I work in R&D in heavy mfg
I find when people outside the "handy" diciplines (factory operations, industrial setting eng, skilled trades), they think mfg and engineered components are much more elegant than they really are
Perhaps things like apple, F1, dyson and defence distort that view. They do make their products with "spaceship" technologies. But it's critical to understand they are the exception, not the norm... plus... the treasuries and workforce they can utilize to pull it off
It's hilarious how products like Yeti, cammelback, premium razors are just permutation of very simple products (not knocking them one bit and great marketing). x2 the quality of standard products for x4 the price (and often that's just fine)
Usually products start out a little jank just like software. Red bull and lululemon come to mind. Start small leveraging available things, start local markets, scale from there. Just like FB with Harvard students
Hey, my favourite jank tip: an O ring blew but you don't have a replacement? Bubble gum works pretty well for a few days
Live full production systems? Usually no one will be willing to risk the OSHA or ISO violations where critical failure affects safety. Or, if they do, that company won't last long
Ratchet straps can be a good insulator, when clean and used properly, to higher voltages than you'd suspect.
But other days I kind of like the piecemealed nature of sharing "tribal knowledge" when you bump shoulders with others
You start to hit the next threshold when you start to become a mad-max salvager. Fan motor controller is broken but the motor is fine? Salvage the motor, chuck the rest!
Also, reballing the BGA solder balls doesn't fix the solder bumps inside the RSX.
Screw you NVIDIA!
Also, to add on to the reading comment - keep an eye out for old (40's->70's in particular) technical books and manuals on topics that interest you. I find they had a way of conveying information that was somewhat lost once video became commonplace.
60 years with man and machine
A guy who started as a millwright in 1890. Was a touring magazine editor until the end of ww2
It's hard to find but it's a banger
For spesific methods (like jewelry making), there are pockets of web 2.0 vbullitin sites out there... kind of like hacker news
That jewelry site in question (i used it for metal casting knowledge)
Just some quick things that may help you point you in the right direction. This is coming the "small scale hobbyist", not indusdrual profesional viewpoint:
-getting better and making actual projects come to fruition is actually a lot like CS. A lot. Somebody can spend all their time reading CS theory, textbooks, MITOWC, whatever. Their technical foundation will be strong, but will struggle when it comes to coding syntax and spesific program/firmware issues. Some get stuck in that mode and are paralyzed to take action
I'd honestly recommend dropping the mech-E textbooks to read just for reading's sake. It will fill you with generic knowledge but not a better builder. Instead I'd be thinking about "what do I want to build"? Kitchen knives? Custom pens? Automotive mods? It does not need to be something you make forever. Just something that seems fun now (just like the pet CS video game project)
Just like CS hacking (in the PG sense), THEN you will start to look up how it's done. Kitchen knives need metal forging? Okay, now its time to look up edu material for that. What tools are needed? Can I custom-make tools to get them cheaper? What edu material is out there for that… rinse and repeat
...just remember 2 things. 1, safety first. 2, a pretty drawing means nothing if you can't manufacture it to your desired specs
-honestly, drafting or 3D modelling, it's all fine. What's important is what allows you to implement your ideas and record them fastest. Also, right tools for the right job
I made a bench for my balcony. Just rough, imprecise measurements, knowing I'd make ad-hoc cuts to size when I had my material
For extreme lightweighted, funtion-over-form stuff or geometrically sensitive stuff, ya, CAD or FEA software will be needed
Just use whatever is appropriate and will allow you to achieve the results you want. Honestly, if you're not making F1 parts, drafting or CAD is fine
-your proto-prototyping is GREAT. This is exactly how you get started into this. Try something out on a small scale, see where you could improve with tooling, materials, methods and process, try again. Want to make a bronze casting? Try plaster casting first. You say you're lost, but you are ahead of 99% of people in all the damn makerspaces or home hobbyists. Trust me :)
-janky tools. Beautiful. For things that don't need to hit specifications (like firm +/- tolerances), this is one of my favourite things to do. I made an air extraction unit with a thrift shop electric leaf blower motor and some scrap hvac conduit. This is a crucially important skill IMO, as mechanical things get expensive. This allows you to go MUCH further with the money invested to try things out
-collecting weird stuff? Get some plastic bins. Lol. Out of sight out of mind
And last tip? When things around you break, try to fix them. That really starts to add to your "mechanical intuition". I'm pretty familiar with hvac, plumbing, general indusdrial fastners, air and fluid power systems. Next time your sink clogs up, don't call the plumber right off the bat. Explore tutorial videos to see if you would be comfortable doing it (and no problem of you're not; i am not with electronics). But at least you start to get very familiar with standard tools, parts, designs, etc. It's almost uncanny how similar many product classes are