What Makes a Good Model Engineer?

I'd propose the following characteristics:

1. Patience - and lots of it

2. Thoughtfulness - thinking through the consequences of the next series of operations and activities

3. A desire to learn - why did that happen, how do I ...

4. A delight in the finished article - I made that? wow!

5. Sharing what you learn freely with others - being a teacher & mentor

What do you think?

Steve

One who can make a PIG out of a Sous Ear ?

Necessity is regarded as the mother of all invention so goes the popular saying, for me, the main desire I could sum up with a simple sentence "what happens if i?" - It's the excitement of fulfilling possibility. The ability to use technology to solve your problems.

The rest i will probably learn the hard way through setbacks and failures, but i remember none of it would happen without the former desire.

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 03/07/2016 10:40:03

A sense of humour ?

A massive workshop crammed full of all the best tools money can buy.

And yes I do have a sense of humour.

Phil

In some cases a hefty bank balance seems to be essential. Real ones manage with what ever they have or can afford but often buy more than they need and lust after even more.

John

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Willingness to join a club and participate not just do it to get a boiler certificate. What is it with retired people who can't do Saturdays 'cos they have to go shopping and expect people who spend all week working to do everything for the club.

Actually having brain cells helps. Those who need the written instructions in the Meccano manual and ask what size screwdriver to use should perhaps take up sofa testing.

If the technology is later than the 19th century that would entail instant disbarment?

As to the original question I don't know, and to be honest I don't really care (sorry Steve). All I know is that I'm not a model engineer; far too many vices to be a model anything. I'll stick to plain old engineering.

Andrew

What Makes a Good Model Engineer?

A little bit of madness and a lot of patience.

Home workshops are of necessity a lonely place of work, self reliance etc.

Why spoil all of that by being "told" what needs to be done at the club?

The ability to find a baked bean tin on the hard shoulder, approximately 4 miles short of Milton Keynes and make a first class model out of it.

Only counts if it's been run over first.

Andrew

Is there such a ting as a bad one, or are we all just 'improvers'?

Neil

How do you "improve" a squashed bean can?

Judging by this afternoon's iffy efforts I'm a confirmed recidivist. Today I starting by failing to read the instructions and finished by losing a part. At one point I drilled a hole in the wrong place after failing to divide 38 by 2 with a pocket calculator.

A sense of humour has got to be one of the essentials.

Dave

That's where you went wrong, should have done the calculation in your head. Never mind all this high falutin technology, leave that to industry.

Andrew

Too late, I've got my slide rule out!

Does that count as road kill down your way

S

The ability to sit down, heave a sigh, say to yourself... Oh sh1t, 'FUBAR ! have another sigh, say 'ah well I won't do that again'... I have learned something... have a night cap & start again tomorrow.

George.