Benjiman Kennedy

Team building for prosperity and wealth

2010-10-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

I am asking today of those people that are tired of not having enough money each month to support a family. There are ways to supplement your income each month without quiting the job you already may have. If you have been laid off from your job this site is a good way to develop different ways of building wealth by building teams for down line businesses.

This joint venture is critical to our success in a highly competitive market place. The choice is yours to be on a integrated thinking team to build successful businesses all around the world. Join today and lets move forward through these hard economic times. Together we can eradicate the money worries we all face today.

The choice is yours on how you will react to this team building venture with me. There is money to be made but we have to work together towards that success. If you want to change things about your life. You have to change things in your life. Please join me and lets move forward.

Thank you: BRC Solutions/ Working towards a better life of prosperity and happiness.

I have a dream:

2010-07-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have a dream of my own that one day I will have the vision that Kenneth Iverson had. He started up his successful mini-mill structure that Nucor Steel has become today. Kenneth Iverson was a leader and with his vision of integration lead many employees to wealth well beyond their wildest dreams. He built steel mills in out of the way locations near towns and cities that were oppressed by unemployment, poor farmers and uneducated people.

He took that chance by instilling into his employees that by being open minded and the willingness to change that anyone could become wealthy beyond their wildest thoughts. He gave many the opportunity to better themselves. Through hard work Iverson integrated incentives to keep his employees moving forward all the time. The employee that worked the floor had his undying devotion and he was dedicated to them and cheered for their success when progress continued forward. His excitement became our excitement as production tons per hour increased to record levels.

Soon after his bonus incentive took root. He added another incentive. The stock option where every employee could buy stock and Nucor would match the difference.Many employees that worked in the one small mill in Darlington, S.C., became rich in their investments. Each quarter the dividends increased. Stocks split on the average every six months in those start up years. Nucor stock was at a steady gain and many made their fortunes this way.

From this one tiny steel mill.He built an integrated system of a small group of workers that out produced and out worked any other steel mill in this country and many abroad. He kept Nucor on a forward movement and invested in other same type steel mills in Jewet, Texas, Nebraska. All through the eighties, Nucor grew and prospered.

Kenneth Iverson ran the corporate office in Charlotte, N.C. with just three staff members. He watched market trends and kept up with each mills numbers himself. He always thought of his employees before himself. When the employee hurt, Iverson hurt also. Then he saw a need during the Reagan years to get his employees another incentive. That being a 401-k plan that started out with NewYork Insurance company. The plan started off a new market where the employee could now invest in their own future and Nucor matched much of the employee's contribution. He then started using the Darlington, S.C. mill as a test facility for thin slab casting. He put a special person in charge of the project named Mark Millet of English origin as the project manager.

Iverson had sown the seeds of integrity to a simple metallurgist to build a unique conception test model that would energize Nucor's strength and influence into the future. Iverson kept the ball rolling and moving forward. He never let the mills stagnate or become boring to work in. Ideas were coming in from all directions from employees on how to make things more proficient to make money and quality. The puzzles of complex ways to make and produce steel in wider ranges came and went.

I now have seen the inner most workings of the man that came off the floor at Vulcraft to become CEO of a fortune 500 company. Even though many of us had a hard time understanding the vision. Ken gave us the incentive that we as employees could build and grow wealth beyond our dreams. Even if we wanted to branch off and become business entrepreneurs ourselves. Many Managers broke off and started businesses of their on to feed off the growing success of Nucor. Some even started their own steel mills like Mark Millet and Keith Bussey at Steel Dynamics in Indiana. Though they are different companies they all were instilled with the vision of one man. That man was Kenneth Iverson. A mentor to some and a leader to others that never felt like they were being lead. We as employees were taught that each of us was our own boss. That when every thing went down on the line. It was up to us to trouble shoot and work out the bugs to get it back on track. The vision of a floor worker that only wanted to help others obtain their dreams while he followed his own. A true giver. He is still missed by many including me.

Benjiman Kennedy: Reasons For Nucor Stock Unrest:

2010-07-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Benjiman Kennedy: Reasons For Nucor Stock Unrest:

Reasons For Nucor Stock Unrest:

2010-07-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Nucor has just released their quarterly statements for the second !/4, of 2010. The world market place has seen it's share of up and down stocks over the course of the bad economies two year existence. Though Nucor stock has only gone up and down a couple of points each week, there is still room for concern about their stock prices not increasing.

The influx of people retiring and other key co-presidents that are over certain divisions in the Nucor head quarters have spread themselves thin in the think tank of the Nucor integrated system. Where the main head office use to be run by three people now has exploded to eight co-presidents and one CEO. The reason behind the incorporation of so many co-presidents was to build a crisis management team that could handle the problems of each divisions expertise. Bar, plate, beam, and building systems were given the responsibility to over see broken up task through plant presidents. The system is a good one, but break downs in communication do happen more frequently.

Each plant that Nucor owns is in competition with the other. A single division is run like it is the plant presidents. This is to give insight that one day the plant president will earn his keep and move up the corporate ladder to take his place among the elite think tank presidents in the corporate office in Charlotte, N.C.

Each division is expected to make money. No questions asked. Vying for market place position is hard enough in world markets, yet Nucor competes with it's self here in the states. Competition is a good thing. It keeps the divisions on their toes and keeps them sharp. The main reason that the stock market for Nucor is not stable is they have gone into maintain mode type of business now that the economy has slowed.

Stock that is owned by every employee has to be bought back in the stock market to keep other interest abroad from trying a hostile take over of Nucor stock. The corporation draws back into it's maintain shell and buys up enormous amounts of stock at the cheapest rate they can. Bad economies are money making ventures for CEO's and vice presidents because they buy this cheap stock and have the backing of the corporate structure to buy in large amounts of block stocks. Block stocks have to be bought in bulk. Like 28 to 500 shares at a time. Where many of the employees that work the jobs can only buy stock through a company named broker and in small amounts. It is all about the knowing when to buy and sell. Buy low sell high.

The reason that the stock has fluctuated so much over a two year span is because, Nucor is buying back their stock in hopes of stimulating a bull market. If a bull market happens, then the company comes out smelling like a rose. Either way their assets stay within the company. meanwhile the company employee suffers because of the lack of work. Cut hours, pay cuts and in some cases straight time pay when the mills are not running production. The slow money making process hurts the employee, because now he is struggling to make ends meet. The employee in not knowing, has over extended themselves and one by one they lose their homes and lively hoods due to government bailouts and restructuring and big companies trying to save their businesses by protecting their assets.

The trickling affect of money through the system hampers the growth in many areas. Employment decreases, businesses slow to a crawl and the first to take the biggest hit is the employee. The most taxed, over burden, politically lead individuals that drive the economy take the hit and the sacrifices because of the lack of thinking or not having the open mindedness to take into consideration that the employee is smarter than the managers that lead them into the abyss. So there is a inside look at why great companies falter during times of crisis.

The workings of insight:

2010-07-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why some people are so smart? Why most have more in-sight than others? Maybe it is because of their perception on how the world works in a positive manner.When we cast out all negative ideas on our train of thought and add the positive attributes to an idea, we are just as smart as the next person. A positive idea is as special as a seed that grows in the ground.The idea lays dormant until the rain activates the seed to grow. Where did this seed come from you ask? The idea was known before you thought of it

God in his infinite wisdom created the heavens and the earth with just a thought. The conception of our mind's thoughts to action have long been transpired to help man along. The same principle is applies to our inner most thoughts. Like the Bible says, "Whatever you sow, so shall you reap." Whether it be a positive or negative thought, you will reap the actions there after. Positive thoughts create rewards and negative thoughts create problems. The thought process can be a powerful Earth moving experience and affect the lives of many others.

With so many negative things happening in the world around us every day. It is no wonder that so many people get confused or lack in-sight to how they can really change their day. By simply saying something positive to a person you work with or meet on the street. You have planted a positive seed into that person or persons mind. Things start to happen and people are energized to the effects it has on them. Positive thinking sows the seeds of being anything successful in life.

God gave us the ability to think right or wrong. It is only when we remove all the negative thinking in our lives that other things take a positive turn for the better. This is not a one time thing. Positive thinking requires an every day diligence of thinking the right way. It is called the ten second rule in which we base all our decision making and thinking. Having a positive approach to problems we face every day will make the negative things go away. Apply these principles to your every day life and change with them for more positive results and you will see things more clearer in your life.

Business sense:

2010-06-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone that works a stress related job that requires fast actions, knows that their ideas must come from their experience. Experience is a trait that is built over time. Just like the involvement of a religion. A job requires a lot of devotion to the employer. If you are a owner of a single business or run your business out of your home. You know what business sense I am talking about.

Running your own business is like gambling at any casino. You play the game making gains and losses along the way. Then you take the chance of making your business boom and you go all in. The success of this will come from your ability to see the complete picture. The picture being a question you ask every day of yourself. "What is special about me?"

Traits such as these do not just come to you in your sleep, but they stare you in the face every waking moment. Think long and you will think wrong. Many people think that hasty decision making opens doors to failure. I say it is how positive you are at that moment in time. Positive thinkers are successful people. They surround themselves with others that are positive thinkers as well. One negative thinking person can upset the entire process of a positive group think tank.

Blaming stock holders of inside trading may be difficult to stop and often causes conflict of interest in many business around the world. The first person to get that first hand information may not have acted legally, but in a positive way to boost their company. It is called controlling the playing field of business. Companies have been made and broken over the years by this way of thinking. Positive people act on different means of information. They see trends in markets and read the gambling aspects of going all in at a time that many others are dwindling. While others are not willing to take the risk. The positive thinker goes for it and succeeds. Why is this you ask?

Positive thinkers have trained their minds to only see the true value of what make businesses boom. They connect with the consumer on their needs. They put the demand and supply at the consumers finger tips with out worrying about marketing trends or stock holder opinions on making a profit. The needs of the many far out weigh the needs of the few in the business world. Only the strongest positive thinkers survive. That can do spirit that not only makes fortunes, but makes a business successful in every way.

The business sense in all of us that allows us to buy and sell. To bargain and trade, has to begin on a positive platform to succeed. The simplicity of a positive thinker can be seen in the longevity of a successful companies history and work ethic. Behind the scenes gambling to a customers wants and needs are what drive them. Positive thinkers make positive things happen, and when this happens all doors of opportunity open for others.

Benjiman Kennedy: Ideas for stopping the Gulf oil leak:

2010-06-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Benjiman Kennedy: Ideas for stopping the Gulf oil leak:

Ideas for stopping the Gulf oil leak:

2010-06-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

After two months of oil constantly spilling into the gulf regions fragile waters, The oil company BP has no idea on how to stop the oil leak completely. Scientist and engineers have no idea on how to stop the oil other than collect it while it still blows through the broken pipe.

I have drawn out many ideas on how to best stop the leak, but only one sticks out in my mind. It was only after I saw a special on TV that the idea came to light. The angioplasties procedure done by heart doctors to open clogged arteries seemed to me like the best approach.

The idea is so simple it is scary.I am no engineer, but the simplicity of the action could very well work and stop the oil from spilling into the ocean of the gulf. Titanium caps cut the inner diameter circumference on two ends of an expandable tough latex material could very well stop the oil leakage. Tethered to a long cable from the ship above. The plug could be inserted and fed down, well below the the top of the pipe at the ocean floor.

Using the deep water submersibles on site to feed the plug and cable down the blowing pressures of the damaged pipe until it is at a depth that can ensure no blow back. The plug with an air line attached could inflate and seal itself to the inside walls of the damaged oil pipe. The titanium caps at both ends of the inflatable plug would have (Hilti) gun features that would fasten the titanium plates to the sides of the inner pipe by using an .22 cal explosive cap to anchor the plates. Only after the plates were secured would the bladder be inflated to seal off the pipe. The titanium plates one inch thickness would keep the pressures of oil from collapsing the bladder at both ends. The bladder would be pressurized and seal the pipe. The plug would only be temporary until the pipe could be back filled with concrete.

I would like to see BP try something the public would have to offer. The efforts of clean up go unabated until they can stop the oil spilling into the gulf waters. Give this idea some thought and if it works you can pay me later. Donate the money I get to the game and fish agency of that area and God bless the people of the United States.

Going green For NUCOR Steel:

2010-06-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have seen much waste in the years I worked for Nucor. Every day items that take up space and room and make the work place more hazardous to work in were addressed every safety meeting we held. Meeting with shop managers and supervisors are sometime not the best answer when it comes to recycling waste materials.

In the melt shop of most mills that Nucor holds the most interest in, Show little or no interest in recycling their own trash. They pay thousands of dollars a year on waste materials that they could make money off of. Nucor uses many products that can be recycled or applied to the environment in a friendly way. Since my retirement they have since started to see the light of what I preached all those years.

Card board, Wood pallets, wood crates, light bulbs, computers, batteries, etc. can be used in other applications of an Eco friendly areas of industry. Sunoco products recycle paper and pay handsomely for all discarded paper products. They will even come to your place of business and pick up the discarded and packaged bundles. It is a good way to make money and save the environment on a daily basis.

Plastics and other materials add up over time and are not a friendly way to dispose of in a trash dump. It takes years for plastics to decompose. If you recycle the right way, plastics can be as valuable as paper. The aluminum industry pays out millions each year for the general public to bring in their soda cans to recycle.

Steel mills are the biggest recyclers in the world, and scrap iron has become a big commodity for those users. Sitting on top of a large steel scrap facility can make or break a steel company. With many steel companies vying for the best scrap at the best prices, it makes the market a diverse even keeled market to be in. That is until some one gets greedy. When scrap is in high demand. Scrap yard companies will increase the price for a ton of scrap. It could mean that the scrap company can not keep up the supply and demand ratio, or they simply want to drive the steel market prices higher by driving their customers product prices higher as well.

Any time you click on a divisions web page at Nucor. You will see an automated version of tons being recycled at the top right hand corner of the page. The year to date tons produced show how well Nucor is producing revitalized steel into the market. It by no means tells you of how well the steel is moving through different market areas of the world. The grade and finished product produced will only tell how well the company may or may not be doing. During lean times in a bad economy. The ticker on these web pages will be much slower, because of supply and demand.

Nucor has drawn from past mistakes over the years, and has the supply and demand down to a science. Nucor's ability to act on these supply and demands during high and low times are second to none in the steel market. They have stepped up the sales marketers. They have shifted the price per ton on all finished products to give the customer the best product at the best price. They ask their employees to be product efficient and control their waste in making the product.

Everyone has a place in the making of a profitable product. Staying on the strict guidelines are held in place by the ISO certifications each employee must follow to endure quality products at reasonable cost. Through this trending, Nucor can keep up with trends in the steel market place. By teaching their employees better ways of cost cutting and recycling waste products. Nucor will come out a head in the end. By taking on the logo of "It's out nature." Nucor has an environmental responsibility to the world.

Nucor Steel Expansion On The Move:

2010-05-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

Nucor Steel news release has just confirmed that they have obtained all the necessary permits to build a new steel mill in Louisiana. Waiting on environmental contracts and permits for well over a year now. Nucor has worked with government officials to ensure that all are comfortable with statues and regulations under Louisiana law and federal laws too.

Sometimes these laws can set a company back in terms of money and strict guidelines. Lobbyist that work with local and federal agencies bid for these permits and ensure Nucor's environmental records are respectful and welcomed in their own management specifications towards the environment.

With all the turmoil going on in the gulf off of Louisiana's coast at the present moment. One can only imagine how hard it would be to get any type of permit to build anything the magnitude of a steel producing facility. Nucor makes steel for the oil drilling industry. Satellite companies buy the steel from Nucor, and produce the oil drilling pipe. Rolls of sheet steel that weigh 53,000 lbs are shipped to these satellite companies based around Nucor to produce the size and length the oil companies need and want.

With president Obama now halting all future drilling on and off shore, the market for this product will suffer as well. This multi-billion dollar a year business of making steel for pipe companies will dry up, if the oil drilling restriction are in place to long. This has been a big money maker for Nucor in the past, but Nucor has not based it's entire venture into this market alone. Nucor has many other products that can off set the halt to oil drilling pipe.

The venture of Nucor announcing successful permit acquisitions to build in Louisiana are good, but there will be strict guidelines that Nucor will have to adjust to in the future in Louisiana. It may in the long term cost Nucor a bundle to make these adjustments. Not because of Nucor being environmentally adherent, but because of all the restrictions that could drive steel market prices higher. Thus making it hard to make a viable profit.

Investors know the analytics of this venture. I am sure that they will back Nucor in this state because of their environmental record along the Mississippi river basin. Nucor invites OSHA and the EPA on a regular basis to tour and evaluate their mills. After these two organizations point out Nucor's flaws, the Company fixes and applies the oversights with out paying fines later on. A good gesture on Nucor's part to respecting the environment around us all.

"It's Our Nature" is on the logo for Nucor's home site web page. Most of the waste that Nucor produces is environmentally friendly and is use in fertilizers and to build roads. Bag house dust are handled and shipped to federal locations that handle these bi-products to ensure less impact on fragile environmental locations. This keeps the wet lands and waters clean from pollution. If all companies adhered to the guidelines that Nucor has set an example for, the environment would be in much better shape today.

Nucor Beginnings In Darlington S.C.

2010-05-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Nucor in it's humble beginnings was a crap shoot at best. For the first six years it struggled against competition for a spot on global markets as being the cheapest and highest quality steel making company. Competitors like Japan and China seemed to always be knocking on our door, but in all reality these foreign companies could not produce a ton of steel as cheap as Nucor could.

Comparisons toward tons produced per man hour, Nucor had them all beat. Even local steel companies in the United States had a hard time keeping up with our steel making curve. From 1969 to 1981 we out produced our competitors 3/1 in man hours per ton. This was unheard of at a time when Japan reined superior in steel making capabilities around the world. By keeping the steel making process simple and staying ahead on the learning curve of business of steel making. Investors were making money hand over fist with Nucor.

Stock trends have only gone up in the thirty plus years of Nucors life. Acceptable to change around every corner. Nucor enhanced their steel making abilities by the mistakes of other well known steel making facilities. Laying down a pattern that would take steel making to a whole new level. Supplying our own sister companies such as Vulcraft, Nucor building systems, Plate and coil facilities that make stamping products and oil drilling pipes. Nucor succeeded their dreams in becoming an icon in steel making products.

Darlington, South Carolina gave birth to other similar steel mills in Texas, and Nebraska. These three earlier steel making facilities put Nucor on the map by producing the steel for the largest joist in the world. Joist that were made by Vulcraft and supplied to places like Wal-Mart super stores all over the nation. Nucor relied on construction supply to help the business move along, but soon realized that they needed to expand their market product by producing sheet steel. Crawfordsville, Indiana became the new birth creation of Nucor by producing coiled sheet steel. They run a galvanized line and a annealing plant and can even run stainless steel. This product line opened new product lines that helped Nucor during lean times in the market.

The times in Darlington S.C. when experimenting with flat sheet steel were done at the Darlington facility. A Hazlett cast machine was first used before even breaking the first ground in Crawfordsville, Indiana site. It was a system that ran steel on water cooled belts that allowed solidification in a small mold to hold it's shape.

Nucor later bought a oscillating SMS mold and segment system from Germany and decided to run it in their Crawfordsville facility. The rest is history until 2004, when Nucor teamed up with a company in Australia to produce direct coiled steel. This eliminated the complete roll mill system that was in effect at the time. No tunnel furnaces, no stacks of shaping and thickness rolls to contend with. The entire system could be housed in a sixty foot area. A giant leap in technology for Nucor. The concept became so successful in Crawfordsville Indiana that they built another one in Nucor-Yamato facility in Blytheville AR. Records have since fallen by the wayside as Nucor employees have set the standard once again in the steel making process.

Lean times have once again hampered many projects that Nucor wanted to try before 2012. The economy has set them back a little, but I bet they are using this lean time to experiment with something new. Something that will have them back on record pace when the economy settles and profits are there for the taking once again. Nucor stock is a great buy.

Nucor options for employment:

2010-05-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have gained quite and audience from this blog and other web sites I write on about Nucor Steel (*nue). It was a great company to work for and it provided me with a stable platform to get married and raise my family. Many people ask me about how they should go about obtaining employment there and all I can say is "Be positive."

To obtain a job with this leading corporation, you have to have three quality traits. Good work ethic, aware of safety rules and regulations, plus be willing to learn in a fast paced hazardous environment. Safety is always first and the customer pays the bills. The best team players know that in order to make money. You have to work together to make a quality product.

Nucor looks for young energetic people that can with stand the rigors of working smart while being aggressive in the work place. The number one answer at a job interview will be, "Sometimes I can be to aggressive." Staying focused on each question will be important also. Questions like,"Where do you see yourself in five years," are common during an interview.

Nucor has started employment programs across all the states they reside in. These employment fairs allow them to study the masses they have to choose from. Nucor also uses local temporary work agencies to help them do the testing for entry level jobs that are available. Just because a person takes the test or has been to one of these job fairs, does not mean they will become employed. It takes persistence and aggression to become employed at Nucor. These are the traits that Nucor looks for in a qualified person.

Wood Decks

2010-05-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

I love wood working and enjoy making furniture and other things of interest. I also love to work outside when the weather is pretty. Construction projects around the home can get expensive if you do not plan ahead. Building a wood deck or using the new market products like composite planking have made the job much easier and less expensive.

Pressure treated wood resist the harming effects of the elements, but over time wood planking will warp and deteriorate. Replacing planking can be a chore when pieces decide to go bad. Composites add new and added advantages to building a beautiful deck to your home. It will also protect the wood framing structure that it sits on.

The composite planks cut and look like original wood planks, yet they have no wood particles in them. You can fasten the composite planks with nail or screw and they will last a lifetime. The best thing about composite planking is it can be cut with a skill saw or jig saw. Overall the best thing by far is not having to stain or apply water repellent to the surface yearly. The fastener holes seal themselves and keep the wood structure underneath strong and dry.

For outside decking I highly recommend composite planking for the top part of the deck. The composite types of planking have a wood grain added to the product and unless you know it is composite material, you would never realize it was not wood. Lowe's and Home Depot offer a really great variety of composite materials to build your deck. I never thought that I would use this material for anything until I tried it myself. Like the pictures you see here on my blog. Pictures can be deceiving because composites materials such as planking have advanced so much in the market place.

You can go to http://www.lowes.com or http://www.homedepot.com and take a look for yourself. A little research for a home project can go along way when you are deciding the cost of building products.

Kids that have Autism

2010-05-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

I write a lot of how to articles on my blog, but the one thing that really hits home with me is family. When my grand son was born by C-section, he was oxygen deprived because of an over sight during my daughter's labor. Quick action was taken and she delivered a beautiful baby boy.

The birth was not with out consequence though. Due to his timely delivery he was checked and rechecked for other formidable challenges that all kids face. He had a glitch and his eyes had a hard time focusing on things. Many test were run. The doctors checked his brain waves with a MRI and brain scanning electrodes attached to his little head for 48 hours. The test had us all tense and worried to what doctors might find, but my grandson's ordeal was being ruled out one test at a time.

My grand son made many trips to the St. Jude hospital. Each time they wanted to try a different procedure. Every time my daughter took him, she received more news of other test that doctors wanted to try. Brain waves, eye doctors and behavioural consultants all wanted to tell us that my grandson had Autism, but I knew in my heart that all this little guy needed was time. Time to grow out of this affliction they thought he had. I prayed every day for him and his mother. I prayed for God to ease her troubled mind and to give her hope. All the baby needed was time to grow and over come many of these warning signs that doctors thought he had.

This went on for well over a year and a half before my grandson started showing differences in his attitude and motor skills. He was growing out of much the doctors said could cause him problems later on in life. Today at age three he is an intelligent, active little boy that has over come many obstacles that Autism signs showed earlier. I thank God and the doctors every day for their attention and hope.

In closing I just wanted people who have Autistic children to know that there is hope for the future in finding a cure for Autism. Many of the signs are not just from the genetics of family. Many of these problems come from problems during the delivery of the baby itself. Close monitoring of the child's growth are essential to helping the child adapt and over come this crippling flaw. There are many people out there with many of the same problems. Many do not get the good news that they are searching for. If not for help groups and other caring people, we would all lose hope and focus for the child's well being.

Etching On Wood Surfaces

2010-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

For all the wood lovers out there that enjoy refinishing old antiques for personal use. Have you ever bought a antique piece and found it so plain that it needed something other than just a new finish? Well I have a exciting way to liven up a old piece for your personal use. It is called etching.

Etching is nothing new, but for some one that wishes to add a little depth to a functional piece of furniture in your home. Etching can bring in the wow factor. I bought an antique desk at a yard sale for twenty dollars. The desk top surface was in pretty bad shape but it was beautiful popular wood once I removed the stain. The drawers had dove tail joints that were in just as bad of shape.The drawers were so well constructed that the maker never even applied glue to any of the joints, so the drawers came apart with only a little resistance.

The drawers had a stencil underneath the finished layer before I stripped it, so I knew I would loose the drab design afterwards. Once the design disappeared from view the wood came to life, but was a little plain to see. I thought about the ways I could bring the beautiful wood grain out, and decided to use a mahogany stain. The stain was dead on, but still lacked the wow factor I wanted for the piece.

It was then I thought about making a stencil to add a design to the drawer faces. I got on line and went to a lot of different sites before settling on one that I knew would work. I printed it off and went into my work shop to transfer the print on to a rigid plastic sheet that was flexible, but gave me the strength I needed to cut out the design. Using my exacto knife I cut out the open designs of the print to give me the perfect stencil I needed.

Measuring the drawer faces to get my center point. I clear taped the stencil into place to hold it firm while I traced the out line onto the wood. Once all the drawers were done with stenciling. I broke out my trusty Dremel tool. I chose the router bit I needed for the job and slowly started extracting wood from the stenciled surface. The ruff part of the design looked awesome, but I still had to fine finish the inlay. I used a finishing stone bit to smooth out the inlay, and after a few hours of work had completed the drawer faces. I sanded the surface down one more time and added the mahogany finish to the surface. It turned out great and the piece really popped after I applied the polyurethane to the finish.

Trying new things with inexpensive antique pieces can be fun to do. You may even get more in return if you decide to sell the piece. Etching a piece like this can be labor intensive, but the out come is terrific to say the least.

Walking Before You Run In Business:

2010-05-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in all our lives that we seek different ways to make money. Every thing from yard sales to opening a home business can be seen as incorporating skills into ideas you may already have. The trick is finding out what people want to read about. How to articles do very well on line, and many other how to articles give the reader a taste of testing the waters of D.I.Y.(Do it yourself).

Many people do not trust their abilities to tackle challenging jobs. Whether it be home projects, or the starting of a home business. Creative minds know that all their ideas will not attract certain type of people, so they incorporate a catch phrase or simply add a lay out of words and pictures to help you get the right choices in place.

Figuring out how to make money in todays already crowded market place is challenging and can make you want to pull out your hair at times. For every mistake you make in trying different things, you also learn valuable information on what works and what doesn't.

Starting a business is no different than having a booth at a farmer's market. You have merchandise to sell, but it has to be appealing to the customer's eye. Same thing happens to on line stores. If you are not able to attract people to your site, then you are treading water. You have to find an angle to attract customers.

The first few months of having your online store to sell what ever items you may have are critical. Generating revenue can be depressing and make you feel like giving up, but you have to have confidence and set small goals at first to be successful at anything. Knowing how to price your items for sale or pay for click items can generate and monetize your site.

Pennies from these click adds add up over time. Even if no one buys anything on your site you are still getting paid by advertisers for letting them sponsor your articles and merchandise on your web page.

Other great concepts are advertising your site by other means. Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Google reader, E-How, and many others are great ways of spreading your business to a world wide audience. Having your name at the top of the Google search doesn't hurt a business either. If a person is interested in what you do. They will research your name and see how you operate your business.

The can do spirit is in all of us. What we learn from it takes us to new and interesting levels of business success. Like many I have not had the finances to promote many things about my business. I have had to rely on the word of mouth approach to accomplish many of my successes over the years. In order to be a good salesman. You have to be able to sell your self to others, by giving the people insight on what you have to offer. Getting the exposure you need is by far the most difficult, but it can be done.

Peg construction for making furniture:

2010-04-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Peg construction has been used for centuries for building ships and buildings. It can also be used for building furniture as well. Peg construction is by far the strongest way to join two pieces of wood together. To take something that is made with peg construction apart would take some great effort. The only way to disassemble peg construction would be to saw it in half. That is just how strong these joints are made.

Ship builders secured their planking with peg construction. Steel nails corroded in salt water and would make the jointing unsecured over a period of time. The planking would become loose and often open up causing leaks and sometimes the ship would sink.

Quakers are still the only ones beside master craftsman that use this method today. If you are a handy man around the home that likes to work with wood, you should try and practice this fading art.

One such project is the making of a butcher block for the kitchen. Using maple wood for it's hardness often make the best butcher block surfaces. Strips cut into 2x2x48 inches can be laid side by side and a hole can be drilled through the strips using a long 3/4 inch drill bit. You will need 18 2x2x48 pieces of maple to complete the table top surface. Your table top should have the dimensions of 36 inches x 48 inches long. Every three sections of maple should be drilled by the 3/4 inch drill bit and then lined up with the next three pieces to ensure alignment of the holes through the wood pieces.

Wood dowels come in a different array of lengths. The ideal lengths needed for this project would be 3/4 round by 48 inches long. Once you have the sections of would aligned. You should clamp them to keep them from shifting. The holes should line up perfectly. Use wood glue sparingly on each piece of wood strip before you clamp all the pieces together. Apply a thin coating to your wood dowel and place it in the opening of the hole in the strips. Take a rubber mallet and tap the end of the dowel to drive it through the hole.

Once you have driven the dowel completely through the other side, do the other two holes the same way. Always check for alignment issues after each section is joined. Wipe the excess glue off of the joints with a wet towel and let it sit over night.

Making the stand for the table top can be made out of a less expensive wood. Pine or oak will suffice in the stable structure. Using 4x4 inch post for the legs and 2x4 pieces to use for cross bracing will give the rustic appeal you want for your kitchen. You can still use the peg construction to join these pieces together as well.

The next morning take a key hole saw and cut the ends of the dowel protruding from the maple, flush with the surface. Use a medium and then light grade of sand paper to smooth down the surfaces of where the dowel was run through. Sand the entire table surface and apply a thick coat of shellac sealer. Use the light grade sand paper to smooth down the shellac and then apply a coat of polyurethane. Let the project dry over night and you are done.

This is one project that is easy to do and teaches you best on how to use pegged construction methods on other projects you might want to try and do.

Fabrication ideas around the house:

2010-04-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

I spend most days writing articles online, but on occasion I find myself getting bored and venture outside. It was on one of the dry spells we had been having with the weather, that I realized my flowers were in dyer need of water. Not wanting to use the city water to water my garden plants I devised an idea. I would make a rain catcher.

My youngest son had recently replaced his water heater at his home and he brought the old one to my house. I guess you could say I am a hoarder of sorts, but I just hate to throw anything of value away. I started the project by taking a grinder and cutting the outside covering away from the tank inside. I then removed the fittings and guts from the tank and sanded down the out side covering of the tank to remove any rust and insulating foam.

I found my wallet and headed off to Lowe's to find new fittings to attach a faucet and a check valve for the inlet. The rest of the openings I plugged off with port taps. I spray painted the tank with black enamel paint to give it a hi-gloss finish.

I wanted to have a good gravitational flow from the tank. I thought about placing it at a chest high level, but realized that it would not be best to have it so high with grand kids around that like to climb. So I placed the tank at ground level below a down spout from the gutter. I took a one inch and half piece of PVC pipe I had laying around and measured it out to fit the gutter nipple down to the top of the tank inlet. I took a piece of screen from my gutter covering and made a cover to let water in , but keep the trash out. I sealed around the screen with RTV silicone and let it dry overnight.

I used a piece of 1 3/4 inch hose and two 2 inch hose clamps to join the PVC pipe to the tank nipple below the check valve. On the side of the tank I placed a lever shut off valve with a 1/4 quick connect air line nipple, so I could hook up my air compressor to pressurize the tank when it was full. This would compensate for the low gravitational flow I knew I would have.

Everything looked great. Now all I needed was some rain. A couple of weeks later I got my wish. It rained steady for two days before I got to try out my home made device. I checked the tank for leaks and hooked up the water hose at the bottom tap. It took a few minutes before the water actually flowed from the hose, but the design was great. It had enough pressure to force the water up a two foot incline and out into the garden.

I had about a foot of water left in the tank before the gravity fed water started to trickle. I turned off the check valve to close on the top of the tank and hooked up my air compressor to the quick connect on the top side of the tank. I let the pressure build up slowly by only turning the hand valve a half turn. I again check for leaks around the tank and there was none. It all looked great. Now the true test of my fabrication would be put to the test. I placed the spray nozzle on the end of my garden hose and turned the tap on. The hose went rigid and the compressed air forced the water through. Once all the air was removed from the hose. The water fed and was forced through at a good even flow.

For around twenty bucks I had built a rain catcher and the system works great for watering plants and vegetables during those long periods without rain. Most of the things I use to fabricate the rain catcher were already laying around my shop taking up space. Putting these things to a practical use gave the unused material a use and saved me money in the process.

From running steel to running the PC printer:

2010-04-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

Twenty seven years of running steel in between Darlington S.C. and Blytheville AR. I came to a conclusion that old dogs can learn new tricks. I purchased my computer some years ago and now I have my own home business up and running. The occasional set backs are common around here. The worn out printers of years past have set me back quite a few times.

I have had some fifteen printers over the course of the last ten years. My HP printer was the best until the cost of printer ink sky rocketed. I started filling my own cartridges to save money. It worked for a while but the absorbing material in side the cartridges must have hardened over the course of time. I eventually had to buy new ones at $45.00 a clip. The unit only held three cartridges and the black was the most used.

I use to run a computer on my job at the steel mill I use to work at, but since retired. Their systems were heaven sent. It seemed their ink never run out when it came to printing something of importance. I think Nucor's Dell printers out did the others in personal arenas of business two to one in paper and printing.

Home computers are set up to take advantage of the consumer. The more you buy the less ink you get for your money. If you buy the super duper cartridge, you can add another twenty bucks onto your check list. You have to be careful though. Just because you buy the heavy duty, doesn't mean you are getting the best quality. Kodak and Emerson printers do good quality work, but they run out of ink way to fast for me.

With money being tight and people refilling their own cartridges these days. Companies like HP and Kodak along with many others are designing cartridges that people can not refill on their own.Ink is where these companies make their money. You would think it is the printer it's self but really it is the ink that you buy to stock your printer.

Laser jet printers are fast and do a fantastic job for a small business like mine, but they are just to expensive to upkeep. You just have to buy what is best for your small business. Then maybe later after you have made your first million, jump out and buy the more expensive kind. The EPSON printer offers the most compact versatile printer on the market. You can scan, print. fax and copy all from the same system. There are many other good printers for small businesses, but EPSON really comes through.

Being a handyman around the home

2010-04-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have always considered myself a handy man to have around the house. Having collected a lot of my wood working tools over the course of years, I have come to know and prefer some favorites over time. The skill saw, The jig saw, Table saw, Jointer router and many others provide me with a means to make beautiful things out of wood.

I have built wooden decks and a garage. I have built furniture and shelves that serve a purpose in my own home. In the beginning I was like most people. I was scared to display my work for others to see, but over time and striving for perfection I built a curio for my daughter and she thinks it is priceless. She has her complete collection of dolls that I have given her every Christmas for over twenty years.

I find that wood working relaxes me and I get great pleasure when ever I complete a piece of work. I know in the years to come that my work will be recognized by family and friends as heirlooms rather than pieces of art. Still it is the one thing that I enjoy doing and have created some fine works of master wood worker envy from locals.

Give me a good set of saw horses and a saw of any kind and I am happy. I see a piece of wood as a empty sheet of paper. The grains of the wood are my blue print and all the good that comes from wood can be useful and inspiring. People should try their skills of wood working and see if they have what it takes to create things. My hat is off to the wood working people of any country. It is a family trait that has been handed down from generation to generation.

Spending money to Make money:

2010-04-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in everyone life that they seek opportunity. They want to try something different and liven up their lives a little. I only realized in the past two years what that meant for me. I wanted so much to be my own boss. trying one business venture after another trying to get a toe hole to step up to a new level. I found that in a web site called Helium.com. It let me be me and only supported my efforts, not ridicule them.

It was through their mentor ship that I realized I had some potential and I gathered my thoughts and learned through my mistakes. I set goals for myself. Goals that were acheivable and a mind set that would carry me far through hard work and determination. Some eight hundred articles later and I have finally broken the thousand dollar earned mark that I set for myself.

The importance of goals in anything you try to do is important. It helps you to stay focused and on track as you head off into a direction that will best benefit you. Mean time you earn other skills such as marketing strategy and how to advertise your work. Not many sites offer this type of mentoring on their web sites, but Helium does and gives you the best insight on search engines to use to promote yourself.

There are many site that make a living off the online writer. They want you to set up a web site of your own so they can point potential customers your way. This does not happen with out a price tag. You can sink many hundreds if not thousands of dollars into a business venture such as this. For a starving writer just starting out, it is like standing outside the candy store window and not being able to buy one piece.

If you spend your money wisely on the things that are important to you and your new business. You will find that others are in support of you as well. Word of mouth on web site places such as Facebook, Twitter, Google reader, Google Adsense, and Helium are family oriented places that spread the words of your work like a wild fire out of control. The most frequented places are the best advertising platforms to use in a competitive environment and can cost very little in use. You can advertise on these sites as well if you have the proper funds to do so, or you can simply share your work for family and friends to read on your profile. So the more friends and family you have, the more your work will be noticed.

I for one do not mind spending money to make money, The problem is spending money I don't have yet, to make money I wish I could on such advertising. Getting a cash flow going is by far the hardest task to get going. Your product has to be appealing to the public and it has to be something they want to read. That is why Helium and Facebook are the best platforms to test your product on, and in some ways it is free to the public to read. Just click on the heading and your off!

If a person is lucky or blessed. They can have work discovered by market place companies that will publish the works and pay you money in return. Then you have a second chance, by having your work bought by individuals that select material from stock content. Stock content are the endless sea of articles you have written on different subjects that Helium controls for you. It is like having your own publisher. Helium deals with the different market place officials for the best price and formatting of your material. Helium knows what sells best, and they point you towards your strong side of earning. I love this site for that reason. If you do not qualify in certain areas of expertise, they will tell you so. It may sound harsh, but in order for a web site such as this to succeed, they have to sell good content to their buyers.

In closing this article. I would wish to convey that my intentions on making a profitable amount of money has been my goal for about a year now. I still have much to overcome in my quest, but I am getting stronger everyday that I touch my fingers to the key board. To me, my investment in my home computer is paying off in dividens as we speak. So that makes my investment towards my home business a good, wise, sound investment. Other monies I put towards my business assets in time, will truly be worth while on my part. Until I get to that cross road in success. I will have to be humble and modest.

Going back to college at fifty:

2010-04-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

In the early seventies I had no intention of going to college. It was not in the cards for me to even think about anyway. I was the youngest of ten kids, and only three of us had a high school diploma. My sister which is 15 years older than I , graduated the same year as I in 1978. She went back and took night classes and got her GED. She went on to become a lab technician in a local clinic and has since retired.

I finished school with a diploma, but my mother required my support at the time, so college was pretty much out of the picture for me at that time. I later married and had a good job with NUCOR steel. I made more money working for them than I would have had with a degree. little would I know that this would come back to haunt me in years to come. Technology bounded in the later years and I struggled to keep up with the younger kids coming into the work force. I was passed over several times by not having a college degree. Would it have made a difference? I guess I will never know, Because I retired in 2006 after working for NUCOR for 27 years.

I have since taught myself about writing online articles for Helium web site and I have had some success in getting published several times and made some money doing so. I felt like I still lacked an edge and decided to see if I was college material, so I enrolled in a online college. The mentor there was very helpful in getting me enrolled and even set and application for Pel grants to help me fund my return.

I have yet to start my first classes, but I am excited about the learning experience that will come with my enrollment. I will keep everyone informed on my progress as I venture into a different field of knowledge. I am majoring in Hospital office management and I will be sure to explore all avenues of this field with an open mind.

I also feel that you are never to old to learn something new. many others before me have gone back to school after years of being out of the picture. I can only hope I adapt to the new things I have in store for me. Wish me luck.

The slow return of Nucors economy.

2009-08-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

Nucor is a veteran of lean times and was built to stand the toughest of times in a failing market. It is through the companies strength and insight, that the company has survived the last forty years. Nucor steel battled for years with foreign and domestic steel mill icons and through their hard work and commitment to the company and their workers made Nucor Steel what it is today.

Structurally sound in all aspects, the company learned from it's mistakes and implemented standards on quality and ethics to it's members and stock holders.

Nucor is no stranger to the rain. It's birth began in a recession and has prospered in the years that has followed. Climbing that mountain of scrap to become one of the worlds largest, most profitable steel making companies in history. They did this not because of a bad economy, but by the willingness to succeed. Now in 2009, Nucor once again has fallen on tough times. Employee's past and present know the reasons why Nucor survives so well in tough times, it is because of the way Nucor was built in it's humble beginnings.

Ken Iverson's vision of small management and a close eye on overhead cost for the company lay the ground work for Nucor's success and longevity. He was a stickler for management rules and not a person to take lightly when he was focused on something. Nucor was his baby and he would ensure it's future in global markets by keeping things simple and to the point. I listened to Ken Iverson on management skills he expected of his supervisors.

He said,"I can put a white hat on any person here and make them supervisor, but what it all comes down to in my book is the employee that is doing the job on the floor." "After all, they are the reason we will either be a success or a complete failure." (Ken Iverson quote)

My Humble beginnings with Nucor:

2009-08-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

My humble begining began in 1979 with Nucor Steel (NUE). I applied over and over to become employed with the steel company and things were looking bleak. I was laid off from my job at Perfection American the maker of high test racing gears and pinions(Zoom procucts) and was looking for a job desperately.

Through the course of three months I would call on the average of three times a week to let them know how much I wanted to work there. Down to my last three dollars and on the verge of loosing my car, a phone call broke the silence of my parents home. I picked up the phone and the voice on the other end asked if I would be interested in coming in for a interview.

The interview went well and I answered all the question honestly and with determination of getting the job. In the Darlington Plant in South Carolina, Nucor sought hard working people with a drive to succeed. I was fortunate to be one of these people they chose at that time. I was young and strong with a driving determination to be successful at any job I did. With the help of family members that were already working with Nucor at the time, I secured a job on their good standing and work ethic.

When I recieved the call from Bill Kennedy a melt shop supervisor, I was estatic and over joyed. I met with him in the melt shop Managers office and was asked questions from Bill Kennedy, Bill Dausch and the plant president at the time Dave Aycock. It was an intense interview and one that would seal my career with Nucor and give me my chance.

The work from home craze:

2009-08-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

The work from home craze has taken America by storm and many internet companies are trying to take advantage of what the new craze has to offer the entrepreneur of the small business world. The domestic home maker that can not go out into the business world ,now only has to click and set their own destiny in the big business world that reaches millions of people each day.

Online stores set up by different companies offer some unbelievable deals only to have your balloon busted in the end with a cover cost that seems out of reach or a cost that many people today can not afford to go in debt for. Whether it be 25 dollars a month to participate or 3400 dollars a year to upgrade. The prices are set to make these companies money and the only way to do that is to have a advertising gimmick to bring people in.

Many people do not realize what it takes to get your store front online recognized. Exposure is the key to success anywhere on the world wide web. Many companies like EBay, Google and Yahoo, all compete for the advertising rights to promote your company to the top of their search list online. That way when you reach the top, the store front will be recognized first by any page viewer. Google is the master of this marketing skill and they track everyone that comes to the listings page to see what sells in today's market place.

Going from steel worker to a online entrepreneur is not going to get off the ground very fast for me. The money is tight and the need to get started is even greater. The skills are there for me and I do know my way around the marketing scheme of things. I have over eighty five percent of my online store set up to start, but here is the catch. The online store I went through will not let you build your own web page. You have to use their techs and materials to build your site. That is strike one for me. Strike two is they want the money up front or want to charge you a penalty for late start up of your store front. Strike three is the drop-shipper wants the same things as the store front supplier.

Building a business from scratch is not easy and the more you try to get it started the more money you loose. While it seems so easy to others that promote the entrepreneur of small businesses out of the home. In the end it is about the money you are willing to invest. It can go very deep into your pocket book and budget.

Google would be the only search engine I would trust to start my business online. They have the tools and the know how to help me get noticed and help me along the way. It is in their best interest to promote such things and invest these tools to help them out too. Yet they also make money off of the companies that are taking advantage of small time business that just want to get started and have a chance at success.

The key to the whole market scam of doing business online is the drop-shipper. If you can find a drop-shipper that is interested in the product line you are going to start, then you have a better chance at cutting out the middle man. If Google and Yahoo were smart they would see the advantages of helping out the small time business entrepreneur and invest just a little edge of space for them. The market is there for the taking and only the ones with the insight to how the system works will be successful at running a online store front.