Interests & Hobbies

[The Barbarian]

Other than Hi-Fi & Moosik

Come on then fess up :eyebrows:

[Marco]

Shniffing fart gas and collecting eyeballs from vintage teddy bears.

Marco.

[Haselsh1]

Music, Hi-Fi and analogue photography

[The Barbarian]

I'll get mine over with other than the Vintage Hi-Fi & Records

British Diesel & Electric Locomotives {Pre-UK TOPS management}
1960's interior design & lifestyle
Drinking mucky beer
1960's British Cult Sci-Fi TV
Collecting 1950's/60's Sci-Fi novels
Vintage Analogue Synthesizers

[Macca]

The only hobby I have nowadays is tinkering with the stereo. I used to have gambling too (poker) but I don't do that anymore. I suppose my work is a sort of hobby in that I take an interest in it but I'd still give that up if I won enough on the lottery so probably doesn't really count.

Interests: History, especially military history. And anything to do with the mafia/Cosa Nostra. Got *lots* of books on both subjects. And watching the telly, of course. Although that's really more of a pastime than a hobby or interest

[Haselsh1]

I'll get mine over with other than the Vintage Hi-Fi & Records

British Diesel & Electric Locomotives {Pre-UK TOPS management}
1960's interior design & lifestyle
Drinking mucky beer
1960's British Cult Sci-Fi TV
Collecting 1950's/60's Sci-Fi novels
Vintage Analogue Synthesizers

The best synthesiser module I ever used was a Cheetah MS6 which was amazing and was used so often.

[The Barbarian]

I know the Cheetah Keyboard.. The ARP 'Quadra' is one of my fav Synths. Just cant seem to locate a minter without £££££££££££

[CageyH]

Flying Rc Helicopters (you thought HiFi as a hobby was expensive!)
Driving/fettle get my Caterham 7.
PC Sim racing - much cheaper than the real thing, and hurts less when you crash.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Carbooting for old bits of kit and vinyl.

I like to dabble on the stock market.

I like to drink beer.

I like to read.

[Haselsh1]

If I had to pick a true classic synthesiser it would be the ARP Odyssey as I love the way it plays sounds when soloing. It would also have to be an earlier model as the later ones were very different.

[RichB]

I enjoy smoking and have an interesting shoe collection.

[The Barbarian]

I used to own a 1981 Arp 'Odyssey' ..No thanks to the Mk.1 & early Mk.II as they had a single clumsy knob for Pitch Bend, the later ones had PPC.

[walpurgis]

And anything to do with the mafia/Cosa Nostra.

Ah, well that may provide knowledge that could come in handy here. :D

[sparrow]

Fishing , attempting to play guitar and wanking. sometimes all at the same time..

[struth]

Used to collect American pocket watches. Still got them but don't play with them now as i have barbie

[struth]

............I tried collecting whisky but it kept evaporating;)....................

[walpurgis]

Cameras and photography (not so much these days though). Making things. Cars & bikes (more an interest than hobby). Computers (no expert, but learning fast).

Survivalism, guerrilla techniques, weaponry, unarmed and armed combat (is he joking you wonder) ;).

[The Black Adder]

I collect 'I Was Lord Kitcheners Valet' stuff...

[struth]

Here's a couple of rare ones.


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/705/img0825db.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/841/ai0uy.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/834/b5cgo.jpg

[walpurgis]

I like watches and clocks too (and lighters). I stopped collecting generations ago though.

[Ali Tait]

Fishing , attempting to play guitar and wanking. sometimes all at the same time..

:lol:

[Marco]

Showz yer tadpole! ;)

Marco.

[loo]

is wanking a hobby:scratch:

[Marco]

For some here I suspect it’s an olympic sport! :D

Marco.

[walpurgis]

is wanking a hobby:scratch:

Does anybody give a toss? :eyebrows:

[struth]

:lolsign:

[loo]

Does anybody give a toss? :eyebrows:

I did once but the wife's wrists have had it:lol:

[Firebottle]

Dragging the thread back on topic;

Drinking, real ale beers particularly,
Amateur radio, although less so now. Used to do amateur television as well but the internet killed any interest from new participants.
Designing valve audio gear. Always seem to be thinking of something or other.

.............and finally the best, flying my paramotor. Here is a taster of what it's like:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvhBO_WSqzQ&list=UUZuPp_1Jc9AvvS92WcaYqOA&index=14

:cool: Alan

[Gordon Steadman]

Making stuff generally, usually out of wood. Woodturning is both hobby and a nice little earner. Musical instruments were business, now a retirement dream. Books and music, food and wine.

The definite plan is to make a really good slot track. As one of the few 'professional' slot racers at one time (ie. I got paid to race 'toy' cars:lol: - except they weren't of course, they were miniature engineering works of art) I still have my original proper cars and a few of the modern toys by Fly, Scalex etc.

A pic of what a proper car looks like and a selection.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5598/15009907543_8fcb31e907_o.jpg



https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3940/15606330696_f510ab0d6c_o.jpg

[Firebottle]

Looks like quite a big motor for the size of car Gordon.

:cool: Alan

[Gordon Steadman]

Looks like quite a big motor for the size of car Gordon.

:cool: Alan

Yup. The Americans made some tidy motors at the time, I was one of the first to get them in as the guy I raced for had a specialist shop. We built better chassis than them though so we beat them very thoroughly when we went to New York for a 'championship' meeting. (Naturally my brilliant driving had nothing to do with me coming first:eyebrows:)

The one in that car does over 60,000 revs a minute on 12 volts. The car does 55 real mph - if you have a long enough straight. Trouble is, you need lorry batteries to run them. The first normal racing transformer I tried died in a puff of acrid smoke. Draws about 30 amps on stall!! The coils are all potted in epoxy or they just spin off the cores.

[prestonchipfryer]

Used to go wreck fishing but by back is knackered (probably too much wanking) and bass fishing. I like photography. And of course hi-fiey stuff and listening to my fave albums.

[The Barbarian]

Making stuff generally, usually out of wood. Woodturning is both hobby and a nice little earner. Musical instruments were business, now a retirement dream. Books and music, food and wine.

The definite plan is to make a really good slot track. As one of the few 'professional' slot racers at one time (ie. I got paid to race 'toy' cars:lol: - except they weren't of course, they were miniature engineering works of art) I still have my original proper cars and a few of the modern toys by Fly, Scalex etc.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3940/15606330696_f510ab0d6c_o.jpg

Hi Gordon:
I used to make slot cars when i was younger. I used to make the chassis out of brass tube. I forget who made them but i used to buy clear moulded car bodies you applied the paint finish from under side, looks like a perfect finish from the top..

[Gordon Steadman]

Hi Gordon:
I used to make slot cars when i was younger. I used to make the chassis out of brass tube. I forget who made them but i used to buy clear moulded car bodies you applied the paint finish from under side, looks like a perfect finish from the top..

Thats the way it's done Andre. All the hand made cars in the pic were done that way. There were loads of companies doing it at the time. The main advantage of course, apart from the good finish on the outside, is lightness. As the chassis have floppy side plates and drop down guides, the less weight transfer the better so that the car stays planted without fear of tipping. The cornering speeds these things are capable of is now way beyond my ability to control them properly. My reactions are just too slow. It'll still be fun to try though and I can wallow a bit:)

[Eagle owl]

Tropical fish.

[Wudge]

Social history, especially the Edwardian era.
I used to cycle a lot but my body is falling apart, so I mainly read about it. I can be awfully nerdy about it.

[take5]

For years I collected saxophone mouthpieces.
Mainly Selmer (Paris) ebonite ones, for alto sax.

I had hundreds, but sold many to help fund my new hobby of Hi Fi. Down to about 30 now which I cant bring myself to part with.

Wierd??? ...........Oh yes !

[Lee Henley]

For me it's Led Zeppelin memorabilia and Blue Note records

[shane]

Current non-hifi interest:

http://www.thepippin.plus.com/Misc/At%20Anchor%20(s).jpg


Previous non-hifi interest:

http://www.thepippin.plus.com/Misc/ranger1small.jpg

[shane]

A pic of what a proper car looks like.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5598/15009907543_8fcb31e907_o.jpg

My God, that takes me back! Plymouth Slot Racing Club was just across the road from school, and an excellent lunchtime escape to grab a crafty fag.

Now, let me see if I can remember the terminology. I haven't used any of it since 1970. Then, it would have been described as an anglewinder and I seem to remember that chassis layout being an iso-plummer? Not sure about that. The motor, rear axle and the slot guide were mounted on a rigid chassis, with the rest mounted on a sub-chassis free to rotate around the rear axle. The motor looks identical to the ones we used, so in those days it would have been a Mabuchi 16D-based design. This one looks like it's been ball-raced, and would have had a bullet-proof end-bell, silver brushes, and phosphor-bronze brush springs. The armarture would have been rewound with fewer turns of heavier guage wire (can't remember how thick you could go, but the joke was that the bad boys used a single turn of coat-hanger wire), then potted with epoxy and balanced. Love to know how far they've come in 44 years! I built a chassis very much like this using a Champion Black Power motor (you couldn't get away with a product name like that nowadays), which was mid-field competetive, but I didn't have the time, money or racing skill to be any better. All really good fun though. Gordon, you've made an old man very happy!

[Gordon Steadman]

My God, that takes me back! Plymouth Slot Racing Club was just across the road from school, and an excellent lunchtime escape to grab a crafty fag.

Now, let me see if I can remember the terminology. I haven't used any of it since 1970. Then, it would have been described as an anglewinder and I seem to remember that chassis layout being an iso-plummer? Not sure about that. The motor, rear axle and the slot guide were mounted on a rigid chassis, with the rest mounted on a sub-chassis free to rotate around the rear axle. The motor looks identical to the ones we used, so in those days it would have been a Mabuchi 16D-based design. This one looks like it's been ball-raced, and would have had a bullet-proof end-bell, silver brushes, and phosphor-bronze brush springs. The armarture would have been rewound with fewer turns of heavier guage wire (can't remember how thick you could go, but the joke was that the bad boys used a single turn of coat-hanger wire), then potted with epoxy and balanced. Love to know how far they've come in 44 years! I built a chassis very much like this using a Champion Black Power motor (you couldn't get away with a product name like that nowadays), which was mid-field competetive, but I didn't have the time, money or racing skill to be any better. All really good fun though. Gordon, you've made an old man very happy!

Close but not quite right:)

The chassis hinges from the front so that the whole motor assembly drops down at the rear. The guide is hinged in front of the motor and drops down in the other direction. The side plates hinge as well so the body can raise at the sides without affecting the chassis. They are also hinged at the front axle.

I can't remember which company made the motor but as you say, it was breathed on considerably and dynamically balanced. At the revs it did, it would shake apart if it wasn't dead on.

I was lucky. I got the equipment as part of the deal. I got an Airfix set when I was 14 years old and the family didn't see me for the next five years. They heard me alright as I had a room at the top of the house and it was all hours, round and round, test this, adjust that, find that tenth of a second, all that stuff. It paid off, there were very few of us that got paid to race the things. Not a lot of course but expenses, equipment plus the odd bit of cash meant I could call myself a 'professional slot racer':lol:

I was bloody quick though but as I said, I'll be lucky to see where the damn car is now let alone drive it properly. People who have only seen the likes of Scalex can have no idea just how fast this sort of car is. What its like out there now I have no idea. I've seen a few things online but the cars are nowhere near scale and look like wings with wheels on.

Apparently there are quite a few clubs now who specialise in good old fashioned scale racers. have a go, you might enjoy it.

Very pleased to have made you happy:)

[Gordon Steadman]

Not quite in focus but hopefully, you can see how the bits hinge!!

[Andrei]

I like playing games; chess, bridge, and first person shooters - currently Team Fortress. The team that co-operates the best will usually win. There a are typically 12 per team. There is a lot of variation in the game with different classes: soldiers, spies, engineers, medics, pyromaniacs, demolitions men, snipers, scouts and The Heavy. I tend to play the Demo Man who's avatar is a Drunk Scotsman and instead of a knife for close combat he uses a broken whisky bottle! This weapon can be upgraded to a Frying Pan (my weapon of choice) or a Samurai Sword. His favourite taunt to the opposition is lift up his kilt and yell drunkenly at the opposition.

My other 'hobby' is cooking. My specialty is Indian but I also do Italian and Chinese. I would like to learn Thai, Indonesian, Turkish, and Moroccan. Fresh herbs and spices always for entertaining, but mainly shortcuts for domestic fare.

[Andrei]

.............and finally the best, flying my paramotor. Here is a taster of what it's like:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvhBO_WSqzQ&list=UUZuPp_1Jc9AvvS92WcaYqOA&index=14




Wow! Alan, just one thing I could not quite grasp. I looked closely and couldn't quite spot the in-flight service. Would I be insulting to suggest that it was no more than a water-bottle?

[Ninanina]

In no particular order I enjoy the following Hobbies and Interests:

SailingBoating/Fishing.. in our current boat...an Orkney 520Riding my motorbikeHolidays in our caravan (don't laugh until you've tried it!) I love the freedom a modern van gives you.. they are a "home-from-home".. very cozy !!Learning to play my electric guitarCoffee on the seafront at Southsea/PortsmouthBBQ's with friends and neighbours...we have a few BBQ's each year for our friends and neighbours.. with a nice fire burning, and music and singing too !!Air DisplaysGliding (until a few years ago)Hang Gliding (until a few years ago)And of course my music and hi-fi