General Interest Hobbies

Pictures from the Boys Life Magazine, Boy Scouts of America

Pinewood Derby

Well, its pinewood derby season, so we thought it might be useful to give you a list of links you might find interesting when you build your pinewood derby cars.  Remember be safe when working with tools.

• Try this cool tool from the Boy Scouts of America, a Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby Design tool.  This tool will actually print out a scaled plan for you to work from.
  http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Youth/PineDesign.aspx
• Find some design help here! http://www.pinewoodpro.com/pinewood-derby-howto-design.htm
• Where do you put those weights, ckeck out this link for more information. http://www.pinewoodprofessor.com/weight.html
• 5 Keys to Pinewood Derby Performance. http://www.maximum-velocity.com/fivekeys.htm
• How about a little hard core help, find it here! http://pinewoodfreak.com/
• General Information at Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinewood_derby

Do You Tinker?

Tinkering is focused exploration or activity with the right materials in the right environment that can lead to great new inventions by building self-confidence and fostering critical thinking skills and attitudes that increase interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. It teaches people that they can not only dream up an invention, but they can actually build it!

The hobby industry offers many products across a broad spectrum of interests that foster tinkering. Plastic model and robot building, model railroad scenery, dollhouse making and many other hobby projects cultivate this type of activity. If the hobby industry can find an effective way to promote tinkering they can increase sales of related product.  There are many supporters and programs out there that encourage this activity. Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, promotes tinkering at his summer camp, appropriately titled, ”Tinkering School.” Click here to read the Web Comic and get a look at some of the projects these campers have completed.

Exploratorium | The museum of science, art and human perception at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco has an entire “Tinkering Studio” where kids can explore, create and build. Two industry related projects offered at the museum are the Paper Airplane Launcher and Shadow Box and Lightroom Painting.  What can you do, as a member of the hobby industry, to bring this much needed pastime back to the forefront of children’s activities and get them away from the electronics and video games that occupy much of their free time?  The article below ties tinkering to the industry and highlights the decline of interest and participation in these types of activities.

To learn more, Click Here.

Ernest P. Checka, a 74-year old metal detector hobby enthusiast, knows the thrill of the hunt and the pleasure of returning long lost treasures to their rightful owners. Recently while seeking a cheerleader’s lost necklace, he stumbled across a buried gift ID bracelet that had been lost for 41-years. The owner nearly fainted when the bracelet was returned to him.

Other metal detector finds include a sterling silver gift bracelet lost just after WWII, a copper penny from the Civil War era, class rings, wedding bands, pendants, coins – the older the better, knickknacks, locks, and buttons. He hasn’t documented his collection, but estimates that he’s made hundreds of metal detector finds. Mr. Checka tracks down the owners of class rings and bracelets through yearbooks from the highschool or town library. He’s considered a walking lost-and-found within his community.

The Metal Detector Hobby

Metal detecting is a hobby enjoyed by all ages, suitable as an exciting adventure for the whole family, whether at the beach, the park, a picnic or on a camping trip. You can go detecting alone, with a mate, or join a club and add the fun of making new friends. Besides the thrill of the hunt, many find detecting to be relaxing – a stress free walk in the great outdoors.

Many Treasures are Less than a Gallon Away

With fuel prices continually high, many metal detector hobby enthusiasts are re-discovering treasures within just a few miles from their home or office. Kevin Hoagland of Minelab, a leading manufacturer of metal detectors, said that he found and recovered a number of valuable items very quickly within five miles of his home, at a location that looked like it used to be a park or meeting place. The most valuable was a man’s gold ring, valued at more than $600, and at least 90-years old. His metal detector finds from that one day in that one location amounted to $800, and cost him about $1 in fuel. It’s a safe bet that there are thousands of spots to go detecting in your hometown.

To learn more about the metal detector hobby, visit Minelab’s Introduction to Detecting.

Article Sources: Telegram.com and Minelab

Photo Credit: Treasure Hunter by Elsie_esq. on flickr

Each hobby has its own unique tool needs. Today I’ll share with you several tools to make your hobby projects more enjoyable.

A Track Cutter for Model Railroaders

First is one that is a must have for those who find building model railroad layouts a great and relaxing pastime. As with a real railroad, the track which the trains run on is a critically important component. So the model railroader needs a track cutter that is effortless to use and delivers a precise cut each and every time. Xuron’s 2175M Track Cutter does both.

A Bead Stringer’s Tool Kit

If your hobby includes stringing beads together, Xuron also has a tool kit suitable for you. The TK2400 Bead Stringer’s Tool Kit features three tools that are essential for stringing jewelry beads on to flexible stranded bead wire, cord, monofilament and thread. Packaged in a handy canvas pouch with pockets, these ergonomic tools have soft Xuro-Rubber™ hand grips and a Light-Touch™ return spring for cutting, holding, forming and looping tasks.

The tools in Xuron’s TK2400 Bead Stringer’s Tool Kit include the Model 410 Micro-Shear® Flush Cutter for soft wire up to 18 AWG, flexible stranded bead wire, craft wire, cord & monofilament; the Model 450 Tweezernose™ Pliers for bending and forming and holding jump rings, split rings and small beads; and Model 488 Round Nose Pliers for looping and forming wire.

Tools for Cutting Carbon Fiber

If you’re into building RC projects, you’re probably aware that some of the composite materials being used today are lighter and stronger than previously used materials, and that this creates some some challenges when cutting and shaping them. Carbon fiber, for example, is lightweight and very strong, yet is difficult to cut with conventional tools. Not anymore; Xuron answers the challenge with tools for cutting carbon fiber materials.

Their model 9180 Scissor is for cutting strip between .019” and .034” thick and the Model 2193 Shear will cut rod from .20”-.80” diameter and .060” ID tube. These tools create a square cut on strip and rod, but it is recommended users insert a properly sized wire inside the tube before cutting to prevent the thin walls from crushing.

Featuring one serrated edge, the Xuron Model 9180 grips the carbon material for faster and easier cutting. Xuron’s Model 2193 is a full by-pass shear designed specifically for cutting hard materials. Standard features for both tools include ergonomic handles, cushioned Xuro-Rubber™ grips, return springs and precision ground high carbon steel blades.

The right tool for the job makes the project more enjoyable. Visit your local hobby shop for these and other specialized hobby tools from Xuron today.

Hobby ideas are everywhere. Everyone has something they enjoy doing, or an interest of study in one thing or another. Whether you enjoy gardening, stamp collecting, or shining the chrome on that motorcycle you’ve been putting together, chances are you’re not a stranger to the hobby world!

If you don’t think you’ve ever enjoyed a hobby, maybe what you need is a new perspective. All it takes is for you to develop an interest in something that probably already gets your attention. What do you enjoy? What would you enjoy learning about that you could share with your kids, siblings, or neighbors? The list is really endless:

• remote control cars
• kite building
• antique cars
• woodworking
• model planes from different eras
• model train layouts
• bug collecting and display
• native American coins
• baseball cards
• robotics

Some hobby ideas require an investment in time and equipment. Be willing to take time to develop your interest. Most hobby enthusiasts become experts in their particular hobby, and enjoy sharing what they’ve learned over time with a novice. Its fun to have an ongoing learning experience that you can share for entertainment.

Don’t think you’re being selfish spending a small amount of time on a regular basis enjoying a hobby. Hobbies can be an important part of maintaining good mental and emotional health. Life is stressful, and stress comes to us through work, home responsibilities – just being alive! People that cope well with stress have one thing in common, they have an outlet for it. Hobbies are a wonderful distraction, allowing our minds time to just think, without pressure.

You owe it to yourself to develop an interest in a hobby. Take a good browse through this site and see what interests you. We can’t wait to hear about it!

Image Credit: Revell

Jeff Cooper, H2Outfitters’ Director of Fun is an avid kayaker.  But Jeff also loves slot car racing.  As Director of Fun, Jeff has set up slot car tracks in local communities and looks for ways to introduce slot racing at events and other venues in Maine.

H2Outfitters is a sea kayak instructional and education center offering programs from Maine down to Florida through its various regional outposts. Founded by Jeff in 1982, the company has had many firsts in the areas of kayak instruction, safety, leadership as well as trips and outfitting, and he is a recognized leader in outdoor sports.  But Jeff loves to be indoors too – racing his growing collection of slot cars.

Three years ago, Jeff met a world champion slot car racer in Positano, Italy who had recently begun manufacturing high performance slot cars for the public.  Now, Jeff had raced as a kid on those 8-lane commercial tracks using 1/24th scale cars.  From the stories he tells it was intimidating for a 12-year old to race against a bunch of grownups with their professional looking tool kits and “souped up” cars.

Upon his return, Jeff tracked down an importer in the U.S. and experimented with scale model racecars and track setups that would be appropriate for all age groups over the holidays.  Surprised by the response, his little sideline business has grown and now represents cars and racetrack systems from all over the world.  Spain, Italy, Germany and England all produce cars, parts and track systems.  H2’s Slot Car Junction has got product from Italy’s Slot-It & NSR, Spain’s NINCO, Cartrix and Fly, Scalextric from England and Revell-Monogram from Germany.

Slot car enthusiasts cover a broad spectrum of the population. Boomers, kids, teens, and adults all enjoy slot car racing. There is also a strong contingent of racing Moms too, along with guys in their 60’s and 70’s, who were scale model racers back in the day of Eldon and Strombecker kits!

Slot cars are non-disposable toys. If they break, you can fix ‘em. With a “hands-on” slot car set, participants discover the ramifications of a crash… a particularly valuable lesson for children who begin to understand the consequences of their actions, getting a clear message that in real life you don’t crash and go onto the next screen.

It’s the action and excitement that makes scale model racing a great gift that’s affordable fun for the whole family. Controlling a car through the curves, down the straights and into a turn gives one a sense of really being behind the wheel. There are digital kits that allow you to race up to 8 cars on 2 lanes, and analog systems that can have anywhere from 2-8 lanes of fun.

Jeff’s slot car selection is continually growing and although slots may never overtake kayaking at H2Outfitters, it’ll be a good bet that more and more “old” racers and youngsters will be enjoying the world of slot car racing if Jeff has anything to do with it.

If you grew up playing with LEGOs® and watching Star Wars™, you probably wondered why it took so long for the two to be put together. In 1999 we finally got our wish when the Lego Group licensed Star Wars properties from Lucasfilm. The first product of this alliance was Star Wars LEGOs.

Since the original product release there has been an explosion of new products not only for the new prequel trilogy, but also for the classic Trilogy that has enthralled untold millions over the years. As one would imagine the first products were immediate runaway successes and now dozens of new Star Wars LEGOs products compete in virtually numerous markets ranging from the traditional LEGOs to modern video games running on everything from handheld gaming systems to personal computers!

An entire fan culture has grown up around this unique fusion of LEGOs and Star Wars replete with professional and fan-made Machinima movies. The movies range from comedies to interesting ‘what if…’ scenarios, but aren’t the only content to crop up to support the ever increasing fan base. Everything from Star Wars LEGOs wallpapers to comic books are available, and of course the actual products themselves.

Currently dominating the top sellers list are products based off the current hit TV series, The Clone Wars. There are still plenty of products from the original series and the prequel trilogy, and the ability to mix and match from different eras is one of the greatest appeals of the products. After all, who doesn’t want to see a squad of Republic AT-TE walkers take on an Imperial AT-AT with its AT-ST escorts?

Everyone who has seen any of the timeless Star Wars movies probably won’t have any trouble dreaming up a fantasy that can only be realized when they’re given the ability to build it themselves. Whether the fantasy is Darth Vader fighting Boba Fett or a rematch between Emperor Palpatine and Master Yoda, they’re all possible. What is your Star Wars fantasy?

Photo Credit: kevindooley on flickr

Related Pages: General Interest Hobbies

Clay sculptures have been a popular art form since prehistoric times. The popularity of this art form was historically due to the availability of the materials used to create them. Today this art form is used as a fine art form, a therapy art and as a learning art form.

To create clay sculptures you first need the right tools and materials. First of all you will need the right type of clay. Sculpting clay, also referred to as potter’s clay, has been cleaned of impurities and it has a fairly homogeneous consistency. Potter’s clay comes in a variety of volumes from 5 pound blocks to 100 pound blocks. After you have bought your potter’s clay you will next need shaping and cutting tools. You can use just about anything for a shaping tool. Some common items used for shaping clay include knives, forks and texture tools. You will also want to get a wire for cutting the clay. In order to stabilize your clay sculpture you will need a kiln to fire your sculpture. These high temperature ovens come in a variety of sizes from small table top models to extra large corner units. The final items that you will need are glazes.

After you have all of the supplies and materials needed for your clay sculptures you will be ready to start. The first step is to figure out what you want to sculpt. You may want to sketch out your ideas so that you have a visual reference to refer to when working with the clay. Next you will want to use your wire to cut off a piece of clay to work with. To start with the clay will be hard to manipulate, however, as you work with the clay it will soften and become more pliable. Work your clay into the shape that you want using your hands, fingers and shaping tools. Common shaping techniques for clay include rolling, balling and pinching. After you complete your sculpture you will want to fire it in the kiln and allow it to cool. You can then glaze the item and re-fire it. This will cure the glaze and finish your sculpture.

Learn about the culture and art of the Philippines including Filipino clay sculptures, antique carvings and pottery – Philippine Sculptures is your source for information on Filipino art, music and traditional culture. Art lovers who travel to the Philippines can find both traditional and contemporary pieces that will compliment just about any decor. For more on cultural and historical art of the world also check out masks of Africa.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Photo Credit: CLBcreations on flickr

With so many different technologies emerging in the world, most parents find that their children are not developing the creative and imaginative tools that children have in the past. Technology has taken the work out many of life’s problem solving experiences leaving humanity less capable of reasoning and understanding new concepts. That is why it is important for children to rediscover the magic of kids puzzles. Puzzles actively engage the learning mind, creating synapses and brain growth that are crucial for creating the thinkers of tomorrow.

There are many styles of kids puzzles available, many of which include technological mediums. Old fashion jigsaw puzzles are still rich in color association and the learning of how shapes connect. Young children can benefit from building hand-eye coordination skills and eye movement which can later translate into reading skills. Using these style of puzzles help stimulate the brain making young children more focused, eventually increasing their ability to learn.

Besides the traditional style of the jigsaw puzzle, there are an abundance of different kids puzzles that will entice and stimulate the thinking and learning of children. Many handheld games incorporate the usage of puzzles. Sudoku puzzles have become quite popular in recent years, and are available for all levels of learners in both print and technological forms. Games that incorporate puzzles are also an invaluable tool to promote the healthy growing brain of the child. Children will be drawn to the fun that the games promote, but they will benefit from the learning and skill building that is taking place.

Throughout our lives, we are in a constant state of learning. We make sense of our environment through our previous experiences and then solve our problems based on this knowledge. Without prior learning strategies in problem solving, we cannot find the solutions to even the simplest problems. The process of building good problem solving skills needs to start early. Learning can be fun, yet it can be beneficial to promoting lifelong skills. Do you want your children to be dependent on technology for answers or to have the skills to do it themselves?

Image Credit: spekulator on stock.xchng

You can see five planets this month without the aide of a telescope. Two of them can be seen in the evening, and three more just before dawn.

This week Venus hangs as a lantern, high in the western sky. Its crescent shape can be seen from just before dusk until about three hours after sunset. On the evening of February 27, Venus will be just above and to the right of a three-day old crescent moon.

Also this week, Saturn will rise in the eastern sky about 1-1/2 hours after sunset. By March 8, it will be visible from dusk to dawn. On March 10, Saturn will be seen above a full moon.

Toward month’s end, Jupiter and Mercury will be visible with binoculars, just above the east-southeastern horizon about 30 minutes before sunrise. It won’t be an easy sighting, but well-worth the effort.

The fifth planet is Mars, an even more difficult sighting that Jupiter and Mercury. If you can locate Jupiter, you should be able to find Mars to the lower right less than an hour before sunrise, with nothing more than binoculars or a small telescope.

Learn more about how to spot these five planets in this Space.com article: Doorstep Astronomy: Spot 5 Planets

Image Credit: fdecomite on flickr (cc)

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