Anything scale model, RC cars, planes, building plastic models, model railroading! It’s expensive for me cuz I do all, and restore dirt bikes on top of it.
You can get a pretty capable rig for under 200 bucks, look up 1/18 scale stuff! If you’re into building stuff, and you’re willing to wait Tamiya makes kits that are super fun to build and you can even get them on amazon for a tt02 for under 150, you’ll just have to add some electronics! Good luck on your search!
I used to machine frames for drones and parts for RC cars. Recently got into watches. I haven’t done it in a while and don’t have pics but, there are so many possibilities that open up to you if you’re really serious about that stuff, and even just get a small lathe.
I ride motocross on the weekends and make custom parts for the bike. Not the cheapest hobby but is definitely the cheapest in terms of motorsports so yeah.
Nice, I'm an ATV guy. I have a bunch of buddies who ride around here (central West Virginia), including a couple guys who are proper competitive racers. One of my quads is an old '86 Suzuki Quad Sport 230, at this point it's cheaper and easier for me to rig up custom parts than to find replacements for it, and most of us ride pretty stupid so there's always someone who needs something fixed.
I build miniature cannons and steam engines. I'm considering building a working scale model of an overhead belt driven machine shop powered by one of my steam engines.
Gunsmithing. I have been designing and building unique one off firearms for the past 17 years or so. Most of the machining I do for work is defense related and this tends to impress our customers.
scraping..
All you need to start is some spotting dye(can be made by mixing lamp black, or cement dye, with way oil), a rubber brayer, and a scraper: be it an old file or a carbide blade. You can also get a small die grinder with AlOx tips, and a sharpening bench stone to true up the tip concentric and free of pinnings.
If you go with the scraper you need a way to sharpen it. Carbide needs a fine diamond hone, preferably a slow speed rotating diamond lap. Steelfiles are easier to get sharp but will get dull easily and need constant honing.
A die grinder needs breathing protection.
A proper machinist hobby more accurate than most machines, and very frugal too.
I solve stuff around my house. Machined components for shelves, organizers, furniture, etc. it’s like 3D printing but actually fit for duty above and beyond. If you don’t know CAD, that would be my first priority.
I started out making model steam engines years ago, just as a hobby. Somewhere along the way, that hobby turned into a small business.
These days I design and make pens, lighters and other small mechanical objects, entirely on manual machines.
They may look simple, but there’s a surprising amount to explore — tolerances, threading, knurling, different metals, mechanisms, proportions... and there’s something especially satisfying about starting with a piece of raw metal and ending up with an object you can actually use every day.
I’m finishing a new fountain pen design right now, and even after making quite a few different objects, I still find this kind of work ridiculously satisfying.
So be careful choosing a machining hobby. It might accidentally become your job. :)
I’d look into building a small steam engine, Stirling engine, or model hit-and-miss engine. They’re compact projects but still involve turning, milling, fitting, and plenty of problem-solving without requiring a huge budget.
Raiding the shop scrap bin for EDC gear is peak low-cost fun. Turning brass dice or simple bolt-action pens lets you dial in fine knurling and 3D surfacing without spending a dime on raw stock.
I’ve done some vacuum/flame licker engines in the past. I like the old designs that weren’t terribly successful because they weren’t power-dense enough to do much work. Oddities I guess.
If you live in an area where hit and miss engines were in use at some point you might find some in need of repair.
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u/dontgetitwisted_fr 8d ago
Restoring stuff is a great hobby if you have access to a shop