Are we the fringe?

Tin Falcon said:

Jerry I am inspired by your story. I have never been one to dive deep into auto repair. starters alertanors brakes yes. enginine work not as much. My son broke the timing belt on his truck . He works with me full time and tore into it evenings and finished on saterday.
Tin

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Hey Tin,
Yes it's very inspiring....I was always amazed at how my Dad could tear apart and rebuild anything automotive...and I have done some fairly major work on a long line of clunker cars....however, it'll wear off...and there is usually a "terminal event" that does it! My event was putting a head gasket on Dodge Omni on the sidewalk on a rough street in Worcester Mass, in January when it was about 5 below zero, and 12" of snow on the ground...The towing cost was more than I could afford.

The novelty wore off!....I can remember this now 25 years on like it was yesterday.....and it makes me shudder!

My auto repairs now are just a phone call away!... 8) Hello Larry?..... :big:
The best news is Larry's son is taking over his business.... ;D


Dave

Sshire said:

I sent a few pictures of my current project (Elmer's 13) to my brother and my nephew.
My brother's "fringe" activity is bowl turning. (Tried that once; the bowl blank flew off the lathe and whizzed past my head. End of bowl turning). I got an email back with 15 questions about the engine. I sent him the drawings.
My nephew is an engineer with Rockwell. When I ask what he does I get "we blow things up."
He wanted to know how the valve timing works. Sent him the drawings also. Apparently not much got done at Rockwell the next day because his team was fascinated by the whole concept of small engines. They had no idea that people do this. Might have hooked a whole group of people on our "fringe" activities.
Just lucky I guess.

Best
Stan

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I gave my brother in-law one of Elmer's engines. It sits on his desk at work... he works with a bunch of engineers. Same story, the day he brought it in, nothing got done. When they are in his office, it is always in someones hands.

Ha!

Eric

Maybe I have a stubborn streak. A couple of years ago probably in July on a Friday afternoon I was ready to leave work and head home. All my co workers had left the office/shop. I turn the key and nada. no work no start. I could have borrowed a work vehicle to get home .I could have had the car towed , my insurance covers it but no . I tear out the starter borrow a work van to run and buy a new one and put the new one in in the parking lot.
then a while back my wife tells me about a friend whos car will not start . It it is the church parking lot . Sunday of a three day weekend my son and I do another parking lot fix.
A couple of weeks ago my son and out changed out the radiator on my car.
Tin

Those who don't understand...provide the opportunity for us to teach and help.

Many of those not interested in our hobby have hobbies we're not interested in.
Those people are in other fringes.

Vive la Fringe!

Hmmm...makes me think about spending an hour or so at an elementary school.
Take an engine and some tools.
Influence them when they're young.

Yeah...that's what happened to us.

I think Zeeprogrammers right. Influencing when young is of the utmost importance. Just be careful, I grew up near a major east/west road that led to a vocational school. The school covered 3 counties and most of the students drove to school. This was in the late sixties and early seventies and everyone had a musclecar it seemed in those days. On any given day before and after school they would stop at the railroad crossing behind our house and pair up. I can remember those days like they were yesterday. Loud exhaust, screeching tires and power shifts. Dad would curse them everytime but I loved it, I think dad knew I loved every second of it and he tried hard to keep me from fast cars with no success.

My first engine was a West Bend 2 stroke lawnmower engine. I was probably around 10 yrs old or so and my dad and I were tromping around an old scrap yard one day and I found a stack of brand new mowers that were being scrapped. I don't remember how much they cost but 4 mowers followed me home that day. The exhaust had no muffler and exited below the mower deck. Well without the mower deck attached these things were loud. I lost track of where those engines got to over the years and they were just a distant memory of all the fun they brought me until 2 yrs ago. I was at an engine show and found an engine just like the ones I used to have and once again I had another West Bend to have fun with. I will be saving this one for a grandson. It will come with hearing protection though.

As I look back at my youth, I have fond memories of the grownups that would take the time to help me with whatever I was working on at the time. A father, neighbor, father's friends. Other people have memories of playing ball in their youth, I remember all the lawnmowers, rototillers, go karts, bicycles that I fixed. My parents did force me to play baseball one summer though and I embarressed them so badly that they never again mentioned ball sports to me.

I think when we share our hobby with people and especially the young ones we unknowingly become mentors, someone that is looked up to without knowing it. I don't know how many of the people I looked up to as a lad knew how much they influenced me but they did and in a big way. No, we won't reach everyone with our art but the ones we do reach will never forget it and it may enrich their life in ways that you will never know. Dave

Dave G said:

Fringe? Different, absolutely. In the last 2 months I have fixed both the washing machine and the clothes dryer after they both refused to do their job. Both fixes were minor and the machines work fine now. On both instances, my better half thought it was an opportunity to add some debt to the credit card and some pretty new appliances to the home. Well Cheapo Dave, as I'm known to my wifes coworkers, put a stop to that.

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Dave, my story is just the opposite of yours. My wife is the cheapskate and is always asking me to fix things. I'm the one who says, "Why don't you just go buy a new one, I have other things I'd rather be doing!" Every time one of the grand kids breaks a toy, she'll drag it home and get me to fix it. For a long time, she was volunteering me to build and fix things for her friends, but I managed to put a stop to that!

I have to admit, I do get a kick out of seeing the big grin on her face when I magically manage to bring something back to life with little or no expense!

Chuck

I have an unusual but happy situation with my fiancé.
She wants to use my shop tools and help me build projects.
Her entire family members are artisans , so it is in her blood.

giovanni said:

I have an unusual but happy situation with my fiancé.
She wants to use my shop tools and help me build projects.
Her entire family members are artisans , so it is in her blood.

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wow, sounds like a dream come true to a fellow machinist.

Tin,

I have some knuckle busting recollections of fixing, (with my dad), my own auto not so mobile mistakes to fixing with my son his auto not so mobile mistakes...........must be in the genes. :

Best Regards
Bob

My wife is pretty understanding of my hobby, the day I purchased my South bend 9" she is actually the one suggesting we take a drive to the tool dealers . She actually spotted the lathe before i did and helped me select it.
she attends engine shows and helps explain our creations.
I have gotten more than a few strange looks about the pink Corian heart shaped wobbler on my display. Kind of feminine isn't it? comments. Then I explain that it was my wife's engine. She came up with the idea we corroborated on the design and she made most of the parts with help and guidance . I ask them how many wives get in the shop and make there own engine? then the tune changes.

My son also has his own wobbler. He an I went to a high school in Pennsylvania a couple years ago and set up a display in the schools machine shop. the purpose was to help the instructor promote interest in the machining course.
for those who have not seen Rosey.


Tin