Not really. Maybe I just worded it differently. I think I drank decaf that morning

The different threads are about completely separate, unique things.
One was about wire gauges and the flow of current. Nothing to do with soldering at all.
The other all about soldering techniques And not about the gauge of the wire

It was my feeling they were worthy of their own thread.
If you see otherwise you can merge them if you feel it necessary.

Sorry if this caused you stress.

Stress? I have not come close to stress in years since I retired. I just saw a line between the two threads as both were automotive related and a few days apart. The only merging I do is onto the local Interstate.

Ron

 

Stress? I have not come close to stress in years since I retired. I just saw a line between the two threads as both were automotive related and a few days apart. The only merging I do is onto the local Interstate.

Ron

;-)
roger that
I wish I could say that.....I was so bored retired, it stressed me out....so I went back to work (my own that is)

 

;-)
roger that
I wish I could say that.....I was so bored retired, it stressed me out....so I went back to work (my own that is)

Way off topic but anyway:
Had a guy I had worked with for about 25 years. He was my counterpart on the mechanical side in our department. Dick was about 7 years older than I was. So one day after he announced his plans to retire I am walking past his office on mt way to my own and he ask me in. Dick was 69 and close to 70 while I was 62 close to 63. He confides in me he is scared about retiring, so worried the guy is seeing a psychologist (shrink) about his anxiety. I couldn't wait to get my stock share payout and be gone and this guy is seeing a doctor? I told him while the last 25 years in the department were great I couldn't wait to be walked out and turn in my badge.

I help friends with home wiring projects, I enjoy the sunshine summer days on the rifle range, I frequently make trips to NC to see old friends I grew up with in NYC, and the wife and I enjoy winter trips to the Caribbean. We also enjoy seeing the kids and grand kids. Sometimes I wonder where I ever found the time to go to work. I went out at 63 and never looked back. I still see co-workers a few times a year over lunch but have no desire to commit to anything. Life is good and I plan to go to my grave totally spent when the time comes. Hard to figure it was the first of May over 5.5 years ago when I retired. Wow, what a nice ride.

Ron

 

Much of my experience there!
I think what happens often is when people retire after working their whole life, gradually succeeding at being the very top of their game, day after retirement, they wake up and its all gone.
There has to be something to replace it, other than sitting in the mall with other retiree's !
Max.

 

Much of my experience there!
I think what happens often is when people retire after working their whole life, gradually succeeding at being the very top of their game, day after retirement, they wake up and its all gone.
There has to be something to replace it, other than sitting in the mall with other retiree's !
Max.

Yes, I figure suddenly we need to fill a large void. Fortunately I managed to have plans and keep myself well amused or busy. As winter sets in up here it means lass time outside on the range or riding my bike and more time returning to indoor projects. I was well respected at work and like you mentioned was at the top of where I was going. Much of my life both inside the plant and outside the plant was consumed by my work. I also enjoyed my work which is something I feel is important for anyone. The day I walked out for the last time there was a pretty big void in my life. Many expected another three years of me but with the winds of change I felt it was time.

Ron

 

One of my customers was about 100miles from you in Bucyrus!.
Max.

 

April 4th, 2014. I actually gave my notice in January of 2014, but agreed to stay on for 13 weeks while they looked for a replacement. I need not have bothered since one of the guys in QA was ready willing and available. After renovating the house we purchased in Florida, I returned to tournament bridge. I play in club games three times a week and travel to regional tournaments about once a month. In the last three years I've met a whole raft of new friends. I barely have time to squeeze in periodic appointments with the doctor and the dentist.

 

Many thanks to moderation who was kind and wise enough to split this part of another thread off as I helped drift things off topic. While I never gave much thought to a thread dealing with retirement the subject had some interesting things mentioned.

April 4th, 2014. I actually gave my notice in January of 2014, but agreed to stay on for 13 weeks while they looked for a replacement. I need not have bothered since one of the guys in QA was ready willing and available.

During the holidays over December 2012 my wife and I were joined at the hip for three weeks as we both had time to burn. Kathy was a manager at a local community TV station while I worked with the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. WE laughed over those three weeks and I mentioned we should be good in retirement as during three weeks joined at the hip we had not tried to kill each other.

I went online and looked at my social security benefit and was pleasantly surprised, even going out at 63 which I would be in February, I looked close at our investments and when I returned to work went to visit our benefits administrator. I was fortunate as I was vested in the old salary employee pension plan which had not been offered for the past decade. I was pleased as I had never even peeked into it before. We were an employee owned stock ownership and had recently been bought by Babcock Wilcox nuclear operations group who was actually one of our prime customers anyway. That payout was sweet. Kathy my wife is almost 3 years my senior and after consideration I decided to go out 01 May 2013 and Kathy went out in November of that same year.

The new ownership brought about change with smaller salary increases and more work demand. They also changed the pension plan for those of us vested in it. As of December 2013 there would be no more longevity meaning wherever you were for a pension benefit Dec 31, 2013 would be as good as it got. While it never had an effect on me it had an effect on those a decade younger than me. I just knew while I was well liked and respected it was time to look to another phase in my life.

I love retirement which has suited me well for the last 5 1/2 years. Fortunately my health is hanging in there and we have the ways and means to do what we want to do. I have bid farewell to too many friends and before I check out for the big range in the sky I want to say that life was a E ticket ride.

Thanks again to the moderators for creating a new thread from my chatter.

Ron

 

Thanks again to the moderators for creating a new thread from my chatter.
Ron

We were ushered off to the lounge!
Max.

 

We were ushered off to the lounge!
Max.

And now you can enjoy it with a toke!

 

And now you can enjoy it with a toke!

Tried it once, but didn't inhale!.
Max.

 

We were ushered off to the lounge!
Max.

Actually Max, it's where it belongs. I really disliked taking the thread off topic so it works. There were a few interesting points brought up regarding retirement or keeping electrical, pulling the plug.

Ron

 

I always pursued 'work' I enjoyed, if it got mundane or boring I switched, heck, I even switched countries!
Max.

 

And now you can enjoy it with a toke!

Funny you mention that as it does relate to my retirement in my situation. During my much younger days I did smoke and toke, especially as a young kid in Vietnam. I was surrounded by friends who never gave the habit up. During my career we were subject to regular urine test so I quit the habit as much as I liked the occasional buzz. When visiting old friends I grew up with there was always some toking and smoking going on and I always passed. During my later years we not only fell under US DoD (Department of Defense) but because of the nuclear energy aspects there was DoE (Department of Energy) and we worked under clearances for both agencies. There was no second chance, you piss positive or test positive for any drug yopu are not under a prescription for and you are toast. Your clearance was pulled and you were walked out on the spot. My friends understood this.

I aleays said when I retire... Well, been retired over 5 years now and haven't smoked the evil weed. Have no shortage of friends my age still smoking and toking but with my career now behind me I simply have not had the desire to get stoned. I do confess that during a 3 year stint living in Italy under DoD I made frequent trips to Amsterdam and the hash in Italy was great but that was long ago before the screenings were frequent and your career rode on them. Even my old friends are surprised that when the joint comes my way I just pass. Even I don't get it.

Ron

 

I wonder how a people retire with all their electronic instruments laying around them. Pretty sure they wont thrash it in bin , whatsoever .
Every day you wake up and see your desk with electronic components here and there and try avoid them. But well, uh, i know its hard

 

I wonder how a people retire with all their electronic instruments laying around them. Pretty sure they wont thrash it in bin , whatsoever .
Every day you wake up and see your desk with electronic components here and there and try avoid them. But well, uh, i know its hard

I have a lab full of instruments and tools and vast quantities of components. I not only had components from my own work, but not too long before I packed it in (I say I quit rather than retired) one of my clients sold his business and gave me a ton of parts his buyer didn't want and another client shut down and gave me a bunch more stuff. I have stacks of bare PCBs for circuits I designed for my own use and now will never assemble. Some days I think about trying to do something with it all other than just trashing the lot. Other days I'm tempted to just abandon all that stuff and my house and go live in a refrigerator box. Probably what will happen is it will just gather dust til I snuff it and then someone else will be stuck with the disposal. I don't do electronics at all now - combination of having been completely fed up with it and getting fixed focus plastic eyeballs that make damned near everything a colossal exercise in frustration.

 

I have a lab full of instruments and tools and vast quantities of components. I not only had components from my own work, but not too long before I packed it in (I say I quit rather than retired) one of my clients sold his business and gave me a ton of parts his buyer didn't want and another client shut down and gave me a bunch more stuff. I have stacks of bare PCBs for circuits I designed for my own use and now will never assemble. Some days I think about trying to do something with it all other than just trashing the lot. Other days I'm tempted to just abandon all that stuff and my house and go live in a refrigerator box. Probably what will happen is it will just gather dust til I snuff it and then someone else will be stuck with the disposal. I don't do electronics at all now - combination of having been completely fed up with it and getting fixed focus plastic eyeballs that make damned near everything a colossal exercise in frustration.

The way you described the fact, really add's in emotional attachments - Very true and Genuine.

 

I have a lab full of instruments and tools and vast quantities of components.

Similar situation in my case, a whole basement of Electronics, servo's etc left over from small business, seems a shame to scrap it all, but there is limited market here.
Max.

 

I wonder how a people retire with all their electronic instruments laying around them. Pretty sure they wont thrash it in bin , whatsoever .
Every day you wake up and see your desk with electronic components here and there and try avoid them. But well, uh, i know its hard

One thing that I miss in retirement is access to about $250,000 worth of equipment that I had when I was working. I worked in RF, so the high frequency stuff is pretty pricey. I often come up against a problem that I say, "Well, I'll just hook it up to the S-parameter test set on the network analyzer...", only to realize that I no longer have ACCESS to one! I've had to resort to testing the way it was done in the "old" days before such niceities.

 

You guys all seem to have retired willingly. Not my case. The company pretty much shut down and moved most production to China. Was given the choice to take my pension and leave or stay and work for half the wage and loose the pension completely. That through me into a deep depression. Just now in the last few years getting back into doing the hobbies I didn't have time for before. Now don't have the money.