# working in the night



## ariz (Nov 3, 2009)

I've often wondered how you guys do to convince SWMBO that there isn't anything wrong staying at the homeshop for a couple of hours after dinner

I have a job to live, like everyone that isn't retired, so I can work in my shop only in the week ends, but I would like to work also some nights, when I'm not tired.
but whenever I go to the shop after dinner, SWMBO looks perplexed ???

my shop is at home (well, near the house, in the garage), so I can't understand why my darling does prefer that I stayed on the sofa watching at the TV :


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## rickharris (Nov 3, 2009)

wearing my Feminine hat:

"You've been out all day and I have been on my own, NOW you want to go in the garage, don't you like me any more?"

"I spend all day cleaning this house and now you don't want to be in it!

" Why don't you keep me company whilst I watch the TV shows I want to watch"

"I never see you"

"The kids never see you"

"I just don't understand what you do in that workshop"

"Oh I see the garage has more attraction than I do has it"



Oh well - Don't worry, when you retire after the first few week you will be getting in the way and be sent to the garage!!!


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## Majorstrain (Nov 3, 2009)

I'm in the same boat, but I have a 3 year old son so that rules out working in the shed during his awake times. 
If i'm not in his sight for more than 3 minutes he comes looking, and the first place he looks is the shed. ;D

I do manage to get out at night, but it took a while to condition SWMBO. Although I've been over doing it a bit this week. :hDe:

We have one night a week that we do things together, no TV or shed, no exceptions. th_rulze

Good luck.
Phil


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## tmuir (Nov 3, 2009)

I also have young children.
Two and 5 year old boys.
I can't go to my workshop until they are in bed but by that point I think my wife is often happy to be alone for a few hours just to recover from being driven insane all day by two young boys.
I was tired last night and didn't go into my workshop and at 8:45pm was asked why I wasn't in my workshop. :big:


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## RobWilson (Nov 3, 2009)

As i bug my wife over the crap on the TV ,i get sent to the workshop :big:

Regards Rob


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## steamer (Nov 3, 2009)

I have two 7 year old twins...one of each.
We put my son's bedroom over the garage/shop as he sleeps sounder than my daughter.
But I have a tough time getting started at 9:00......needs to be earlier.

Though when I get out there......I can stay there for a while....1:00am.......later...

Dave


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## Stan (Nov 3, 2009)

A subject that has come up many times. It seems that the happiest couples are the ones who have managed to share hobbies. To get your wife interested is anything in the shop may require your learning some of her interests. 

After some 53 years of marriage, my wife's interest in my shop is a comment "That's nice" if I show her my latest engine, so it is possible to survive without so much togetherness.


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## rake60 (Nov 3, 2009)

I just grab the TV remote and keep scrolling through all 244 channels.
After a few minutes of that, I am told to go to the shop!


Actually my wife is very tolerant of my hobbies.
Last Sunday was a beautiful day here. We won't get many more of those
before winter hits us. She suggested my boy and I take advantage of the 
weather to go golfing. Just to keep the peace, we did!  

Rick


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## Bernd (Nov 3, 2009)

Stan  said:
			
		

> It seems that the happiest couples are the ones who have managed to share hobbies.



Let's see two lathes, two mills, two............. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Could be advantageous. :big: :big:

Bernd


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## tmuir (Nov 3, 2009)

Besides model engineering I also sometimes do some silver smithing in my workshop.
My wife is more than happy for me to go out to the workshop if it means she gets some more unique hand made jewelery. 
In fact every now and then she instructs me to go out to my workshop and make her something. :big:


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## zeeprogrammer (Nov 3, 2009)

tmuir  said:
			
		

> Besides model engineering I also sometimes do some silver smithing in my workshop.
> My wife is more than happy for me to go out to the workshop if it means she gets some more unique hand made jewelery.
> In fact every now and then she instructs me to go out to my workshop and make her something. :big:



There's the ticket! Any expectations of turn-around time?

By definition...everything I make is unique ;D


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## Kermit (Nov 3, 2009)

I have nights that are just not made for sleep. Seems nothing I do will relax me enough to be comfortable and go to sleep. Fighting it and staying in bed never works, so I have learned not to. Get up and do something to take the mind off the situation seems to be what works best for me. A few hours of distraction, or absorbtion in my workshop. It is times like these when I can forget about the daily bothers and my aches and pains fade away like magic. Entertain the Brain and most of the rest takes care of itself. ;D

Kermit


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## hammers-n-nails (Nov 3, 2009)

the old mans place is about 10 min away for me, i tell her if you need something call me. i have no intrest whatsoever in watching TV unless theres something interesting on the history channel. bernd i have told the wife several times that there is more than enough to do out there to keep 3 people busy and plenty of machines. she thinks the engines are "neat".......they just dont understand.


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## steamer (Nov 4, 2009)

"....I have nights that are just not made for sleep. Seems nothing I do will relax me enough to be comfortable and go to sleep. Fighting it and staying in bed never works, so I have learned not to. Get up and do something to take the mind off the situation seems to be what works best for me. A few hours of distraction, or absorbtion in my workshop. It is times like these when I can forget about the daily bothers and my aches and pains fade away like magic. Entertain the Brain and most of the rest takes care of itself. 

Kermit..."


YUP! Thm:


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## chillybilly (Nov 4, 2009)

i am among my ilk! I hit a problem after a couple of late night shop stint s .like you lot tv seems a real good way to waste your free time exception being the disco channel stuff etc . I too have a full time job and 3 year old girl in my life . Then a moment of clarity ,i suggested that the hasbrouck 10 could be used to pump the water for the new water feature in the garden (not yet built ) well this went down a treat with the ladys ! So much so that the pair of them are now cruising the garden centres for ideas ,and we all know where i head when that occurs ! Safe to say the family now has an unhealthy interest in to how the #10 is coming on . It is very hard to juggle job ,shop ,kid ,gf with a hobby as involved as model eng ,but i need shop time like a druggy needs drugs ,keeps me sane as the day job is so full of red tape and idiots its nice to be totally in charge of what your into for those precious few hours . said before "could be down the pub love ".this thread has warmed me to realise that i am not alone . Every human should have a shed !


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## tmuir (Nov 4, 2009)

zeeprogrammer  said:
			
		

> There's the ticket! Any expectations of turn-around time?



Depends on what I'm making.
The last thing took me 5 minutes in the jewellers supply shop to buy the chain and locket. :big:

But things like the loop in loop chain in the front of the picture took me 2 months to make.






A solid bangle takes 2 nights, mainly due to the time it needs to sit in the pickle after soldering.
The reef knot one takes 2 to 3 nights

Whilst this fine silver and enamel chain (Shown here only 20% finished) took me 3 months. Mainly due to my failure rate on the enamelling as I was torch firing it.





Sorry for dragging this a bit off topic but its the things like this I make that gives me a lot of extra slack to do what I want in the workshop.
Its also easier to convince the wife I need to spend $300 on a new blow torch when I tell her it will also let me cast silver jewellery.


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## zeeprogrammer (Nov 4, 2009)

I meant if 'she' had expectations of turn-around time. But maybe that's what you meant too.

Very nice stuff. I don't dare mention this to my daughter. ;D
She likes to make jewelry too...


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## ariz (Nov 4, 2009)

ohhh my friends, I see many replies here ;D

I have read all them with interest and joy, now I know that I'm not alone in this battle with SWMBO

many ideas too, useful to try sometime

but I have to admit that sometimes I would favor also what she likes to do (as did Rake60, just for the peace), while I'm a little lacking on this side :

anyway I agree, everybody would have a shed to work in, instead to waste time watching at TV. or at least a PC with internet connection, to share time and experiences with other friends in the world
it's always better than TV: lot of fun here, as almost as in the shop :bow:

thank you all


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## vlmarshall (Nov 4, 2009)

Now I realize how lucky I am to have a wife interested in hobbies similar to my own. The only hobby-angst I have to worry with is chasing her down to get my calipers back, or arguing over who owns a particular pair of pliers.

She's reminding me that we also argue over which of us needs to come look at what the other is doing. ;D

Edit: Guess I should mention... she also puts me to work. 
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSLufVg6pek[/ame]


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## John S (Nov 4, 2009)

Get a mistress. Then after all the flack has died down when you disappear the wife thinks you are with the mistress and the mistress thinks you are at home and you get double the shop time.

Ipso facto - case rests.

John S.


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## Majorstrain (Nov 4, 2009)

> Get a mistress. Then after all the flack has died down when you disappear the wife thinks you are with the mistress and the mistress thinks you are at home and you get double the shop time.
> 
> Ipso facto - case rests.
> 
> John S.



Sound wisdom there John, but what are you gonna do with only half a lathe and half a mill after the divorce. 
Better decide now whether you want the tail stock end or the head stock end. :big: 

Cheers,
Phil


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## rake60 (Nov 4, 2009)

Actually most of my nights are spent in the living room with my wife watching TV.
She is, I'm not. I'm sitting in front of this silly computer working on this web site.
I'm not complaining about that! It often results in a full blown belly laugh.
My wife will look over and asks me why. How can I answer that? LOL

I make chips when I can but that isn't often.

This is the very best unpaid job I have ever had in my life!
I go to bed looking forward to waking up and doing it again tomorrow.
Life just doesn't get any better than that.

Oh there's an Unsolved Mysteries show on now.
No need for me to waste what is left of my grey matter trying to 
figure it out. She will tell me how it turns out tomorrow. 

Rick


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## Twmaster (Nov 4, 2009)

Unfortunately I have a downstairs tenant so noise is kept to a minimum after say 10 or 11 PM. No wife to nag at me though. 

I used to be a moderator on a busy RC plane forum site. Big eater of time. However I too found it to be well worth the time. Too bad my world is so fouled up right now. I'd still be there....


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