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Zed90230
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10 Jan 2017, 8:52 pm

It saddens me that people tend to think only of yarn and sewing when they hear "crafts". While I do sew, I also think "crafts" encompass two of my favorites, making things out of wood and metal.

At age 12, I learned how to use a sewing machine.

At 16, I taught myself how to melt and cast aluminum.

At 17, I learned how to turn bowls out of wood on a lathe, and later bought my own lathe.

At 23, I taught myself how to machine titanium and stainless steel.

At 26, I taught myself welding.

At 35, I taught myself how to design and build polygonal wooden boxes.

Presently, I'm building my 3rd guitar.

These are all crafts, are they not?



Jacoby
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10 Jan 2017, 8:56 pm

I would say yes, they're are useful skills.



Raleigh
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10 Jan 2017, 9:01 pm

I thoroughly enjoy making things and I have a whole gamut of crafting skills which would take me forever to list.

Rebuilding/restoring things is also very satisfying.


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EclecticWarrior
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10 Jan 2017, 9:48 pm

I love sculpture but rarely get a chance to do it. I did get some Model Magic for Christmas but am yet to use it.


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leejosepho
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10 Jan 2017, 10:00 pm

Yes, those are all crafts and I find nothing more enjoyable than being a craftsman! I made my first model boat by learning how to cut and solder an anti-freeze can at about age 9 -- my dad showed me how -- and a few years ago I carved a canoe from a length of trunk from a freshly-cut pine tree.

Raleigh wrote:
I thoroughly enjoy making things and I have a whole gamut of crafting skills which would take me forever to list.

Rebuilding/restoring things is also very satisfying.

Yes, and same here...and this thread had just produced the only smile I have had all day! I can no longer do many of the things I used to do, but hearing about the doings of others is just as delightful!


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BTDT
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10 Jan 2017, 10:33 pm

Yes, I like to build stuff that actually works.
Built a sailboat that would tack into the wind.
Peanut scale model airplanes. Rocket gliders.
Cutting threads in aluminum to make a lens adapter.
Milling out front panels for electronics.



CockneyRebel
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10 Jan 2017, 11:33 pm

I also enjoy making things. I've made 20 different Sweet Peas with their own character last summer.


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Dear_one
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02 Feb 2017, 3:27 am

My father was always making things. If he couldn't find the price or the features he wanted on the market, he did it himself. I wanted to go to a tech high school, but my parents persuaded me to go to the academic program to become a shop teacher. I dropped out and did some renovation work. Then I took up silversmithing, but it was a pretty thin living. I did some commercial jewelry repair, and then got into some very interesting work doing special effects for TV before CG came in. For my house, I made a wall that could be removed or installed in 5 minutes by two people, leaving almost no trace either way.
Then I decided to get serious, and studied engineering at the library before building the prototype velomobile seen in my picture. The integration of frame and suspension is still being written up 3 decades later, and it won a world championship. Then I made a few pedal-propeller drive units that also won races, but I didn't really enjoy fiberglass work, except when it was done. I made a set of aluminium parts for a boat, using a drill press, table saw and router. When they were taken in for anodyzing, the counter guy asked who had done the CNC work.
My work began to suffer when my eyes started needing more than one pair of glasses, and I got depressed before I figured out what the problem was. Now, I'm back to silversmithing as a hobby, but wondering how much longer I should maintain a shop. I have to live in the boondocks to afford one now, and maybe more people is what I need, rather than the option of doing a big project.



BTDT
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02 Feb 2017, 10:12 am

One compromise may be to move to the city, and donate your shop equipment to a Makerspace.



lostonearth35
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02 Feb 2017, 10:28 am

I enjoy making many crafts. Mostly hand-made or customized dolls or accessories for dolls. Just the other evening I made a small doll's bed using a Mr. Clean eraser sponge that I covered in felt for the mattress and thick craft foam for the bed frame.

I can sew and use a sewing machine, but most sewing I do is actually simple and basic. The glue gun is my secret weapon for giving crafts a more complex look. :)



Dear_one
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02 Feb 2017, 10:37 am

BTDT wrote:
One compromise may be to move to the city, and donate your shop equipment to a Makerspace.


I'd rather meet an apprentice or young family who would like to inherit the stuff, eventually. One guy with a pension and experience can make off-grid homesteading a lot easier.