Hi, I am Onno Vocks and that is my entire name. Since I do not have a middle
initial, you will sometimes see it written as Onno (N. M. I. ) Vocks. Onno is
an ancient name that hails from the northern part of the Netherlands and
literally translates into free giving, or generous. Vocks is a misspelling of
the German word for Fox; Fuchs, by Dutch Government employees, who mistakenly
combined the Dutch Vos, with the German Fuchs, and created the name Vocks about
5-6 generations ago.
Culturally Onno Vocks is an interesting mix, born in the Netherlands, but grew
up on Aruba, and the United States of America, with lots of stops in between.
Onno Vocks is fluent in Dutch, Papiamentu, and English, in that order, but also does a decent job of getting out of sticky situations in German, Spanish, Portuguese and other Latin based languages. At one time Onno Vocks moved seventeen times in a ten year period and that has never really left him. As a result he can pop up in unexpected places and disappear just as unexpectedly, not being rooted in any place in particular.
Growing up on Aruba was fun, and being isolated on an island meant having to be inventive. Materials and parts were in short supply so you
learned how to make an intake valve for a Datsun from an exhaust valve from an Olds 455, or made a new floor for a car from the roof of that station wagon that the 455 came out of. If you wanted to go fishing you had no choice but to build your own boat, there were no boat dealers, so you built one, from whiskey crates and pallets if you had to. As a result, Onno Vocks has been taking apart and repairing mechanical devices
since the age of four.
Congruent with his upbringing Onno Vocks is a true Gemini in the sense that he can do a lot of different things well, yet is an authority on almost none of those things. His formal education includes an A. A. Degree from Palm Beach Community College and Dunwoody Institute for Machine Tool & Die, and mechanical drafting. This education is backed up with years of experience in the mold and die making industries, including projects for Sunrise Medical, 3M, Honeywell, Parker, Medtronic, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, and Dyno Nobel.
As a side line Onno Vocks was also involved in a lot of boat building projects, building craft from 14 to 70 feet in length, including a 30 footer in
someones basement. His favorite pass time in the eighties was designing and building Hovercraft, with some success in national and international competition, placing in the top 5 with craft that were often untested, cost less than $1500, and had their epoxy curing on the way to the race.
Due to unforeseen circumstances Onno Vocks is currently in Europe, taking care of his elderly mother. Not being able to venture out much, he has devoted all his spare time to computers and SEO manipulation. In an attempt to somewhat catch up with other individuals who are actively counteracting the onslaught of the new online extortion industry, that governments seem unwilling to tackle, Onno Vocks spends most of his time reading and not enough time tearing up the pavement with his favorite mode of transportation; two wheels and an engine.
initial, you will sometimes see it written as Onno (N. M. I. ) Vocks. Onno is
an ancient name that hails from the northern part of the Netherlands and
literally translates into free giving, or generous. Vocks is a misspelling of
the German word for Fox; Fuchs, by Dutch Government employees, who mistakenly
combined the Dutch Vos, with the German Fuchs, and created the name Vocks about
5-6 generations ago.
Culturally Onno Vocks is an interesting mix, born in the Netherlands, but grew
up on Aruba, and the United States of America, with lots of stops in between.
Onno Vocks is fluent in Dutch, Papiamentu, and English, in that order, but also does a decent job of getting out of sticky situations in German, Spanish, Portuguese and other Latin based languages. At one time Onno Vocks moved seventeen times in a ten year period and that has never really left him. As a result he can pop up in unexpected places and disappear just as unexpectedly, not being rooted in any place in particular.
Growing up on Aruba was fun, and being isolated on an island meant having to be inventive. Materials and parts were in short supply so you
learned how to make an intake valve for a Datsun from an exhaust valve from an Olds 455, or made a new floor for a car from the roof of that station wagon that the 455 came out of. If you wanted to go fishing you had no choice but to build your own boat, there were no boat dealers, so you built one, from whiskey crates and pallets if you had to. As a result, Onno Vocks has been taking apart and repairing mechanical devices
since the age of four.
Congruent with his upbringing Onno Vocks is a true Gemini in the sense that he can do a lot of different things well, yet is an authority on almost none of those things. His formal education includes an A. A. Degree from Palm Beach Community College and Dunwoody Institute for Machine Tool & Die, and mechanical drafting. This education is backed up with years of experience in the mold and die making industries, including projects for Sunrise Medical, 3M, Honeywell, Parker, Medtronic, Frigidaire, Whirlpool, and Dyno Nobel.
As a side line Onno Vocks was also involved in a lot of boat building projects, building craft from 14 to 70 feet in length, including a 30 footer in
someones basement. His favorite pass time in the eighties was designing and building Hovercraft, with some success in national and international competition, placing in the top 5 with craft that were often untested, cost less than $1500, and had their epoxy curing on the way to the race.
Due to unforeseen circumstances Onno Vocks is currently in Europe, taking care of his elderly mother. Not being able to venture out much, he has devoted all his spare time to computers and SEO manipulation. In an attempt to somewhat catch up with other individuals who are actively counteracting the onslaught of the new online extortion industry, that governments seem unwilling to tackle, Onno Vocks spends most of his time reading and not enough time tearing up the pavement with his favorite mode of transportation; two wheels and an engine.
It may be obvious to you by now that this website will be dedicated to mugshots of old things and places that I come across in my travels. I like machinery, and some of these old watermills, are an excellent example of how mechanical engineering evolved. This particular mill dates to the early 1600's and was used to make linseed oil. When water levels allow, the mill is still run. Other mills that I will feature will go back as far as 1169, and I hope to get the opportunity to create videos of their internal workings.