Textima skiving machine restoration - Making something out of nothing

[Constabulary]

Trox, the POW´s in the GDR must have been South Vietnamese. The GDR and Russia supported North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. But lots of people from Vietnam worked in the GDR regularly since they were "socialist brothers".

I also have been in in the former GDR in 1994 for a few month when they build up the new German Army on the former GDR territory or as it was called at that time "the 5 new federal states" or "5 re-established states". I was around Delitzsch - Halle - Leipzig - Bitterfeld and that really really sucked - all gray, ugly, stinky, lots of rotten infrastructure....  And guess what - just recently I again drove through that era while picking up something (first time since 1994). Really a lot has changed (!!!) but you still can see the "old charm" in some areas. In some spots they really still have a lot of work to do - if you know what I mean. And back then when I was picking up the skiver (more down to the south east) we talk about here I have been in an old factory (out of business but buildings are still there) and that looked like the times have not changed since then... and the weather that day really matched the impression... let me see if I can find the pictures....

But yes, they build excellent machines, motors and stuff. I even sometime look for old GDR tools on Ebay.

EDIT:

Looks like North Korea nowadays

Edited June 9, 2017 by Constabulary

[Trox]

Hi Constabulary, 

Yes of course they where South Vietnamese, that was what I meant to say. Captured by the North Vietnamese and the Russians, I guess the GDR has "good" prisons  About a year or so before the wall fell, I was sent to Verningerode at Veb Electromotorwerke to load motors. (Norway used them in our trains and trams) We alway had to have a customs officer present when loading/unloading to open the sealed trailer. We had to come at, say 0700 hour sharp to load, if one minute past you had to wait until next day and then the visa (Kraftfahrer visa I think they called it) had expired. They you would be arrested and accused to be a spy  but they let us go after some hours and lots of interviews and paper work. We only got 24 hour visas so if something happened, and it aways does. So I was accused as a spy several times. Back on track.

I came that morning to load there was no more electro motors, I asked the customs/police officer why. He told me that all the Vietnamese POW had been issued amnesty and released. And something had changed, there was lots of aisian people selling stuff in the streets and colors everywhere. It came as a shock to me that these POW had hand wired all these big motors, nobody knew. I do not think Norway would allowed the buy of these train parts if they knew, I don't thick they still know anything about it. That city, Verningerode was about untouched by the 2WW and had old beutiful wooden buildings. Have not been there since that time, it was very different from the other gray east German cities. I was also many times in Leipzig and that factory building is just what I remember it looked like, but no clear skies; just fog of coal all over. (never as clear as on your pic)     

Tor 

[alexitbe]

hmmm, i think I almost bought this... It was from someone in Zwickau, I think and was advertised for a  while at 60 Euros...

 

I am glad I didn't take a punt as I know I couldn't have restored it to this standard...Well done guys!

Cheers

Alex

[gigi]

Thanks @alexitbe!  Kudos to @Constabulary!!

Edited July 13, 2017 by gigi