What is the Right Hobby For Me?

August 10, 2020 2:02 PM

I find YouTube videos of people having their ears cleaned to be really interesting and engaging. What is the right hobby for me?

If I enjoy watching online videos of people having earwax removed/having their ears cleaned, what hobbies would I like?

I find myself wanting a hobby that involves cleaning really small things or doing slightly gross detail work to replicate the weird/satisfying process of a person having their earwax removed. But what hobby is that?

I have tried, and did not like, embroidery/cross stitch, knitting, crossword puzzles, fidget toys. Cost is no object, but I think I'd prefer something small scale/portable. (Every so often I find a deep-cleaning project around my house that is slightly gross, detail-oriented, and satisfying, but they only come up occasionally and I'd like something I could do consistently.)

posted by anonymous to Grab Bag (18 answers total)

Small engine repair. Lots of cleaning of greasy things. If you live near a suburb you can often find free lawnmowers that don't work but often they just need a carburetor rebuilt or cleaned. Turn them around and sell them cheap and your hobby can pay for itself. You can keep all your tools in a single small tool box, though you'll need a place where you can fire up a gas engine.

Also airbrushing (models or artwork) seems to require constant cleaning of an airbrush with little picks and tiny brushes.

Clock and watch repair will require a lot of cleaning of small parts.

Really repairing just about anything usually involves a lot of cleaning.

Or, I dunno, just ask your friends if you can clean their ears for them. Bonus: you'll get to see who your true friends really are.
posted by bondcliff at 2:08 PM on August 10, 2020 [3 favorites]

Some sort of carving or sculpting is the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe woodturning or pottery. Comes with the satisfaction of being able to smooth out rough or sharp edges.
posted by supercres at 2:08 PM on August 10, 2020

You ever cleaned shoes?
posted by parmanparman at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2020 [3 favorites]

I sometimes restore old woodworking tools. Remove the dirt, then the rust, then do any small repairs that are needed, then flatten, sharpen and hone any blades and repaint in something close to the original colour. It's pretty satisfying to pick up something that's been neglected for maybe 50 years and turn it back into something a craftsperson could pick up and use. The main tools I use for these restorations are brushes, abrasive paper, a Dremel, a couple of sharpening stones, plus screwdrivers, priers, etc. It'd all fit into a normal-sized tool box.
posted by pipeski at 2:24 PM on August 10, 2020 [2 favorites]

You could buy old jewelry in lots and learn to repair and clean it up--it's satisfying to make dull, tarnished things sparkle again.
posted by wintersweet at 2:45 PM on August 10, 2020 [6 favorites]

Learn the basics of ear candling, then do it for friends and family members!
posted by WaspEnterprises at 2:50 PM on August 10, 2020

I don’t know if this will scratch exactly the same itch, but lately I’ve seen videos on YouTube of people restoring old Gameboys and other retro technology. This appears to involve restoration work on the cases, cleaning of gunk and corrosion on the inside, and the fiddly-ness of electronic repair. Might be up your alley?
posted by ceramicspaniel at 2:51 PM on August 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

There's a lot of Youtube restoration channels that do small household objects, toys, and trinkets (along with tech as mentioned above). You can really release the grime on some old barn, dumpster, garage sale, thrift store finds. Here and Here are a couple good ones.

Also honorable mention for WATCHING is this fine art conservator. Absolutely NOT something to do as a hobby on true fine art but great to add to your watchlist.
posted by Crystalinne at 3:07 PM on August 10, 2020 [4 favorites]

Learn the basics of ear candling, then do it for friends and family members!

maybe not, the candles don't actually develop a vacuum.
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:07 PM on August 10, 2020 [2 favorites]

scratchboard art, where in order to make your artwork/design, you scrape the black film off the white/colored paper.
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:08 PM on August 10, 2020 [3 favorites]

Learn how to thread facial hair!
It’s not really gross but it is body-related and definitely satisfying.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 6:20 PM on August 10, 2020

Hahahaha (I never thought I'd meet another person who liked earwax videos but here we are, and isn't it great)

I enjoy vacuuming and loading the dishwasher. (Unloading is ok too.)
posted by batter_my_heart at 7:22 PM on August 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

You would probably love being an esthetician who does extractions. Or a dog groomer. Not sure how you turn either of those into a hobby though.
posted by HotToddy at 7:57 PM on August 10, 2020

wax yourself, give your self manicures and pedicures.
posted by WeekendJen at 5:09 AM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Man, you would LOVE cleaning my house. :D I think you would also like botfly removing videos. :D (search for remove bot fly and there are lot of videos of removing bot flies from various animals)

Anyway, remove blackheads on your face? Gardening (even indoors) - dealing with soil, pests, dead parts of plants...

I'm now gonna watch these earwax videos cuz I need to learn how to do this...
posted by foxjacket at 9:12 AM on August 11, 2020

Come clean out my roomba!
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 5:13 PM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Restore old fountain pens and sell or collect them? Pretty easy but detail-oriented and occasionally messy.

I'm sure there are other collectibles (dolls, action figures, matchbox cars, etc) that you could do that with. Maybe for a profit.
posted by mmoncur at 9:20 PM on August 11, 2020

digital photo restoration?
posted by sebastienbailard at 7:48 PM on August 12, 2020