Show Kentucky Man ManIs k Is Inventor n s 1 For Inventors CINCINNATI OHIO Way Way out in a cornfield near Burlington Ky lives Frank Sinton Milburn whose claim to distinction is that he oper oper- operates operates operates I ates one of the most unusual plants plants' in all the Middle West This is true for many reasons but probably for forthe forthe forthe the chief reason that Milburn is the sole worker in the plant The building which houses the industry has a puzzling collection of complex tools and machinery dies jigs and other items It does I practically no manufacturing this I strange industry industry industry-in in fact the less I II production required the better Mr I I Milburn likes it I It is difficult to describe the I operation as a business it is more like a profitable hobby Milburn likes engineering problems problems problems lems so he has found his occupation Occupation occupation tion in solving the problems of bigand big bigand bigand and little people who want help Helps Other People For 15 years now Milburn has been wrestling with other peoples people's problems He has his shop at Burlington Burlington Bur Bur- Burlington lington because he likes the soli soll tude he sympathizes with folks 1 who have to work in downtown Cin Cin- I His business essentially is to take on the engineering of ideas of embryonic inventors His contact media are two-line two classified ads in such magazines as Popular Mechanics These bring in problems from all sorts of in in- And they th y are interesting stories he gets getsI getsI I 1 have seen more rat traps and combination salt and pepper shak shak- shakers shakers shakers ers than anybody in the world he observed with a broad grin About 80 per cent of the inquiries are of questionable usefulness but the other 20 per cent contains useful use use- useful useful ful and potentially worth-while worth ideas for foj- y ne net j or o improve improve- ments r of ex existing ng He was in earnest when he pondered the sad plight of many worth while items or gadgets The inventor may have a practical idea I Milburn may be able to engineer the product satisfactorily for pro pro- production production production I but the inventor generally is without the medium for bringing it before the public t If we could put across the ideas I of these 20 per cent it would make jobs and generate business he heI I observed j Needs Many Tools j Hence the business is principal principal- principally principals s ly an engineering one This requires a multitude of tools dies jigs and I j fixtures But even in this field the engi- engi engineering business is different from the engi engi- engineering engineering firms which function as service units to large business con con- cerns I Milburn is conscious of the lim lim- limited limI limited resources of the people who i I come to him with ideas So he uses i t all sorts of mechanical I to hold costs to a minimum I Yet all his customers are not I individual inventors He has done some rare precision work for fora I I a watch company to facilitate that company's wartime production of precision measuring instruments He has a rare assortment of watchmakers watchmakers' watch watch- watchmakers watchmakers' watchmakers watchmakers' makers' makers tools and jigs jig He did considerable con con- considerable considerable engineering and production production production tion on a tiny item that went into aircraft engines built by Wright aeronautical corp And he answers the call of many manufacturing companies around the country for forI I special engineering work |