© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
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Jeremy Chan: Gunsmithing Student, Locavore, Blogger
Fellow sporting enthusiasts!
I have the distinct pleasure of introducing you to a young man who is now studying to become a gunsmith at Trinidad State Junior College in Colorado. Jeremy Chan is now immersed in the famous gunmithing program started by none other than PO Ackley famous writer, gunsmith, and wildcatter.
I bumped into his blog serendipitously. Actually Blake did, and forwarded the link to me. But let me tell you I was really taken by some of the work this fellow is already doing with only a few semesters under his belt.
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: Jeremy, thanks for joining my readers and I here on The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles!
Jeremy Chan: It's a pleasure!
TROC: Let's get started then! What did you used to do, and what made you decide become a gunsmith?
JC: I have always been in a lead or management position in every job I have had since joining the working world. I am currently working part time as a Customer Service Manager at Wal-Mart while going to school to help finance my academic studies. My last job I was a Receiving Manager for a warehouse in Montana, I was responsible for all the inbound freight and managing the stocking team. We supplied convenience stores and restaurants for western Montana, parts of Wyoming and Idaho. I made pretty good money there but I wasn't very happy doing it, I always felt that I should be doing something else with my life. After hitting a breaking point, I decided to follow my love of guns and move to Trinidad and attend Trinidad State College. I would rather be broke and happy than rich and unhappy!
JC: Picturesque, yes. But Trinidad is a SMALL town. Something I'm still struggling to get used to. There isn't a lot to do around here... But that is probably a good thing since there will be less distractions and I can focus on school more.
TROC: Jeremy, I'm sure many of the readers would like to know what courses you've taken, and what the experience was like. I know I'm curious, actually, more than curious...
JC:I have taken several courses now, let me list them:
Image Credit: Jeremy Chan
Bench Metal Class- The main focus of Bench Metal Class is on learning to use hand tools, learning how to polish and how to work with metal.
Metal Finishing - Hot bluing, rust bluing, parkerizing, nitre bluing, and little bit on nickeling.
Firearms Conversions - Converting a military rifle into a sporterized rifle, as an adjunct you also learn how to tig weld.
Machine Class 1 and 2 - Involves learning to use the lathe and mill, probably the two most important tools a gunsmith will use. We get introduced makeing tools and tooling, and the art/ skill of turning a barrel from a blank
Custom Pistol Smithing (elective) - Converting a factory 1911 into a competitive firearm. That's been lots of fun!
Checkering (elective) - Checkering stocks and metal.
Tools and Fixtures (Elective) - Making tools and fixtures for gunsmithing
I have been lucky enough to maintain a 4.0 GPA so far; at first Bench Metal and Machine class was difficult for me because I had never seen a Lathe or Mill before coming here, nor had I ever used any hand tools before coming to the gunsmithing program. About half way through first semester I really took off, once I got the hang of what I was doing and my confidence was up I started doing a lot better.
TROC: I want to show our readers a little side project you did for your brother. Jeremy, that is some beautiful color case hardening you did there! What facet of gunsmithing appeals to you most?
JC: I like the machining side of it most. I really enjoy seeing something take shape before my eyes, and I get real satisfaction when it works too. Most of our projects have a +/- 0.005" tolerance that we are allowed to be in. My last 2 projects (one of them being the barrel I turned from a blank) I have hit all of my dimensions to a 0.0005". I was very pleased with myself.
TROC: What other skills have you aquired?
JC:On the machining side, I'm pretty good at it. Fitting parts and fabricating them is a skill I am competant in. I can build 1911's, convert a Mauser military action to a sporter, but I am still working on metal finishing... I think I could use some improvement in my polishing. Other than that I feel pretty confident in everything I have learned so far. I'm always willing to learn, and anything you give me, I give my all.
TROC: Great attitude! A good attitude will get you much further along, and with less gray hair!With everything you're learning, what are your plans for the future?
JC: When I graduate I would like to work for someone for a couple years and continue learning more about the trade and how a shop runs. Eventually I would like to open my own business.
TROC: You were inteested in gunsmiting when you applied and entered Trinidad, but what have you learned about yourself and your interests?
JC: I came to the school with a main interest in target and varmint rifles. I am very interested in accurate rifles. After taking the custom pistol smithing class, I found that I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The next year I will be taking Stockmaking 1and 2, Repair 1 and 2 as well as Machine 3. This summer I will be taking a class on tuning cowboy action guns, and I hope to be able to take an elective on revolver-smithing. I wonder what else I may find that I like doing.
I am enjoying every minute I am at the school, It doesn't even feel like work when I am there, even when I am doing a tedious task it doesn't seem like I'm working.
Image Credit: Jeremy Chan
TROC: What is it they say? Work at something you love, and you will never work a day in your life! I should look into that myself... Anyway, tell our readers about some of your other interests, what outdoor pursuits are you interested in?
JC: I enjoy hunting and fishing. While I was in Montana I tried to live off of only what I could hunt and kill for 2 years. No commercial meats, really gets you motivated to fill that freezer, I picked up bow hunting (unsuccessfully) to extend my hunting seasons, but it was fun to learn and get out into nature. I also lost a lot of weight doing it. I love to be on the rivers with a fishing pole in my hands.
TROC: A little Locavore action?
JC: umm lets see... I guess it started with my growing dissatisfaction with the local meat market at the time, simultaneously, I had been really getting into hunting. My tv was permanently fixed on the outdoors channel and hunting shows all the time. I saw Ted Nugent and he was talking about his "kill it to grill it "philosophy. It was like a light bulb went off in my head; I said that I should give it a try. It was hard at first, giving up chicken, pork and beef, but the motivation to go out and hunt went through the roof.
It was rough, but once I started filling my freezer, things started to get easier. It changed my whole mind set, everything became about "what can I do to fill my freezer" and "what can I do so that I'm not eating deer all the time". I started doing more bird hunting and fishing. During the summer I would be on the river with my canoe 2-3 times a week, and I never had any trouble filling my bag. I would stockpile my freezer and when it got full I would take them to my friend and have her smoke them for me. I did some bear hunting and harvested a black bear that had been feeding off of an apple orchard. The meat was great. I tried to take up bow hunting to extend my hunting season but after a few failed attempts at turkey hunting I gave it up. I had maintained this life style for 2 years until I moved here to Trinidad for school. My busy schedule between school and work, and lack of knowledge of the surrounding area forced me to revert back to commercial meats. I lost a lot of weight during those 2 years, probably the best physical condition I had been in since highschool. I enjoyed the lifestyle and fully intend to do it when I settle down again.
TROC: Jeremy, that's great! If more people did as you have, we would see a an upswell and determination to protect and nurture our wild areas for the benefit of all.
As if your plate wasn't full enough, you started blogging. What possesed you to do so?
JC: The reason I started blogging was when a classmate told me about a student from the Pennsylvania gunsmith school who had a blog up, WillsWorkBench I think it's called. (TROC: Will'sWorkBench was deleted by the author.) I never could find it, or it might have been taken down when I tried looking for it. Anyways after hearing about the blog I decided to give it a try, mainly so that my family and friends could see the stuff that I'm doing. Also hopefully a potential employer could look and see what I can do, kinda like a work portfolio.
Image Credit: Jeremy Chan
TROC: Let's get you Internet intell out there in case anyone cares to contact you
JC: Sure thing it's nerdgun (at) gmail (dot) com
And my Blog is: http://www.nerdgun.blogspot.com/
Best Regards,
Member: Qalat City Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...
Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.
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