Getting Started in Smithing

[TheNuck]

Gents,

I'm interested in getting started in gunsmithing, either by apprenticing myself to a smith or volunteering part-time around a shop. I'm a university student in the Vancouver area. Where's a good place to begin?

The 'Nuck

 

[Ian Robertson]

Make a pile of money the easy way, become a stock broker or investment adviser and then just be happy to be able to buy what you want or do it as a hobby.

 

[metoe]

Make a pile of money the easy way, become a stock broker or investment adviser and then just be happy to be able to buy what you want or do it as a hobby.

That right

 

[jethunter]

Gents,

I'm interested in getting started in gunsmithing, either by apprenticing myself to a smith or volunteering part-time around a shop. I'm a university student in the Vancouver area. Where's a good place to begin?

The 'Nuck

Do a search on "training" in the gunsmithing section, you'll find dozens of threads on this topic.

 

[speerchucker30x378]

It’s almost impossible to get an apprenticeship now. It’s just two expensive to train some one. We gun plumbers are actually becoming an endangered species. There just are not any new people coming into the trade. It does not pay that well and getting a proper education is difficult and expensive. When I went to the Colorado School of Trades old Don Lucas told us that it took two years in school and four years apprenticeship after that just to get backward compatible. On top of that CST is a three year course now and by the time you figure in room board and tuition you are looking at $30,000 a year. I'm sure the Pennsylvania school of gunsmithing or Trinidad University are no cheaper. I always tell people to take a few machining course’s and play with it in your basement. For $10,000 you can buy a fine used lathe, small mill, hand tools and a few books. After that start wreaking a few guns. Lot of guys got their start that way and didn’t turn out half bad. Rod
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I'd like to see Horatio Cains sunglasses pull a stunt like that !

 

[RT]

Gunner...7X61 here on CGN did an excellent post a year or two ago about getting started. Do a search for it...its a good read !

 

[zthou]

Take some evening machine shop courses. Once you master the lathe and milling machine, the rest can be found in the many books avalable. You cannot be a good gunsmith unless you are a kick ass machinist.