Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, my university's introduction to machining course was moved online. Obviously one cannot completely learn how to operate complex hardware through a screen.  I sought out a local machine shop and asked if I could apprentice. Now this shop is best described as "old-school" so a majority of their parts were machined manually. I began by preparing stock material for further operation's by facing stock on both a lathe and mill. From there, I spent most of my time on a Bridgeport Mill learning a lot of "old-school" techniques such as kicking the vice and using sine blocks to achieve different machining angles. I also had the opportunity to MIG weld for the first time, assisting with constructing steel tube frames. This experience was crucial to learning the skills and having access to the tools necessary to complete my prior project of a highway bar & peg assembly for a 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 500.