How "green" were you?

[beebster]

I just wanted to start a thread to share stories on how "green" (naive) we all were at one time.

In 1992 a freind gave me a q jet and i thought i'd rebuild it. I'd heard a mechanic talk about "boiling" (dipping em in solution to remove the grime).
Well, to show you how "green" i was, i went home, got a big pot of water and heated it up to boiling. Dropped my dissasembled carb in and "boiled" that thing for about 45 minutes. LOL!
I told a friend and he just laughed, but actually after it dried i rebuilt it after about 20 (no lie!) tries, i got it working like a champ. (it actually came out super clean, but i wouldn't recommend it )
I look back now and laugh at some of the stuff i did, but without those failures i never would have learned.
man was i "green" though.

share your stories.
Advice for you young guys, dont be afraid to get in there, take stuff apart and make some mistakes.