and author of Troubleshooting Analog Circuits, asks: “Did it ever work right? What symptoms tell you it’s not working right? When did it stop working, or start working badly? What other symptoms showed up just before, after, or during the failure?” CONCLUSION: Problem solving is the universal solvent.

TOOL: The Perspective Rotator Sometimes “failures” are really successes. Really. I use a very temperamental chemical process to make deep-etched metal panels. It’s very flaky, and perfection is nearly impossible. But I soon realized that the flaws and corrosion had beauty in themselves, and actually improved some of my artwork. CONCLUSION: Making is a process; adapt!

Mistakes and failures don’t make you a bad person. Resist the Western good/bad, fail/succeed binary. Fear of failure can devolve into macho posturing (one antidote is dorkiness).

Last and not least, write down problems and failures! Bob Pease quotes Milligan’s Law: “If you notice anything funny, record the amount of funny.” You’ll be amazed how useful this will be later.

CONCLUSION: Do post-mortems; take notes.

Water ruined this printed label … which looks appropriate on this very old teletype.

TOOL: The Opportunity Multiplier Sometimes failures really are failures. Do not give up, for there is always another project. Always! For every successful project, there are ten ruined hulks to go in the junk box. CONCLUSION: There is an infinity of projects.

Big oops: Hole for A/C duct in wrong place! Ouch!

A year’s worth of failed attempts to make a clear LED taillight lens!

TOOL: The Autopsy Kit

You may battle some device or technique, swearing, and sleepless, your spousal unit calling you to bed, you too bitter to do anything but stew in your juices, all because you realize you cannot affix Part A to Part B until you have first affixed Part B to Part A … or more subtly, It Will Never Look Right. Despair, certainly, but do not give up. When you have cooled, do a post-mortem. Imagine an autopsy on a TV cop show. A good post-mortem asks the right questions: not so much “What’s wrong with Vacuum tube analog computer nuclear reactor simulator, this thing?” as “Why can’t I fix it?” failed: too ambitious! Maybe someday …

Make: 35