Not Settling for "That's Good Enough"...The Micro-Cooler Project

In a lot of projects I build I am asked why it takes so long to complete whatever it is that I am working on. Sometimes it's because I am pulled away from a project because of some outside reason.  Such as my furnace or washing machine just died or I have to take an unexpected trip to resolve some other issue or I simply have other projects in the works at the same time that cause a delay and need to be completed first. 

But one of the main reasons some of my projects take as long as they do is because I've become somewhat of an perfectionist over the years in what I am working on.  Be it my latest artwork using Blender 3D or designing something on my computer to be built in the shop. This is the case with my motorcycle Micro-Cooler project that looks to be a simple thing to make but has been taking up a lot of time to get just right in my eyes. 

I do not consider myself to be an expert in what I do.  Not in everything I do anyway.  For design work I think I am darn close.  My Blender 3D artwork I consider myself to be an intermediate to advanced user.   For my work with carpentry, fiber glass composite work, and anything else I work on in the shop I think of myself as being again an intermediate to advanced maker.  It again depends on what I am working on at the time. I'm still learning and that is part of the fun of it all.

With the little Micro-Cooler you see here, I have been fussing with painting this project for far longer than most people would want to even think about. I'd wet sand, spray primer, wet sand again over and over until I am happy with what I see in the parts of the cooler.  Then finally shoot some paint and then find that I still have to do more wet sanding to correct either flaws I missed the first time around or that I just created because I laid down to much paint causing new problems.  So my work has continued with this somewhat simple project and in the process has taken more time to get just right.  I am sure that it is very obvious that I am not an expert when it comes to painting parts.  Not yet anyway.  I'm learning with each project that I work on in the shop and am getting better at each attempt. I keep trying and that is a good thing too.

With all of this in mind I am happy to show you the end result of my efforts at completing my  motorcycle Micro-Cooler project. This little cooler was designed and built to hold only a days worth of refreshment.  Small enough to fit into the trunk of my Goldwing motorcycle and still allow room for a full faced helmet too. 

I think the little Micro-cooler fits the bill rather nicely so the effort and time spent creating it matches up rather nicely. Enjoy the photos and like me you should never settle for "That's Good Enough".