In article 2,
Bill wrote:

Wish I could find a retired machinist with a shop locally I could pay to
teach me some stuff.....

Put an ad in the paper, hang one up down at the welding supply or
industrial supply or feed store...depending where you are and what's
around depends where you should ask - the University I used to work at
had a number of semi-retired, highly skilled folks that would come in to
do certain jobs on a part-time basis to keep themselves in beer money
(try the physics, mechanical engineering or plasma sector of electrical
engineering department. Scientists that need weird vacuum vessels need
machinists.)

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by