How about a lessons learned topic?

[geek49203]

:cheers:

I just have to say that both JD and I draw on a deep reservoir of physics education, for us, engineering school started way before college.

As a young kid I took apart my sibling's toys, and then attempted to reassemble them.

In my later childhood years I learned troubleshooting by taking an old radio's cover off and taking all of the tubes down to the drug store to test them -- and if that wasn't possible, simply replacing one tube at a time with a hope-it-is-good tube until the thing hopefully didn't catch fire when I turned it on.

My late teen years as well as young adult years saw me working on cars 'cause I couldn't afford to have someone repair 'em, let alone buy a new enough car where weekly major repairs weren't needed.

By my late 20's I was repairing my own computer 'cause I couldn't afford to have someone else do it. In reading the manuals, and using troubleshooting skills learned with the tubes, I usually fixed it. In 1995 it became my career.

[rx7locost]

Before I can remember, I am told that I took the wheels off my brother's new wagons and traded them for a frog.

I can remember, barely, taking my Mickey Mouse watch apart. It never went back together. (probably where I learned my fascination with 100 year old clocks)

At age 10 my brothers and I broke into my father's Marine Corps locker by prying it apart. Parts went flying. I got the job of putting it back together. Never told my father and he never knew. In later years, maybe 40 years later, we were all telling stories and this one came up. My father refused to believe it. Hundred's of fellow jarheads tried to get into it and never could. I wonder what he had in there? I know he came back from the war with about 2x what his salary would have paid.

Heck, building a Locost was easy!

Half of my tools should be labeled ACME or Binford.

[JackMcCornack]

By my late 20's I was repairing my own computer...

Oh yeah? Well when I was in my late 20's, I was repairing my own slide rule. You kids today, you don't know how good you've got it.

[Off Road SHO]

Every Wed. night I have dinner with a bunch of other old farts, mostly retired, all do'ers and builders. Everybody takes turns telling mostly true stories of what they're currently doing or having trouble with. The retired Italian fireman from Harlem tells the best stories, just don't comprehend everything that comes out. But, the guys from Jersey can translate it for me.

Tom

[turbo_bird]

My late teen years as well as young adult years saw me working on cars 'cause I couldn't afford to have someone repair 'em, let alone buy a new enough car where weekly major repairs weren't needed.

I don't know how many times I've had people tell me that they wished they knew how to work on cars like me. I tell them to sell whatever nice vehicle(s) they have and buy an old piece of crap to drive every day, they'll learn to fix cars or get lots of exercise. At least those were my options growing up. I'd still rather drive something that needs occasional work than have a car payment.
Kristian

[nick47]

they'll learn to fix cars or get lots of exercise.

Or both. My first car was a 1960 MGA. I always fixed everything at least twice, once the wrong way and once the right way. Or at least good enough. But it did leave me stranded. A lot.

[zetec7]

I started off with a Fiat 600, then an Austin Mini, followed by an honest-to-goodness Mini Cooper. The latter was both my daily driver, and my race & rally car. Needless to say, I learned a LOT about fixing cars, and quickly!

One thing I learned is that a car with 20 gauge wiring, instant-corroding bullet connectors, & a total of about three 30-amp fuses WILL let the smoke out frequently, although usually only in a blinding rainstorm, at night.

I also learned that the foil out of one package of cigarettes can be used to rejuvenate (wrap) at least a dozen burned-out Buss fuses & make them work again, for a while. A .22 long rifle casing also works, although since it will happily pass, oh, probably 150 amps without blowing, this can be a problem in a car with wiring that won't pass 10 amps without burning up. Never want to use live cartridges, though!

And now, here I am, building a brand new car with lots of used British electrical parts...what was that again - the part about "lessons learned"?

[geek49203]

Or both. My first car was a 1960 MGA. I always fixed everything at least twice, once the wrong way and once the right way. Or at least good enough. But it did leave me stranded. A lot.

The first time I pulled both hamstrings at one time was when I worked on a '69 Sprite. Just bending over the thing.

[GonzoRacer]

:cheers:

In this case we'll start the post with a drink. I just have to say that both JD and I draw on a deep reservoir of physics education, for us, engineering school started way before college. Countless hours spent in front of the education box. Absorbing deeply all the lessons explicit and otherwise offered by distance learning services like Hannah-Barbera. Things like how much distance do I need before this explodes or how much distance past the edge of this cliff before I notice.

The education offered by Youtube these days to children pales in comparison to what we got from our durable little friends, Wily Coyote and Curly. Those guys went the distance, and that's how JD and I do it too.

Spot on, Marcus! I think my first inkling that Wily Coyote wasn't "real world" came that time I took a big piece of cardboard, cut it to look like a set of wings and tried to fly off the roof of the chicken house. Very short flight, and I didn't land all that well. Fortunately there was a lot of underbrush on the sloped ground below. Haven't trusted that damned coyote since...

And Happy New Year!