Mickey Mouse would be proud

[Mr Ron]

After reading some of the threads on this forum, I have seen solutions that can only be described as "mickey mouse". Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of Mickey Mouse solutions if they do the job. That is the essence of the Yankee "can do" appitude. Unfortunately, it is being lost except for a few old timers. We can all learn something from these MM solutions.
Definition of a Mickey Mouse solution: "Finding a way to do the job when you don't have the right tool available".

[Guido]

Ahab the Arab asked his kid what he wanted from the USA, that he was traveling there on a business trip. Kid answered that he would like to have a Mickey Mouse outfit.

Ahab brought home a gift for the kid: BP

--G (sorry)

[shawnspeed]

I have posted some "mickey mouse" solutions , and ways of doing things and shared them here in the past....but after being "flamed" and people responding that that would never work, even after providing examples of people other than me , who had suscessfuly done the procedure that I was explaning.I have since severy limited what I post....Shawn

[jack3140]

I have posted some "mickey mouse" solutions , and ways of doing things and shared them here in the past....but after being "flamed" and people responding that that would never work, even after providing examples of people other than me , who had suscessfuly done the procedure that I was explaning.I have since severy limited what I post....Shawn

yes that is often the case specially when the say it is the stupidest thing they ever heard i no longer post either .

[Mr Ron]

I have posted some "mickey mouse" solutions , and ways of doing things and shared them here in the past....but after being "flamed" and people responding that that would never work, even after providing examples of people other than me , who had suscessfuly done the procedure that I was explaning.I have since severy limited what I post....Shawn

I wouldn't give in to the nay sayers. You will always find those who "think" they know better. At 76, I would consider myself an old timer and have seen and done that, but even still, I can find new and novel ways to accomplish a task. It doesn't have to be by the book to work. At 76, I'm still learning. I suspect those nay sayers have quit learning a long time ago. Maybe that's why we are falling behind in world technology.

[Westline]

I suspect those nay sayers have quit learning a long time ago. .

I completely agree.
The funny thing for me is this topic comes up a lot, people stop posting cus they get negative feedback..... come on guys if you are old enough to figure out how a keyboard works you should have your big boy pants by now.
If in life you shy away from rejection or negative feedback your not going to get real far.
Suck it up show us what you have got and done and if we don't like it who cares...If we say it is not going to work prove us wrong.

Kobus

[Evan]

I don't worry much about what other people think. All of my "solutions" are well thought out and always work to perfection.

Here is an example of such an engineered solution to automate my hand slotter on my South Bend using a long stroke pneumatic cylinder.

[justanengineer]

Personally I try to avoid these solutions at all coists, dont always succeed, but quite honestly dont think showing off these solutions is something that should be done. Many people look to the internet and the magazines for knowledge, and by showing off these methods youre unavoidably teaching someone wrong which leads to abuse of tools and in some cases, dangerous situations. Im one of the younger members here at 27, but was taught properly how to operate machine tools, and not to abuse them. I cringe whenever I hear of someone using a shop press, rubber mallet, or other excessive amount of force to seat a taper, using a file to "fix" a bedway, or some other sillyness. That being said, theyre your tools. Do what you want with them, but dont show these methods off, or you may find your children using that same method in a slightly more destructive manner one day.

[SGW]

I differentiate between a "Mickey Mouse" solution and an ingenious practical and effective solution to an unusual problem.

To me, "Mickey Mouse" suggests an amateurish lash-up that teeters on the brink of collapse, something that nobody who knows anything about machining (or whatever the discipline is) would ever consider using except as a bad example.

[David Powell]

This week i need to be able to make some parts. To do this efficiently I really need to have my new to me( Very secondhand) Hardinge lathe set up and running . That wont be happening, for a while. it needs repair and is sitting on a trailer under a tarp waiting for good weather and some other folk who have stuff stored here to get their stuff out of my way. i tried making an MT5 to 5 c adapter for my Busy Bee 12 by 37 lathe but had problems due to it having a rather chewed spindle taper thanks to the previous owner. So there I was left, no parts and no quick way to make em. A thinking session and a grovel under the bench produced a 5c collet fixture for a mill and the faceplate for the Busy Bee lathe. Two hours later, several balance weights on one side of the faceplate, and a swearing session to dial it all in I have a set up that will enable to make the sample parts I need . Certainly it is a MM answer, but its all I can do in the time I have. It is as safe as any other faceplate work I have ever done, though it looks a bit fearsome at first. IF I get the job then I might just buy a 5c collet chuck, IF I do not then I have lost nothing except time. While I certainly do not claim to be a very highly skilled machinist I am a determined and resourceful one. Regards David Powell.