James Hahn

It started with shop classes at Clayton Valley High School, wood shop, metal shop, auto shop, and graphic arts. working with my hands, creating and fixing things.

After school, I got a job at Mercer's Lift Truck Service Company, as a Forklift Mechanic in Oakland, diagnosing and fixing all things that needed fixing, on all types of Industrial Forklifts, maintaining equipment through preventative maintenance.

When the business closed up due to the Owner retiring, I applied for an MHR (Mechanical Hydraulic Repairmen) position at USS/POSCO, that repaired and maintained mechanical equipment used in Sheet Steel Processing, duties included diagnostics of problems, repair of problems, building back up parts, to replace worn or damaged parts. hydraulic repair, welding, pipe fitting, assigning tasks for the crew, relaying information to management about what has or has not been done.

Later, after around 2 1/2yrs in that department as a leadsman on the graveyard shift, I bid to another department where I could work the day shift, and had weekends off called the Tractor Shop, working on electric tractors used to haul coiled steel rolls, my duties included maintenance of the tractors, inspections of tractors, repair of tractors mechanical, and hydraulic systems. After a time the opportunity came to be my own boss in a sense so after 13 total years at USS/POSCO, I tried out for Hunter Engineering.

As a Hunter Technical and Training Representative, my duties included Installation, Training, and Maintaining of Automotive Service Equipment, those pieces of equipment included, computer controlled 4 wheel alignment machines, that included computer diagnostic and repair, software installation and upgrades, Sensor diagnostic repair and calibration. Automotive Lift Racks, installation, training, trouble shooting, and repair, Tire Changer installation, training, trouble shooting, and repair of pneumatic operating systems. Tire Balancer installation, training, calibration and repair. Brake Lathe installation, training, and repair.

Went to work for Sears, as a small engine mechanic, working on rototillers, lawn mowers, treadmills, garage door openers, and assisted the appliance technicians with appliance repairs.

I then went to work for Main Machine, rebuilding engines for Automobiles, duties included shop cleaning, disassembly of engines, cleaning of engine components, inspection of engine components, machining of blocks, heads, flywheels, assembly of engines and heads, broken bolt extractions, thread repair, and some odd jobs a customer needed done, R&R bushings for a Harley, or drill and tap a hole for something, cut something down on the lathe.