What is (Traditional) Model Engineering?

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Bazyle

As Jason says my question was related to his earlier comment, the thought did cross my mind regarding posting elsewhere but like most topics they get a mixed lot of postings.

Emgee

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Two posts bringing polititians into it have been binned. You know the rules.

[derek hall 1Participant @derekhall1]

I find this topic very interesting to be honest, and although it has drifted somewhat from the thread title towards engineering in general.

With so many now doing degrees (it seems many pointless degrees to be honest) and with that maybe comes a percieved sense of entitlement. The word “engineer” paints the picture to them of doing practical work, getting your hands covered in oil and wearing a boiler suit all day, a ghastly vision appears in their mind!

In a previous post, it was mentioned about planners, thinkers and schedulers etc, and I get that. The “actually doing” is the type of work that seems to be thought of as a task by those who went to uni, as a relatively unskilled dirty job that plebs do esp those that didn’t go to university.

This is a discussion that regularly comes up with regards to the word “Engineer” and what people outside the world of engineering think it means.

The big problem not just in attracting people young and old into the world of model engineering is attracting people into engineering as a career, at all levels.

Several points have been raised in this thread, such as no space for a shed in the garden of a modern house (certainly not a spare room), cost of tooling up, time invested, etc against alternative things to do in ones spare time, esp if you have a young family, mortgage or rent and work long crazy hours.

I wonder if the world of model railways, model boats and Amateur Radio are having a similar problem with attracting newcomers?

I am 66 and currently starting out in learning about the Raspberry pi, not model engineering but it’s a STEM “thing” and if I can maybe introduce this to my 7 year old grandson it might spark into life a rewarding career in engineering for him. Whether he ends up in his 50’s doing model engineering though, who knows! But the spark doesn’t exist at present and maybe never will if there is no one to create it.

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Hi All,

I have tried to have a skim through this thread but I really struggle with the longer posts so apologies,  I haven’t read too much.

I don’t really do much in the way of building / making models, more just make stuff that I can use or to solve a problem that is in my head. I see something and think ‘but I could make that’ so have a go but I joined this Forum after reading several for a good while and this one stood out by far as the least full of keyboard warriors and seemed to have the most genuine and helpful folk so here I am

I have always kind of had an affinity for diagnosing and fixing stuff. Yes it failed / broke but why?

How I started, came home from school when I was 10, parents had had a bought VHS recorder. My dad was at work (power station) so I took it out of the box and set to it with screwdrivers and stripped it apart completely to see how it worked (there went the warranty!) . My mum just kept asking if I know what I was doing. My dad came home from work and, well to say he had something of a tantrum is a mild understatement!! Within half an hour it was back together, connected up and working perfectly. That’s when he realised that it was going to be a little more than me just asking never ending questions when he was working in his garage.

Comprehensive school – occasionally, hated every second of it but still got c or above in the proper exams.

Ended up doing either Marine, Agri / plant or motorcycles (with a brief few years in IT). Last job was full time Station Mechanic for the RNLI, been volunteer crew since late 80’s but ended up getting a full time job with them till I got injured.

I really want to get into Fusion 360 / SE or similar but my brain really struggles with learning that sort of thing, I need someone to show me – monkey see monkey do.

What was that I was saying about longer posts? sorry!

Anyway, that’s my bit of background 🍻

[Author]

Posts