I've been there. In fact ... I've LIVED there.

You're a cruel man Sean.

Gary