a man named Sue H.

[Anonymous]

Name: Sue H. Not many men named Sue anymore. But we're tough. LOL Long story from my mother's crush on Johnny Cash in 1969 before I was born.

Lyrics to Johnny Cash ballad.

"My daddy left home when I was three And he didn't leave much to ma and me Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze. Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid But the meanest thing that he ever did Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."

Well, he must o' thought that is was quite a joke And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk, It seems I had to fight my whole life through. Some gal would giggle and I'd get red And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head, I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue.''

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean, My fist got hard and my wits got keen, I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame. But I made me a vow to the moon and stars That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars And kill that man that give me that awful name.

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July And I just hit town and my throat was dry, I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew. At an old saloon on a street of mud, There at a table, dealing stud, Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue.''

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad from a worn-out picture that my mother'd had, And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye. He was big and bent and gray and old, And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said: "My name is `Sue!' How do you do! Now you gonna die!!''

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down but, to my surprise, He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear. But I busted a chair right across his teeth And we crashed through the wall and into the street Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

I tell ya, I've fought tougher men But I really can't remember when, He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile. I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss, He went for his gun and I pulled mine first, He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.

And he said: ``Son, this world is rough And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough And I know I wouldn't be there to help ya along. So I give ya that name and I said goodbye I knew you'd have to get tough or die And it's that name that helped to make you strong.''

He said: ``Now you just fought one hell of a fight And I know you hate me, and you got the right To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do. But ya ought to thank me, before I die, For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you `Sue.'''

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun And I called him my pa, and he called me his son, And I come away with a different point of view. And I think about him, now and then, Every time I try and every time I win, And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!


Age: Plus side of 30

Education: alphabet soup of letters on my diplomas.

Occupation: still employed in precious metals refining industry.
Contractual and security obligations prevent me from disclosing more as
I am head metallurgist with my current employer.
Over 19 years experience in all types base and precious metals refining.

Thought I'd seen it all until I ran across this forum of experimenters.
Will contribute occasionally from the scientific perspective. Don't want to spoil anyone's fun.

Harold V.
You're retired. I'm not.
You're 67. I'm not.
You know it all. I don't.

Congrats on your retirement. I will eventually.

 

[lazersteve]

Sue,

I love that song!

I'm still laughing and probably won't stop for quite sometime to come!

Welcome to the forum Sue. It's great to have you with us.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one person has all the answers. My answers may not work for your questions and your answers may not fit my questions. That's why we are all here on the earth.

It takes the diversity of our group to paint the full picture of what it is that we do in our own ways. The key for all of us is to share and learn (and have fun doing it). Granted some may be more educated, or have more hands on know how than another, but that doesn't make us better or worse, just different. A fresh perspective is a valuable thing.

What you do in the big refinery all day, as a scientist, may not be possible for me in my garage, so I make due. Where you use science to solve the problem of the day, I use ingenuity. Where you have the budget of a big corporation funding your creativity, I have the salary of a worker bee.

These things are what makes this forum so great. When was the last time you had the chance to laugh at another experimenter struggling with a problem you had solved years ago.. don't answer that, it's a retorical question!

Now that you've revealed the Secret of Sue, I think we can better utilize your presence as the 'resident scientist'! I'm positive you will be a valuable forum member.

It's been my honor and pleasure chatting with you. I hope to learn a lot from you and maybe along the way you will loosen your lab coat collar a bit and learn something from one of us.

Take Care,

Steve

 

[Harold_V]

You know it all. I don't.

Nope. Far from knowing it all. But I do have a keen sense of what works for the home shop refiner. After all, that's what I was-----and successfully so. There's much I don't know---but I know enough to get any one of these guys up and running to an acceptable level, avoiding doing real stupid things. That's assuming they are interested in such a thing. Some folks have a different agenda and delight in the experimentation. Far be it for me to attempt to deprive them of their enjoyment.

Congrats on your retirement. I will eventually.

In time, Grasshopper. It must be earned.

Mine came at great expense, time-wise. Sweat from the brow, if you will. I, indeed, earned it. I've never been a slacker----not from the day I started my first job after graduating high school. Fact is, I was never unemployed a day in my life from that point forward. I've never drawn a dime of unemployment pay---and have earned my way in life every inch of the way. I came from an immigrant family with few means. I was not handed a free ride at any time. Some folks made it hard-----in some cases doing their level best to discourage me in my endeavors------while a few had confidence in me and encouraged what I did.

Refiners, in general, represented the group that discouraged me----one even laughing in my face when I told him what my purpose was for my visit to his refinery. Did I mention I ended up with the vast majority of his customers? It is because of such reactions that I try to pass along to others the little I know. It's not always easy to get needed information.

Please take note that I make reference to Hoke's book, and encourage readers to obtain one. I also suggested that I am not, in any way, qualified to dispense good and proper information in the way Hoke did. I say that because I do not "know it all", nor do I pretend to.

When you render it down, I bring to this forum more than 20 years of hands-on refining----and I'm willing to share any part of that experience with anyone that has a desire to learn what little I know. That's an offer to which I was never exposed, and is highly unlikely to be found elsewhere. I am not interested in a contest of who knows what, or who may have the best credentials. What I know I know with confidence, and have proven it through application time and again, in support of a refining business I founded, then sold when I retired. That's the part I'm willing to share with others.

There is no alphabet soup covering my high school diploma. I was damned lucky to get what little I did in the way of education. If you knew me as a person you'd understand that----and agree whole-heartedly.

Although it was posted once before, perhaps you missed it. Here's an example of the high quality work I turned out in my lab:

Harold