Anniversary (ish) Q&A! Viewer Questions Answered!

[@g.tucker8682]

The Fireside Chats are as entertaining and instructive as your other (always excellent) output. Please don't sweat it.

[@NicholasMarshall]

The only problem is that her VFX guy needs to step up, that Roaring Fire VFX looks fake.

[@Blondihacks]

Budget cuts. The graphics department had layoffs

[@oldfarthacks]

Actually, the fire is going, the paper is oxidizing.

[@littlegrabbiZZ9PZA]

​@@oldfarthackstechnically correct. The *best kind* of correct.

[@Violet-Brick]

It's really nice to see another woman doing machine shop work. The degree of patience and calm methodical working you show really sets you apart from most people I've worked with in machining. I quit the profession (precision machinist with a couple of years on the big toys (Worked on a 4m lathe and a 3m mill)) after 6 years in my early 20s before I had another 2 (3-ish) careers and am again switching interests at the moment but as they say, you can get a girl out of the machine shop but you can't get the machine shop off of the girl, that coolant mist sticks for life. If it weren't incompatible with so many other things in my life I'd totally have a hobby shop for myself. It's baffling (but not surprising) to me how we still live in a world where women are kept out of metalwork. Many shops here in Germany would outright openly refuse women and if they'd employ you, you'd have to perform at least twice as good in order to get your reputation. If my time there hadn't been pre-transition, the effort required to get my foot in and build up the reputation I had would have been crushing. The few women I worked with really became role models for me, given how they were able to make their stance in such an environment.

[@4GibMe]

Yet, during Wars, entire Warehouses were full of nothing but women working behind Lathes and Mills. I'm sorry, males really are insecure, with fragile Egos to go with that. My oldest daughter is a Neural Trauma Surgeon. Bought and paid for by her own hard work. I get comments like, "Who did she sleep with to get that?", from men. Yeah! Knowledge and Skill do not come from which body parts you have between your legs.

[@donaldsutherland244]

You are a friend we have not met. It is obvious that you care about your answers and your audience. You are thoughtful, kind and honest. Thank you!

[@JessicaKMcIntosh]

Aww, the way young Sprocket looked at you is adorable. 😻💜

[@joshclark44]

Hey dont sweat it if you need to take a week off to relax or catch up on work. We love seeing your content but i personally see a lot of youtubers burn themselves out pushing themselves too hard to satisfy demand, and please dont do that to yourself lol love the transparency and the openness for questions etc. Im the kind of fan that wonders these background questions too and i know not everyone is comfortable with that so thank you for sharing. I think you have a pretty good recipe for a successful youtube channel and have been doing well with it for several years now and im a huge fan

[@paulkinzer7661]

I could relate to so much of what you said here. Your calm, clear wisdom is one of the reasons I really look forward to watching you every week.

[@GentlemensWatchServices]

Really enjoyed this. As both a watchmaker and the worlds least patient man I get over the issue by not thinking about what I’m trying to achieve, beyond the one thing I’m doing now, and even then I focus on the ‘not buggering it up’ part of the process. As soon as I think along the lines of “let’s get this job complete before lunch” disaster strikes. Acceptance of achieving nothing is a superpower.

[@keithpattison6763]

Hello Quinn, Foundry work is really interesting. During my working life, I have spent time in a number of foundries, working on furnaces and ovens and have watched the processes. I have built a small furnace, that I can fire on propane, or oil, depending on what I want to pour. I melt Aluminium (Australian spelling) and bronze. My Lathe is a South Australian made Hercus model A, which is a direct clone of a 9" Southbend. It is 74 years old, a year younger than me and was given to me by a friend. Have made new parts for it and have had the bed re-ground, so it is quite accurate.

[@johnsherborne3245]

Having inherited my lathe and separately my mill, I’m entirely self taught. Your videos have been hugely helpful, the only thing is I don’t have a reliable means of feedback when I make mistakes.

[@brandonstews238]

Always prepared, safety glasses on for dangers of reading viewers questions! Proper PPE! I love the machining videos and wish you would add some more electronics videos to the mix!

[@sendtosurge]

I appreciate the candor, kindness, humor, and content you share here. Virtual hugs to you. I hope you enjoy this YT thing.

[@tycewilfinger]

thank you for your channel . i have learned so much. because of you i have a pm 25 mill and a pm 12x36t lathe. i thank you for not trying to always sell me something.

[@SciFiMind]

Great video as always Quinn. As for the foundry work, when I got back into it I basically copied Clickspring's furnace design. Its very light and portable and doesn't take up a lot of space (only about the size of a 5 gallon bucket). If you can find room for a furnace that size, a 5 gallon bucket of petrobond, and a flask it is very easy to make the entire setup portable to the backyard.

[@wrongtown]

Damn I'm going to have to look into that again...

[@AndrewClarke-wb5hh]

A great Q&A that adds to your already excellent machine-shop videos. I'm a real Kozo fan and hope you take on his Shay for a future project. A Stirling-cycle engine would also be nice. Comments about a surface grinder are good, but they are more than most home shops can afford. A very good feature of your videos is that you are using equipment that most of us already have. Another good feature of your videos is explaining where accuracy is needed and where it isn't. And how to achieve it where needed. Thanks so much for providing these videos - entertaining, educating, inspiring.

[@evanbarnes9984]

Just wanted to say that I would absolutely devour any retrocomputing and electronics videos that you care to produce! I read your blog about building a custom 8 bit computer (I think, it's been a while) from scratch and that was awesome. Hell, I'm going to be buying my first oscilloscope soon to help me develop my understanding of electronics, and I'd love an oscilloscope tutorial video from you in the style of your lathe and mill skills videos. I bet other people feel the same!

[@MikeMichaels-f5i]

Agreed, that would really be a great tutorial ! 👍

[@billdoodson4232]

Sprocket sat on your lap for longer than our Sadie has sat on mine in total for the 4 years since she moved in with us. You are right about changing lathes, I sold my old one, bought the new one, and then the buyer pulled out on the old one. I'm now trying to work around an old 1 ton lathe and the new 1.5 ton lathe. It' a right sod.

[@pauldevey8628]

I am a grateful viewer and Patron of yours. Thank you!

[@LewHarriman]

You are very generous with your time and your hard-won, practical wisdom. And you deliver all that in a clear, kind and respectful way. I sure appreciate all that you do and the way that you do it. Thank you, Quinn.

[@rinosanchez2150]

Thank you for continuing to make such great content. I think that after watching only a few of your beginner lathe videos, I was searching craigslist for used lathes. A few years later, and I'm finally building up a workshop in my backyard, and I'm planning to buy what I hope will be a good starter benchtop lathe. I'll be watching that beginning lathe series for the third time (I think). I greatly appreciate your strong emphasis on safety in the shop, because you've helped make safety my first consideration before doing any work on heavy machinery. I'm so excited that I woke up super early this morning thinking about projects I could work up towards on the lathe. The very first lathe projects that I work on will be straight from your lathe tutorials. Thanks again, keep up the good work! 🙂

[@Rebar77_real]

Knifemakers use a small(compared to a surface grinder) hand sliding magnet they mount to belt sanders and bench grinders, if you ever really needed one. Rainy day project idea. :p Great chitchat, the rail club sounds really fun!

[@andersgrassman6583]

intresting idea!

[@Mooncakealive]

I came across this channel because I wanted to learn about lathes. I have had and have various hobbies in my life. Here I found answers to everything I wanted to know. And in an incredibly pleasant way, without being intrusive or loud. With a fine sense of humor. Educational and entertaining. Thanks for the great work. 🥰

[@D40..]

Hey Quin just FYI a tool and cutter grinder makes an awesome double as a small surface grinder and they usually come with a stack of really cool accessories that can also be used with a small to medium mill. Always enjoy your videos thanks for the great content

[@ccootsona]

Great channel Quinn! I've enjoyed learning from your intuitive instruction and appreciate your efforts. I especially liked your comments about multiple careers and finding that intersection between your interests and making money. That was certainly my recipe for happiness. My background began as an industrial forestry R&D scientist and in my spare time I volunteer for a steam train excursion railroad running, firing, and restoring the equipment. When the R&D program shut down a few years ago, I started my own business as the only US manufacturer of axle journal lubricating pads for vintage locomotives and rail cars. My wife and I drew from our previous experience to develop methods, and I built/restored specialized equipment to enable a sustainable, lean, one-person operation. This business gives me access to all the cool projects going on in the vintage railroad community and leaves lots of time to pursue other projects and hobbies. Thanks again for the inspiration and education.

[@paulwhite923]

Thank you for the informative and interesting chat. You’ve had a very diverse and interesting work history, and I can see you love to share your knowledge and experience.

[@LadyDewBuild]

a) I am happy with your one "Man" show. b) keep your shop small (home shop), that is where the rest of us are. c) taking care of sproket by keeping her out of the shop

[@MAACotton]

I just got my first mill! Thank you so much for all the work you do

[@richardlincoln8438]

Thank You for spending the time to put this content together Quinn. Best Wishes to You and Your Family.

[@timhooper8617]

Thanks for this, Quinn! I'm still a relative newbie, and have had to learn about the patience and mental prep required to manufacture a part. for one of my vintage model aero engines. After a life in production manufacturing, it's nice to take my time and work and treat each component as a mini project in it's own right. The hard part is having to start again from scratch if I cock it up......

[@robertpearson8798]

We lose a great many things as we get older but one of the gains that I value the most is patience. I have far more now than in my youth and I’m still working on improvement.

[@charlieromeo7663]

Your mother’s advice was sage advice to say the least. Most folks these days have a number of careers. There are exceptions to the rule however. I have been very fortunate and have had the same career for 36 years now at Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s Space Coast. I worked on the Space Shuttle Program for 25 years, and on the SLS/Orion program for the last 11 years. It’s been an unbelievable ride. The bottom line is you have to find a career that you enjoy and you will never work a day. I can say with all honesty I never dreaded going to work. Congrats on another year of success and very informative videos. Good luck in the year to come.

[@gfabasic32]

Long time subscriber. My ears perked up when you mentioned retro PCs and your game project. I've been honing my coding skills with a BASIC compiler called GFA-BASIC 32 for Windows. I code for fun and am having a blast helping others solve the inevitable quirks we all run into. Cheers from a retired technologist in Atlantic Canada

[@Steve2Q]

I just came across your videos last week. I am very impressed with your skills, your personality, and your ability to break down what are some complicated concepts into easy-to-understand steps. Another plus is Sprocket; as you know, cats rule. I now have to watch all your vids!

[@jackpierce5354]

Hi Quinn, I'm always impressed with your job knowledge, and diverse skill sets. You present yourself with humility, and are never affraid to say so, if you don't know something about a particular process, or task. You said something today that really resonated with me regarding obtaining skills. Always be learning new things, and be curious to learn. I'm paraphrasing of course. This is something I have had to do throughout my career, so I'm usually dumbstuck when I meet someone who has no natural curiousity about how things work. It is fun to watch you practice your craft. All the best.

[@MrScotty600]

Glad your doing what you love to do, your channel is one of best!

[@Bob_Adkins]

30 minutes of Sprocket was priceless! OK, Quinn too.

[@Festivejelly]

Your videos are really comforting to watch. Ive learned a lot from you and gained confidence to get into machining as a hobby. Your cat is lovely :)

[@stevesorensen3576]

happy to support your work I had a Sprocket flavored cat a few years back, he would sit in my lap for hours. Keep up the good work.

[@rexmyers991]

These ‘fireside’ chats are great! Thank you.

[@lauriefletcher2715]

Really enjoyed your questions and answers today, really made me feel I'm going in the right direction with my machining projects. You're a great encouragement and teaching. Thank you Laurie

[@freyja4954]

I'm still a proud owner to this day of a commodor 128 with the original 1571 drive ,modem and original printer. I also have an Amstrad pc1512.

[@DonQuixotedeKaw]

I've noticed that since you've done more with wood lately 🙂 you don't dis woodworkers/woodworking as much as you used to. Not that we don't deserve the critique, sometimes. But you've walked some in our shoes, and it shows. Love your work, your choices of projects and your channel!

[@Tasarran]

That's exactly the same advice I give about starting a new hobby or habit; just make yourself do something toward it every day. Even fifteen minutes just *thinking* about it will keep that slot open in your life. It becomes very easy to continue to not doing a thing, just don't start. ;)

[@jantman]

Great Q&A, as always! I really look forward to these and it's always interesting to hear the questions and your insightful responses, not to mention the occasional not-just-machining answers.

[@TakodaWarner-t5y]

would love to see you machine a hand plane, either from a casting kit or bar stock. You've mentioned before that you appreciate hand tool woodworking, and there is no woodworking hand tool more necessary or lovely to use than a hand plane! could be perfect for working on oak formers or boiler lagging, or wooden bases!

[@jeremylastname873]

Such a smile, on both your face and Sprocket’s. ❤🎉

[@KCadbyRacing]

New subscriber here. I know materials are all made out of "something" but I have always considered machining and fabrication "making something out of nothing". Even though I've only watched 1/2 dozen videos (so far), I ❤ your channel, how you present yourself and everything you do (and more important) I have already learned a LOT 👍

[@elricm13]

Great video. I had a small shop just like yours and it was crowded but great. I have a bit larger shop now with the car lift you spoke about. I still have to manage space or I can't get work done or find things. It's an ongoing challenge. Love the variety to film from tools to techniques to trains. Thank you!

[@ronaldfoster2954]

Thanks!

[@chrispadgitt3689]

Interesting. Glad you did this.

[@seanalexander9531]

It's Sunday evening for me and this video has capped off a busy weekend. Aside from being educational, your videos are always very pleasing to watch. Thank you :)

[@paulandreasen3163]

Speaking of retro-"puters", I still have a Radio Shack Model I. NOT quite stock as it runs @ 8MHz, acceses 16MB of RAM, and has 3.5", 5" SS, 5"DS, 8"SS,*"DS floppy drives, Bornouli drivr, buble memory storage 98MB0 (8mb) drive, and a 135MB HD. I used to write format conversions for the multiple (ALL different) formats by all the different manufactuers.

[@OGTtom]

I truly enjoy watching your content , I learn something every video . I'm getting ready to retire in July of this year and plan on building things in the garage , thank you Quinn .

[@kevinwatson5833]

The weekly videos are greatly appreciated

[@firebird8600]

Yay!! It's Blondihacks time!!!

[@firebird8600]

Hey! Woah. Back it up there. The quality of these videos is amazing, and we love these chat videos, too!

[@alieoopps]

Can’t wait to see what questions made the cut!!

[@paulmorrey4298]

Thanks Quinn

[@NicholasMarshall]

The only Timestamp we need. 14:15 Sprocket makes his exit.

[@Ioughtaknowbetter]

You're certainly right about ants pants. Andris is amazing, he works a full-time job and does all this work besides. 10 or 15 years ago I might have been able to keep up with him but in my mid 60s I probably have two days of that level of work before I need to take a week off. Great video as always thanks for opening the window into your process.

[@Blondihacks]

Hardest working guy on KZbin

[@CarlinComm]

Lemons was not something I expected mentioned on this channel, that's awesome! Its always fun to hear a youtuber having other interests!

[@kevinforth7618]

Love your videos, even the (fake) fireside chats like these. Thanks again from Michigan.

[@jbrownson]

I’d love to see your take on anodizing

[@ohnoitsthefuzz909]

Bruhhhh, I just discovered SuperfastMatt yesterday after I found your channel about a week ago. Thanks for everything you do 😁

[@andrewjames7616]

Thankyou 👍

[@joewhitney4097]

Morning Quinn, I enjoy all your videos and content. Hearing the Q&A helps me think of issues I would appreciate your thoughts on. Q. I am struggling with learning Fusion 360 basics and have not found any literature or books that speak in non-computer geeks language meaning breaking it down into simple small bites of information and instruction. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. As always, thanks for sharing.

[@donswords6671]

Such a great smiling photo of you with the kitten @ 13:00. :-)

[@dannywilsher4165]

WOW!!! Them old apples are awesome!! I still have my first Apple IIc. I haven't fired it up in a few years. I need to see if it still works.

[@braspatta]

As someone who got into machining from watching KZbin, I can relate to the patience comment. With a full time job sometimes it takes me several days to get small stuff done. I am slowly getting to grips with this reality..

[@v3ctors69]

Love everything you do and appreciate the effort you put in for us to enjoy. I'd strongly encourage you to get a newer 3D printer. I think you'd be amazed at how far they've come over the years. The super budget ~ $250USD machines are nearly zero setup and are super fast while maintaining high quality. I'm beyond impressed at just how far they've come in just a couple years between "generations" of machines.

[@zukowski2023]

Hey Quinn, thanks for putting out the content you produce, always entertaining and informative. These catch up videos are great, always nice to find out what our KZbin makers are up to and have as possible future plans. Love to go back over your play lists and review what you have done and shown, it helps one stay creative in the workshop. Welcome to the Great White North! Thank You (give Sprocket a rub huh)..

[@Neptune730]

Great questions and answers. Thanks.

[@ScottHiland]

Mark Presling is brilliant and I'm glad you've given him some shout-outs. Both of your channels are on my weekend watch list!

[@charliekrauter5176]

I hope you have a chance to try out foundry work someday. Machining your own castings is very satisfying.

[@joelwesson4762]

late question: What is you favorite youtube machining channel for taking a nap? Stephan Gotteswinter works for me.

[@jimsvideos7201]

That is an excellent sit-with-Sprocket chair, and I'm glad you two have each-other. 😊

[@LawTaranis]

7:07 I would say that a hobby should not take energy. Hobbies should be something that you do to recharge. If you feel like you don't have the energy to do the hobby, maybe look for a different hobby. When I sit down at my lathe mill, that's me relaxing. I do that so I have the mental energy to do chores and survive work.

[@dsmith7455]

Great video, i boil it down to "stay true to yourself." If people want bigger then watch Curtis, want older watch Mr Pete, want ELS watch James at Clough 42. Lots of options out there. I believe in the multiple hobbies theory. I am currently building out a shop in my 2100 sq foot basement. Metal shop will be about 18' x 18', wood shop about 30'x30', office/electronics area 12'x18'. Remainder is storage, bathroom, ... I have a Kaypro2 from ~1984, hasn't had power in 20 years or so. I would be interested in any pinball, retro, 8bit or electronics projects you may have going. I learned microcomputers and assembler using Intel 8085. I have in interest in large software development. Worked on cars when I was younger, but only because I had to. Keep up the good work. Don't burn out. P.S. I like cats, however our current cat doesn't like me.

[@Ants_Pants]

Hey i heard from the hood that you mentioned me 😂 thanks a bunch i'm glad there are people who watch and like the stuff i make, keeps me motivated😊 btw, protective eyeware even at a Q/A, i can relate to that 😂😂

[@Blondihacks]

Cats are dangerous! Keep up the great work. Love your videos, not just because my Grandma was Estonian and now I know all those bad words she was saying. 😂

[@N.Cognito]

I enjoy your Q&A videos juxt as much as your shop vontent, and i really enjoy your shop content. Kerp up the awesome work.

[@brianhostak3961]

Thank you Quinn . Very enjoyable .

[@willclark491]

Yay for Sprocket content!

[@stevedaenginerd]

Love seeing Sprocket! 😻 And you've busted out the Canadian formal wear! Lol

[@robbybobbyhobbies]

I'm sure everyone here already knows, but Inheritance Machining is a gem of a channel. Likewise FarmCraft 101.

[@WreckDiver99]

@16:27 100% accurate. I have some 3d printers, and I designed up some 'widgets', sold them for about 2 months doing fairly well...THEN the thieves came...Literally started giving them away for material cost, and killed me off. I see it every day out there in the 'etsy' world. Doesn't matter if you have it copyrighted, trademarked, or even patented because they don't care and they will just 'disappear' and re-appear later. I make stuff for ME now or if somebody needs something. Job shop it is. :)

[@assessor1276]

You do a great job Quinn. Thanks for sharing.

[@rafaeldiegonavarro]

Thanks for your entertainment and the educational instructional videos !

[@ricksweetser1683]

Didn't know about your racing background...very impressive! Always nice to sit in an easy chair by a roaring fire and relax...eh?

[@Craftlngo]

I really like this type of video Quinn! If you are interested in learning more about internal combustion engines, I can only recommend you the channel Driving 4 answers. The creator has some of the best explanations about cars and ICEs in particular.

[@DubStudioCreateVinyl]

Really inspired by the variety of content you produce. Fab

[@jaybailey3518]

Quinn, You are very good at what you do, I'd say "the best", including question and answer videos!

[@chrisviking428]

Love your content you do a great job. This morning I crashed my mill and broke the plastic drive gear. Setup wasn’t correct and well You Know. Anywho, you just mentioned a cool idea 💡 build an electronic/machine project, why not make an engine lathe or mill? No you may not need one but honestly if you can build a steam engine you can build a lathe. Maybe it could be donated to a local scholastic program. Or something 👍

[@MartysRandomStuff]

Yes, car work gets so much more painful as you get older, in the 70s when I was a kid I was rebuilding engines, these days just trying to get to the cabin air filter behind the glove box will mess up my back for a week... 😿 And I just got an EV, so my working on car stuff days are now officially over, replacing break pads is probably the only meaningful work I could do on it.

[@Blondihacks]

Honestly EVs are great that way. I drove one for six years and loved how they are basically zero maintenance. They’d be more popular if more people just tried one and saw how good they are, I think!

[@MartysRandomStuff]

@@Blondihacks I'm hoping that is the case, have only had mine for 3 weeks. First weekend I took a trip out to Lancaster PA (sadly I didn't have time to stop at the steam train museum), about 110 miles of driving and only used $4 in electricity. Anyone that has a place to charge at home overnight and drives less than 200 miles a day really should look into getting one.

[@joe2364]

Thank you for the videos. I dont have a lathe but hope too one day. Ill be way ahead of the game because of you ❤.

[@kleobrix]

Oh, to be looked at like Sprocket when you adopted her😻

[@jml3327]

Thanks for all the hard work. I really enjoy your videos.

[@kelvinmears2759]

Love your work Blondi. My question is - Have you had enough of answering these questions for now? 😎

[@hemanthharrilall6469]

I wait for your videos and really enjoy them. You have my suport to go on. Thanks

[@neffk]

I made a 3D printed dimple punch/die set. I'm still shocked that it worked on 18 ga stainless. Not sure about hammer forms but PLA is surprisingly good in compression. The print time IS a hassle but if you can do something else while the robot army works, it can be a good solution.

[@brucematthews6417]

And your backyard riding car will have a box for Sprocket? THAT is an episode that will be ... "interesting".... :D I was nodding whole heartedly at your thoughts on someone trying to keep up with a hobby while working. Even if "we" only insist on cleaning up or doing one little thing for 10 minutes. Often that turns into a hour or more. And even if "real life" only permits the 10 or 20 minutes even a short distraction is extremely restful and restorative. And I was nodding again at the thoughts on "patience". Great encouragement all around.

[@swittman9123]

I'd love to dig through your subs list. Everyone you mentioned in this video is excellent.

[@JoseSantos-jd3dn]

Happy birthday miss Quinn🎉🎉