This won't be my autobio - I already did that with my Memoir, here just my shop life. 1960s with a young family, mortgage, etc. I couldn't afford guns I wanted so I bought beaters and repaired them. Over time I realized the difference between repair & restoration. That being NY state, I was into pre-perc, flints and earlier. As I climbed the organizational ladder at Pan Am, my shop was a relief valve from company stresses. My shop took me into a world of it's own. My work was good enuf that I never had to deal with the public, my high level collectors & dealers gave me all the work I could do, maybe six clients from the '60s to date. Now only two left and me with failing thrust, most of my work is on my own stuff.
Aside from the fun-money it brought, my reward is in memory lane about the great rarities I had in my hands & worked on, pieces that usually are seen only in museums behind glass - if seen at all.
