Metal Working|A blog about metal working as a hobby.
Aug
30
Filed Under (Collecting) by Michael
Samuel Bryant asked:
When I was younger the issue of boredom always seemed to come up. I long for those days now that my work week is 80+ hours but creativity was so important while growing up poor. One of my favorite things to do was pretend I was pitching in the major leagues and managed to situate a table on its side so that the tennis ball would either pop up or ground out to me. I spent days playing solo Monopoly and weeks creating a fully stocked video store mockup. I think the poorer a person is the more interesting their hobbies are.
Some very common hobbies include collecting things such as dolls, die cast cars, real cars, or weapons. Coin and stamp collecting have long been a hobby for many, especially of commemorative mints (www.coin-usa.com). Coin and paper money from around the world is collected by Trader Joes if you haven’t noticed. A lot of gold and silver coins are worth something because of the amount of the particular metal contained in it.
The collecting of action figures (www.herofigure.com) used to be isolated to the very young and has crept its way into the hands of middle aged men. Comic book popularity has enjoyed the same fate and has created multiple movie trilogy empires in Hollywood. I don’t know if this popularity is due to the growing infancy of adult men or the impressive quality of modern movies. Either way it looks as if the comic book genre will continue to impress.
A lot of collectors base their hobby on an addiction such as alcoholism. Wine collectors invest in storage units, large quantities of aging bottles, and some even build entire rooms customized with climate controlled environments for the storage and display of their wine. In college I remember seeing fraternity bedrooms outlined by old bottles of consumed Vodka as if they were little league trophies. One of the most popular social hobbies men have is a combination of beer and poker (www.queenplay.com). These events are usually shared on a regular basis with more than two people where food is consumed. This hobby can be extended to Las Vegas if the player needs a more stimulating environment.
Hobbies seem to differ between people depending on the geographic location. Shooting ranges are more popular here outside of Seattle and are even more popular if one visits the eastern portion of this state as opposed to the limits of the city. Hobbies differ between genders—shopping for clothes is more popular among women while playing basketball is more popular among men. Another demographic where hobbies tend to differ is in the different age groups. Gardening is very popular among the older folks while radio controlled racing is more popular amongst the young. Children spend more time swimming than they do cooking. Adults spend more time cooking than they do swimming. The same thing applies to paintball, snowboarding, skateboarding, and Saturday morning cartoons. Now that I have money I can actually buy things to entertain myself. Rather than pretending to ride a dirt bike I can actually get one.
When I was younger the issue of boredom always seemed to come up. I long for those days now that my work week is 80+ hours but creativity was so important while growing up poor. One of my favorite things to do was pretend I was pitching in the major leagues and managed to situate a table on its side so that the tennis ball would either pop up or ground out to me. I spent days playing solo Monopoly and weeks creating a fully stocked video store mockup. I think the poorer a person is the more interesting their hobbies are.
Some very common hobbies include collecting things such as dolls, die cast cars, real cars, or weapons. Coin and stamp collecting have long been a hobby for many, especially of commemorative mints (www.coin-usa.com). Coin and paper money from around the world is collected by Trader Joes if you haven’t noticed. A lot of gold and silver coins are worth something because of the amount of the particular metal contained in it.
The collecting of action figures (www.herofigure.com) used to be isolated to the very young and has crept its way into the hands of middle aged men. Comic book popularity has enjoyed the same fate and has created multiple movie trilogy empires in Hollywood. I don’t know if this popularity is due to the growing infancy of adult men or the impressive quality of modern movies. Either way it looks as if the comic book genre will continue to impress.
A lot of collectors base their hobby on an addiction such as alcoholism. Wine collectors invest in storage units, large quantities of aging bottles, and some even build entire rooms customized with climate controlled environments for the storage and display of their wine. In college I remember seeing fraternity bedrooms outlined by old bottles of consumed Vodka as if they were little league trophies. One of the most popular social hobbies men have is a combination of beer and poker (www.queenplay.com). These events are usually shared on a regular basis with more than two people where food is consumed. This hobby can be extended to Las Vegas if the player needs a more stimulating environment.
Hobbies seem to differ between people depending on the geographic location. Shooting ranges are more popular here outside of Seattle and are even more popular if one visits the eastern portion of this state as opposed to the limits of the city. Hobbies differ between genders—shopping for clothes is more popular among women while playing basketball is more popular among men. Another demographic where hobbies tend to differ is in the different age groups. Gardening is very popular among the older folks while radio controlled racing is more popular amongst the young. Children spend more time swimming than they do cooking. Adults spend more time cooking than they do swimming. The same thing applies to paintball, snowboarding, skateboarding, and Saturday morning cartoons. Now that I have money I can actually buy things to entertain myself. Rather than pretending to ride a dirt bike I can actually get one.
Jul
18
Filed Under (Hobbies) by Michael
Nicholas Tan asked:
Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make. This is one Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people will enjoy making this Christmas craft, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.
The other type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Christmas craft as well.
Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For the Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallics and Christmas colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.
Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on pipe cleaners. Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don’t fall off. The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for the Christmas craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.
If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty Christmas craft.
Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make. This is one Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people will enjoy making this Christmas craft, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.
The other type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Christmas craft as well.
Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For the Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallics and Christmas colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.
Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on pipe cleaners. Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don’t fall off. The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for the Christmas craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.
If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty Christmas craft.
