As a teen I would whittle slingshots, and sell them to the neighborhood kids. Made way more money than them with paper routes, and made it a lot easier, plus lots of repeat customers (kids would lose it, other kids would steal it, Mommies would confiscate it, etc.).
Well, What a dummy I was! I whittled sling shots and giving them away when some kid said he coiuldn't make one. Well maybe not, in all my put togethers I never whittled more than six or eight I gave a way. Used most of them myself. But some few neighborhoon boys and a couple men I knew whittled significate objects, animals, statues, something to hang onto.
Guess I was more like one of them 'Little Rascals' (I forget which one) when I was a kid. I figured out early on how to make spending money without slaving for it. No paper routes or grass mowing for me. While the other kids were dropping from heat stroke, I was sitting in the shade whittling slingshots to sell to them. Also recall making some sort of zip gun that shot something...rubber bands maybe? I used to make my own slingshots too, up until the time the 'Wrist Rocket' started appearing in 'Popular Mechanics' ads. Mine could not compete with that, and I always liked the best.
I was one of the ones sweating, scrounging in the dumpgrounds for pop bottles I couild sell or scrap metal. I made slingshot, at first wiowth rope slings, then when I got pretty good with i made one with leather slings with a rubber holder for my rocks. I hunted ravbbits with it, actually with both types of slingshot, Welcome aboard here, Neville. Glad to have you join us.
We used to do that, and walk along the road picking them up. There were more beer bottles than pop bottles but I had to be careful of the beer bottle returns because I'd be in trouble if my parents knew I was picking up beer bottles.
Yep, that was the route most kids chose. I suspect too much listening to parents telling them how to make money, the virtues of hard work, etc. My inspiration came more from 'how do I make the most money with the least effort and hardship', and I think that traces back to watching 'The Little Rascals', reading books by Mark Twain, and maybe a few other avenues I have long since forgotten.
No, but in my family, we weren't supposed to even touch beer bottles. Plus there was the fact that my grandfather's IGA store, the only store in town, didn't carry alcoholic beverages, so the beer bottles had to be returned to the only bar in town, and we weren't supposed to be near there either.
@Ken Anderson Agreed that if any single thing may be the "work of the Devil", alcohol undoubtedly qualifies as one, given the enormous overall interest in it. Frank
If one takes in the difference between playing the violin and fiddling, I guess I never really whittled. I carve. I am getting into a bad habit though because I have been leaning toward my dremel bits more than my chisels. It kind of shoots the aesthetics of carving out the window, but I still have some satisfaction in the end results.