The Importance of Making Things
In a world of increasing instant satisfaction, I became worried that I was becoming too quick to purchase something I wanted. I wanted firewood, so I went and got some at the grocery store. I wanted a movie, so I got it off of iTunes. I wanted a chair, so I went and bought one.
More and more, I find myself trying to avoid this first impulse to just buy things. I find myself asking the question, "can I make this myself?"
With Google, Youtube, endless internet forums, and other online resources, there is no bit of information or instruction that can't be had at an instant. The instant gratification of getting something new is transforming into the instant gratification of learning something new.
I recently got a 1999 BMW 318ti. It had a salvage title and was a little beat-up. The biggest issue was that the fenders were rubbing on the outside of the tires because of a non-stock rear differential and drive lines. I pounded them out, pulled, and ended up just cutting the guilty fenders out of the car completely.
It was a bit of a drastic move, but it forced me to address the situation. Sometimes we all need to just take that first little leap of faith and not worry so much about failing.
After watching a few videos and reading some articles online, I set out to get all the materials I'd need to create new fender flares.
Note: I could have purchased some cheap flares for about $70 or gotten some made at a body shop for $300-400. But, this would have deprived me of two valuable things: a learning experience and money.
So, I took a trip to Lowe's and got everything I needed for the job. Fiberglass, resin, bondo, foam, etc...
The wood is for another DIY project that is quickly becoming a nightmare, but that's for another story.
I loaded everything into the very car I would be working on.
Who needs a truck when you have a hatchback!
I got it all back and put off the job for a few days to let it percolate in my mind (read: procrastinating).
Once I got the nerve to sink my time and effort into the project, it was about 11am on Saturday morning. Here we go.
I started by making a foam mold of the fender shape. Lots of gluing, cutting and shaping led to a basic shape that I was happy with. I then taped over it with blue masking tape so the fiberglass would separate from the foam.
In retrospect, I should have been more careful and patient with the sprayfoam. The final shape of the foam impacted the final look more than I anticipated. But, the whole point is that I learned something.
After the shape was made, I laid the fiberglass. Lots of resin and cut-up sheets of fiberglass later, I had the flares built.
After the fiberglass set for about 24 hours, I began cutting it down to shape with the grinder. Then came the bondo. The bodyshop guys that use this stuff all the time are real artists. It's hard to work with. And, since I'm a total noob, it took me a lot of tries and coats to get even a half-decent look. Again, it's not perfect but it's a learning experience.
Lots of sanding and shaping and cutting led to the first coats of primer. It was starting to look the way I had hoped. One big problem in my plan was the actual cost of BMW paint. It would be about $300 just to spray the areas I'd worked on in the original Avus Blue paint. So, change of plans. I decided to mock up some looks in Photoshop and liked the look of the bottom half of the car in black. I went with a plastidip base with a light coat of shiny black top coat. I may add some clearcoat in the future, but we'll see.
In the end, the product isn't that great. It looks okay, but there are lots of imperfections. I've come to the conclusion that it's okay. I'm learning. And the best part is that I can look at all of the little imperfections and they are reminders that I learned something new. So next time I do it, I'll have a positive experience to lean on and it will be even better.
Making things is important. It teaches you craftsmanship, self-reliance, and respect for the masters that do it so well. I'd encourage you to think ahead to your next purchase and ask yourself "could I make that?"
More and more, I find myself trying to avoid this first impulse to just buy things. I find myself asking the question, "can I make this myself?"
With Google, Youtube, endless internet forums, and other online resources, there is no bit of information or instruction that can't be had at an instant. The instant gratification of getting something new is transforming into the instant gratification of learning something new.
I recently got a 1999 BMW 318ti. It had a salvage title and was a little beat-up. The biggest issue was that the fenders were rubbing on the outside of the tires because of a non-stock rear differential and drive lines. I pounded them out, pulled, and ended up just cutting the guilty fenders out of the car completely.
 |
| Driver's side |
 |
| Passenger side |
It was a bit of a drastic move, but it forced me to address the situation. Sometimes we all need to just take that first little leap of faith and not worry so much about failing.
After watching a few videos and reading some articles online, I set out to get all the materials I'd need to create new fender flares.
Note: I could have purchased some cheap flares for about $70 or gotten some made at a body shop for $300-400. But, this would have deprived me of two valuable things: a learning experience and money.
So, I took a trip to Lowe's and got everything I needed for the job. Fiberglass, resin, bondo, foam, etc...The wood is for another DIY project that is quickly becoming a nightmare, but that's for another story.
I loaded everything into the very car I would be working on.
Who needs a truck when you have a hatchback!
I got it all back and put off the job for a few days to let it percolate in my mind (read: procrastinating).
Once I got the nerve to sink my time and effort into the project, it was about 11am on Saturday morning. Here we go.
I started by making a foam mold of the fender shape. Lots of gluing, cutting and shaping led to a basic shape that I was happy with. I then taped over it with blue masking tape so the fiberglass would separate from the foam.
In retrospect, I should have been more careful and patient with the sprayfoam. The final shape of the foam impacted the final look more than I anticipated. But, the whole point is that I learned something.
After the shape was made, I laid the fiberglass. Lots of resin and cut-up sheets of fiberglass later, I had the flares built.
After the fiberglass set for about 24 hours, I began cutting it down to shape with the grinder. Then came the bondo. The bodyshop guys that use this stuff all the time are real artists. It's hard to work with. And, since I'm a total noob, it took me a lot of tries and coats to get even a half-decent look. Again, it's not perfect but it's a learning experience.
Lots of sanding and shaping and cutting led to the first coats of primer. It was starting to look the way I had hoped. One big problem in my plan was the actual cost of BMW paint. It would be about $300 just to spray the areas I'd worked on in the original Avus Blue paint. So, change of plans. I decided to mock up some looks in Photoshop and liked the look of the bottom half of the car in black. I went with a plastidip base with a light coat of shiny black top coat. I may add some clearcoat in the future, but we'll see.
Making things is important. It teaches you craftsmanship, self-reliance, and respect for the masters that do it so well. I'd encourage you to think ahead to your next purchase and ask yourself "could I make that?"
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