Thanks for sharing. I think Mr. Rowe is right on! My grandfather was the same way, he could fix anything, mostly because if he wanted or needed something he did not have the option of "just buy a new one"; he had to fix an old one, or MAKE a new one. IMO, we need to (in some ways) return to a mindset of fix our own stuff rather than disposing and buying new. Just my humble opinion of self reliance, repair vs replace, and create your own vs buying someone else's.......
Last thought, kids need to know it's OK to work with your hands and be a craftsman, there is much satisfaction in making something..... even pens!