# Have you ever felt lazy or no longer interested to build engines ?



## minh-thanh (Mar 27, 2022)

Hi All !
Have you ever felt lazy or no longer interested to build engines ?
Now, I feel lazy in building the engine
  And you ?


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## dnalot (Mar 27, 2022)

Sometimes, and then I do chores that I have neglected and soon I would rather be building an engine.

Mark T


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## stevehuckss396 (Mar 27, 2022)

I do from time to time get tired of a project but I have so many I just pick up another. I'm always working on something model related.


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## Brian Rupnow (Mar 27, 2022)

I do. By the time I am finished a build, I am totally burned out, and don't want to even think about machining. After two or three weeks away from machining, I will have a new idea and start thinking of how I would do it, and that idea pulls me back into the machine shop.---Brian


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## SmithDoor (Mar 27, 2022)

I have more one hobby and will switch from time to time.
Basically I change to time of year or starts feeling like going to work. 

My other hobby is welding and do my drawings in winter for both hobbies.
I also limit my time hobbies to 8 to 24 hours a week. The rest of time doing things with my wife and keeping the home up.

Dave 



minh-thanh said:


> Hi All !
> Have you ever felt lazy or no longer interested to build engines ?
> Now, I feel lazy in building the engine
> And you ?


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## Master (Mar 27, 2022)

In the past I always had too much energy.  Loved the Navy and 12 hour plus days never bothered me. Retirement allowed time with my machines.  Along the way I discovered I might be getting old.  I cherish a break now and then from making engines and just sit.  Sitting can be fun.  Gives me time to count my blessings.  AND they are many.


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## GreenTwin (Mar 27, 2022)

I lost interest in building engines for a few minutes, but got over it.

.


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## clockworkcheval (Mar 28, 2022)

When occasionally a hiccup occurs I join the discussions of my wife with her friends for a few minutes. It sends me back to the workshop in no time every time.


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## Steamchick (Mar 28, 2022)

When I stall on any project, I stop, put it away "for a rainy day" (we get a lot in the UK.), then start to tidy the garage.... 
Within minutes I have found a completely different project to distract me.
Or I go for a drive with my better half, look at the sea, ships, beaches, or rotten weather, then feel much more like a bit more "garage time". 
The major distraction is the varied and interesting comments on this website. Keeps me lazy and occupies the mind to stave-off senility! So much to learn, and so much inspiration. Including your stuff, Minh.
Thanks all for keeping me sane.
K2


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## creast (Mar 28, 2022)

I am glad you raised this as I am currently suffering this lull too. It has happened many times over the years and I have often put a project aside only to pick it back up months or years later.
I often think 'Why am I doing this?'
Usually I get my Mojo back within a month or two. Doing repairs for other folk often helps to keep the mind and soul going in the interim.


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## lathe nut (Mar 28, 2022)

Heck we all get burnt out on something for a little while, change is good but we will always go back to what we really enjoy, retired at 68 and now 71, I do get tired of several things but some I have to do, keep up the place, keep her trucked washed, large garden, still love getting lathes and restoring them, a few months ago I went to work suppose be part time as a heavy equipment operator, well the part time is full time so now I look forward to a rain out and then doing mechanic work for him besides the lawnmower repair shop at home, some days would like to stop it all and move in an apartment with nothing to do and no grass to cut but I know not to make a decision like that, us kind of people I guess will always be a tinkers.


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## minh-thanh (Mar 28, 2022)

Thanks everyone !
  There's a lot of work to complete an engine, we have to do it all by ourselves, we have to deal with the obstacles on our own.... that seem to wear away patience and excitement
  But : a hobby is still a hobby ! Sometime it will come back.


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## Scrat (Mar 28, 2022)

For me there is always the difficult moment to start.
Especially when an engine has a fault but is essentially running.
My 5" gauge class 216 was running slow and did not have much power.
So converting the onboard system from 12 to 24 Volts was the idea.
The controllers were able to cope with both voltages, so no change here.
Just swap the arrangement of the batteries and replace the motors.
BUT:
It took some time to actually start taking the "actually working" loco apart in order to get the improvement done.
As soon as the first parts came off, I went on an finished the project.
The decision to start took a few days.


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## GreenTwin (Mar 28, 2022)

I have mentioned before, but I worked for about 4 years to learn how to machine engine parts.
I would attempt one part at a time, such as a cylinder head, flywheel, cylinder, piston, piston rings, etc.

Generally it took me at least four failures to finally get to where I could make a usable part.
I would fail, put it aside for a while, and then come back and try it again a week or so later.
I have lots of ruined parts, but I did learn how to machine.

Ditto for learning foundry work.
My early casting attempts were terrible failures, and I had a poor understanding of the entire casting/molding process.
I gave up on learning casting work many times over a six year period, but can now pour gray iron engine parts with impunity, and basically never get a bad casting.

And the process was repeated when I was trying to learn 3D modeling.
It was so frustrating for so long, and I would put it all away and swear that I would never be able to learn 3D modeling.
It took me a few years to learn Solidworks, but I finally got that figured out too.

Making an engine is like carving  a statue from a block of marble.
You have to chip away at it for a while before an image begins to take shape, and then you have to refine your techinique to produce the fine details.
But it can be done.
People can learn and do far more than they realize; the key is you have to keep trying, and not get discouraged.

.


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## Lloyd-ss (Mar 28, 2022)

Minh-Thanh, Thanks for bringing this up. The discussion shows that we all have a lot in common here, and no matter what, somebody  else has been through it too. And as we get older, the time and energy available to us isn't what it was even 5 years ago, so some rearrangement of priorities has to be done.

I think the important thing for me (and probably most of us) is not being too hard headed to realize when that general change in ambition or interest or initiative, is becoming a problem for ourselves, or for the people we care about. I can be pretty dumb about spotting that as early as I could/should.


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## Danuzzo (Mar 28, 2022)

One of the many things I like about this hobby is that there is no deadline. It is very easy to pick up and start where one left off, be it a day, a week or, a month or 2 later. Now that the warmer weather is here, I will probably be doing more outdoor activities, but my build in progress will still be there and ready to be  worked on again anytime I get the urge.


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## SmithDoor (Mar 28, 2022)

I retired just few years ago do to chemotherapy.  FYI my last PET scan was clear for first since 2009. Now to recover from chemotherapy. 

I only work in shop when warm it not heated but does have a good cooler.  
I found by doing different things all week long keeps hobby fresh and interesting.  In past post I limit my time to 8 to 24 hours a week. Oods are I would spend more time if I was not married I would spend more time.

Dave 



lathe nut said:


> Heck we all get burnt out on something for a little while, change is good but we will always go back to what we really enjoy, retired at 68 and now 71, I do get tired of several things but some I have to do, keep up the place, keep her trucked washed, large garden, still love getting lathes and restoring them, a few months ago I went to work suppose be part time as a heavy equipment operator, well the part time is full time so now I look forward to a rain out and then doing mechanic work for him besides the lawnmower repair shop at home, some days would like to stop it all and move in an apartment with nothing to do and no grass to cut but I know not to make a decision like that, us kind of people I guess will always be a tinkers.


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## awake (Mar 28, 2022)

Not exactly the same thing, but related - I try to recognize when I am getting tired / frustrated as I work, so that I stop before I have an accident. This has been learned by not stopping when I should, and totally mucking up a part ... or making yet another blood sacrifice to the machining gods!


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## stevehuckss396 (Mar 28, 2022)

It's just a hobby so I there is nothing I'm doing that HAS to be done. I have walked out to the shop, turned on the lights, setup the mill, drilled the first hole the wrong size, shut off the lights, and gone back in the house. Who cares. Try again tomorrow and get many hours or productive time in. If you are struggling or just don't feel like it,  don't! Keeps it more fun and that will keep you from getting burned out.


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## Master (Mar 28, 2022)

A lot of great comments.  Lockdown has hurt all of us.  The machine shows were a great inspiration. Rubbing elbows with other hobby machinists and speaking machine speak.   This site allows me to enjoy the hobby when I need a break.


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## GreenTwin (Mar 28, 2022)

I have always wanted to build my own engines, but did not get serious about it until a few years ago.

These days, this hobby is like rest and relaxation for me, and a way to tune out the merry go round of political/Covid/work problems that never ceases.
I am really at my happiest when I am designing, machining or casting an engine, since it forces me to focus on just one thing, and forget about all the problems of the world.

And the anticipation of how an engine may turn out is also a lot of fun.
One never really knows if an engine will run and operate properly until the end.
Nothing quite like a "first run".

Its a great hobby for sure, and I have met some very nice folks in this hobby who are so very helpful.

.


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## DKGrimm (Mar 28, 2022)

This string has been like looking in a mirror for me.  Someone once advised me to go to the shop for at least a few minutes every single day.  It doesn't magically solve the problem, but it does help.


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## coulsea (Mar 28, 2022)

I made a big mistake two months ago and bought a new motorbike. A Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, it has been demanding a lot of my time and I have sore cheeks from smiling so much.


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## Longboy (Mar 29, 2022)

Yep. My modeling time is around Oct. to April, the cooler months in Arizona. After 6 months of this and the coming heat.... I have had enough till the next season. At it since 2006. Somewhat concerned that I will run out of uniqueness, innovation and ideas on my take on model engineering.  It is OK though. I have built a legacy that endures after I stop and the engines are documented here and on social media. Someone's gonna be happy at my estate sale someday!        Dave.


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## Jamie Barton (Mar 29, 2022)

I took a big break and almost sold up my workshop kit when my marriage went down the pan. I sometimes wondered if less time in the shop would've saved it (I only ever did 2 hours in the shop, once or twice a week). It turned out the workshop wasn't the problem, a dull ex with no Interests was. Six months in with somebody new, who loves to try anything and I've had her in the workshop, under careful instruction she made one of the parts for a Boll Aero 18. She was so pleased with it she took it to show the girls at work.
Getting someone else involved often helps, myself and a friend have been collaborating on the boll aeros & that's a good way to gain pointers along the way
Too much workshop time and I'll make mistakes & stop enjoying it so I mix it up with mountain biking, hiking, and motorbikes


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## Old Guy (Mar 29, 2022)

WOW Looks like you've found NIRVANA
For myself I haven't got far enough with my workshop build to even start a project but I seem to have lost a bit of get up and go about that,I have the electrics installed now to power the various tools I hope to install but seem to have stalled on the work surface build but I'm sure my enthusiasm will return when I manage to get the garden in some kind of order now some fine weather as arrived early this year. Isn't there always something to distract you


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## tornitore45 (Mar 29, 2022)

What stops me is when I encounter difficulties or made an error.  Then I think and overthink the next operation but lack the motivation to get "back in the saddle" so to speak.


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## Brian Lawrence (Mar 29, 2022)

I usually have about 3 - 4 different model projects going at the same time. When I get frustrated on a particular build I just change to a different one while thinking how to solve the first one. Or I change entirely from building models to restoring Vintage Motorcycles. This works quite well for me.


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## GreenTwin (Mar 29, 2022)

Jamie Barton said:


> I took a big break and almost sold up my workshop kit when my marriage went down the pan. I sometimes wondered if less time in the shop would've saved it (I only ever did 2 hours in the shop, once or twice a week). It turned out the workshop wasn't the problem, a dull ex with no Interests was. Six months in with somebody new, who loves to try anything and I've had her in the workshop, under careful instruction she made one of the parts for a Boll Aero 18. She was so pleased with it she took it to show the girls at work.
> Getting someone else involved often helps, myself and a friend have been collaborating on the boll aeros & that's a good way to gain pointers along the way
> Too much workshop time and I'll make mistakes & stop enjoying it so I mix it up with mountain biking, hiking, and motorbikes


My brother lost his wife due to him spending all of his non-work time in his woodworking shop.
I try to balance everything I do with the wife, and I intentionally avoid most hobbies that can only be done by one person.
My wife and I bike ride, motorcycle ride, hike, jog, swim, together; and just driving around in rural areas looking at old stuff/buildings.
My wife, neighbors, and friends will watch when I do foundry work.

I make sure that my shop time ends at dinner time, and we go out and eat or something, otherwise I would be just like my brother and basically never leave the shop.

As with all things in life there must be a balance.

Often times I go through a lot of thought and reflection when I am not in the shop, and figure out how to do something I was having a problem with, or figure out a better way to machine something.

.


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## GreenTwin (Mar 29, 2022)

tornitore45 said:


> What stops me is when I encounter difficulties or made an error.  Then I think and overthink the next operation but lack the motivation to get "back in the saddle" so to speak.


This has happened to me while trying to learn machining, and trying to learn 3D modeling.
While machining, I would get super tense as I was nearing completion of a part.
Invariably, just as I was about to finish the last machining step on a part, the bit would snag and throw the part out of the machine, ruining the bit and the part in the process.

And in 3D modeling, the same thing can happen, ie: if you don't build your model from the ground up correctly, then basically you have build a house-of-cards, and all of a sudden you make one change, and the whole model blows up, and cannot be corrected.
In 3D, I call it "getting stuck", and in the past I was sometimes stuck for months before I found a solution to a problem.

These days I really don't get stuck in 3D modeling very much.  I had a few tight spots in the Olds Type "R" model but quickly resolved those.
And with machining, I have a good feel for how to grip/support a part, and how much pressure to apply to the cutting tool, and so I seldom ruin any more castings.

The way I see it, one is creating tools (of knowledge), and as each new tool is mastered, you put it in your knowledge toolbag.
It is all very small baby steps, but at the end of a year or two, you can obtain a very sizable amount of valuable knowledge and techniques.

It is very much akin to climbing a mountain (12,500 ft is the tallest I have climbed).
The going can be very difficult and treacherous, with slips, slides, falls, and some very arduous going.
One basically feels like one will never reach the summit, even though it is in plain view during the entire climb.

Finally, one takes those last few steps, and there you are on top of a very tall point, with a rather magnificent view in all directions.
Reaching the peak is definitely worth the climb in my opinion, but the hike is often grueling.

No pain, no gain, as they say.


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## Lloyd-ss (Mar 29, 2022)

Old Guy said:


> ................ but seem to have stalled on the *work surface build* but I'm sure my enthusiasm will return........................


For years and years, I have used recycled solid core exterior doors that have an oak veneer outside layer for all my work bench tops.  Here in the US, they are 1.75" thick, require almost no reinforcing underneath, and are reasonably cheap, and very heavy and sturdy. This is one for a bench-top mill-drill with drawers and a roll-out scrap metal bin underneath.


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## Old Guy (Mar 29, 2022)

Lloyd-ss said:


> For years and years, I have used recycled solid core exterior doors that have an oak veneer outside layer for all my work bench tops.  Here in the US, they are 1.75" thick, require almost no reinforcing underneath, and are reasonably cheap, and very heavy and sturdy. This is one for a bench-top mill-drill with drawers and a roll-out scrap metal bin underneath.
> View attachment 135415


Unfortunately in the uk our  external doors don't seem to be made to the same standard or even are flat all over as yours seem to be they would be a great choice if available in the uk. part of the reason for the stall was the escalating price of boarding

OSB   8X4  was £17.00 now £34.00
3/4 ply  8x4 was £24.00  now £42.00

I used the last three half sheets ie 2x8 of OSB I had to build my platform for my lathe I put one on the wooden floor to strengthen then built a hefty wooden frame and put two half sheets on top of that trying to get some sort of rigidity to mount the lathe to, then I have none left to continue to the rest of the work tops.
Our reclamation yards are not very good over here and few and far between, but I have bit the bullet and bought one 8x4 sheet of ply which will complete my work tops when I manage to get back to the job in hand.


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## MikeG (Mar 29, 2022)

Oh my GOD, someone else in also having my problem!!  Haven't been in the shop for 3 months!


stevehuckss396 said:


> It's just a hobby so I there is nothing I'm doing that HAS to be done. I have walked out to the shop, turned on the lights, setup the mill, drilled the first hole the wrong size, shut off the lights, and gone back in the house. Who cares. Try again tomorrow and get many hours or productive time in. If you are struggling or just don't feel like it,  don't! Keeps it more fun and that will keep you from getting burned out.


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## Lloyd-ss (Mar 29, 2022)

Old Guy said:


> Unfortunately in the uk our external doors don't seem to be made to the same standard or even are flat all over as yours seem to be they would be a great choice if available in the uk. part of the reason for the stall was the escalating price of boarding
> 
> OSB 8X4 was £17.00 now £34.00
> 3/4 ply 8x4 was £24.00 now £42.00
> .............



Yes, prices of building materials are a bit up there right now.  When you laminate the sheets of OSB, or whatever, together, if you can spread a liberal layer of glue between the sheets it will almost double the final stiffness, compared to doing it without the glue.

For the recycled building materials, one new place that my wife discovered is on Facebook. There is a local "Buy Nothing" Facebook Group that she belongs to where you just post stuff you want to get rid off.  Every week or two she will find something, like a half sheet of plywood, or a remnant of countertop, or some chicken wire, that someone doesn't want. She'll ask me about it right away because the good stuff goes fast, and if you respond with "I can come over right now," it usually works.  I actually got a gas powered leaf blower, and an old pinball machine. You never know. She gives away lots of perennials when she divides up over-grown plantings in the spring and fall.
You KNOW that someone has just that piece of left-over material that you need. You just have to find it!  Driving around the morning of trash-bin pickup day might find some real treasures.


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## Lloyd-ss (Mar 29, 2022)

Green Twin, 
SERIOUS casting operation you've got there!  NICE!


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## GreenTwin (Mar 29, 2022)

Lloyd-ss said:


> Green Twin,
> SERIOUS casting operation you've got there!  NICE!


Thanks much.
Casting your own engine parts in gray iron is highly additive, not to mention just loads of fun.
I absolutely love the foundry hobby.

I generally use a #10 crucible, which is good for about 25 lbs of iron, but I have a #30 which will hold about 75 lbs iron, and thus the pouring cart.

And I pick up all sorts of things in the neighborhood; and some of it very good stuff too.
Its amazing what people will throw away.

Pat J


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## minh-thanh (Mar 30, 2022)

Old Guy said:


> WOW Looks like you've found NIRVANA


Not yet 
 Hi All !
    Lots of comments and advice .
Thanks Everyone !


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## Lloyd-ss (Mar 30, 2022)

Lloyd-ss said:


> Green Twin,
> SERIOUS casting operation you've got there!  NICE!





GreenTwin said:


> Casting your own engine parts in gray iron is highly additive, not to mention just loads of fun.
> I absolutely love the foundry hobby.



OK Pat. I didn't realize you were casting grey iron. That makes it a DOUBLY SERIOUS operation, LOL.


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## MikeG (Mar 30, 2022)

stevehuckss396 said:


> It's just a hobby so I there is nothing I'm doing that HAS to be done. I have walked out to the shop, turned on the lights, setup the mill, drilled the first hole the wrong size, shut off the lights, and gone back in the house. Who cares. Try again tomorrow and get many hours or productive time in. If you are struggling or just don't feel like it,  don't! Keeps it more fun and that will keep you from getting burned out.


Thank You Steve, your words are inspiring, I still need a kick in the Ass..........but, I"ll get there, this forum has been a GodSend.
MikeG


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## Bentwings (Mar 30, 2022)

Longboy said:


> Yep. My modeling time is around Oct. to April, the cooler months in Arizona. After 6 months of this and the coming heat.... I have had enough till the next season. At it since 2006. Somewhat concerned that I will run out of uniqueness, innovation and ideas on my take on model engineering.  It is OK though. I have built a legacy that endures after I stop and the engines are documented here and on social media. Someone's gonna be happy at my estate sale someday!        Dave.


I think wit all hobby’s you have to take a break. Drag racing it was a long drive every eeeken race then come home we worked all winter on updates and building new motors and getting ready for the next season  the end of the year was a welcome relief for a while . I built and flew Rc models for a long time I took days off to play and coach kids sports and play myself there was always conditioning and practicing. But there was family times too .   This new hobby has been very challenging but there are times when I just sit back and be retired  I’d love to play baseball again but I know it would be dangerous. I’d love to have kept my dog but I had to give her up as I migh drop dead and she would not have had a good home  my kitty is my pet today and she is a mental thing for me she curls up on my lap and loves to be brushed and groomed  so a perfect break from steaming . I’ve been a full throttle person all my life. It’s time to take a break occasionally . 

Byron


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