From whence springs the ability to fix things?

[boots-aregard]

Aptitude? Training from your folks? Having horses?

I can fix some things. Not huge things, not anything like welding for example. But things that need a screw, a bolt, a part looked up and installed.

Increasingly, I am running into folks who are *shocked* that I can do this. Or, maybe, that I will do this. Trade out a dead bolt. Fix a diaper pail. Install a faucet. People at my office are absolutely fascinated that I own a tool kit.

When I had horses, I restitched my leathers, fixed blankets, mended fences, built a tack room. I would guess that having horses is the reason many of us know how to handle general mechanical things, but I thought I'd ask. Do you know how to fix things? If so, how did you learn?

(I did NOT actually learn from my parents. One father's day, I told my dad, "Everything I know about building I learned by watching you", which he took as a great compliment, but actually what I meant was "Everything I know about building I learned by watching you do it wrong." But even that is a great teacher. My dad built a lot of stuff, but not much of it was sturdy or effective. The impulse to do-it-yourself was certainly alive in him!)

[Dapple Field]

I think a lot of the ability is plain old common sense which just amazes me when people do not have a lick of common sense.

[Woost2]

Aptitude, inclination and probably a mentor. I have no inclination. I do have a tool box and can pound in a drywall hanger.

[StraightForward]

I think a lot of the ability is plain old common sense which just amazes me when people do not have a lick of common sense.

Maybe the genes for common sense are no longer being selected for? Darwin is rolling over in his grave now that we've defeated natural selection.

I'm not totally sure it's this simple though. My parents earned a living as handman/painter duo most of the time, and flipped a few houses while I was a teenager, so I got to live in the midst of plenty of DIY renovation. My dad had me using a hand miter saw and a power drill when I was about 8, and I spent plenty of summers helping my mom paint houses to earn extra cash. So, I can fix and build things halfway decently, and I'm not scared of running power tools.

OTOH, my husband's parents have been in the same house that they basically have done nothing to since he was about 3 years old. His dad knows how to fix older cars, but never really taught him anything about it. As a result, he's not a handy person, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have any common sense. He actually has a lot more sense than I do about other things; this just isn't a skillset he picked up. However, he has learned some from me and gotten better at it.

I think the other contributing factors include patience and confidence. It takes confidence to look at something and think "yeah, I can fix that." And then it takes plenty of patience to really figure it out and learn by trial and error and see mistakes as practice, not failure.

[bailey]

I think being a woman and having less raw strength has 'inspired' me to use my brain to figure out how I could fix, move, manage things, especially big things. Growing up with 2 brothers, they tended us use brute strength to accomplish goals, fix things when I would think it through more and find a way to manage it. More elegant in my view! I also like the feeling of fixing things myself!

[kande50]

I think the other contributing factors include patience and confidence. It takes confidence to look at something and think "yeah, I can fix that." And then it takes plenty of patience to really figure it out and learn by trial and error and see mistakes as practice, not failure.

This, except perhaps interest instead of confidence, because when I look at something I don't think, "I can fix this", but "I think I'll take this apart and see if I can fix it". And then I get interested and enjoy trying to fix it.

Same with making stuff. I'll look at something and think, "I'd like to make one of those", and then hopefully, will be able to sustain the interest long enough to finish it.

Or, as the dh points out, "She wanted to make a bowl and here we are 30 years later with thousands of dollars worth of pottery equipment and hundreds of bowls."

[bascar]

I think it's a combination of many things, but primarily you have to have some sort of inborn common sense - the nature bit. Then the nurture comes in by having parents who either actively support your independence or thrust you into independence by omission, reinforced by schooling.

Having horses definitely helps, but having them on a sort of shoestring budget type of set up. Having cars that are crappy and you have to learn basic mechanics (not so easy with computer controlled cars, but back in the day etc etc etc). Having pets in general.

Having boyfriends into cars and motorbikes and not computers definitely was a plus. After all that, going into the building trade seemed quite ordinary. Trying your hands at all trades. Ultimately you just get so confident that you think "how hard can it be?" no matter what you are faced with.

And an ability to accept imperfection and not be crippled by the fact that your plastered wall looks "rustic" rather than "imperial"

[Racetrackreject]

This is rather timely as my SO and I were talking about just this thing. SO is not a handy person and frequently he or his mother calls to ask about everything from "do I need a vet for this" to "my car is doing this, what do you think it could be". SO knows that he is not handy, and while he's quite brilliant in other regards, he is utterly baffled at my level of being ability to fix things or make things on my own.

Just recently, SO wanted a work bench for something. He made the comment that I needed to fly up to Idaho so that I could tell him how to build one, but instead he went and purchased a pre-made work bench, and then was quite proud of himself that he managed to get it together, using the instructions provided..lol. He even sent photos proving how well it turned out.

I, on the other hand, wanted a new coffee table. I drew what I wanted, wrote down the measurements, purchased wood, cut it, stained it, and put it together. Everyone around me is gobsmacked that I made the table and how well it turned out. It's a very simple table, made out of 1x4s and 2x2s (for the legs) for lightness.

I will say though, that my father worked on cars (he had race cars) and planes. He also built things around our farm, and one of his biggest sayings when something was broken was "let's see if we can fix it, it's not like it's doing us any good in it's current condition".

In my mind, taking the cover off of something, pushing a button, and seeing ok, that moves this part, which moves that part, and should turn this, but it's not turning, doesn't seem difficult, but then I was never told that things like this were difficult. It was just something you did.

[Paints]

I think there is also some aptitude in something like the project racetractreject did.

I can fix things if I have been taught how or if they are quite simple or I have good directions. I can put together IKEA furniture, paint stuff, do simple repairs like screwing things together. My Dad was very handy and was an engineer and was very willing to teach me how to do things. BUT - I can't figure out how things work. I would never have been an engineer - just no aptitude.

[Chisamba]

Necessity is the mother of invention, and the ability to manage things and fix things. i was most honestly shocked when i came to the USA, at the culture of hire, discard and dispose. i found that people work really really hard to make money so that they can afford to pay for professionals to do everything they need.

this is not a criticism but an observation.

when we lived in zambia and we wanted to build our home, (we make brick frames, went to neighbors and learned to mix clay to make bricks, we cut down trees and dried them and cut them for frame work, made bricks and used them to build the house. we used clay and a fourty four gallon steel drum to make our hot water heater, which was powered with fire wood. we had a windmill and put up a tank on top of a termitary to have running water to the house and dug our own septic tank, with picks and shovels, lol.

if we lacked a skill the community would teach you or help you. you relied on your neighbours and knew them well because there was no other resource.

why did we do all that? because there was no alternative, there were no plumbers, septic tank service, fencers builders etc, we were all farmers who had to do everything that needed to be done.

Here, you can find every profession, it is amazing! and of course, therefore you have no need to learn to fix things because you can always call a professional, all you need is the money to pay for it. so people work so hard, so many hours, they slave away, i find most americans very hard working, because they need the money to be able to afford all the things to keep them and their family in nice homes, well educated etc, but there is definitely, in my opinion, a lost sense of community and invention

[Sunshine2Me]

One of my favorite stories is when my DD was in college. Her boyfriend (now DH) was managing a restaurant, and there were issues with one of the toilets. She announced to everyone "I'll call my mom!!!! She's a toilet expert!!!" I became a "toilet expert" because growing up I didn't have a father and we always lived in rented apartments, where the toilets frequently had issues, so i just learned by necessity. Not many parts to a toilet anyway!

I think being in horses definitely helps. Being at the barn when things break you often need to look outside the box at solutions due to the limited availability of supplies you may have./

And I just plain enjoy tinkering. I like to know how things work so that I can (perhaps) fix them by myself.

[piedmontfields]

I am somewhat handy (mostly by using my brain rather than my weak fingers), but my DH is insanely handy. He can really fix just about anything.

Since he is now in management and doesn't get to play engineer as much at work, he likes to do it at home. I'm very lucky.

[Fatcat]

I learned by growing up helping my father build barns, fences, our house, etc. He's also the master repairman, and I was his tool-hander as a kid. I learned a lot by watching/helping, but I don't have the natural aptitude that he was born with. But then he was a mechanical engineer and I have a liberal arts degree

[Rhianon]

Experience helps for sure. We always joke that we had our first property to practice on--we've done everything wrong at least once.

[boots-aregard]

Someone on TOB suggested the skill/willingness might have something to do with people who are puzzle solvers. People who like to problem solve with games and puzzles. That made sense to me, since I'm a big pattern-recognition person (altho my spatial awareness isn't so great). Are you fixers also puzzle people?

[Kyra's Mom]

MacGyver .

I watched this program religiously in the day. That program really did get me to think and look around at what I have on hand and what 'I" could do about it. It may not be a fancy repair but gets by in a pinch. If I want good looks AND function, I hire a handy man or appropriate tradesman .

Susan

[Fatcat]

Someone on TOB suggested the skill/willingness might have something to do with people who are puzzle solvers. People who like to problem solve with games and puzzles. That made sense to me, since I'm a big pattern-recognition person (altho my spatial awareness isn't so great). Are you fixers also puzzle people?

I do crosswords.

[Racetrackreject]

Someone on TOB suggested the skill/willingness might have something to do with people who are puzzle solvers. People who like to problem solve with games and puzzles. That made sense to me, since I'm a big pattern-recognition person (altho my spatial awareness isn't so great). Are you fixers also puzzle people?

I was thinking about this, but I thought maybe our spatial awareness may be better than others. lol I'm a huge pattern person too, and I am one that likes to figure things out. I can typically put things in order very quickly and even find/create order in things that have no logical relation to other people.

For example, even if, at the moment, my desk looks like a total disaster, you can ask me for any one thing and I can have it for you in less than 10 seconds most likely. It's in the place that I put it because that's exactly where it fits. I have had bosses tell me that I'm too efficient and they would call me and ask to see something and say things like "but give me at least 30 minutes before you bring it to me. I know you will have it in half a second, but I'm not in a hurry for it".

[Baroque]

I can fix most things with baling twine, #8 fence wire, cable ties and a few fencing staples!

Seriously though I can fix wire and electric fencing, repair and modify our farm water systems, and I do a bit of woodwork around the farm fixing the fences and building new ones. I can repair and make new leather items, sew up ripped horse covers, make specialty Medieval clothing for myself and the horse on my industrial sewing machines...

I can also make leadlight windows and other artworks out of glass, and worked part time as a gold & silver smith for a few years so can make stuff out of precious metals and brass, copper etc. I really want to learn to weld and braze as I have some steel and brass sculptures I would like to make for the property, I can usually take any sort of machinery to bits and make it work again if it fails or is not working properly and I helped a builder friend put up a solid wall in my shed and build my stable block a few years ago.

I'm also fairly good at fixing and diagnosing pc and network issues and in making obstinate software do as it is told and this year I learnt to hand spin so I could make up different stuff from my sheep fleeces.

I have 2 huge old countermarche looms which I was given in bits sitting in the tack shed waiting for a bit of free time for me to assemble them and get them working again. I have no idea how they go together and which bits go with which loom [each one is about 2m high by 2m wide x 2m deep so they are rather big!] and I have no idea what the finished product is supposed to look like, but I'm sure I will be able to make them work again - aka the World's largest jigsaw puzzle!

My son gave me a lovely battery drill set complete with Tek drivers for Xmas, which I have already used to replace the rotten sheep handler floor and yesterday I used it to put in extra wooden panels on one of the fences where the baby goats keep getting through into one of the paddocks where they were being chased about by 3 of the Alpha mares in there.

I'm not sure how I learnt to do all this, maybe I learnt a bit from my Dad when I was little, but the rest has been because I have always enjoyed making stuff, so have learnt how to do it by myself, mostly self taught. And this desire of wanting to mend and make stuff meant I became an engineer, so now I have no excuse for not doing it.

[Idofly]

I've been mostly self-taught, curious how things work, love to build stuff and observant when watching experts do their thing.

If I can take it apart- I can usually figure out what needs to be replaced or fixed. I also got to do a lot of "car" work with my step-father who was a master mechanic - he said if I was going to pursue that horse "crap" I'd better be able to take care of business on my own.

[chantal]

I think it can be a combination of things. Aptitude definitely, and it helps. Some people are just naturally that way, and want to fix stuff so they can get on with it. Some just like to fix it because it's broke, and some break it to fix it (engineer anyone??)

Necessity-need for the item or lack of money for repair?

But I see so many people who say, "Oh, I just can't..." My parents taught me I could do anything I wanted to, I'm guessing that has something to do with it. My sister is just the opposite but she was brought up with a different mentality. She's learned to fix some stuff out of necessity in the past 5 years or so.

And of course parents who were lived through the Great Depression (I was adopted late in life) and never threw away anything...

[texsuze]

My knowledge of tool use definitely came from osmosis, from being around my dad. He was always building stuff for the house. Built the back screened porch, a window box for my bedroom, shelves everywhere, new kitchen cabinet doors, dog house, tool shed, etc. etc. One summer my brother and I helped him re-roof the house. I was always either participating in or watching repairs and projects taking place and enjoyed it. I love to paint stuff! I could do some minor repairs on my old Toyota, thanks to my dad. After retirement he took up wood turning and made some beautiful pieces, although that's where I drew the line at learning to use heavy-duty tools! I guess I had the aptitude for mechanical-type tasks and enjoyed them. To this day there are tools in the workshop that DH does not know proper use for, whereas I have familiarity with them DH will use 12 screws on a job that really only needs 4 well-placed nails....

Only some of my tool-friendly skills have helped with horse-keeping, and I let DH handle the electric fencing and vehicle repair issues. But I still have the "lets fix/re-purpose/re-use/cannibalize/donate it" attitude which came strictly from my dad.

[piedmontfields]

I can fix most things with baling twine, #8 fence wire, cable ties and a few fencing staples!

I can also make leadlight windows and other artworks out of glass, and worked part time as a gold & silver smith for a few years so can make stuff out of precious metals and brass, copper etc.

This is a very cool combination of talents!!

[no.stirrups]

I think that learning to fix stuff it requires a willingness to accept the consequences if you screw it up and a tolerance for frustration! Then, as you do more, you gain more confidence either because you were successful so you feel like you can do it, or because you weren't successful but the world didn't end!

I have 2 sons, both with similar aptitude and backgrounds. One is a perfectionist and not willing to take chances on things he may not be successful at, the other sees every attempt as a success for either the results or as a learning experience. Guess who is more successful at fixing things?

[heddylamar]

For me, I'd say it's both a desire to create and the opportunity to fix things combined with lots of encouragement that pushed me along.

I learned through hands on projects with Dad and Grampy, some classes, and many episodes of This Old House.

I can construct good casework, weld (arc, tig, mig, oxy-acetylene), perform minor gas/diesel maintenance and repair (plus a solid ability to diagnose major problems), change light fixtures, rewire switches, lay tile, replace hydrants, fix plumbing, paint straight lines w/o masking, replace doors and windows, replace siding, build picket fences (makes 4 board or no climb easy), roof, hang and repair drywall ... I could go on.

My husband had opportunity and encouragement too, plus a hands-on engineer father and did scouts through Eagle Scout (lots of service/learning projects). But, until we bought our second house and I pushed him, he made little to no effort to expand or nurture his knowledge.

I about dropped my jaw when the tractor died and he popped the hood off and figured out the problem.

[Abby Kogler]

I also think it is a combination of things. My dad was a farm kid, mechanical engineer, depression era...the type who would say hmmm I have an extra half hour, I think Ill build an extra bedroom! So I grew up helping him do everything from fix the bikes to the cars to building decks and fixing and making things as a matter of course. My brother was always that way as well. I sued to like working on cars and even rebuilt the engine on an old VW I had on college. I have had periods where I was way to poor to hire any one to do something for me, so that helps motivate one. But I also just like fixing stuff or figuring out what to do. I helped build my last three barns. DH totally calls me the Man of the House, whether it is dead rat/spider removal, dog poo, something broken or not working. I just like it. I lived in a very old house in Western MA and did a ton of the work myself, from sheetrocking to floor refinishing to sill replacement. It interests me. My sister is not that way and we had the same parents. So, maybe there is a genetic thing to it.