help me find a hobby (models, collecting, repair, buy)

[Angorlee]

What I am looking for is a hobby that I can do something mechanical with my hands. Like take something apart and fix it and put it back together. Years ago people use to buy old car starters and generators and rewind them and sell them. Something like that where I could make a little money on the side. Any ideas?

[ferretkona]

I always enjoy wood carving. A good carving knife and a piece of basswood. You can pick it up and put it away in seconds. I got so into it I started making carving knives.

[catman]

You could probably still rebuild car starters and other electrical system components.

I used to enjoy building Heathkits...I still have some of them. There are still some electronics kits available. I miss the smell of solder!

[Digital-phoenix]

Have you ever heard of a model steam engine? There are a few companies (Mamod, Wilesco, and Jensen are a few well known companies) that make little model steam engines for recreation. They are a little expensive though but their price is well worth it. Look some videos up on youtube, they are neat little things.

[stereorob]

i suggest vintage stereo restoration and collecting, its fun to take a ugly old stereo receiver, and fix it up and use it, and it can be a real adventure locating old gear. ive been collecting vintage audio stuff since i was a kid. and ill never get tired of it

[backrevolution]

Go, get into yourself and look for speciality. you will get it easiliy.

You can opt for social work too. or can service physically in God's way too.

[Tin Knocker]

Old guns. I buy old beat Marlin rifles in different states of disrepair, from just beat up & abused to parts & pieces. Then I do a bit of research to see what they should be & restore them, sometimes to like new condition or sometimes just to a functional condition leaving the original patina so they look their age. Theres alot of hands on work involved, especially if you start fitting & finishing the stocks.

[Ting ting]

If you can and maybe enjoy mechanics, think about rebuilding transmissions. Total self employment, if you are good you will be priceless, plus it's a he'll of a way to get your mechanical rocks off.

[rifleman]

The live steam models from Mamod etc are appealing to me, since as a man/boy, I"m naturally drawn to fire, potentially explosive steam boilers,whistles, and rapidly spinning wheels that have the potential to burn a hole through your thumb!

Then, once you've built a working source of energy, you can power all sorts of things! An automated chicken plucker, a little generator there on your kitchen table that powers an admittedly low-wattage incandescent (non-Mercury contaminated...) light bulb to illuminate your hobby work; a very slow blender or Magic Chef.

Then, you can design and build a digitally controlled power management system for the electrical energy you've so magically created; one that uses as it's basis an old illogical PC (aren't they all?) or outdated (i.e: > two-days old...) Mac, so you capture any surplus electrons for when you need them (as in when you need to get up and make yourself a coffee..).

Guns? Yup; truly, lots of fun, but that durned BTFE, huh? When they catch up with your hobby, you do know, dont'cha Tin, that you're now on The List..... O. M. G.

As well, if you get into repairing other people's stuff, then you've got to deal with the damm-ned customer, who, esp. in these days of short tempers and shorter disposable incomes and ever-less durable consumer products, is now officially never fun. Ever again! Unless of course you want to set up your very own India-based Customer Support employees...

I'd just keep to myself, tinkering in a dark, dank corner of the furthest shed back in the most distant corner of my property. And smirking at the ever-more frustrated world passing by, the ones who are always bored and nervously fidgety-frustrated by their newest 3g-4g-5g-6g-7g--- etc. electronic Marvel Communicatorl That nonsense will NEVER end, after all; they'll always be out of date! Soon, the entire system will come crashing down!

Go Steam!

[mossberg14]

Locksmith, work with your hands, set your business times, and make more than a "little money". My dad does it, he works at a power plant about 40 hours a week then does "on call" locksmith right after his shifts. If you don't have discipline and can't maintain long hours I would highly discourage this for you. I'm looking to get my cert and do it my damn self. Very Beneficial and for me it's a way to start my daughter's college fund. Best of luck to you boss