When I entered Tech in “55, I believe it was a requirement that all engineering freshmen had to take a one term basic Shop course. I was an EE and remember some of my lab projects: arc welding, torch welding sheet steel, and yes forage welding chain links. I never developed any of these skills, but often found the “hands on” experience invaluable in my career in Reliability and Design Assurance.

Jim Smith ’64

***

The article “blacksmithing: A Problem – Solving Art” brought back memories of my undergraduate years at MCM&T as a Mechanical Engineering student (MTU was then named Michigan College of Mining and Technology). All ME freshman students were required to take a a year of hands-on Shop lab courses consisting of one term each of Pattern-making/Pipefitting, Machine Shop and Blacksmithing. These labs were conducted in the basement of the old “Shops Building”. There were sufficient machine tools and forges for each ME student in the class. My blacksmithing skills, in particular, have served me well over the years. For almost 20 years, I’ve been volunteering with “Kalmar Nickel”, the Tall Ship of Delaware. One of my activities has been blacksmithing. I have forged parts for the 17th century re-created ship and have given many blacksmithing demonstrations to school children as well as adults. That training at MCM&T has served me well. Dr. Bill Predebon, Chair of MTU’s ME-EM Department , and I have had conversations regarding the value of “hands-on” training for ME students. I’m glad to see it continues at MTU.

Earl Seppala ’61