"Are you going into the workshop today?"

[Erfolg]

I would not dare of even thinking of going into my work room.

As I have spent at least 1 hour forcing packaging into the paper recycling bin, whilst the other half collects sorts and categorises more children's toys than i ever dreamt off.

I would be greeted with all you do is take the rubbish out and I have cleaning etc.

[kc]

The younger generations seem unable to do anything for themselves. But is it all their fault? Nobody here mentioned showing their children how they could mend it for themselves instead of just doing it for them!
Didnt we learn by being taught and supervised by our parents or grandparents?
We must not let the ability to do things for ourselves die out with our generation.

[Wingman]

KC your post made me think a bit and I realised that, although I'm very good at fixing almost anything, I learnt nothing from my father or grandfather neither of whom had any interests other than some mild gardening. It has been my way, for the last 50 odd years, that if I want to know how to do something I get hold of a book about it and then learn hands-on after that. Nowadays of course you can just type into google "How to repair .........." and several answers will be produced so the information is easily available to the younger generation but I suspect that it is the lack of a hands-on practical education that is the main reason for them to appear to be 'handless' and I also suspect that it has a knock-on effect on their employability.

[Bernie]

I have lost count of how many times my young son has brought his electric Bass guitar to me and said ,got any solder?I am also good for hanging pictures and curtain rails etc .I am also the sole lender of plug extensions .but as you all say BROWNY POINTS!

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Posted by Willowlea on 27/12/2013 01:25:57:

.......secondly I have a bad habit of taking things apart to try to fix them- and forgetting how to put them back together again!!!

Taking things apart & then putting them back together is a great way to increase your stock of small screws, washers, springs etc......I ALWAYS have a few parts left over...

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

KC makes an interesting point & as my boys grow up I shall be encouraging them to fix their own stuff with a little help from Daddy when needed....but thinking back no-one really taught me how to "fix stuff".....my own Dad can barely drive a nail into a block of wood.......I just kind of learned by fiddling & experimenting & I think thats either "in you" or it isn't. Certainly my Mum was keen to encourage me to just "have a go" (but I think she was just trying to protect womankind from having another useless male like my Dad inflicted on them when I grew up )

I started by "fixing" my Hornby trains....did you know that you can, in fact, solder wires together using plasticene....it's true....I proved it when I was 9!!!

[Erfolg]

Part, if not all of the inability to fix things, is that so much is designed to prevent access to items, using the specialised headed screws (star, hex, one way etc) or clipping fastening.

Then there is the interpretation to H&S rules. Many companies for example having a yearly verification check. Although not required by any regulations, has been either a misrepresentation by a company employee or it is the easy way to protect myself type of thinking. Another approach, is to have a procedure requiring any defective or damaged equipment to be reported via a management process.

Even the BMFA misrepresents the actual legal meaning and limitations of CE markings.

No wonder there is a reluctance to even consider fixing anything

[kc]

Those of us who were lucky enough not to go to those snobbish schools where they thought teaching woodwork or metalwork was beneath their pupils dignity will have learnt how to make things at school. That is if we were also lucky enough to be born in the right decades too.
It's probably this teaching of practical subjects at school that enabled us to make model aircraft now or repair practically any item that is repairable ( many things aren't or the cost of parts is sky high )
It's not just the knowledge that needs to be passed on but the idea that things can be and should be repaired. The idea that it's up to you to mend your own possesions. The idea that recyclying is done by mending not by chucking things in the correct bin.

[Pete B]

Posted by kc on 27/12/2013 15:50:25:
Those of us who were lucky enough not to go to those snobbish schools where they thought teaching woodwork or metalwork was beneath their pupils dignity will have learnt how to make things at school. That is if we were also lucky enough to be born in the right decades too.

I must be the exception that proves the rule, kc - my failure to achieve all they demanded drove me to taking a degree in parsimony in the University of Life.....

Pete

[Andrew Russell 2]

The health and safety aspect or "cover our ass aspect" is what prevent people from repairing thing IMHO.

Everything now seems to be built to prevent people from suing the manufacture if they try to repair it

Heres a really good example of why alot of people don't develop the required skills when i was in secondary school by the time i was in year 5 i had access to everything from a chisel to a cnc cutter. Now that im in university i have to fill in a risk assessment before i do something as trival as sitting down to do something on c.a.d. incase i will hurt my back or eyes and as for access to tools forget it unless you have taken a course in using it.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Well I went to the "posh school" - we still did woodwork and metalwork - the teachers of which IMHO were totally useless and couldn't make a mess let alone anything else! I did learn from my Dad - who was a superb craftsman in both wood and metal and he taught me loads. The result was I knew how to cut a joint better than the so-called woodwork teacher could - talk about "two left hands" he was hopless! The metal work teacher wasn't any better, he couldn't even centre a piece of work in a 4-jaw chuck, read a mic correctly or use a DTI!

Regarding my own children - well my son has a complete aversion to getting anything sticky or messy on his hands and watching him with any tool is a torture I cannot bear! My daughter is better - but simply not interested. I think her view is "Dad fixes things - I don't need to". But I'm confident that if I wasn't there she'd have a good go and figure it out.

BTW - today's job was fixing a frayed lead on a laptop power supply for said daughter!

BEB

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Heaven preserve us Erfolg....its the holidays....please don't bring up CE marking when we're all supposed to be enjoying ourselves....

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

I think it would be fun to catalogue what we get asked to mend for a short while - just to see the variation! I've listed my jobs for the last two days - a pair of boots, a hamster ladder and a laptop power supply. Ian has cited his Christmas tree snowman!

Feel free to add to the list as we go on,...

BEB

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 27/12/2013 16:38:17

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

Yep "posh school" for me too...well a Grammar School at least. Still did metalwork & woodwork.....made a rather nice copper & brass jug in metalwork one term & a wooden lamp stand in woodwork......One term I made a rather nice engine test stand in metalwork.....I wonder what happened to that??

A great idea BEB....recently for me I was asked to fix some plastic sunglasses (no chance gluing on such a tiny piece of plastic so I fitted an shiny new ASP91 into my Acrowot....see my first post in this thread) & also a plastic ramp for a skate park (don't ask!!) fixed with some glass cloth & epoxy.....

[Nev Haycox]

Thanks to our son buying his mother a Kindle for Xmas and his mother and I a Tassimo drinks maker, I had the thankless task of registering the Kindle, downloading the first book and preparing the Tassimo for it's first use .

Now don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to our son for his generosity and I do love a nice gadget, but, I hate reading instruction manuals only to find they are confusing at best or just totally wrong (that' my excuse anyway). I find advancing years and instruction manuals just don't get on.

Then, I had to show my wife how they work, not that she couldn't work it out for herself, it's just easier if I pull my hair out first.

Thankfully I'm now being left alone to tinker with my Grob Tutor

Nev.

P.S. My son very kindly bought me a trial flying lesson, so it's not all that bad .

[Miketgd]

Had to go in the shed - to mend some of the toys/games that always seem to need attention after Christmas and Boxing Day. Guess that is what Grandads are for.

[sticky fingers]

I really feel for those of you who have to justify indulging in a hobby which is both rewarding and keeps you out of the good ladies hair .If you sat around moping and bored especially during the long dark days of winter I,m sure something would be said in some sort of sarky manner, such as,' haven't you got anything better to do than sitting around with a face like a smacked bottom'

Remember lads a model is not just for Christmas but for life{of the model} . If its not broke ,don't fix it, if its broke,have a go at fixing it just be wary and use a little common sense cos that's all the fundamental of H&S is anyway

May you all have a Happy and shedly 2014

Dave

[Phil Claridge]

my motto is if it's dead dissect it, then revive repair or recycle. fixed more kids toy's at xmas than i care to think of.

built my first bike at 7 years old from frame upwards. always loved to tinker or fix something and save some brass

regards phil

[cymaz]

"Shedding again today! Thought I might get some flying in but, no. The weather gods have mucked it up again.

[Willowlea]

Posted by Steve Hargreaves - Moderator on 27/12/2013 14:18:17:

Posted by Willowlea on 27/12/2013 01:25:57:

.......secondly I have a bad habit of taking things apart to try to fix them- and forgetting how to put them back together again!!!

Taking things apart & then putting them back together is a great way to increase your stock of small screws, washers, springs etc......I ALWAYS have a few parts left over...

 

hmmmm yeah but not when it is your son's cross trainer/exercise bike. Took me hours putting that together last year, being left with screws after was slightly ........ erm daunting everytime he has used it hehe.

I was lucky I grew up with a grandad who was a traditional blacksmith with his own forge, a nana who knitted,sewed and darned and a father who was always pulling things apart and making things from scratch. So I did well at school in woodwork,metalwork and handycrafts. It is a shame the generations have become a throw away and buy new generation. Being a bit of a hoarder I tend to keep things, so any old vacs etc get kept in the coal shed outside...incase the parts come in handy one day

Not hard to fathom out a female brain what you do is wait till they are about to sit down to watch their regular/cant miss it/do not disturb on pain of death tv program then say " darling..am just popping into the workshop to fix that ironing board of yours"

1) you get brownie points cos they know they wont get interupted during the tv show

2) they will be so engrossed in the program they wont notice how long you are gone or what you are actually doing ( a female in charge of the remote control is a very dangerous thing hehe!)

3) if you pop back in occasionally to make them regular brews during it, it sweetens the deal

Edited By Willowlea on 28/12/2013 12:56:59

[Nigel Day]

Hmm. Having someone from the Dark Side in this forum could be very handy. Do you offer free consultancy on how best to handle those tricky moments with our (female) other halves, S-J?

I can safely joke as my wife is a treasure when it comes to my new hobby. Not only does she understand because she's got plenty of craft-related hobbies herself, but she takes a genuine interest and has provided valuable ideas on numerable occasions.

She still needs persuading that, having no proper shed, sanding is best done indoors though.

Edited By Nigel Day on 28/12/2013 14:44:37

[Dave Bran]

I have use of a shed, a garage, and two bedrooms..........as I write there are two Helis standing on the master kitchen surface brought in from the garage while acclimatising to the temp inside before working on them.

My wife's attitude is that I should look at converting the garage into a "proper room" so that when I open the internal door the temp doesn't drop so much. I said yes, but how to store the garage full while it happens, and all I got was a "well, put them in the dining room then, it won't be for that long"

Have not actually seen the wings and halo on my wife but they must be there...........................