People often ask me .. How did I start?

Well I've always been good with my hands, and have been making and inventing things all my life. I suppose it started when I designed and made my own catapults and archery gear at age 5.

I've dabbled in furniture making, woodturning, plumbing, electrics and electronics. I can do it all, and then some. All self taught, but therein lay a problem ...., at work anyway, but this has eventually allowed me to do what I do now.

I've been a research chemist all my professional life, but latterly I had a career diversion toward mechanical and process engineering.

Still working as a research boffin, at this stage I was really a professional inventor working on fish processing machinery. A job I absolutely loved, but then the Health and Safety executive got the better of me........

I was thoroughly upset with this. I had a degree, yes, but no trade apprenticeship, and because of this, the new “Health and safety at work” rules prevented me using ANY workshop equipment.

I'd been used to doing sheet metal stuff using power guillotine, and all the usual equipment, ..benders, welders, drilling, milling etc, and of course the engineers lathe. Now, thanks to these new rules I had to sit back and give instructions to fitters to do the hands on work for me!

They tried hard to please me, but with inventing, which has to be a spontaneous and creative process, it's a recipe for disaster and really quite unworkable. In the end, I missed my lathe so much, I went and bought one for home use, and did a lot of Company work in my own time.

Now that I'm retired due to poor health, got some time on my hands and a fairly well equipped engineers shop, I try to combine two of my favourite things ... guns and engineering.

I have to say I owe a huge amount of gratitude to the Airgun BBS forum - What a wonderful site!

Without this, the first few jobs that I took on for members, which has now grown to a steady trickle, would not have happened.

I've met many exceptional people on the forum, but I have to make a special mention of two:

Malc Tulloch, (one of the few "real" engineers I know), who gives me technical support in many forms, and at times moral support as well. .. A diamond geezer!

Also, (mortal foe of rattus rattus), the inimitable Dan Bowman (Geordie on the BBS).

A man who, I suspect, bit off somewhat more than he bargained for, when he offered, free gratis, to build this website for me.

He has graciously, and onerously, completed this task, and has been so generous and supportive with his energy, expertise and time, in putting this website together.

Quality people.

Thanks guys.