Howdy,
I live 30 miles from silicon valley, and I've finally retired from the joys of creating works of art that you can neither touch nor see. To fill that creative urge I mess with gadgets, even creating one now and then.
I'm what is best described as a serial enthusiast. I will discover a skill or area of interest and research it deeply, learn the basics, become proficient and then ... run into another skill or interest to explore. As an example, I like fixing things, so I fix the doors. That led me to locksmithing. I got good at that, but some of the tools were downright expensive. That led me to getting a small mill to make tools for holding cylinders, making parts, etc. That introduced me to the world of machining. It dovetailed well with my flashlight fascination, and before long I was making custom parts for them. Of course, flashlights are cylinders and they need to be turned, so a lathe was next. See how it works?
Any woodworker can tell you that it's impractical to buy a tree trunk to make a bar stool. That's why they make glue. The same applies to machining. Welding is to machining as glue is to woodworking. It allows you to make bigger things from less metal.
Education wise, I've had a quick intro to gas welding / cutting and a similar one for MIG welding. I spend years in a job that required several hundred solder joints a day, so brazing and soldering is no big deal. I spent a weekend doing a 16 hour TIG course last month.
I have a small welder (sp100) and a decent TIG (Alphatig 200x) as well as a small oxy-propane brazing setup. I'm still learning TIG.
Dan
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