The hobbyist as craftsman

As I am 1year 2 mos from hitting the 1/2 century mark I depend on reading glasses and Opti visors quite a bit.  One pair of X3.25s have this lame wire frame so I unscrewed one side, adjusted the frame and riveted it to the visor as an erzats swing away loupe.  That got me thinking about how helpful knowing how to modify and fab these kinds of little things can be.     I 'm lucky my various vocations has seen me as an auto painter, a machinist, mold maker/ make up artist/ sculptor, throw in some welding & carpentry to boot.  It's not a boast to say I know my way around a hardware store. I hope some younger / newbie modellers read this as it for them I write this.   Do some research in complimentary fields, carpentry, composite plastics, interior design (such as simulated/faux finishes.), various art forms, metal fabrication. Experiment with different adhesives, go to the hardware store and learn the names of things (many contractors can't tell the difference between a clevis and a carrage bolt.)  Pay attention  in school, particularly in shop class, art and chemistry, and I say this as a repentant high school drop out.  If you don't have a real art store near you go to a Micheals and check out some of their wares, embrace various disciplens and cull from them what benifits you, revel in your creativiy.  All of these things will help you become a more rounded and confident modeler.  Lastly, when in doubt use this forum, many here are skilled masters at the craft and bottomless fonts of information. As one such master AJlafleche likes to say "If women don't find you handsome then they should at least find you handy."