Love what you do! Skills passed down to children.

Tx51chevy, My Dad was the kind of guy that was very good with his hands and he tried his best to p*** it on down to me and my sister. We were doublie blessed because my Mom is also good with her hands.Our parents taught us never be afraid to fail sometimes that is the best teacher
My abilities with wood and metal are a direct reflection of what I was taught and what I have learned from my parents and others.
I lost my Dad 4years ago at 89 and ther isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him , usually when a task is getting hard.
I do love what I do ,Finish Carpenter, and my two boys Aaron and Isaac are learning from me by watching and doing little things with me. So history is repeating it self !
Thanks Dad and Mom. Rob.

 

O... I''d be in like flin man... Anyone around Amarillo/Borger TX? It very cool to read all the comments. Dont get me wrong my dad was awsome, but sadle not a car guy. He accually worked for the IRS....gulp


[/QUOTE]Actually there are lots of people willing to share info, via a bulletin board, or with meets, all just to spread the knowledge. The meets require a small investment (usually less than $100) to go to someones shop and there they will help teach you!

allmetalshaping.com

metalmeet.com

check them out![/QUOTE]

 

I've got two boys and one girl. The oldest, the girl, is way more like me, very curious and work with her hands. My boys are very laid back, like their mom. I actually thought to myself the other day that she may be the one that might become more interested in them later. But for now they are all below the age of six. I find myself just staring at them and thinking I remember being that age and watching my dad, but he seemed so old then. And now my parents are the age my grandfather was when he died, so I try to take it all in!
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

That’s the way to learn bro. I've messed up so many things that I cant keep count. The first T I ever saw just blew me away, I thought how could anyone ever have that much skill to build that. Now I feel kind of like I’m at that point, I can build whatever, I love metal. But now I want to learn how to control metal, shape it. Make things that are sculpted and unique, that is truly a skill. I kind of feel like any yahoo can weld " if given enough time" descent, but not everyone can do ART! So just go for it, cant break it so bad it cant be fixed, well, sometimes.

 

I taught my son everything he knows.... just not everything I know...lol

 

My father didn't know where the dipstick was on a car...full service gas stations back then, so I got no mechanical skills from him.

He did however, love golf, and started me with lessons from a pro at age 8. I played the game all my life and I eventually became a golf professional after I retired from DOD....so he did p*** on the love.

I am thankful that he did not p*** his drinking habits down to me or my brother.

 

Dad didnt do much growing up just minor stuff. Ive learned most of what I know from The Go Away Garage, the HAMB, and quit a few old timers that looked after me.

 

I have a slightly different take on this. My dad was a nuclear engineer and pretty handy, but never worked on cars. He and my mom died when I was a teen....right when I was nuts about cars (15). I went to mechanic school, got my licenses and have spent the past 36 years in the auto trades.
A couple summers ago, my 16 year old daughter wanted a summer-job. So, I hired her at the new Hyundai dealership where I was Parts and Service Director. We left home at 6 am and got home at 8 pm. I had her setting up the parts dept., shelving everything and entering the computer data. She's pretty small and was just exhausted after a day of lifting heavy brake rotors etc. She'd sleep all the way home.
When Summer was over, she looked me dead in the eye and said: "Daddy, I have NO idea how you do that day after day after day...."

I rubbed her head and said: "I do it so you won't have to. Try hard in College."

Straight A's ever since.

 

My one grandpa was a Machinist on the Railroad, and loved woodworking. My other Grandpa turned wrench between the local Ford garage and John Deere dealer for 40+ years. My dad fixed mostly all of our stuff, but just to keep it running, no projects or hot rods.
Somewhere in the middle,I ended up being a Millwright in industry.I have a pretty nice shop (for me) and enjoy showing my son how to weld and run the lathe.

 

Me too.

My journey began with a blown up '64 Rambler - I still drive it today - slightly faster than it once was.
Not alot of mentors here either, a friend's dad comes to mind -he was/is an expert lathe operator - I learned every darned thing I could from him. He spoke - I listened. Otherwise the well was pretty dry.

Me too - so I built some - Ewheel, planishing hammer & some other basic forming stuff. Never ever had anyone teach me anything about forming metal in person - what little I know I learned with a combination of hands on experimenting and asking those "older folks" who are on line. Yes!! they are out there and MORE than willing to coach you - do a search on metalmeet or metalshapers - both are excellent websites chock full of mentors waiting to help you. Me and a zillion other guys are living proof of that!! See a pic of my avatar to see my very first aluminum forming project - from scratch - with skills gleaned off those sites I mentioned.

Me too, I sat down with my son & daughter and we've made all sorts of projects. One of the funnier ones was a dainty stainless steel ring for my daughter. She designed it and together we made it on the lathe from a bolt. None of her friends would believe her "story" that she & I made it.

We all start somewhere - sounds like you're ready to move on to the next skill set - go for it!!!!!

EDIT: BTW - I added a pic showing the tail of my car - all hand formed aluminum - by a novice - just like you!

 

Actually there are lots of people willing to share info, via a bulletin board, or with meets, all just to spread the knowledge. The meets require a small investment (usually less than $100) to go to someones shop and there they will help teach you!

allmetalshaping.com

metalmeet.com

check them out![/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

they just had a Texas meet recently (or maybe it hasnt happened yet, not sure), but yea there are people from Texas on there, and everyone is really nice and helpful. All they ask on the boards there is that you participate, even if you just ask questions, they like that. alot of the guys do project threads similar to tech threads here, and if you have any questions about how a certain part was done ask them to explain it and they usually do!

 

making it worse is part of the learning process, it your fear that you need to get over. And then say ok i screwed up lets do it agian till it is right

 

My dad hasn't ever enjoyed working on cars or mechanical stuff, but has the talent. He simply does stuff when he has too and gets it done quickly so as to cross it of the list, so to speak.

I learned basic mechanics and bodywork in HS vocational cl***es; the only part of HS I truly enjoyed.

My dad has taught me the custom chrome plating business starting as an adolescent sweeping the floors. I'm 26 now and now my dad and I teach eachother as we both continue to learn this skill for which there are no schools.

It doesn't really help with fixing cars, but I can make the brightwork better than new (although it was convenient being able to bench test my 6 volt starter by dialing in the exact amount of power I needed on one of our rectifiers.)

 

Thats awsome! great points, Ive never had a day of accual welding training. But I bought a book called the art of welding about 9 years ago then a miller 252, welding helmet, and a whole pile of s****. Now I would say Im preety descent.... not an expert.... I think if you ever consider yourself an expert you are selling yourself short, cause there is so much more you can expand on! Ok, so here is the question. What is a descent english wheel that might be a descent price. -
And a power hammer?

Thank you in advance!

 

Shoot yea, I coulden't say it better. I still find myslef looking at a frame that I need to greatly modify and thinking to myself, what if I get that done it doesen't look rite. But then Im kinda like F- it I cant believe im standing here trying to second my skills, when Ive done that same thing 20 times.

 

[/QUOTE]

they just had a Texas meet recently (or maybe it hasnt happened yet, not sure), but yea there are people from Texas on there, and everyone is really nice and helpful. All they ask on the boards there is that you participate, even if you just ask questions, they like that. alot of the guys do project threads similar to tech threads here, and if you have any questions about how a certain part was done ask them to explain it and they usually do![/QUOTE]


Thank you!

 

Daniel is 5 and he has helped me weld up my firewall,floor and now working on a model a sedan. As for me good ol auto shop in school got me started.

 

Hi Everyone....
My dad was a Chevy-Olds mechanic in North Central Kansas for 35 years. Taught us 3 boys about all he knew, the computer stuff came later, so I had to learn that all myself.. Dad brought home old worn out trannies, rear ends, starters, generators, and we boys had to tear them down, and leave them all laid out, for him to see, then put all back together for his inspection.. We learned a lot. I learned to run valve grinding machines on Sundays at the Chevy garage..

Now, I think I p***ed much of that knowledge to my son (design engineer for Boeing's Dreamliner) who worked on his 72 Cutl*** and 71 Gremlin a lot. P***ed a lot of knowledge to my son in law, who swears he is where he is on car repairs, due to my willingness to teach him, something his dad couldn't do.

We all need to p*** down what skills and knowledge that we have learned. Am pushing 66 now, and won't be around many more years to do so..

Meantime... MERRY CHRISTMAS!...duane (NM Sandrail)