Dave takes his engines to seven different shows a year, where he sets up a canopied table, and displays the models, showing people how they run. He runs all his machines with air, because the alcohol burners tend to disappear, he says wryly.
"People like to steal them," he says.
Taking them places presents other problems, too, like rust.
Other people have been after him to make them some models recently, he says.
"I have one guy right now who wants me to make one for him, but I haven't given in to him," he says. "You've got to have a fair wage for doing something like that, and I don't know if he wants to pay that kind of money."
He says if people would like to build models, they should go ahead and do it.
"If they don't have the equipment, they should ask some of their buddies, and maybe they'll help them. If they like it, they should just go ahead and do it. For me, it's a hobby. I've worked every day at my job as a machinist since 1964, and then I come home and do more machining right here," he says. "I'm only a year and a half away from retirement, and I'm looking forward to doing these models full time. I just really like to do it."
Bill Vossler has published more than 2,300 articles in 160 different magazines in his writing career, and is a regular contributor to Farm Collector.
"I've worked every day at my job as a machinist since 1964, and then I come home and do more machining right here, I'm only a year and a half away from retirement, and I'm looking forward to doing these models full time, I just really like to do it."