they see themselves as problem solvers

I have one you'll find amusing. In (what was) the Iron Curtain countries Harley-Davidson WW2 leftovers are very valuable but extremely expensive to rebuild. "We need those small needle bearings for the transmission shafts, but $$$ and hard to find".
What to do?
They used short sections of wire coat hangars, cut to length, packed in heavy grease.


Boffin Emeritus