Hi Kai,

I'm sorry to disagree with you, but I'm afraid I must. It is simply errant to suggest that since his first effort to produce his own PWB failed that he therefore shouldn't have tried, or even that he would be better off if he hadn't.

Back in the 1980s, when I was just starting undergraduate school, I did my lab reports on an electronic typewriter with a couple of special daisy wheels for greek letters and math symbols, and a drafting table with tape and a t-square and such. I could crank out a lab report in about 40 - 45 minutes. Then I got my first computer (an old IBM PS-2 with a 24 pin dot matrix printer). I had WordPerfect and AutoCAD and it took me about 4 hours to do my first lab report. By the reasoning you are implying I should never have bought a computer, and I should have done all of my lab reports with my typewriter and drafting table.

But within two weeks I was cranking out the same lab reports in well under 15 minutes, often in less than 10 minutes. It was simply the case that first I had to get up the learning curve.

The same thing is true with making PWBs in the kitchen. It will absolutely take some effort to learn how, and frankly in this case I suspect it could take longer than normal (he seems intent on doing much the hard way). But the only ways I can think of that would make him better off not trying is if he either never makes any more PWBs, or if he simply can not learn from his mistakes.

Respectfully,

Joe