How to become practical

[macd]

We all know what's wrong with the world, don't we?

You don't? Well, I'll tell you. Most people aren't practical. They don't see that if you do x, then y will, or likely will, result. That if you drive whilst drinking hot coffee, you might get a scalded lap (although they seem able enough to make the logical connection between that scalded lap and a law suit against the McDonald's which sold it). That if you take half a turn round a cleat it's more likely you'll slow a moving boat than follow it into the water. I could go on.

For all this I blame one thing, and since this is a practical forum I'm going to let you in on it: the decline of the Meccano set which helped generations of kids understand how to design and put things together, make them work, take them apart and irritate mum by losing all manner of small, angular pieces in the carpet. Oh, how the Hoover loved them!

Worse still (for the Blimpish fringe at least) not only did Frank Hornby's inspirational product almost go bust in the 90's, but it's now owned by the French (having previously been owned by Americans and Japanese). But its little nuts and bolts are at least are still imperial. And it's even making a come-back, if perhaps too late to give the kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s the benefit.

So a few questions: do you consider yourself practical? And did you have a Meccano set as a kid (please, no Lego-philes: a poor imitation)? And do your kids (and, if not, why not?)

(Yes, its a wet, windy morning so it's either this or tidy the boat.)

 

[nimbusgb]

Before I opened the post I thought 'Give people meccano at birth' so I'm with you and yes I had Meccano and Lego, practical me? You betcha!

My kids? Couldn't and certainly wouldn't attempt anything practical!

They had access to Lego, puzzles and practical stuff but I suspect too many computers and TV. Mea culpa I suspect.

Sunny but cold in Sussex time to get to work.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Yes I did have Meccano, a hand me down from by brother and Airfix and Triang trains and bics to fix then Cars to fix. But I also think there are several other thinks that contributed to me being practrical. Wood work or metal work at school, much less TV than there is now. No computers and my whole family for several generations worked in Engineering so I think there must be some thing in my genes.

 

[lustyd]

My nephew got a Meccano set this xmas so it's very much still available. Unfortunately, in order to sell it to people with zero imagination and attention span they (just like lego) have changed the format. This Meccano set was to build a car so inside was a chassis with wheels attached and a motor and about 4 pieces of sides and roof which you attach to the chassis. I was a little disapointed to say the least. My brother did at least make nephew sit and build that before playing the computer games he got though so maybe all is not lost

 

[Contest1]

Never had mechano but inherited lots of broken gear from older brothers. Fixing them was a great pastime, and set me up to get an apprenticeship.
I see one of my nephews out in his garage striping and fixing anything mechanical, no doubt he,s heading fo the self suficiency.

 

[prv]

So a few questions: do you consider yourself practical? And did you have a Meccano set as a kid (please, no Lego-philes: a poor imitation)? And do your kids (and, if not, why not?)

In order - yes, yes, and no.

No because I don't have any kids

Pete

 

[CPD]

Yes, yes and no. If ipads/pods/xbox/ps9........ were available in our time we would have probably dumped the meccanno ......

 

[Davegriff]

Yes, yes, and daughter only liked dolls and is a bit too old for it now.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Bako, anybody?
Bakalite/plastic "bricks" with slots each side which went over vertical metal roads stuck into a green base. Mainly could only build "buildings", but imagination produced some odd creations too.
Ah those were the days; balsa wood, E D Bee engines, "cement" glue, sticky fingers, blobs on the carpet. Sliced fingers from the surgical knife . Triang, Airfix, (built many Lancasters, Spitfires and Hurricanes then peppered them all over with a red-hot skewer to look like Nazi bullet-holes. Trix Train-sets, and the introduction of Corgi toy cars with windows and suspension.
Then along came Commodore computer(? ), ZX Spectrum and that was it for practical imagination.

 

[Nicholas123]

Yes I did have a Meccano set but I also used to buy old clocks at jumble sales to take apart because they fascinated me at only the age of about seven (they never got put back together again) & my old man had the link to Engineering so maybe it was inevitable? Anyway we did'nt have much money so if you wanted to do anything interesting you had to get on & do it for yourself.
Completely different to today's generation that seem to have everything done for them.
Some of those clocks must have been worth a fortune

 

[[2574]]

Yes I'd consider myself practical but then for the first five years of my working life I worked on a farm - be practical or die! No Meccano for me; I helped my father build our house.

 

[prv]

I also used to buy old clocks at jumble sales to take apart because they fascinated me at only the age of about seven (they never got put back together again)

I took my mum's tumble drier apart (after it had terminally failed and been replaced with a new one ) and used the insides for various things - but the casing and drum I turned into a tank. Took the drum out, machine on its back, and drum placed on top over the hole where the door had been. I could then sit inside with my head and shoulders in the drum, rotate it like a turret, and hinge the drainpipe "gun" up and down. Occasionally it was mobile by means of two skateboards underneath and my brother pushing it, but sadly its off-road ability was very poor indeed

Pete

 

[mikecontessa26]

Couldn't afford Mechano but i used to get hand-me-down radio controlled cars and take them to pieces and make radio controlled boats from unsinkable polystyrene. 25 years on i can play with the real thing

 

[Lakesailor]

I disagree with the OP,


It's lovely and sunny here, not a breath of wind.

(yes, a huge number of people are mechanically illiterate. Many on these forums. Meccano was an early influence and running old motorbikes/scooters/cars was the training ground.)

 

[nigelmercier]

Bako, anybody?
Bakalite/plastic "bricks" with slots each side which went over vertical metal roads stuck into a green base...

Now I feel really old. I also had Meccano, but my favourite toy was a bit of wood with various miniature power tools mounted on it, including a circular saw! My dad made it for me, including the power supply, which was a mains transformer inside the lid from a Thermos flask. I think the idea was that giving me something like this would stop me taking everything else apart to see how it worked. It didn't.

 

[nimbusgb]

lovely pic Lakey!

 

[colind3782]

Couldn't afford Meccano but my dad was a mechanic.

Chrome vanadium teething rings

 

[Lakesailor]

lovely pic Lakey!

Clouding over a bit since I posted it. As you can see it is the feed from the Holbeck Gyll Hotel web cam. You can stay there and enjoy the same view.

 

[winsbury]

Meccano - yes , hated it , too fiddly
Lego - loved it, had just about every add on you could think of ( before teknik )
Bako - my Grandma had it and we played with it every week, bit restrictive but great results
Philips Radionics - loved it - masses of projects and scope to design your own electrionics
Computers - from ZX81 onwards - loved them all

Went on to become professional networks engineer. Personally I think any problem oriented game or pursuit develops the skills to work out practical problems and the Internet is a fantastic way to share solutions meaning more people can acquire complex practical knowledge much faster. The key skill though in my opinion is Patience ( yes, with a capital P ) which has improved no end as Ive got older.

I dont accept the dogmatic argument that computing/games is taking away practical skills, what I propose instead is that the need for traditional practical skills is in decline because the vast majority of manufacturing , transport and farming etc., relies every more heavily on practical computing skills and methodologies.

 

[jdc]

And Mamod

I loved meccano, especially combing it with Mamod steam engines for the added danger of scalds, burns and boiler explosions!

My trick for acquiring a good meccano collection relied on my having an elder sister with a good turn over of boy friends: they used to see me playing with it and say "oh I used to play with that kid's stuff [but obviously I'm much too cool and grown up now I've got a girl friend and listen to 'stones records]" whereupon I'd ask if I could have their old set - worked almost every time!