My Dad was an ironworker and blacksmith as well so watching the old timers is always special since they were taught by earlier generations who held onto different techniques.I could watch this craftsman show his talents all day I didn’t want the episode to end.Much respect,Thanks

What a joy to watch a master craftsman that hasn't lost any of his skills and to share them here What a great man you are Al.

@ducthman4737

Жыл бұрын

We only get old on the outside as long as the brain functions.

@samrodian919

Жыл бұрын

He reminds me of an older version of the legendary Aussie cricketer Merv Hughes

The battle of Hamel was an outstanding success for Monash and the Australians. However we lost 1000 plus killed. Old guns like this are a reminder of their sacrifice.

Al has forgotten more than we will ever know, watching a master at work

I worked for Al as a plumber many years ago. I was always impressed with his skills and knowledge and it is evident that he has lost none of it. Great work Al.

It doesn't matter what the video is about, it's always a masterclass!

When it's complete, and you go to display it, it would be awesome if you could duplicate the original placard from the 1918 capture photo to display along with it.

I remember watching it sell at auction, glad you guys ended up with it. Such a historical piece of Australian military history.

Looking great, Al’s a superstar 😊

I havnt seen hands Like Als since My Pops' who was a Smithy at the Islington Train Workshops.[ He probably made one of the Bren Gun Carriers during the War at the Woodville Plant you have ]. Tell AL he is a National treasure !

@tonybony5805

Жыл бұрын

Fortunately most of the Islington workshops have been preserved.

I worked on the 77mm field gun when it was owned by Rod Bellars. We did not agree on his methods of restoration so I withdrew my support . I look forward to seeing the restoration done to the excellent standards that you always do.

Can't wait to see more of Al and his handiwork!

thats amazing old bazza helped capture the gun, at hamel. now hes restoring it

@bigmac60

Жыл бұрын

Should be grateful he did. So you can make fatuous remarks on the internet

Greatest compliment I ever got was from my 8th grade wood shop teacher when he told me it was a pleasure to watch a craftsman work. Al, it is a pleasure to watch you, a craftsman, work!

He's probably forgotten more about metalworking than I will ever know. Much respect for his craft and patience. Thanks for sharing these and keep them coming please.

I've watched at least one documentary detailing the brilliance of the Australian (and Canadian) planners in developing combined arms tactics -- and then training and drilling the troops so they could actually implement those concepts. Brilliant! I wish it got more attention as it shows the value of facing reality vs simply doing what has been done in the past.

This guy is amazing! He can accomplish persision cuts with a grinder better than most people could with persision cutting saws and tools. He is the real deal and a compleat master of his trade. Well done Sir!

More great work. Good to see some CAD design at work 😊. We will probably never get to your wonderful museum but we have been to Le Hamel and paid our respects at the Australian Memorial. 🇦🇺

Seriously AL need to be put on the next Australian honours list. I'm not joking.

Epic fabrication skills, superb to watch him do his magic!

Wow guys what a great short story of our Australian Digger's thankyou guys. Love learning & hearing our history

Love his classic Aussie Understatement:.."I might put a little bit O' Heat on that,,....bend it around" Then he brings out his oxy -acetylene torch!

its the older fellows that know all the tricks. :D

That man is a treasure. His ability to use metal is just amazing.

Warrnambool has quite a few WW 1 cannon, rusting overlooking the sea. Wheels in situ. Always thought it sad they’d be left to rust.

Serial #6532 Acceptance 1915 makes it a late 7.7cm Feldkanone 96 - the Rheinmetall designed FK 16 was introduced in the following year. It might be a recycled gun - Krupp and other factories rebuilt guns throughout WW1 - if it has "abg" and "gef" with dates stamped below the charge port it's probably an old gun which was rebuilt. The carriage rails on Krupp guns was made from pressed steel of about 12 gauge to reduce the weight as much as possible. This was only possible because the recoil from firing the gun was absorbed by a hydraulic cylinder - the barrel was pushed back to battery by a series of springs. Unfortunately the light construction means that the Krupp/Rheinmetall guns rust away very quickly. The older guns from the 19th century had massive frames to withstand the recoil forces and these often survive quite well. It's amazing what can be brought back from a rusted mess. The rather special 15cm Krupp howitzer in Jamestown, SA was rebuilt by a local firm with help with the riveting by local steam railway enthusiasts.

I almost certain that Al is a Magician from another time, the man has mad skills, great fella

Thank you Al for all the hard work, love, care and attention you bring to your projects. It is great to see people preserving history instead of letting it rust into oblivion.

I could watch Al and the other guys working on historical guns and tanks for hours!

Brilliant! Such commitment and expertise!

It really is amazing watching these old blokes in action. Pure craftsman.

A lovely project and very relaxing to watch Al work his magic, being a craftsman he makes it look so easy. Please keep us updated.

There's no substitute for experience al really is a true craftsman and a pleasure to watch ,amazing work .

Al is such a craftsman, and I love my weekly fix, getting to watching all of the AAAM team work their magic. Never miss an episode!

I think removing the rivets and repairing the individual pieces proper on that end would be the best way to go. They look like easy pieces to replicate.

Need one of those "Caution: Genius At Work" signs for Al

Fantastic job. So important that stuff from both world wars is kept alive to honour what the hero's did.

Outstanding video and presentation. Great work Al and Kurt.

I am so Impressed by Al's skill with the cut-off wheel. He cuts his line FREEHAND and then when he places his steel ruler under it it is a perfectly straight edge. I cannot cut like that even when I use a guided piece!!

favourite video series

You can see when someone loves what they are doing and puts pride in their work

So good to watch Al a true artisan giving a historical piece such care and attention. Just think what the 21st battalion boys had to go through to obtain those pieces.

Great video as always guys 😀. I'm glad you showed this as I don't think many Australians realise that General Monash of our Army was the true instigator and planner behind what later became Blitzkrieg by the Germans. The reason it was seen as the way ahead was that Monash and his men broke through the German lines and caused immense panic. Who was an officer in the German Army right where this happened but a younger Heinz Guderian the father of the new German wonder tactic. Keep up the good work and I hope one day to be able to come to the museum for a look.

Awesome what you do preserve history. Outstanding great job. Hopefully one day come Australia 🌏🦘 see your museum. 🇦🇺

Es maravilloso ver el cariño con el que tratan armas de guerra, que claro, han utilizado y quizás dado su vida sirviendo en ellas, jóvenes de un siglo atrás. Mis respetos a todo el equipo!

@mikef.1000

Жыл бұрын

Gracias Guillermo por tus palabras amables. Si, las guerras y los soldados del siglo pasado son dignos de nuestros respetos. Y el equipo en el museo en Australia están preservando estas armas en su honor. 👍

I'm glad to see you guys were able to save some of Rods stuff from heading over seas. I've known him for a few years and dealt with him for carrier parts, unfortunately I never managed to get to his place to see his collection but hopefully I'll get to see some of it one day in your shed. Thanks for saving some of our history.

@devonlord99

Жыл бұрын

I bought an item of the collection as well although it cost me more than I’m willing to admit. 😅

@christopherloft8971

Жыл бұрын

i ended up with 4 of Rods Artillery pieces and feel as i’m a custodian of these pieces

Ever thought about bagging up the cut off pieces and selling them with a certificate of authenticity and some pictures of where it's from. The history of the machine and it's service history? I'd pay for that.

Al is a bloody legend.

That is a metal artist at work beautiful repair

Great job and as always you folks have gotten my Wednesday off to a good start. Many thanks to Al and all the other folks at the museum.

He's an artist! What a privilege to watch Al working on that piece. More!!

And to think this could have been lost to time if it weren't for just one conscientious fella with an appreciation of history. There are exceptions as this video shows but in general Australia has a very cavalier attitude to its history..

Watching him work motivates me to get back to working on my car .. inspiration at it's finest

Awesome, finally a WW1 piece. And even a german one. Great work as always, well one of my next videos will be about a biographic novel from a veteran who was in the field artillery and used a piece like that.

I could watch him work for days. What a craft! What a wisdom and knowledge of all tricks of trade.

you ever think about selling those rusty bits? pieces of history. there must be a collector who would want a bit of your historic pieces

@andrewfischer8564

Жыл бұрын

put them in a frame with a letter of provednce

Cheers to Al! Best master craftsman in Australia. I'm happy to see that this gun is being restored.

Thankyou for rescuing Australian history, fantastic work considering it looked unsalvageable

Fantastic as ever Love the history being kept alive

Nothing better than watching a skilled tradesman or woman or craftsmen at work and you boys certainly have your share of them. Many thanks

Always a pleasure Al

Al's the man! Legend!

Al is an Artist!

I have been enjoying all of your videos and love watching the way these very skilled craftsmen go about doing things. The videos themselves are very well done too. I was especially interested in this 7.7 cm FK 96 project because my grandfather crewed one in WWI. Erste Garde Feld Artillerie.

Brilliant such good work from a keen specialist, I also recall from a long time ago, "I've cut it twice, and it's still too short"!

Thoroughly enjoyed watching Al work. What a treasure he is!

Well done Al!

What a craftsman. Thank you Al and Aus Armour.

Always love watching Allan work, so confident and precise. Great video, love to see more of Allan

What you guys are doing there is awesome. Those tanks that were nothing but scrap you rebuilt and restored and these guns that we going to be scraped. Excellent work and excellent channel

Him and the gun go together like an old married couple. Probably because they’re the same age and in the same condition. He’s a sweet old chap.

I look forward to these videos every week! Thank!

Something different today, at one time before I started watching your channel, I was worried that restoration skills would one day disappear . After watching your channel now for some time, you guys, at least in Australia, have got it covered! Nice work!

Watching a master at his work is always something to cherish. Al knows his metals and his adept hand at his work restoring that field piece made me hope that younger folks study under him to keep those skills 'alive'.

Just to echo everyone's comments on the pleasure of watching a master at work.

Its great watching a real tradesman at work. So precise.

Time spent observing masters is never time wasted.

well done, amazing workmanship,

Master craftsman!

You have some very talented and skilled people working at Aus armour.No matter the subject video, all are very informative and a joy to watch.

Thank you for the show, greetings from Essen (the home from Krupp),Germany.

I knew who he was when you mentioned his name. Never forget your old masters and their skills. Keep up the great work gents.

Such a pity I’m in my 60s, I’d love to have an apprenticeship with all these guys.

These guys are SO skilled, thanks

There's something about watching an old master working his craft. Excellent work sir.

It just shows that the older generation has much more of a finesse and a better eye for the finer details

Best wishes W such a significant piece. I'm sure you'll do the same excellent job you all (& this time Al in particular) turn out so often & so well. It's great to hear we have such a large & significant piece not just from WW1, but this battle. Watching is always a learning experience, and a reminder of former jobs in repair roles. The lessons you can learn just watching the old hands at work.

Incredible skill. It's fascinating to see Al address each problem with the least invasive solution. History in good hands.

It’s always great to see a profesional doing his work!

It should be remembered that a company or more of US troops from Chicago insisted on joining us at the battle of Hamel effectively refusing orders from their General Pershing not to do battle under non US leaders. 4th of July attack date was a bit of a come along. The diggers and the doughboys found that, at that time, they had a lot in common and some yanks were reputed to have worn Australian uniforms to join in the “fun/ hate”. The Yanks as units were very eager and brave but did not comprehend that the German lines had to be totally neutralised before they were advanced past as undefeated and fully manned German bunkers were left behind the advances and caused much mayhem on the following waves of troops. Drink a toast to the boys from Chicago.

@kristoffermangila

Жыл бұрын

One of the doughboys that joined in on the "fun" at Hamel on that fateful 4th of July 1918 was Thomas A. Pope. Because of his gallant actions there, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal of the United Kingdom (then the second highest gallantry award the UK had, right below the Victoria Cross), and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A Master Class of rust removal. Awesome!

Great craftsman Al.

Props to Al. The only straight line I can cut is paper with scissors.

Thank you Al and Kurt for preserving history and sharing great craftmanship! Best regards from Sweden.

Al is a true craftsman, it’s a joy to watch him work.🫡

Good to see. Significant war trophy. Thank you.

The skills learned over a lifetime are never forgotten. A real pleasure to watch Al work his magic! Cheers from New South Wales

What a joy to spend a little bit of Wednesday morning with Al. Thanks fellas!

Another great lesson in craftsmanship from Al, looking forward to following the restoration of such a historic piece.

Great stuff, it's a pity you can not film the wheels being made.