When I worked for a gunsmith

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(the picture is a chuck from a lathe.) I spent several years working for one of the only female gunsmiths in the US. I learned so much from her and conquered many fears. I started out with sandblasting metal parts clean. I went from there to parkerizing, that's how the nice gray finish gets onto a steel part. Then I learned how to blue, which is an exciting process involving a hot gas burner with a vat of very caustic material boiling over it at around 300 degrees. I needed safety equipment for that. I not only learned how to clean all the equipment, but also developed a love for high speed pneumatic tools. I learned to polish and grind using both rotary tools and a belt grinder. By the end I was using the lathe and even the milling machine, and forming parts with the hydraulic press. I used the drill press too, and the band saw. For the record, my college metal working classes taught me squat, all my knowledge of metal working is from her. I even did some high quality linseed oil finishing on antique rifle stocks. Before I was done, when my boss wanted a stock refinished, she'd have me and my partner do it instead of her because we had a more delicate touch! Sometimes I miss working there, but I know that I learned a lot I can carry forward into another shop someday.