What were your childhood interests in appliances, machinery, etc?

[DADoES]

My mother claims that my fascination with washers began when the paternal grandmother (step-grandmother, dad's mother died when he was 15) was babysitting me (I don't know what exact age but probably not more than 4) and showed their vintage WP toploader to me while it was running (agitation, presumably).

A story, of which I don't directly recall the action so I apparently was considerably young, is that I completely disassembled a crank telephone that was my grandfather's. He apparently gave it to dad. Dad kept the magneto, I do have memories of it. I don't know what happened to it.

 

[joeekaitis]

Record players, tape recorders and movie projectors. Something hypnotic about the rotating motion and the mechanics, especially of a record changer.

 

[kevin313]

As a boy I was always interested in stove and refrigerators and there still lots of models from the late 1940's and 1950's around in people's kitchens. I was also fascinated by typewriters, adding machines, ditto/mimeograph machines and other office equipment.

 

[phillymatt53]

Ok, I'll pitch in on this thread as well..... here goes...
Started as a child, 7 years old, I got into everything in the house....
I took apart the family record player - got yelled at for that.
The pump belt on mom's Easy Spindrier slipped off, and I managed to put it back on.
As a teen, mom's Compact Revelation canister vacuum made bad noise - motor ball bearing race dryed out no grease.
So I located one at a hardware store and replaced it.
I even got into dad's expensive RCA Victor console stereo - installed a better phono cartridge, improved the set's sound, etc.
I maintained the house heater, oiled the radiator pump, cleaned the soot out.
I built a home made tube amp at 14 years old - even punched the chassis holes for the tube sockets. (I borrowed Greenlee punches from a nice neighbor)
I built an AM radio kit in high school... The Graymark educational kit.
I was ALWAYS drawn to inspecting things, sometimes modifying them to make the perform better.
I read tons of magazines that a neighbor gave me...
Popular Electronics
Electronics World
Hifi Stereo Review
Radio Shack catalogs
Olson
Sears
Allied
I loved doing things with my hands, fed by my brain.
Even working on my own cars.
While my friends got addicted to sports, or got in trouble, I was happily busy down in my parent's basement at my workbench.

So naturally, this evolved into taking courses in electronics, getting certified, and having continual employment at several shops through the decades.
And now retired, but still can be found down in my own home's basement workshop..... and the garage is my woodworking area, well equipped of course.

Back in 2015, I designed and built a jukebox for outdoor BBQ's and get togethers with friends and neighbors.
200 solid state watts, 4-10 inch woofers, 4 tweeters, built with 3/4 inch wood, and has a customized RCA Victor 45 player, a CD player, both remote controlled. and a microphone for making announcements or drunken singing sessions.
The thing rocks! a block away!
Oh, and even has multi colored animated and sound controlled lighting, styled like a 1950's jukebox
Here's a photo from a 4th of July BBQ at my neighbors...