"Anchors Away"- welded gifts for family and friends in the Navy

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We learned our “baby” committed to the Navy instead of the Peace Corps or Engineers Without Borders last Wednesday so on Thursday I decided to play with fabricating a desk top anchor for him… something he could take with him where ever he ended up. As it turns out…. my son is going to get an anchor for his wall AND for his desk. Lucky kid!!! --I found a design I liked and we (me and the man teaching me how to weld) sort of both started “playing” with it…. improving upon the design elements I’d found online by "experimenting". --These 1st photos are of the initial fit up for the desk top anchor since neither one of us has a pipe notcher. 2nd photo is just looking at the anchors laid out and the last photos are of how we decided to “class up” the smaller desktop anchor. I really liked the idea of shooting the horizontal rod through the vertical pipe as opposed to cutting it in half and tacking it on either side. --MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:nice work!
Reply:Initial thoughts were sections of pipe would look nice to start out the length of chain. The original design utilized pipe Os. We “played” with different shapes and different “tops” and both ended up liking the look of bull rings so that’s what I chose.----Really love “playing” with a mini-torch!!!MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Here they are all “nekkid”. I added more welds than what was necessary because I wanted them to look welded as opposed to looking like they came off a production line.-- --Last photos were after they were primed and painted. I used shaker can shiny black on the small desktop anchor and something didn’t sit right with me so I switched over to a hammered black spray on. The hammered black gave it a nice metallic sheen that was pleasing to the eye. For the wall anchor I started with the hammered black spray paint and started the chains in silver…. which cheapened the look. I then tried the chains in gold and the anchor looked cheap AND gaudy. I ended up repainting the frame in the shiny black and the chain in bronze and in my opinion…. it now looks like something I’d even hang on my wall. ----Pete1972> Thank you. I had a lot of fun making them.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Well done! Those look great.Real welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!
Reply:Dantheharleyman99> Thank you so much. They far exceeded my expectations by "tweaking" the original design and I know they're something he'll hang onto because.... I made them.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:CONGRATS  to your son !          That makes me want to join the NAVY just to get one.  Take those with him ??  They might consider those weapons ! Multi function piece for sure.
Reply:Nice job.Tell him thanks for serving from all of us here. The military makes all sorts of opportunities available to those who serve, not just in formal training, but also often thru the rec program and so on. Not everyone takes advantage of those opportunities however because often they don't bother to find out what other things are available to them on base/ship or other near by bases or stations..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Great idea.
Reply:Very cool, they look awesome.Nice work.
Reply:Great, wow! Very impressed on how quick you are buzzing along. I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Anchors aweigh, figure I'll tell you now before your new navy family member catches it.Mr. HE
Reply:Originally Posted by hddnisAnchors aweigh, figure I'll tell you now before your new navy family member catches it.Mr. HE
Reply:Equi,What you've made is known as a "Fouled Anchor".   It's the symbol of the Navy Chief Petty Officer.   The "Fouling" (the chain wrapped around it) symbolizes the trials and tribulations that Chiefs must deal with on a daily basis.   If you ever see one with the letters USN attached to the upper cross arm don't mistakenly think it stands for United States Navy.   Those letters stand for Unity, Service and Navigation.  Just thought you might like to know some of that.Carry on.
Reply:Those are some really great looking anchors.
Reply:love the pics!!!!!!!! came out beautiful! gonna have to make a couple myself!
Reply:Awesome project!  Your son will surely appreciate that!  And he could not have joined a better Navy.  May he always enjoy fair winds and following seas!GarLincoln Electric, Power MIG 256Hypertherm Powermax 45 Miller Dynasty 280DXSmith O/A torchGenesis of a welding table
Reply:Nice job!"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Interresting read on anchors and chains that was forwarded to me by a friend, https://www.facebook.com/ussbhr/posts/10150792274400522, “The 13 shots of anchor chain are linked by a special link called a detachable link. These detachable links can be removed whenever a shot of chain needs to be separated. The individual shots of chain are identified by color coded detachable links: red, white and blue. A red detachable link with a painted white link of anchor chain on both sides identifies the 1st shot of anchor chain. After 90 feet of chain it is followed by a white detachable link with two white links on both sides; this identifies the 2nd shot. Another 90 feet of chain is connected with a blue detachable link with three white links on both sides. For the fourth shot of anchor chain we will see a red link with four white links on both sides. See the pattern? This red, white and blue pattern continues until we have reached the 12th shot. This is where the pattern stops because we have reached what is called the warning shot. The entire 90 feet of chain on the 12th shot is painted yellow. This is a visual sign that the ship is coming to the end of the chain. The final shot of anchor chain is painted completely red, also known as the Danger shot. Once we have reached the “Danger” shot we are at the end of our chain. All anchor chains in the Navy are connected to the ship by…”--BD1> Ha ha ha…. they sure are heavy and they certainly do have some really “pointy” parts on them that could do a number on someone’s skull. --Psst…. nice attempt at bailing me out but… I screwed up on anchors away v. aweigh.  --7A749, sqznby, richey, & notsooldordum> Thank you all so much. --DSW> I will certainly tell him!!! He’s a few years away from active duty though. He committed to a program the Navy has but doesn’t get activated per se until he completes a degree he’s working on if that makes sense.  It’s all new to us.  --William McCormick> I can’t take credit for the idea. I was just looking online for something “Navy” I could make myself with the skills I currently have and found this, http://theanchorshop.com/store/class...-anchor-chain/. --weldermike> Ohmygosh…. getting one on one help from someone whose been at it for over 40 years makes ALL the difference. It doesn’t hurt that I’m getting the biggest kick out of what I’m doing either!!! --hddnis> Oh my…. that was a huge oopsie. Really glad you caught it. --HT2-4956> Thank you ever so much for the education…. all of it and I mean that sincerely. I truly didn’t know. When I found it online at The Anchor Shop, their website said the anchor was a symbol of hope and safe arrival…. zip nadda zilch no mention of it being a Chief Petty Officer’s symbol.   --I selected a gift I could weld because I knew if I bought anything other than something practical like a knife…. it’d end up in my basement or in the 1st GoodWill box he passed and was at a total loss for what we could give him that he would actually keep. Now I’m having second thoughts. --Considering our kid is going to be lower than the belly of an earthworm when he starts and presumably not in need of any “pointy” self defense weapons…. my husband and I would really like to know if it is appropriate giving them to him? My FIL served in the Navy as did his Father and they both passed away decades ago….. our friend is a retired Navy Chaplain but…. he and his wife are out in Utah right now watching two of their grandchildren.  There’s no one around for us to ask who would be upfront with us.  --pete1972>  I appreciate photos too!!! The more someone adds…. the better my chances of duplicating a project are. I hope you do make a few. --I look forward to seeing your design “tweaks”. --Gar>  Thank you for your well wishes. We couldn’t be more pleased. For years this kid had his heart set on “serving” as a Missionary. His dream was to work on soil and water remediation as in… helping clean up radioactive contaminants and other ickies in 3rd world countries which…. scared the bejeevies out of us when that was the direction he was still pursuing in college.  We asked…. more like begged him…. to keep an open mind by checking into other ways to “serve”.  We’re beyond thankful he pursued options. You’re right about the Navy…. he’ll be much safer 20,000 leagues under the sea than in say…. Guatemala or Liberia. MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Eq - My Dad was WW2 Navy.  He was Fire Control, 2nd Class on a destroyer escort.  For years I thought that meant fireman.  Actually, he fired a 20mm anti-aircraft cannon."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Equi,I'm sorry to have to tell you this but if your kid's heading off to be an enlisted man in the Navy he's not going to have any room in his life for some thing like that anchor you built for quite some time.   When I went to boot camp (1975) one of the first things that happened was that everything I showed up with (including the clothes I was wearing) got put in a box and mailed home.  What wouldn't fit in the box they gave you got thrown in a dumpster.  Even after boot camp he'll most likely be getting shuffled around quite a bit for other training and will be living in barrack type situations where he won't have all that much room for things like that.   Besides, unless he's a Chief Petty Officer it would be kind of inappropriate for him to display that.   Even if you've been in a few years, aboard ship you still have very limited space for personal items.   The best thing I got from home when I was in were packages of home made baked goods and specialty snacks / treats.  You opened them up, shared them out with your shipmates and were done with it.  My one Grandma usually made sure I got one of those Hickory Farms cheese boxes around the Holidays.  Books or a magazine subscription in his area of interest (guns, hunting, model airplanes, etc) would also be a good thing.  He can enjoy them and then pass them on to his shipmates (and they in turn will be doing similar for him with the things they get).   I guess what I'm trying to tell you is to get him things that he'll enjoy or get some use out of but not things that he'll have to worry about keeping long term track of.   Hope that helps.PS: Another idea.....Go ahead and give him that anchor just also let him know that you'll keep it for him until he's in a place where taking actual physical custody of it won't create any problems for him.   You could keep it on display at your place in honor of his service while he's actually serving.Last edited by HT2-4956; 09-22-2014 at 12:00 PM.
Reply:I will certainly tell him!!! He’s a few years away from active duty though. He committed to a program the Navy has but doesn’t get activated per se until he completes a degree he’s working on if that makes sense. It’s all new to us.
Reply:As far as anchors go here's a project I've been thinking about.  I got my inspiration for the idea while standing around out on deck (in a drizzling rain) next to it for around an hour while waiting on the boat that was going to take us back to shore.   In fact it's why I took the picture.   Unlike most large standard anchors where the base and flukes are a large one piece casting this one has been fabricated out of flat plate.  My idea is to build a scaled down (desk top size) model of it out of stainless and have a short piece of ss chain attached that could be wrapped around it to "foul" it.   I'm seeing it around 8" tall when stood up right.   I'd use the local water jetter to cut me the pieces I'd need out of 3/8" ss plate.   I'm pretty sure I could locate a small ss shackle and piece of the appropriate sized ss chain so I wouldn't have to make those.   Put together with some good looking TIG welds it might could end up being a thing of beauty.   Who knows?  It might even have the potential for a marketable item to the nautical crowd.
Reply:Notsooldordum> I would have thought the same thing. --HT2-4956>  Don’t be sorry at all. I asked because we needed to know. We can certainly hang onto the anchors until he earns that rank and has someplace to put it. Wouldn’t want him get ribbed for lugging around a gift from “Mommy” at his age. --We saw photos of a room similar to what he’ll get in boot camp and…. what can I say…. I got claustrophobic just looking at it…. our dogs have bigger beds and more personal space than what these kids get. Same thing for the rooms they’ll get on a sub…. they stack em and pack em 3-high and there’s one shared desk. It’s my understanding they get rooms that are a little bigger while they’re in school and they’re provided with a desk they don’t have to share and their own shelf they can put anything they want on but… back to a sub after school. Evidently there's no point in bringing anything but personal hygiene supplies.  --Good to know about the box. Fortunately, I doubt it would be an issue.  The kids live modestly and this one is no exception. They have no iThingies, very few personal belongings by choice and even find ways to stave off buying new clothing…. it never ceases to amaze me when I see their gym shoes duct taped together and the soles of their sandals “gorilla glued” all so they can get another few months out of their footwear. It’s borderline embarrassing to be quite honest. Needless to say…. anything that did end up in a dumpster…. would be no great loss. --“I guess what I'm trying to tell you is to get him things that he'll enjoy or get some use out of but not things that he'll have to worry about keeping long term track of.” Gotcha. Very helpful…. no… extremely helpful. Good news…. I bake much better than I weld and we can certainly send him a cheap chess set and cheese, sausage, and cracker boxes…. no problem.   It’s been a long time since he has had time to read anything for pleasure. Hopefully, he’ll have time to re-discover what he enjoys before he goes in. --And about that desk size model of what’s in your photo…. definitely go for it!!!! It has a nice shape to it. I’d be very interested in seeing what you come up with and love your choice of making it in stainless steel. That’s a metal I’d like to learn how to work with some day. Incidentally, judging by the person bending over in your photo.... it's huge. How many tons does it weigh? I don't think I've ever seen sheet metal that thickness before.  --Gar> I’m pretty sure my kid’s enlisted…. it was a delayed deal.  I don’t know all the details other than he worked with a recruiter for the last 6 months then flew out for a final interview and ended up signing on the dotted line along with a few others who will be in his “class” and…. they’re all going to end up some sort of an entry level ensign.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Eq - My son signed up in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) in the USMC.  Signed at 18, went to boot camp a year later and to his MOS school a year after that. Navy has DEP (Marines are part of the Navy).After Karl signed up, I got curious.  Was fortunate enough to join the Marine Parents web site, where I got a LOT of information and support.  For a brief time, I was even on their Board of Directors. Perhaps there are some Navy parents support sites.Last edited by Oldendum; 09-22-2014 at 04:26 PM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welderOriginally Posted by EquilibriumGar> I’m pretty sure my kid’s enlisted…. it was a delayed deal.  I don’t know all the details other than he worked with a recruiter for the last 6 months then flew out for a final interview and ended up signing on the dotted line along with a few others who will be in his “class” and…. they’re all going to end up some sort of an entry level ensign.
Reply:Equi,Based on what you've told us in post #25 I think your son is headed for Officer Candidate School.   And I'd have to guess the delay part is mostly about his finishing up an Engineering Degree.   Having an Engineering Degree is one of the things that will qualify you to go to OCS.   The other route to OCS is to start out as a regular enlisted man and put the time in to get to the rank of E-5.  Either way, while in OCS you are considered as being an "enlisted man".   Upon successful completion of OCS you get commissioned as an Ensign.   Ensign being the lowest Officer Rank (0-1) in the Navy.   And since you mentioned submarines I've got to wonder if part of his recruitment deal isn't then to go on to Nuclear Power School.   If that's the case your kid is in for a really busy and demanding first year in the Navy.Last edited by HT2-4956; 09-22-2014 at 07:00 PM.
Reply:Like Ensign Parker?"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldendum (Marines are part of the Navy).
Reply:I spoke at a press conference in a Congressional office building awhile back in support of renaming Dept. of the Navy to Dept. of the Navy and Marine Corps.Edit:  But a lot of Marines did NOT support the name change.  So did R. Lee Ermey.Last edited by Oldendum; 09-23-2014 at 09:53 AM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Notsooldordum> I’m not too into registering at websites.  I’ll just rely on our kid to fill us in on what we need to know. 1st question I’ve got for him when he calls this weekend will be…. can he send and receive e-mail on a sub daily!!! --I vaguely remember watching at least a few episodes of McHale’s Navy.  It was a comedy right? I honestly can’t recall whether I liked it or not it’s been so darn long. --The Marine Corps does do far more in proportion to their numbers. Your request was not unreasonable.--Gar &  HT2-4956> When the kid was in Cub Scouts (1st – 5th grades)... we took his den up to the decommissioned USS Cobia (sp?) for what's called a lock-in.  Weeeeee.... what fun....  an action packed weekend of little boys from 20 different packs with a whole submarine to themselves running around like wild animals until the wee hours of the morning monitored by parents with Excedrin headaches. They liked it so much…. we did another lock in at the USS Cobia two years later and they did yet another lock-in on that same sub shortly after they crossed over to Boy Scouts. He grew up…. went after the degree in environmental engineering he’d set his sights on in 4th grade… completed an internship…. chose to become a nuclear scientist and "missile locked" on his PhD but…. evidently throughout all of this…. never lost his love of getting “locked-in” on submarines.  --“he will not be considered an "enlisted" sailor and will never be a Navy chief” Sigh, I just learned from our friends out in Utah that this is a true statement. Big oopsie on the “fouled” anchors I guess… hopefully I’ll have time to work on a plan B before he comes home for Thanksgiving.   I don’t ‘spose either of you ever fabricated a mini desk top submarine out of say…..very small  fire extinguishers or any other metal objects you’d care to post photos of so I can “steal”  your designs and “tweak” them? --“I've got to wonder if part of his recruitment deal isn't then to go on to Nuclear Power School.” Yes,  NPS I and II… that much I remember. At this rate…. the kid will never get laid!!! I’ll be pushing up daisies by the time he ever gets around to making babies he can bring home to us. --He just committed within the last 10 days.... we'll learn more as time passes but the actual details are insignificant. He's not going to end up a Missionary in some 3rd world country with a collapsed economy and that’s all we cared about. This may sound rather odd but.... it's all Navy to us.... it's all good and wholesome…. he’s one of you now.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Like a lot of Navy guys I actually started out to join the Marines but failed the entrance test.  I just couldn't get my head in the sized jar they use as the first step in their screening process for new recruits. But seriously, I think that whole thing about Sailors and Marines not getting along is more of a myth than anything else.  And most likely the blame for people thinking that probably lies with Hollywood.   I don't recall there ever really being any bad blood between sailors and marines when I was in.  And since getting out it's been my experience that ex-Marines and ex-Sailors tend to hang together and help watch out for each other.By way of some useless trivia....Navy Ensigns get referred to (behind their backs of course) by enlisted sailors as "Butter Bars".  This is because the rank insignia for Ensign (one gold bar) looks like it could be a stick of butter.  And coupled with the fact that most new Ensigns are a little unsure of themselves and are some what "butter fingered" in their dealings with others well, you can see where that nick name caught on.
Reply:Originally Posted by HT2-4956Like a lot of Navy guys I actually started out to join the Marines but failed the entrance test.  I just couldn't get my head in the sized jar they use as the first step in their screening process for new recruits. ...
Reply:1st question I’ve got for him when he calls this weekend will be…. can he send and receive e-mail on a sub daily!!!
Reply:EQ,Get hold of an old steel paintball CO2 cylinder and make a little submarine for him. Just don't weld on it without removing the valve."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Equi,Just remembered something...There's a retired Naval Submarine Officer on the forums screen name "Bubblehead".   I haven't seen any posts by him lately but maybe if you would send him a PM you could get him involved in this thread.  Being much more knowledgeable about this part of the Navy than I am he'd be in a much better position to answer your questions.  And you know since he's "been there, done that" he might even make kind of a good mentor for your son if you can figure out how to put them in touch with each other thru email.  Not only would he be able to answer any question your son had he might be able to advise him about any potential pit falls to watch out for.    One thing I know from personal experience is that recruiters don't always give you the full story.  They tend to paint a lot prettier of a picture of what you're in for than what it actually turns out to be in reality.  By way of some more of that useless trivia.... the way I at first recognized that "Bubblehead" was probably a submariner was because that's the slang term surface ship sailors use for them.   They in turn refer to surface ship sailor's as "Targets".
Reply:Originally Posted by HT2-4956Equi,...  One thing I know from personal experience is that recruiters don't always give you the full story.  They tend to paint a lot prettier of a picture of what you're in for than what it actually turns out to be in reality. ...
Reply:Olden,Over the years I've talk with a few young'uns who told me that they were thinking about going in the Navy.  I usually told them that I'd be happy to go with them to the recruiters office to help keep him honest and help make sure they get the best deal possible.   While I really did intend to look out for the kid's best interest a part of me also just wanted the opportunity to screw with a recruiter.Oh man, talk about being a gullible 18 year old kid...with in 48 hours of first walking into the Navy recruiter's office I was half way across the country in boot camp in Orlando.
Reply:Equi,You might find this wiki entry on Navy Nuclear Power School informative.   It's considered to be one of the most academically demanding Military training course there is.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Power_School
Reply:yup submarine  , three months of smelling other peoples farts and BO
Reply:HT2-4956,A buddy and I once responded to a grass-roots "recruiter appreciation day" initiative.  We went to the local recruiters offices, which consisted of Army, Navy and Marine Corps.  At the time they were all together in a mall.  Got a bunch of Marines and "poolies", a couple Army guys and the Navy guy together.  We bought a butt-load of great local pizza and drinks and fed them.  The lonely Navy guy mildly complained that everyone eligible joined the Marines and the Army guys were somewhat indifferent.  The Marines might be a bunch of knuckleheads, but there is something about them.  Gentle as African buffalo.  Just don't piss them off."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Ah ha….. “Navy Ensigns get referred to (behind their backs of course) by enlisted sailors as "Butter Bars". This is because the rank insignia for Ensign (one gold bar) looks like it could be a stick of butter. And coupled with the fact that most new Ensigns are a little unsure of themselves and are some what "butter fingered" in their dealings with others well, you can see where that nick name caught on."  Well…. see there now….  at least I got something right…. he’ll be starting out lower than the belly of an earthworm.   --“If you look at their high and tight haircuts, you can just make out where the screw threads for the lid are." Giggle… My SIL, former Marine, would disagree with you. --“You better resign yourself to the fact that your son is going to be completely out of touch for extended periods of time (like around 3 months)” Oh dear. Not exactly what I wanted to hear especially since…. I distinctly recall him getting really excited while mentioning something about “volunteering” for a bachelor tour…. so called because it went out to sea for six months as opposed to only three and nobody who had a wife or a girlfriend ever volunteered for it. That’s what I get for being an active den mother and taking the boys to all those wonderful lock-ins (bangs head against wall a few times).   --“Get hold of an old steel paintball CO2 cylinder and make a little submarine for him” Oh lovely. Where on earth will I ever find an old steel paintball CO²  cylinder? --“One thing I know from personal experience is that recruiters don't always give you the full story.” Lies of omission.... nooooo…. say it “ain’t” so…. !!!   If it sounds too good to be true…  most likely it is.  Recruiters are salesmen…. their competition is the civilian job market which pays considerably more for these types of kids. If the Navy is offering a sign on/re-enlistment of 100- 250k….. I’m pretty sure there’s a military defense contractor out there willing and eager to pay back one’s entire undergraduate debt in exchange for a 4 or 5 year commitment. Worried about how to pay for graduate school…. don’t be…. large corporations routinely offer tuition reimbursement as an employment benefit. Based on my very limited experience with recruiters, there’s a reason why they target  certain kids sooooo…. it would be my suggestion that any kid being wined and dined by a recruiter and flown all over the US seek guidance from his/her parents as well as from veterans before committing to anything…. don’t know any veterans…. find a VFW or American Legion. Our son spoke with our family friend who is a retired Navy Chaplain about this “opportunity” before he responded to the recruiter. He then asked us to join him for his 1st meeting with the recruiter. After meeting with the recruiter, we suggested he ask his aunt and uncle (both career Navy before retiring about 20 years ago) to join him for the 2nd meeting. For a more recent meeting, he asked another aunt and uncle (both served in the Marine Corps for 4-5 years after finishing law school) to join him to discuss the fine print. Let’s just say our son’s decision to enlist was his… and his alone to make but… it was an informed decision. Truthfully, a part of me felt sorry for the recruiter.  --“One guy told me late at night he found Karl up in the wee hours of the night, just fondling his rifle. Told him to lose it and get some sleep. Knowing my boy, he was probably talking to it and encouraging it to grow up some day and become an AK. He hated cleaning those danged things. I guess that's what happens when you give a kid an AK clone when he reaches 18. Spoiled him, I did.” Cute story. We started ours out on BB guns. By Boy Scouts they had 22s.  I’m pretty sure all of ours would have liked to have been “spoiled” by us with AK clones. --Interesting read at Wikipedia. --Now….. come on guys…. the odds of me being able to get my hands on a small CO²  cylinder are like next to none!!!  I need a plan B for my future 'Butter Bar'. MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:Pipe is always an option. Need a round end, a bowl or cup of the right size. Need to neck down the back, how about a metal funnel.... Mario has made a number of really nice "Steam punk" style subs. In fact something like that might be more interesting to him and his friends vs a generic metal tube with a sail and prop on it. You can go wild and tack on all sorts of "junk". If you go with a WWI / WWII type sub design, you have flat decks, torpedo tubes, gun mounts on raised decks, hand rails on deck, net cutters, antenna wires... all stuff they deleted to stream line and quite down subs after the 2nd world war..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Another thought... All sorts of cylinders might work even if a paint ball cylinder can't be found ( not sure they will work anyways since all the metal ones we used to deal with were alum, the others kevlar wrapped. )An old fire extinguisher comes to mind right away. Not sure if the older ones had round bottoms or not. The old one I have at the shop I think has a "crinkled" bottom where they pushed in part of the base to make it flat.  Same goes with an old steel medical O2 cylinder. If you really want an old compressed gas cylinder, go find yourself a shop that does hydro testing and see if you can't get a failed cylinder. I know several places that do hydros. One a place that also repairs welder, most of the others do fire extinguisher service. I stopped in the hydro shop a few weeks back that we used to use when I worked at the dive shop. I wanted the bottom half of a steel HP cylinder to make a dishing form for doing blacksmithing. None of the "scrap" cylinders they had would do what I wanted though at the time. Reminds me I need to grab some forged trinkets and go back and see the secretary and see if she can't give me a call when they get one that will do what I want. Note The hydro shop may want you to "destroy" the cylinder so they know it can't be used for high pressure gas. Some times they'll be happy if you drill a few holes in the cylinder walls. Other times they may want to cut it in half ( my place) That way it's "scrap" when they sell it and there's no chance it can easily be put into service. I was sure to mention that up front, so they knew I wasn't just giving them a BS story to get a "free" cylinder. In fact in my case I asked only to buy the bottom half.You may also find this a useful resource for other projects. The tops of cylinders make great bells, and the small ones will work for wind chimes..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Equi,Sounds to me like your son's set a pretty good career course for himself.   And it will be one that's a lot more financially rewarding than most military careers.   The reason that Navy Nuclear Power School graduates get offered such high enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses is because the Civilian Nuclear Power Industry wants them so bad to run their electrical generating plants that they're willing to pay pretty high salaries.  At least that's how it was in the late 70s when I was working with graduates of that program.While I've never actually been to sea on a sub I did spend 4 years stationed aboard a nuclear sub tender working on them while they were in port.  So I'm a little more familiar than most with what they're like inside and how sub crews operate.   If nothing else I know some of the jargon involved.  Working closely with the actual sub crew members (including Butter Bars) to make repairs to them was a pretty normal part of my daily duties.Concerning building a submarine model out of metal.....Since your unfamiliar with how they're built I'd recommend that you buy yourself a cheap, plastic, kid's model kit of one and use that (loosely of course) for inspiration / guidance on how to go about it.  I think it would go a long way in helping you visualize the kinds of metal pieces you'd need to scrounge around for to make it out of.And speaking of scrounging around and horse trading for stuff you need / want.   My time in the Navy went a long way in developing my skills in that area.  In Navy jargon it's known as "Cumshaw-ing".   Also, Dolphins have significant symbolic meaning for submariners.  So maybe a dolphin made out of found metal objects would be an appropriate gift.Last edited by HT2-4956; 09-24-2014 at 12:18 PM.
Reply:Well…. see there now…. at least I got something right…. he’ll be starting out lower than the belly of an earthworm.
Reply:BTW, this has been bugging me for days tooIn case nobody has corrected it.........................It's "aweigh", not "away"http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=191"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammBTW, this has been bugging me for days tooIn case nobody has corrected it.........................It's "aweigh", not "away"http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=191
Reply:"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Not to crap up the thread...........................Anyways, I think the anchors are a thing of beauty."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/