I am subscribed to another forum that deals with vacuum tube electronics and we sometimes see posts about how to get kids interested in vacuum tubes. ? ?The answer is “You can’t”. OK, there are some exceptions but mostly you can’t. ? ?The reason the old guys are on that forum is that this was the electronic technology of their youth, Some of them never got around to understanding transistors or digital stuff or computers.

I hate to say it but many people who are using manual machine tools are like the vacuum tube guys, this was the technology when they were young.

Kids don’t have this background, they don’t remember a time when vacuum tubes and gears and electric motors were called “high tech”. ? ?To them the way you make a widget is you design it on a computer screen and then send the design files off to some automation. ?It makes the part and FedEx drops it off at the house.

Nothing is wromng with being a fan of mid-20th-century technology. ?I’m subscribed to forums on machine tools and vacuum tubes and I’ve owned sailboats. ?A couple of people I know even own horses.?

With the vacuum tubes, the way to interest a 15-year-old is with guitar amplifiers. ?That is something they can relate to. ?In other words, the tubes are a means to something else, not an end in itself. ? ? With machine tools, the way to go is to get them into making mechanical stuff and a lathe is just one of the tools they will need. ? So, how would you get a kid interested in hammers? ?You don’t, you introduce him to carpentry.

Robots and other things that move are interesting to some kids. ?It is easy to find kids who a fanatically interested in robots and other kinds of robot-like machines.?

I used to teach at a high school (as a second career after retiring from engineering) so I have some background with kids. ?Most are into other things but a few were pretty darn serious about robot competitions and building and designing these machines and because of this they were motivated to learn the tools. ?Tools were the basic shop tools from the 1950’s like a drill press, metal brake, mill,… ?and so on. ?But also modern tools like 3D CAD, 3D printing, and CNC. ? Get a smart kid motivated to a goal and he or she will learn the tools. ?Yes “she”, ?many more girls then you’d think were there. ?In fact they tend to be the smart ones who can use computers and do math. ? High school is an interesting age span. ? They start with just basic elementary school skills and some of them by the time they are seniors have completed physics and calculus classes and have some elementary computer programming skills. ?

So in short, ypu have to find a way to connect the mid 20th century tools with the interst of earth 21st century kids. ? It can be done. ? But if they don’t see the connection, it will not work.