A smith I know pretty well would devote an entire week doing nothing but barrel prep. He said by the end of that week his arms were about to fall off from striking barrels. I think he did them in batches of 8. Did excellent work and fantastic polishing all by hand. I think most of what he did was fluid steel barrels. Could be wrong. He found that was the best way to do it, but indeed it was a long wait between batches. He now works for G&H.
I've done a four day stretch before. Right now, I need to do a two week stretch to make a dent in the accumulated tubes. I'm in my late 50's, and do not relish the thought. Protecting certain days for certain tasks is where I lack discipline. Each morning starts with a plan, prayer, and a solid commitment and firm commitment to do my best for every customer I have. Thankfully, I've been blessed with wonderful folks who are kind people, and many have become friends. However, I drives me crazy thinking all of the tasks I am NOT doing, when I pick the one to do at the time. Clearly, the problem is partially me.
My other issue is related to my facilities. I have half of a two car garage, and the front yard to do my work. Sometimes I will go to another shop and hour away if I need a big mill or lathe. I can have 6 barrels going at a time because of limited space, and a limited me. In two years we can move, and I spend most days imagining how fantastic it will be to have everything I need set up as workstations, instead of having to set up and tear down for so much of each day. I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish here, but it is also extremely frustrating and pisses me off quite often. Two more years .... I can make it until then as long as the body holds up.
Starting a week long stretch tomorrow, with a day off on Sunday.
