welding or other skills for the 21st century. And bugs.

[lilredwagn]

I'm a 30 year old pinko commie pansy with a liberal arts degree. I've always loved taking things apart to find out how they work, though I don't often manage to get them back together

I think I'm more mechanically inclined than the average housewife or metrosexual, but as my jeep will attest, I am no macguyver and never will be.

I'm thinking it would be useful, if not enjoyable, to learn a skill, and welding seems to me that it would be very useful under a number of future scenarios ranging from status quo to TSHTF. If nothing else, it might give me a chance to use my art background as a blue-collar artist (a.k.a. sculptor )

In the past, I thought I might teach myself to rebuild the 6 into a stroker as my next "project", but as I strongly believe the energy supply and economy both are about to face plant, I don't think that's a worthwhile objective - I'm going to be putting as little $ as possible into the jeep. Probably keep it despite the gas guzzling because it's a better place to sleep than a geo. Plus I just moved closer to work so I can walk, so I should only be using a tank every 2-3 weeks. Discovered the old resident didn't take his roaches with him when he left and am a little bit pissed about that (the bad kind of roach), but rent is $200 a month cheaper too, so it's probably a good tradeoff. Did I mention I think the economy is going to tank? :

Yes, I did give thought to the electric cherokee, but it's too expensive and the range is too short. Maybe a project for the future. I'll need to know how to weld to do that anyway

I mentioned the thought of taking welding classes to a friend of mine, and despite the fact that I have changed her fuel filter, her EGR valve twice, and introduced her broken headlight assembly to the miracle we know as JB Weld, she laughed, "Oh, you shouldn't do that, you know you'll just hurt yourself" .. she's right of course.

It's not something I want to pursue directly as a career, but rather as something to expand my horizons and capabilities. The local tech college has a 16 credit welding fundamentals course that looks pretty skimpy(but does come with a snazzy certificate), and 36 credit welding course that looks quite like overkill for someone who has no intention of actually ever owning a welder, but wants to be able to competently - nay, expertly - operate one should the need or desire ever arise.

Or I could stick to JB Weld and learn something else. Is masonry any fun? Or is it stupid for a soft white boy to try to play redneck, and I should stick to something with a white collar? Engineering is fascinating, but I don't believe I have the math aptitude. Architecture looks fun for a select few, but if I studied that I'd probably end up building brick block dentist offices like everyone else craps out.

If you wanted to MAKE things .. not in the context of being a factory shift worker, but something unique or personal that requires ... creativity, I guess ... but is nonetheless a utilitarian product (not strictly "art") where the "value added" is your fingerprints in the dough, so to speak, what would you pursue?

Also, any pest control guys .. any good way to keep the roaches out? Particular type of spray to ask for or purchase myself? I don't have to actually occupy it for a week, so if there's any heavy duty stuff that will dissipate in a couple days I would consider that if it worked.

8 paragraphs too long to read :cheers:

 

[yossarian19]

Friend, nothing against your stances (I suspect we share many of them) but why the need to out yourself as not fitting in here?
...
That aside, learn to weld with an Oxy rig and a MIG welder. Learn to use a drill press, an angle grinder, a band saw, a chop saw, and any sheetmetal tools you can get your hands on. A plasma torch is handy.
Go to a community college - most of them have good vocational programs - and learn to weld. You just might like it, and if you have access to the shop you will find it a usefull skill as a tinkerer.
Pest controll: Bomb the house. Get the industrial grade, take a vacation while this crap is working type of stuff. Ventilate well afterwards. Two weeks later, do it again. Roaches have a rolling generation going - always eggs somewhere. Two week incubation period on the eggs. The gas doesnt kill the eggs, but the eggs can't hatch and produce a reproducing roach in two weeks. Any that hatch after the first gas will die in the second, and you're done.

 

[Hypoid]

I mentioned the thought of taking welding classes to a friend of mine, and despite the fact that I have changed her fuel filter, her EGR valve twice, and introduced her broken headlight assembly to the miracle we know as JB Weld, she laughed, "Oh, you shouldn't do that, you know you'll just hurt yourself" .. she's right of course.

Welding is fun! The scars prove it.

One of my neighbors used to be certified to weld at one of those Nuclear something plants. Now that he's retired, he does artsy stuff with metal, really enjoys it. See if you can take any Blacksmithing courses as well.

 

[RichP]

Gun repair

 

[Bradlybob]

I vote for the welding and blacksmithing classes. After you get done you can design and build nice Jeep bumpers for flaming metrosexual JK drivers. Then when the SHTF you'll have a trade that will be in demand. Why toil in the fields all day when you can barter food for repairing someones horse drawn plow.

 

[98XJSport]

Theres always woodworking, as well, anything from carpentry to wood carving, could be a useful skill. If your really paranoid about global collapse etc, it could be doubly useful.

 

[Ralph]

Any skillfull work with your hands has value. Whether you have the talent to become good at it is another story, but there's only one way to find out, so go for it.

As for the roaches, use boric acid. Sprinkle it in the back part of your cabinets and along the base boards along the walls, behind the refridgerator and anywhere that they go. They will track through the stuff and take it back to the nest and eventually it will kill them all. It takes about 6 weeks to work, but it does work.