I'd like to start by stating how valuable a board like this is. It's a means of exchanging info that comes from untold decades of experience from the collective member body. When I first started in the trade the only source of info was older diemakers, books, and your own experiences. Now there's a ready tap of info at your fingertips from a huge variety of stamping applications that you can get advice from. I think it's just great that all the contributing members are willing to offer hard won experience that free for the asking.
I was a tool and die maker for over 20 years, it seemed as though the work would never dry up and one could retire after 20 years but continue working in a home shop set-up for as long as one wished to. We thought the work would always be there. I'm not interested in a debate as to why things changed. If you were there working through the 80's then you know why we fell from grace. I do miss being able to pick up work in just a few hours/phone calls but that's not what this thread is about either.
The wages being paid for precision toolmaking were never enough to make you rich (if working for someone else) but they were enough to provide a comfortable living. If you've been watching the prevailing wage then you must have noticed that it's been dropping like a stone. The marketplace seems to be offering a wage that hasn't been seen since 1979. I'm not here to debate the merits of this either because this is the result of how the economy got here in the first place.
All the work was outsourced to places that didn't have to pay as much to the workers. Cheaper labor has been the mantra of business people for decades. Yet I find it curious that those that sought cheaper labor abroad will still seek out advice from those that have been in the trade for decades. They want cheap labor but also want free advice from experienced craftsmen on how to do things. I get free advice from boards on things I don't know, I certainly don't know everything either. That's why I come here, to learn. But some of the questions here just have the distinct aroma of someone that's never been in a shop yet is asking for advice on how to make money by using the experience they weren't willing to pay you for to begin with. I certainly don't mind helping someone new in the trade, I was an apprentice once too. Shop owners that have come up through the ranks have my respect too, they earned the right to ask through the hard work it takes to run a shop. But somebody that's not in the trades is asking me to give away the one thing left in the country, the knowledge that comes from decades of experience. I think our trade has been undermined by people that didn't do the work or were seeking to gain something they didn't earn. How many times have you done prototype work for cheap/free with the empty promise of more work that never shows up? Ever seen your development work go offshore? We have helped neighbors that aren't willing to help us in return and I'm just not willing to give it away any longer. Nothing personal, it's just business isn't it? Stop helping those that aren't willing to help you in return, no matter what country they're from.