Hey Linnaea,

I've been involved with the local R.O.P. auto shop for a while.

I would highly recommend joining in a class in your area if you have one.

It can teach you the fundamentals at you own pace (fast or slow) that you can carry over to many other applications.

Some times it is hard to find a convenient fire breathing machine-building class.

You could also look for an adult Ed art class locally.

Have fun,
& don't blow your self up!


Good luck,

G

Oh gosh- in Portland there's gotta be some good resources. Community colleges can be good, and nicely informative. The technical hoo-ha you don't learn when your friends teach you, can actually be valuable and good to learn more formally.

The best advice I ever got was from my ex-beau, as he helped wedge me into this obsession: none of it (mechanical stuff, welding, etc.) is anywhere near as hard as most folks (guys) so often make it out to be. Usually the extent of exaggerated complexity is over-stated to compensate for... well, not much going on elsewhere in a dumb gearhead's life, as bitchy as it sounds.

Patience is a greater tool to you than anything Snapon will ever make- and if you can stick with-it for the many initial sessions of frustrating hours of staring at something you know a more experienced wrench could fix in half an hour, over time, your skills and confidence will build- and you'll rock! Patience and a fervent eye on craft are the 2 most key things- and if you know how to knit or sew well, then you're a big chunk of the way there already. Nothing is as complicated as it will make your brain hurt thinking it is... just distil things down, and it'll all start to make sense. Common-sense also goes a long way.

There is some basic stuff to learn in the beginning that manuals don't usuall spell-out; but most all of it is physics related to charactaristics of metal, and a beginning auto class and a beginning welding class will teach you more than most Sanford&Son yard-hacks know.

Woo hoo, good luck!!!

:) nina

One of the first lessons my teachers gave me was so simple and fun.

They gave me an old v8 engine and just had me strip it (take every thing) completely.

I wrenched, stripped, and pounded every bolt and nut I could find on it.

Great for frustration!

You could even do it to a whole car.
You can buy an old wreck from impound or a junkyard.
Tell them it is for education and you might get a break.

Then call up the local scrap guy or dump to get rid of it.
All you need is a very cheap simple tool kit from like Sears.

Have fun in your journey.

G