Gratton Model Engineering, Derbys

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

Are they still in business ? – I had some good deals from Des and his crew back in the day. Quite a grumpy guy but heart of gold really.

I liked the way they didn't freak out when I mentioned I was a gunsmith, that and the offcuts of dural lurking in the pick and mix area 😀

Edited By Siddley on 20/11/2012 02:43:54

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

No Des died of cancer, family member took it over, moved to Sawley and ran it into the ground.

Now long gone.

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

That's sad news.

[M AliParticipant @mali]

Dear all,

My name is Ali, and sixteen years ago, I was a student  next door to Des's place. But 16 years ago I popped by intreguide by the tran sign above his business and loved the place, I asked him if I could coem there for my work experince, an I fell in love with model engineering because this wonderfully warm hearted chap too me under his wing. Every time I went there his smile and warm welcome made me feel at home. I moved away to uni and didn't go back to derby till 2008 and went around to the old place and it was all closed down, and my heart just sank, I asked the guy cleaning the place where is Des and he explained that he had lung cancer and he passed away within a few months. Oddly, cruelly enough I'm in my final year of training as a doctor, I wish I could have seen Des one last time, all this time I've often tried to find some details of where the business moved to and to visit his widow, Maureen and pay my condolances, I guess to get some closure. They use to live in Mickleover but I don't know where. Des also had a brother-in-law called Wallie, if anyone knows and put me in touch with them, thank you, Ali

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 16/01/2020 12:04:51

[M AliParticipant @mali]

Just re-read my post, dear me, probably best not to write on a forum after a few drinks, sorry for the spelling mistakes.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Ali,

One of my customers knew the family well, in fact Maureen helped raise him. When he comes in next I'll ask him to get in touch with you.

It may have been Wally who moved the business to sawley, not sure, I didn't know the family at all.

John S.

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

Nice thought Ali.

Although not a model engineer it always saddens me when businesses like Des's disappear. I think one of the greatest things about mankind in general is the highly skilled 'amateur' – the model engineers, the radio hams, the amateur astronomers etc etc.

I hope all these eccentric hobbies can find a way to survive in the 21st century

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Siddley

What an odd way of looking at life you must have, do you really think that model engineers are eccentric?

Ian

The difference between amateurs and professionals is that the latter get paid, (often for inferior work)

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

I should have put eccentric in quotes Ian

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

When you look at the "normals"… there's not much wrong with being eccentric !

MichaelG.

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 26/11/2012 16:20:30:

When you look at the "normals"… there's not much wrong with being eccentric !

MichaelG.

I agree completely, I'm just not making a very good job of explaining myself

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

which begs the question, are we eccentrics or perverts…ponder on that!

[Grizzly bearParticipant @grizzlybear]

Siddley, Interesting that you are a gunsmith. Do you work on PCP's as well. I live close to Daystate Ltd.

Regards, Bear..

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

Hi Bear – I started out on airguns ( spring and PCP ) but moved into Sec 1 firearms fairly quickly.

I've owned quite a lot of airguns, but never a Daystate, for some weird reason. I live in Spain now and I'm trying to get a licence to manufacture guns here. The legal system is a bit….complex though

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

PCP? I thought that was a particularly unpleasant drug (angel dust). Would that be a gas pressurised airgun, like my humble Crosman ratcatcher?

Neil

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

Neil – PCP = Pre Charged Pneumatic – basically meaning the power source is very high pressure air ( of the order of 200 Bar or more ) supplied from a divers bottle into an air reservoir on the gun.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

So a fair bit more poke than a glorified sparklets bulb then!

I must get around to making some self-righting targets.

Neil

[SiddleyParticipant @siddley]

The thing about the CO2 ( it actually IS just a sparklets bulb Neil ! ) is that the gas pressure is really low in airgun terms – and the pressure varies a lot with ambient temperature. A clever valving system can cope with that to some extent but it's not the ideal power source.

I remember 'back in the day' some of the Ratcatcher guys would fit longer barrels and modify the valving to get closer to the UK legal limit of 12ftlbs muzzle energy.

As long as you are having fun then don't feel too bad about those fancy PCP's – I have owned some pretty exotic airguns and firearms but it's all about enjoying the sport, and cheap and cheerful is often the best way to do just that.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

I had a Panther(?) air pistol, like most kidas when I was a boy – an awful weakly luger-styled gun. You could shoot in the air and watch the pellet arcing downwards! A lucky few had the Webley with teh short barrel that pivoted at the front. That was really nice to use.

Though i say it myself I've always been a decent shot with airgun or simple (as againmst compound) bow. Targets only, aside from that rat plague a few years ago, which caused my brother to send me the Crosman!

I got much mocked by the family for bragging about my skills until I shot out a candle flame at 10 yards on the first shot. that was leaning on a support and with a scope though. Some of the shine came off when my 12 year old daughter succeded on her second try

That temperature difference explains why I have to reset the sights each time I use it! It seems to be reasonably consistent until you get to the very dregs of the bulb though. Problem is you don't notice the drop in power, you just start missing!

Neil

[Grizzly bearParticipant @grizzlybear]

A Weihrauch HW100 is a nicely machined PCP air rifle.

Regards, Bear (Hunter gatherer)..

[M AliParticipant @mali]

Dear John S,

I would really appreciate it if you could pass my details on to him to pass to Maureen.

I cannot put into words how sad it is that Gratton model engineering doesn't exist any more and small family run places like that. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time.

 

Siddley – you're so right, Dez was a very sincere chap the likes of which we see less and less these days, he definately had a heart of gold and he made me feel so welcome at that workshop, maureen making tea throughout the day for us, and he'd always refer to me as 'Lad', I cannot say enough about him and I hope his soul is at peace.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 16/01/2020 12:03:12

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