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#1
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Workshop with kids around? Hints?
Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy &
bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim |
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#2
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Hi RATs!
Just do SS until they get move out  Happy Ears! Al Alan J. Marcy Phoenix, AZ PWC/mystic/Earhead |
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#3
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Build pre-amps with tubes like a ECC86 .....
(Ua-max.=30V but works nice at 12V) "Shiva" schreef in bericht ... Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim |
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#4
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Hi dim,
The only way I know of protecting 5 year olds from themselves is to educate them. It will serve them well for the rest of their lives. In the mean time, you need to discipline yourself to turn off anything HV when you leave the shop, and it would also be a good idea to unplug the cords. Don't worry about soldering irons, a few self inflicted burns are very educational, and not usually all that harmful. Drill presses and grinders should be disabled, or unplugged when not in use... mistakes with power tools are too awful to contemplate. 5 yr olds aren't usually all that interested in going to a lot of effort to make things "work", but they will flip the switches, and crank the knobs.... and move your tools into the strangest places. Your biggest danger is finding your screwdriver stuck into the holes in an HV cage, or finding all your solder cut into short lengths and stuck in every thing that will hold a piece. Don't expect them to tell the truth about what they have done in your shop. Instead, calmly explain what the result of the misdeed was, and show them what you have to do to correct it. They will come to respect your work and efforts more that way, than they will if you wail into them. You didn't say whether these kids are yours, or not, but if they are not yours, your life with your SO will be much happier if you pick a nonviolent educational way of correcting their behavior. Also, teach the kids to always wear shoes in your shop, that food of any kind is NOT allowed, and to always wash their hands on leaving. They will do this if you tell them to, and if they see you do so yourself RELIGIOUSLY. Kids can smell a hypocrite from a mile away. Good luck, it will work. -Chuck Shiva wrote: Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim |
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#5
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Shiva wrote: Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim The workspace you have MUST be locked up when you ain't in there. You cannot trust that friendly but firm warnings about electric shocks will be heeded. I often have clients bring me items or pick up items for repair, and they sometimes have their kids along, so I have to be careful to watch them so they don't touch something dangerous, so the soldering iron has a metal cover over it, and no chassis are left turned on, just waiting for little innocent fingers to explore. I have a sixth sense, and I know when its dangerous to be in my shed. Some adult customers are a bit nosy, and I offer them a seat..... You have a challenge to engage the children's curiosity about WTF you are doing, but chances are, that unless those kids are endowed with naturally scientific minds, they'll come to see your activities as dead boring, and leave you alone. Beware the child who likes to connect the mains up to the input of an amp when you ain't around, just to see the smoke...... That GF must be really something, to put up with you! ( she ain't got an older sister by any chance? ) Patrick Turner. |
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#6
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Shiva wrote: Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim Sis won't be a problem most likely, but little bro might need to be educated in the reality that he could get seriously hurt by that cool-looking stuff. Include him in your interest, but make it clear that nothing is to be touched unless it's under your direct supervision. A few little demonstrations wouldn't hurt; carefully set up some controlled experiments, such as direct shorts across charged filter caps, low-value small resistors connected across a B+ line (the old carbon comps are best for that because they crackle and glow and smoke and stink), reversed polarized electrolytics (the cheap 1000 uF at 16v jobs from wallwarts are cool because they blow the rubber plugs out the end and fill the room with alkali-soaked paper shrapnel), IOW all those things that impressed on YOU that electricity demands respect. One of two things will happen: either he'll find it geeky and boring and eventually move on, or else he'll find it geeky and exciting and be on his way to an electronics hobby or career. Cheers, Fred -- +--------------------------------------------+ | Music: http://www3.telus.net/dogstarmusic/ | | Projects, Vacuum Tubes & other stuff: | | http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk | +--------------------------------------------+ |
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#7
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With my kid, I found it most effective to set up a few tempting booby traps,
so she'd get zapped with 300 or 400 volts dc. By the third time, she steered clear. Of course, she still has no feeling in her right arm & her hair is still frizzed. Now, the lessons for staying away from the power tools, that's where it really got ugly. Heh, heh. (Of course, you realise this is all fiction.) -- Stephen Sank, Owner & Ribbon Mic Restorer Talking Dog Transducer Company http://stephensank.com 5517 Carmelita Drive N.E. Albuquerque, New Mexico [87111] 505-332-0336 Auth. Nakamichi & McIntosh servicer Payments preferred through Paypal.com "Shiva" wrote in message ... Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim |
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#8
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"Ronald" wrote in message ... Build pre-amps with tubes like a ECC86 ..... (Ua-max.=30V but works nice at 12V) I think it's 90, if memory serves... If you can make ends meet buildin' preamps, I'm all ears... "Shiva" schreef in bericht ... Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim |
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#9
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"Chuck Harris" wrote in message ... Hi dim, The only way I know of protecting 5 year olds from themselves is to educate them. It will serve them well for the rest of their lives. In the mean time, you need to discipline yourself to turn off anything HV when you leave the shop, and it would also be a good idea to unplug the cords. Don't worry about soldering irons, a few self inflicted burns are very educational, and not usually all that harmful. Drill presses and grinders should be disabled, or unplugged when not in use... mistakes with power tools are too awful to contemplate. 5 yr olds aren't usually all that interested in going to a lot of effort to make things "work", but they will flip the switches, and crank the knobs.... and move your tools into the strangest places. Your biggest danger is finding your screwdriver stuck into the holes in an HV cage, or finding all your solder cut into short lengths and stuck in every thing that will hold a piece. Don't expect them to tell the truth about what they have done in your shop. Instead, calmly explain what the result of the misdeed was, and show them what you have to do to correct it. They will come to respect your work and efforts more that way, than they will if you wail into them. You didn't say whether these kids are yours, or not, but if they are not yours, your life with your SO will be much happier if you pick a nonviolent educational way of correcting their behavior. Also, teach the kids to always wear shoes in your shop, that food of any kind is NOT allowed, and to always wash their hands on leaving. They will do this if you tell them to, and if they see you do so yourself RELIGIOUSLY. Kids can smell a hypocrite from a mile away. Good luck, it will work. Thanks for a serious reply. I already use main breaker to kill shop power, so that's going to be an easy one. And, no, the kids aren't mine (well, i guess they kind'o are *now*) - the only responsible thing I've done in this life was avoid spawning.... It should be fun - the solder bit already happened - only a pound was turned into "monsters"... -dim -Chuck Shiva wrote: Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim |
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#10
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"Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... snip That GF must be really something, to put up with you! ( she ain't got an older sister by any chance? ) Nope. Would a younger rother do? ducks Patrick Turner. |
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#11
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"Stephen Sank" schreef in bericht ... With my kid, I found it most effective to set up a few tempting booby traps, so she'd get zapped with 300 or 400 volts dc. By the third time, she steered clear. Of course, she still has no feeling in her right arm & her hair is still frizzed. Now, the lessons for staying away from the power tools, that's where it really got ugly. Heh, heh. If an arm comes off it's just enough meat to have meatballs for the family for 2 dayz ;-) And it works in just one time I think ..... If not , she has no arm left so she's not able to eat anymore .... This way you have an extra meatball for yourself !!! |
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#12
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"Fred Nachbaur" wrote in message .. . ..... A few little demonstrations wouldn't hurt; carefully set up some controlled experiments, such as direct shorts across charged filter caps, low-value small resistors connected across a B+ line (the old carbon comps are best for that because they crackle and glow and smoke and stink), Those finned chassis-mounted wire-wound jobs *explode*. Looks like a wire-guided missile when one of the plastic but-plugs blows out of the aluminum extrusion, trailing some wire behind it... Wait. Must not show that - he'll think it's fun.... reversed polarized electrolytics (the cheap 1000 uF at 16v jobs from wallwarts are cool because they blow the rubber plugs out the end and fill the room with alkali-soaked paper shrapnel), Hey, that happened to you too, huh? Funny, those things have kind-o a trident stamped into the top of the can to intentionally weaken it, and *that's supposed to blow open... Never does. Oh, on some axials (i think older sprauges) had a scratch on the side to deal with that, though I've only "blown up" puny cans, usually on real-densely populated boards. IOW all those things that impressed on YOU that electricity demands respect. Umm... I don't think I want him to take my aproach, which is pretty much borrowed from ridin' bikes. Most people try to never wipe out, but my take on it was "learn to crash", and crash & crash I did (dirtbikes, pretty safe), untill having to lay a bike down in the street was a mundane thing . Same with electricity - i still do many things which are considered "unsafe", and plan for the worst-case scenario, as in "i'm not goin' to hold the chassis with my left hand & lean into it while puttin' on a 'gator clip" and "make sure you don't take the whole workbench down if you get a slight shock". I still do stuff like brush my finger aginst HT wires after dischargin' the caps, 'cos I don't trust just using a meter... Anyhow, to cut it short, it would be nice if he didn't have to go through the same series of accidents & mistakes as I did (though that's the only way I ever really learn anything...) Thanks for the reply, though, there's stuff that even I have to take seriously... -dim One of two things will happen: either he'll find it geeky and boring and eventually move on, or else he'll find it geeky and exciting and be on his way to an electronics hobby or career. Cheers, Fred -- +--------------------------------------------+ | Music: http://www3.telus.net/dogstarmusic/ | | Projects, Vacuum Tubes & other stuff: | | http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk | +--------------------------------------------+ |
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#13
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"Stephen Sank" wrote in message ... With my kid, I found it most effective to set up a few tempting booby traps, so she'd get zapped with 300 or 400 volts dc. By the third time, she steered clear. Of course, she still has no feeling in her right arm & her hair is still frizzed. Now, the lessons for staying away from the power tools, that's where it really got ugly. Heh, heh. (Of course, you realise this is all fiction.) I should adopt your tagline in all my emails... -- Stephen Sank, Owner & Ribbon Mic Restorer Talking Dog Transducer Company http://stephensank.com 5517 Carmelita Drive N.E. Albuquerque, New Mexico [87111] 505-332-0336 Auth. Nakamichi & McIntosh servicer Payments preferred through Paypal.com "Shiva" wrote in message ... Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim |
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#14
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"Shiva" wrote in message . ..
Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim Definatly keep it locked when you aren't around,It will save all parties alot of grief. ;-) I can relate to the "Solder sculptures"..My little cousin has run around in my workshop once or twice..Odd balls of clay (where'd *that* come from?) with resistors,caps,and miles of solder sticking out..maybe a screw or two,and a nut for good measure..or maybe make "additions" to your newest project.. Keeping a clean shop,and keeping dangerous things out of thier reach is definatly a good idea. And let them know whats dangerous when they are around.. Heavy items up on shelves,High voltage,hot things (tubes,soldering irons) sharp things (razor knives,etc..) But it's gonna be up to you to make sure they don't,and can't get into that stuff,atleast without your supervision. If they seem interested,it might be good to educate them a bit about the basics..Maybe get them one of those 200-in-1 springy-connector-board-kits,if they seem really interested,and want to play around.I think it would be good to kind of mentor them in electronics,if they end up enjoying it. My friends are scared to go into my workshop..they are scared that something is going to zap them! Bwhahahaa! Wonder what gave them that idea? couldn't be the high voltage projects,and occasional capacitor discharge,could it? Not to mention those darn 3-legged silicon firecrackers going off now and then.. :-) |
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#16
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"Rich Andrews" wrote in message
.44... Speaking of exploding caps, many years ago I was visiting a friend who owned a TV repair shop. One nice summer morning we were drinking coffee and shooting the breeze just inside the back door of the shop. Suddenly a bang drew my attention to a 80@450 that is sailing in our direction from over a 6ft high wall smoking and fizzling. This now airborne projectile, formerly known as a capacitor, landed near our feet. My friend calmly got up and kicked it out the door. He then hollered to one of the techs working and said, "Experimenting again Jerry?" and continued with our conversation like this was a normal everyday occurance. I nearly died laughing. I still don't know if that was a 'bit' or not. LMAO! Tim -- In the immortal words of Ned Flanders: "No foot longs!" Website @ http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms |
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#17
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Lock the door...period.
It's ok to come in when I'm there, but all other times it's off-limits. There's just too much dangerous stuff there. When they're a little older (than 5), it may be different. I locked the 357 revolver away, and got out the old .45 ACP, as I can remove the clip and locate it elsewhere where I can get to it, as well as the gun. The .45 has three safeties, and doesn't do much without a clip. Even if you get the clip in, it takes strength to pull the reciever back, and one of the safeties prevent one from pushing on the barrel to push the reciever back. Our bedroom is off limits and everyone knows it, but just in case... Lock the door.. Small children don't really know better, older children should be educated, and even then use caution. Just my humble opinion.. bob H. "Shiva" wrote: Well, I finally decided to move in with my GF, and everything's rosy & bright, but... A5 yr old boy, who gets into everything, and his older sis. There's some basement space, so all things sharp & nasty could be there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim Bob H. Just grab that plate in one hand, the chassis in the other, and FEEL the power of tube audio!!! (not literally, of course, just kidding. DON'T DO THAT!) |
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#18
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"Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... snip That GF must be really something, to put up with you! ( she ain't got an older sister by any chance? ) Nope. Would a younger rother do? ducks You mean her younger sister? Depends. If she is ugly and desperate, maybe that compensates for the fact that I am an old *******, ( but with experience and wisdom, Ah. Bad typin' on my part - the "rother" was 'posed to be "*b* rother." And, even though the guy seems to be happily married and spawned a few, you never know - maybe there are some carefully suppressed latent tendencies. Worth a shot? ducks again. although young sheilas are almost allergic to old blokes and their logic Ah, lesson number 734: Girls of any age have a severe aversion to logic. *never* debate anything using logic of *any8 sort - I've learned to walk out & do a walk around a few blocks, long enough for 2 smokes. That works best. Not that you win the debate, or anything (consider it lost before you start), but you don't feel angry anymore... unless I am like Sean Connery, and/or rich as a king ). I would have enough money to buy some crutches for the day after the night before spent with a demanding young sheila. US ER - Free crutches... I got a pretty custom walker once (I had a broken wrist, too). Wheelchairs are tougher - all marked up, with a permanent IV pole, making them a pain to load into a car. Bring 2 7/16th wrenches, and make sure you've got one that's com[lete - none of them hokey no-footrest ones. Girl of a wife, she brought two great kids with her into his house, and they couldn't be happier, and they radiate with love to each other, and I see them working on the old house, and improving things, and I wish something like that could happen to me, but usually I get sheilas only concerned about what they might get OUT of the relationship. GOOD women are rare, and they lift a man up, and they are only concerned about what can be put IN to a relationship, and how problems can be solved, not how to walk away. I've been real lucky, probably 'coz i was a total egomaniac when i was a kid, so my thoughts went along the lines of "...But i *really* think I love her, so sooner or later she'll figure out that I'm *the one*. To speed up the process a bit, i'll just hang out by her house & *explain* to her the inevitability of us bein' together. Over and over." Patrick Turner. Patrick Turner. |
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#20
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"Bob Hedberg" wrote in message ... Lock the door...period. It's ok to come in when I'm there, but all other times it's off-limits. There's just too much dangerous stuff there. When they're a little older (than 5), it may be different. I locked the 357 revolver away, and got out the old .45 ACP, as I can remove the clip and locate it elsewhere where I can get to it, as well as the gun. The .45 has three safeties, and doesn't do much without a clip. Even if you get the clip in, it takes strength to pull the reciever back, and one of the safeties prevent one from pushing on the barrel to push the reciever back. Our bedroom is off limits and everyone knows it, but just in case... Lock the door.. Small children don't really know better, older children should be educated, and even then use caution. Just my humble opinion.. bob H. Bob, I'm neurotically careful with nugs - even when I lived alone, I never kept clips /shells /anything in the chamber, and I'm really not plannin' on nugs with kids around. Too much weird stuff happens. I once had a loaded 44-40 remington aimed at a guy I thought was a burglar (this was NH - the "Live free or die" state), but when i told the guy to "freeze (cinematic obscenity omitted)", the flashlight flew out of the guy's hand as he threw up a badge (which flew out of his other hand), as he yelled "State police!" At that point my knees started shaking & i thought i was going to be known by a long number for a long time... The guy was super nice, though, and actually apologized to me as I was stuttering something about thinking that he was a burglar. We both went down and looked for his badge, flashlight was still on... 3rd nice state cop I've met in my life. Stuff like that, though, makes me a bit weary 'bout having guns around. F8ck the safety's - get a trigger lock. And no, I'm not an anti-nugger - i love the things, everything but 25's - *those* suckers should be made illegal... -dim e there, but anyone (with kids) have any advice on settin' up a fairly child-friendly shop? Thanks in advance, -dim Bob H. Just grab that plate in one hand, the chassis in the other, and FEEL the power of tube audio!!! (not literally, of course, just kidding. DON'T DO THAT!) |
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#21
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"Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... snip That GF must be really something, to put up with you! ( she ain't got an older sister by any chance? ) Nope. Would a younger rother do? ducks You mean her younger sister? Depends. If she is ugly and desperate, maybe that compensates for the fact that I am an old *******, ( but with experience and wisdom, Ah. Bad typin' on my part - the "rother" was 'posed to be "*b* rother." And, even though the guy seems to be happily married and spawned a few, you never know - maybe there are some carefully suppressed latent tendencies. Worth a shot? ducks again. although young sheilas are almost allergic to old blokes and their logic Ah, lesson number 734: Girls of any age have a severe aversion to logic. *never* debate anything using logic of *any8 sort - I've learned to walk out & do a walk around a few blocks, long enough for 2 smokes. That works best. Not that you win the debate, or anything (consider it lost before you start), but you don't feel angry anymore... unless I am like Sean Connery, and/or rich as a king ). I would have enough money to buy some crutches for the day after the night before spent with a demanding young sheila. US ER - Free crutches... I got a pretty custom walker once (I had a broken wrist, too). Wheelchairs are tougher - all marked up, with a permanent IV pole, making them a pain to load into a car. Bring 2 7/16th wrenches, and make sure you've got one that's com[lete - none of them hokey no-footrest ones. Girl of a wife, she brought two great kids with her into his house, and they couldn't be happier, and they radiate with love to each other, and I see them working on the old house, and improving things, and I wish something like that could happen to me, but usually I get sheilas only concerned about what they might get OUT of the relationship. GOOD women are rare, and they lift a man up, and they are only concerned about what can be put IN to a relationship, and how problems can be solved, not how to walk away. I've been real lucky, probably 'coz i was a total egomaniac when i was a kid, so my thoughts went along the lines of "...But i *really* think I love her, so sooner or later she'll figure out that I'm *the one*. To speed up the process a bit, i'll just hang out by her house & *explain* to her the inevitability of us bein' together. Over and over." You must be a good talker, she a great listener, and happy walks off into the sunset seems assured. Good Luck. Snow fell here last week, and the hard bald mountain ranges left after the severe bushfires last summer turned from dark brown to pure white. It almost sounds romantic, if it didn't remind you how harsh it is for koalas and kangaroos to survive out there in those hills. I reckon there must be some REALLY good talkers and listeners amoungst those poor critters, wondrin whether they'll make it to the springtime with almost nothing to eat, and wondrin whether they oughta risk a bit of hokey pokey under a gum tree all in the name of procreation. In this mid winter scene we have here, the sheilas seem to become invisible, and I never see one out on her own after 6pm lookin fo a lil company. The cold weather has ruined many a romance, or even the chance of it occurrin. Maybe I ought to pack up, and **** off to an island with some palm trees. Trouble is, to get anyplace decent, youse gotta pay through the nose. Patrick Turner. You know, the islan thing may not be such a bad idea. I wound up onTortola (BVI) pretty much by chance - my ex-boss invited me to spend a couple'o weeks at his place there, and paid for the tix. The two weeks didn't do it for me - I spent over a year there ('till immigration finally cought up with me & booted me out), bein' a boat bum & fishin' & fixin' boats for a living. After starving (well, actually, eating fish fish & fish - had a speargun) for a month, made really good friends there, and life was so ridiculously simple & good. I didn't have to charge locals for working on their boats - they always wound up giving double in food, old outboards / boats, and it just kind'a made it seem like people weren't such sh7ts after all... Patrick Turner. Patrick Turner. |
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#22
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Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... ,,, In this mid winter scene we have here, the sheilas seem to become invisible, and I never see one out on her own after 6pm lookin fo a lil company. The cold weather has ruined many a romance, or even the chance of it occurrin. Maybe I ought to pack up, and **** off to an island with some palm trees. Trouble is, to get anyplace decent, youse gotta pay through the nose. Patrick Turner. You know, the islan thing may not be such a bad idea. I wound up onTortola (BVI) pretty much by chance - my ex-boss invited me to spend a couple'o weeks at his place there, and paid for the tix. The two weeks didn't do it for me - I spent over a year there ('till immigration finally cought up with me & booted me out), bein' a boat bum & fishin' & fixin' boats for a living. After starving (well, actually, eating fish fish & fish - had a speargun) for a month, made really good friends there, and life was so ridiculously simple & good. I didn't have to charge locals for working on their boats - they always wound up giving double in food, old outboards / boats, and it just kind'a made it seem like people weren't such sh7ts after all... You are right, not everyone is a hard ass. So what led you to the unatural crazy world of electronics? Patrick Turner. |
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#23
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"Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... ,,, In this mid winter scene we have here, the sheilas seem to become invisible, and I never see one out on her own after 6pm lookin fo a lil company. The cold weather has ruined many a romance, or even the chance of it occurrin. Maybe I ought to pack up, and **** off to an island with some palm trees. Trouble is, to get anyplace decent, youse gotta pay through the nose. Patrick Turner. You know, the islan thing may not be such a bad idea. I wound up onTortola (BVI) pretty much by chance - my ex-boss invited me to spend a couple'o weeks at his place there, and paid for the tix. The two weeks didn't do it for me - I spent over a year there ('till immigration finally cought up with me & booted me out), bein' a boat bum & fishin' & fixin' boats for a living. After starving (well, actually, eating fish fish & fish - had a speargun) for a month, made really good friends there, and life was so ridiculously simple & good. I didn't have to charge locals for working on their boats - they always wound up giving double in food, old outboards / boats, and it just kind'a made it seem like people weren't such sh7ts after all... You are right, not everyone is a hard ass. So what led you to the unatural crazy world of electronics? Patrick Turner. I dunno. I actually sat and thought about this for 10 mins, trying to figure out just what makes me like electronics, and couldn't think of a good answer. This is the best i could think up: Always likebreaking /building stuff since I could remember. By the time I was 4 i was dragging junk TV chassis home, ripping them apart (conning my grandma into helping me with the tight screws & stuff), without knowing what all the stuff did - just looked neat. Same with mechanical stuff. Maybe some people are born with the *geek* part of the brain bein' dominant? I never remember names or phone #'s, but i can still quote all the basic clearances & torques on a 356 motor, even though it must have been 10 yrs since I touched one. Maybe it's also some kind of a mental hangup - when i see some chunks of electronic gear, or machine shop gear, i get weird fascination /obsession /lust usually reserved for ... well, enough. -dim |
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Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote Right, not everyone is a hard ass. So what led you to the unatural crazy world of electronics? Patrick Turner. I dunno. I actually sat and thought about this for 10 mins, trying to figure out just what makes me like electronics, and couldn't think of a good answer. I wrecked lotsa stuff, or what seemed to be junk, and the problem I see now, but not then, was that our fathers had no care about us wrecking things. If I was a dad, I'd be asking what did you do today son? Pulled an alarm clock apart dad. So can you get it back together? now that's the bit that I missed. This is the best i could think up: Always likebreaking /building stuff since I could remember. By the time I was 4 i was dragging junk TV chassis home, ripping them apart (conning my grandma into helping me with the tight screws & stuff), without knowing what all the stuff did - just looked neat. Same with mechanical stuff. Maybe some people are born with the *geek* part of the brain bein' dominant? I think I was taken by 'things', rather than people. I never remember names or phone #'s, but i can still quote all the basic clearances & torques on a 356 motor, even though it must have been 10 yrs since I touched one. Maybe it's also some kind of a mental hangup - when i see some chunks of electronic gear, or machine shop gear, i get weird fascination /obsession /lust usually reserved for ... well, enough. Its the wonderment. maybe its the irish genes. Old radios fasinated me more deeply when I started playing with transmitters. But women, studies, work as a trainee builder, and motorbikes and folk music and the pub took over electronics, which became boring. But women don't mean much now, I don't want to go to university, and I got crook knees from building, which then becaome boring after 30 years, and I have a hopeless voice, and I ain't musically gifted, and then I saw a guy who had his own business doing audio things, and I said to myself, I can do that, and I had this vision of where I would be in 5 years, and that was it, I transfered from one trade to another. Trouble is I haven't made any profit from the hand crafting side of my activities. One can knw a heck of a lot, but it takes much more than technical skill to build a commercially expanding, and thriving company. It takes capital, and other pairs of hands to help, it cannot be done alone. Maybe in 1955, sure, because there just were not many affordable amps around, and if you could build an amp, you were in demand. But the competition is now daunting. I make a few bits of gear as I go, and I like the interest I have, and I don't mind not having the driving ambitions of a 30 yr old. Patrick Turner. -dim |
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Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... Shiva wrote: "Patrick Turner" wrote Right, not everyone is a hard ass. So what led you to the unatural crazy world of electronics? Patrick Turner. I dunno. I actually sat and thought about this for 10 mins, trying to figure out just what makes me like electronics, and couldn't think of a good answer. I wrecked lotsa stuff, or what seemed to be junk, and the problem I see now, but not then, was that our fathers had no care about us wrecking things. If I was a dad, I'd be asking what did you do today son? Pulled an alarm clock apart dad. So can you get it back together? now that's the bit that I missed. There's nothing wrong with rippin' things apart - that's how I learned when I was a kid. Seemingly stupid stuff like breking tubes open give me a better understanding of how stuff works than cutaways, and you start asking yourself questions like "how in the $#@$ do they make the getter go off?", or How can a metal 6L6 dissipate enough heat, or how do they make the getters go off in metal toobs, or - list goes on. First I destroyed tons of stuff (still break open bad tubes, check this out: http://elysiansound.com/svetlana/ - so I still learn by breakin' stuff. The tube in that link was "hmm... It doesn't show any signs of arckin', exept that the voltages show arcking... I actually "cure" stuff like that now, and use the toobs in my own gear. ( http://elysiansound.com/6550/ ) . Your break and enter technique is educational! This is the best i could think up: Always likebreaking /building stuff since I could remember. By the time I was 4 i was dragging junk TV chassis home, ripping them apart (conning my grandma into helping me with the tight screws & stuff), without knowing what all the stuff did - just looked neat. Same with mechanical stuff. Maybe some people are born with the *geek* part of the brain bein' dominant? I think I was taken by 'things', rather than people. I'm taken by both - it's apples and oranges (duh...). People just have too many variables to be treated the same way as things - I know this seems like a silly thing to write, but there are two things that keep me from bein' a total social cripple. One is figgurin' out that peoplerespond to the same stuff that animals do, and I've been around dogs / cats /horses most of my life, and - jeesh, just don't take it the wrong way - like, with cats, if you think you're better than they are, or they see you as a competitor, you're not going to get anywhere, that type o' thing... Maybe you got the right sort of intuition. Yo either have it, or you don't. I never remember names or phone #'s, but i can still quote all the basic clearances & torques on a 356 motor, even though it must have been 10 yrs since I touched one. Maybe it's also some kind of a mental hangup - when i see some chunks of electronic gear, or machine shop gear, i get weird fascination /obsession /lust usually reserved for ... well, enough. Its the wonderment. maybe its the irish genes. I guess I must have some irish blood... They have put themselves around a bit, two be sure. Old radios fasinated me more deeply when I started playing with transmitters. My family had an old toob console that went down to 100m, I was tryin' to con my uncle to help me convert it so it went down to 2, or at leastg 10m. But women, studies, work as a trainee builder, and motorbikes and folk music and the pub took over electronics, which became boring. Now that i look back at my musick years, I start suspectin' that it wasn't my rip[pin' guitar that got me into bands - i strongly suspect it was the fact that i can fix both gear & vans... So, even in my "we won't speak about that" past, no matter what i did or how I acted, I was still a geek. And secretly proud of it... If usefulness makes others happy, then coolness is real. But women don't mean much now, I don't want to go to university, and I got crook knees from building, which then becaome boring after 30 years, and I have a hopeless voice, and I ain't musically gifted, and then I saw a guy who had his own business doing audio things, and I said to myself, I can do that, and I had this vision of where I would be in 5 years, and that was it, I transfered from one trade to another. Trouble is I haven't made any profit from the hand crafting side of my activities. One can knw a heck of a lot, but it takes much more than technical skill to build a commercially expanding, and thriving company. It takes capital, and other pairs of hands to help, it cannot be done alone. Maybe in 1955, sure, because there just were not many affordable amps around, and if you could build an amp, you were in demand. But the competition is now daunting. Pat, the competition doesn't impress me much (in the guitah' amp field). But its cheap, put together my mexicans or chinese in filthy factories where westerners wouldn't work. . I know it's my super-sized ego, but i look at all the boutique amps, and smirk. As an ex-player, i know what's important, what's necessary, i know sounds people are looking for, and i can afford to voice an amp for hours on end - it's the only time a have a chance to play & not feel stupid about just riffin' out... I have no idea how much I make on my one-off amps - probably about 3 bucks an hour, but it sure breaks up the monotony of doin' work on the Nth fender or marsh... Yup, I agree, and share the view, and OK, I make SFA from crafting audio tube gear, but nobody calls me boy. Money ain't everything in life. I got accused by a few sheilas of bein a minimalist. I'd say what's so great about youse then? I make a few bits of gear as I go, and I like the interest I have, and I don't mind not having the driving ambitions of a 30 yr old. Well, now that I have to play adult (2 kids), my ambition is to pull off the adult thing... So far so good. Lovin' it. -dim Small steps at a time is required. Nobody wants me as a dad, grandad, lover, or any ****in thing, but I do have a quite a few friends, and a few patient customers, and that will have to do. Patrick Turner. |
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#26
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"Patrick Turner" wrote in message ... ... I'm taken by both - it's apples and oranges (duh...). People just have too many variables to be treated the same way as things - I know this seems like a silly thing to write, but there are two things that keep me from bein' a total social cripple. One is figgurin' out that peoplerespond to the same stuff that animals do, and I've been around dogs / cats /horses most of my life, and - jeesh, just don't take it the wrong way - like, with cats, if you think you're better than they are, or they see you as a competitor, you're not going to get anywhere, that type o' thing... Maybe you got the right sort of intuition. Yo either have it, or you don't. Oh, I forgot to mention the *second*, and, possibly, most important thing. My ex GF said it to me and it really made my life simpler. What she said was: "Think of people as if they're patients in a mental hospital, and in a lot of pain". It sunk in slowly, and made me less ****ed off & maybe a bit kinder. Just a bit. And i know i'm making someone barf by writing this... ... Pat, the competition doesn't impress me much (in the guitah' amp field). But its cheap, put together my mexicans or chinese in filthy factories where westerners wouldn't work. . Ah, but that's were the "golden ear" gang becomes useful. The snob appeal of a custom amp is ... I know it's my super-sized ego, but i look at all the boutique amps, and smirk. As an ex-player, i know what's important, what's necessary, i know sounds people are looking for, and i can afford to voice an amp for hours on end - it's the only time a have a chance to play & not feel stupid about just riffin' out... I have no idea how much I make on my one-off amps - probably about 3 bucks an hour, but it sure breaks up the monotony of doin' work on the Nth fender or marsh... Yup, I agree, and share the view, and OK, I make SFA from crafting audio tube gear, but nobody calls me boy. Money ain't everything in life. I personally call myself "janitor to the stars". They break stuff & make demands, and I quietly clean up their messes. OTOH, i spend *way* too much stuff on gear I like, without charging more, 'cos, in the end, that's why i wanted to do this - get a chance to play with neat gear. The new amps are tryin', though, to say the least... I'm still trying to convince people to treat new amps as "dissposables"... I got accused by a few sheilas of bein a minimalist. I'd say what's so great about youse then? I make a few bits of gear as I go, and I like the interest I have, and I don't mind not having the driving ambitions of a 30 yr old. Well, now that I have to play adult (2 kids), my ambition is to pull off the adult thing... So far so good. Lovin' it. -dim Small steps at a time is required. Nobody wants me as a dad, grandad, lover, or any ****in thing, but I do have a quite a few friends, and a few patient customers, and that will have to do. Jeesh, pat, get a dog, or, if ya're man enough, a *CAT*. (even toms act like girls to the Nth - from manerisms to grudges...) -dim Patrick Turner. |
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