Extension

Today's Blip is an extension of this one: here and shows, yet again, what is possible if you just man-up and give something a go. This kitset has been languishing in a drawer for, oh God, maybe five years? Scary stuff to put it together with new skills, but not as scary as waiting five years for fear of failure.

I approached it carefully, and after getting myself a new soldering iron and some flux started off. I've made a few soldering jigs for it (read the link) some patient filing and fitting (also read the link) and well what the hell, it's not the best in the world, but it's good enough to make me proud (read the link again). Why-oh-why do I hesitate so much?

I'm especially please with that tiny water tank on the left. It's 11mm square and soldered together. The danger here is applying the iron in the wrong place and smearing solder all over the tiny rivet detail, which is then a complete pain to remove. I managed to not do that.

Digressing from toy trains, for moment: work's been good so far, but tough. The Lovely Ange says I have a skill of seeing to the heart of things and understanding the overall picture. I guess I do. My real challenge is effecting change based on what I see. I just get railroaded by more forceful, arrogant personalities even though I know they are on the wrong track. Some people are seemingly born with assertiveness and confidence practically falling out of their ....

Maybe they're just the ones with the loudest voices.

It's taking me most of my life to get confidence and I'll always find it tough. If I'm going to fail at my new job, it'll be because I didn't have the ego-confidence to push through that and implement what I believe in. Watch this head-space; standing room only.

But at least the quiet time in-between is allowing me to do some modelmaking for the first time in about ten years. I might even enjoy it.