Three weeks ago the Grand kids (3) came to visit for a while. The oldest (16 years old) is into music, mainly electric guitar. Previously, I had offered to teach him how to solder, how to fix cables and guitars. He showed a lot of interest so, I built him up a soldering tool kit. I took an old tackle box and filled it with solder, flux, solder wick, a few hand tools, an old solder sucker, a multimeter, guitar cable, guitar jacks, etc. I even took two soldering irons and made one good adjustable soldering station that was well sized for the work he wanted to do. I took a chance because he is a bit flighty.

He arrived for the visit with a non-functional guitar and his old bad cables. Then he did something that made me smile, he put down his video game controller and followed me into the shop where we started melting solder. To keep this story from getting too long, I couldn't teach him fast enough. Everything I threw out he instantly conquered. He fixed all his bad guitar cords and his electric guitar. Then he got on the phone and started setting up repair jobs back in his home town. He asked me how much he should charge to repair guitar cords. He has been back in his home town for two weeks and he is sending me photos of the soldering jobs he is doing. I have created a monster, but a pretty great monster.

 

When I was in college I used that scheme to get hooked up with a band...which turned into several bands. A dollar worth of solder and I got free admission anywhere one of my bands played.

and that's not the end of it. One guy was a printer. He made the UV exposure sheets for my circuit boards!

 

When I was in college I used that scheme to get hooked up with a band...which turned into several bands. A dollar worth of solder and I got free admission anywhere one of my bands played.

and that's not the end of it. One guy was a printer. He made the UV exposure sheets for my circuit boards!

Let me guess, all your PCBs are all hand-drawn as the only computers available then were Ohio Scientific C1P and RCA cosmac Elf, right?

Allen

 

Let me guess, all your PCBs are all hand-drawn as the only computers available then were Ohio Scientific C1P and RCA cosmac Elf, right?

Allen

As far as I knew, the only computer available in 1974 was the IBM mainframe at the college. So, yes, everything was hand drawn, but I could use any scale I wanted because he was a real printer. Once, I used an 8&1/2 by 11 piece of paper to draw a 1/4 inch round circuit board. He shrank the image to "really" 1/4 inch and printed hundreds on one sheet of clear.

 

Age 16 was about the time I really started to hit my pace in doing electronics work. Easy money fixing stereo systems for people and doing car audio repair and installs.

If your grandson keeps with it he aught to be able to pull some easy cash in for quite a long time fixing stuff.

 

I wish i had had a grandpa like you. Well, I did actually, but he died when i was like 7 or 8. He was a craftsman and a garage inventor. I got his genes but not much of his guidance. Not much technical guidance from anyone else either for that matter. I was mostly left to my own devices with the tools i inherited from grandpa and figured out their purpose by trial & error.

 

.....If your grandson keeps with it he aught to be able to pull some easy cash in for quite a long time fixing stuff.

That is my thinking also. I started working at the local TV repair shop in high school. I am also encouraging my Grandson to consider electronics technician classes. One can only hope.

 

So, its the old, "Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime. Teach a man to solder and he buys any meal he wants" story.

 

"" If your grandson keeps with it he aught to be able to pull some easy cash in for quite a long time fixing stuff.

My sentiment exactly !! I networked long before I retired. People that liked my work, are now my pool of word-of-mouth customers. I have so much potential work, I can pick the winners, and advise potential losers that I will do whatever I can, but promise no success...
This also provides an almost bottomless source of salvage parts, and scrap-metal to recycle for mad money...

 

nice to have the odd 'feel-good' now and then

/me tips hat at Lestraveled

 

Congrats and I am looking to teach my son the same and found an old Ertector set that I would love to get my son to use instead of watching tv..

 

Roger on grandson.

We had erector sets and chemistry sets. Had to use chemistry set out on the porch. Had discolored interior spaces. Bomb making was the goal.

We had lead, mercury and asbestos in the sets. We used to shine our coins with mercury in our palms.

 

We used to shine our coins with mercury in our palms.

That explains so much...

 

I am the ONLY one technologically inclined in my entire family (2 brothers, 3 sisters, 10 uncles and more than 50 cousins) not a single one of them is remotely interested in technology or electronics... man I had a lonely childhood in that respect (although I did have lots of fun in other subjects )

I envy your grandson, you sound like the coolest grandpa ever...

 

I am the ONLY one technologically inclined in my entire family (2 brothers, 3 sisters, 10 uncles and more than 50 cousins) not a single one of them is remotely interested in technology or electronics... man I had a lonely childhood in that respect (although I did have lots of fun in other subjects )

I envy your grandson, you sound like the coolest grandpa ever...

Or, as the rest of your extended family might call him, "the nerdiest grandpa ever".

 

Or, as the rest of your extended family might call him, "the nerdiest grandpa ever".

That's until he puts himself in front of the grill... then I'm sure that he goes back to being The Coolest, as is my case