helping someone pass the tests from Foley Belsaw

[cledry]

OK, thoughts on this.

I had an elderly gent in his late 70s stop in the shop. He explained that he was taking the Foley Belsaw course to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a locksmith. He reiterated it was just a hobby. He informed me that he wasn't a threat to our business (I had to laugh to myself but I thought what is the harm in helping this guy out).

He told me that the company running the course was going out of business (not surprising reading the tests) and he had a very limited time to get his tests returned.

I agreed to help.

So on the bit about SFIC and Emhart high security he missed about half, so I corrected them. On another part he got 8 out of 10 so I told him to turn it in as he had written it as it was still a passing grade. I mean who uses Emhart rotating pin locks? What a stupid course.

Am I doing wrong to help this guy out?

[kwoswalt99-]

They still have some Emharts left at my old high school.

[Jacob Morgan]

You're helping him out in fulfilling a harmless life-long dream, nothing bad about that.

He probably saw ads, month after month, year after year, inHome Mechanix, Popular Mechanics, Outdoor life, etc., about how great locksmithing was. Train at home and own your own business and start making money even before the course is over. I'll miss those ads myself, even if I think they led most people to have unrealistic expectations. Maybe he worked through jobs he did not like, thinking if only he could save up the money for the course. For a lot of people it is just a fantasy, surely no harm in helping him out when he is not going to quit a day job and hang out a sign.

[billdeserthills]

I can't guess why he feels he is validating his lifelong dream, doesn't he know he is cheating?
Anyhow that's on him, I think it's a nice gesture on your part cledry

[cledry]

I can see why Foley-Belsaw went out of business. There are so many spelling and grammatical errors. I cannot imagine it was put together by anyone qualified to write a course or a test.

[GWiens2001]

Am glad that you took the time to help the gentleman to realize his lifetime goal. Kudos.

As for the FB coursework - am sure it may have been up to date in the 1970's. Well, the 1960's. Umm - wasn't it updated in the 1950's?

Gordon

[cledry]

I better get the answers back to him before Irma hits. I may be without power for a few weeks.

[Jacob Morgan]

I better get the answers back to him before Irma hits. I may be without power for a few weeks.

Hope you stay safe from whatever hits.

In case anyone is interested, looked into the company that owns Foley-Belsaw. It is a company in Minnesota that owns a few companies that seem to be all related to sharpening things. Their main interest is in machinery that sharpens the blades of reel mowers used by golf courses. Of course, Foley-Belsaw used to sell saw sharpening equipment (and the training on how to use it). My next door neighbor, when I was a kid, sharpened saw blades in his garage, but hardly anyone does that anymore. Foley-Belsaw used to offer a number of other courses: VCR repair, HVAC, wood working, etc. They have been dropping courses over the years and were down to three. Who knows, maybe the parent company just decided it was not worth the trouble and it was time to focus entirely on sharpening mower blades.

[kwoswalt99-]

I better get the answers back to him before Irma hits. I may be without power for a few weeks.

Hope you stay safe from whatever hits.

In case anyone is interested, looked into the company that owns Foley-Belsaw. It is a company in Minnesota that owns a few companies that seem to be all related to sharpening things. Their main interest is in machinery that sharpens the blades of reel mowers used by golf courses. Of course, Foley-Belsaw used to sell saw sharpening equipment (and the training on how to use it). My next door neighbor, when I was a kid, sharpened saw blades in his garage, but hardly anyone does that anymore. Foley-Belsaw used to offer a number of other courses: VCR repair, HVAC, wood working, etc. They have been dropping courses over the years and were down to three. Who knows, maybe the parent company just decided it was not worth the trouble and it was time to focus entirely on sharpening mower blades.

You're right, machinery was their main business, not courses. I think I've used every sharpening machine Foley Belsaw ever made.

[cledry]

Yeah, Hurricane Irma is heading straight for us. I only did half a day at work then went and bought supplies, Belgian beer of course, a generator (surprised to find one), gas for the generator, managed to get the shutters put up and the TV antenna down. Tomorrow I have to run over to my other house and tidy up any loose fence panels. No time or plywood to board that one up and no insurance on that one so I will have to keep my fingers crossed. I expect to lose power for a few weeks.

Work was crazy busy but we turned down more jobs than we ran. Hurricanes always remind people at the last minute to make sure they can lock their doors, so we have been locking up 24 hour gas stations, 7-11s, McDonalds etc. and a bit of water mitigation, but turning down sand bagging and boarding up. The NSPs are desperate. Offering $5000 per board up, $2000 per sand bag job and $400 to add plastic sheeting over server racks.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Yeah, Hurricane Irma is heading straight for us. I only did half a day at work then went and bought supplies, Belgian beer of course, a generator (surprised to find one), gas for the generator, managed to get the shutters put up and the TV antenna down. Tomorrow I have to run over to my other house and tidy up any loose fence panels. No time or plywood to board that one up and no insurance on that one so I will have to keep my fingers crossed. I expect to lose power for a few weeks.

Work was crazy busy but we turned down more jobs than we ran. Hurricanes always remind people at the last minute to make sure they can lock their doors, so we have been locking up 24 hour gas stations, 7-11s, McDonalds etc. and a bit of water mitigation, but turning down sand bagging and boarding up. The NSPs are desperate. Offering $5000 per board up, $2000 per sand bag job and $400 to add plastic sheeting over server racks.

I remember the NSP offers last year for Matthew. I can only imagine.

Stay safe Cledry, I mean it. Pop in and let us know you're alright once it passes. And do your best to take the piss out of it before it heads my way.

[cledry]

Yeah, Hurricane Irma is heading straight for us. I only did half a day at work then went and bought supplies, Belgian beer of course, a generator (surprised to find one), gas for the generator, managed to get the shutters put up and the TV antenna down. Tomorrow I have to run over to my other house and tidy up any loose fence panels. No time or plywood to board that one up and no insurance on that one so I will have to keep my fingers crossed. I expect to lose power for a few weeks.

Work was crazy busy but we turned down more jobs than we ran. Hurricanes always remind people at the last minute to make sure they can lock their doors, so we have been locking up 24 hour gas stations, 7-11s, McDonalds etc. and a bit of water mitigation, but turning down sand bagging and boarding up. The NSPs are desperate. Offering $5000 per board up, $2000 per sand bag job and $400 to add plastic sheeting over server racks.

I remember the NSP offers last year for Matthew. I can only imagine.

Stay safe Cledry, I mean it. Pop in and let us know you're alright once it passes. And do your best to take the piss out of it before it heads my way.

It should be nothing to worry about by the time it reaches you. I may be without Internet for a while but I will try and let you know if I manage to scrape through. We are not going to do calls after 4 PM tomorrow until Tuesday.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Yeah, Hurricane Irma is heading straight for us. I only did half a day at work then went and bought supplies, Belgian beer of course, a generator (surprised to find one), gas for the generator, managed to get the shutters put up and the TV antenna down. Tomorrow I have to run over to my other house and tidy up any loose fence panels. No time or plywood to board that one up and no insurance on that one so I will have to keep my fingers crossed. I expect to lose power for a few weeks.

Work was crazy busy but we turned down more jobs than we ran. Hurricanes always remind people at the last minute to make sure they can lock their doors, so we have been locking up 24 hour gas stations, 7-11s, McDonalds etc. and a bit of water mitigation, but turning down sand bagging and boarding up. The NSPs are desperate. Offering $5000 per board up, $2000 per sand bag job and $400 to add plastic sheeting over server racks.

I remember the NSP offers last year for Matthew. I can only imagine.

Stay safe Cledry, I mean it. Pop in and let us know you're alright once it passes. And do your best to take the piss out of it before it heads my way.

It should be nothing to worry about by the time it reaches you. I may be without Internet for a while but I will try and let you know if I manage to scrape through. We are not going to do calls after 4 PM tomorrow until Tuesday.

I hope you're right.

They're saying wind gusts of 40-45 MPH by the time it gets here. That may seem like child's play but I live in the woods...surrounded by loblolly pine trees...that are 60 and 70 foot tall. Widow makers.

[GWiens2001]

Stay safe, Cledry. And any of the rest of you in the storm's path.

Gordon

[billdeserthills]

I bet one of these storms will really help cool off the hot summer here in AZ