Rocky's Repair Shop
Step inside the shop. Every tool has its station — pictures, video, the safe way and the unsafe way, and the wisdom that comes from forty years of fixing things. Earn the badges, earn your toolkit, earn the right to call yourself someone who can do.
Rocco Robert Gillio 1916 – 1999
Son of Italian immigrants. Combat medic on Iwo Jima. Medic to the Tuskegee Airmen. Self-educated master salesman who believed deeply that "if you don't ask, the answer is always no" — a rule that, decades later, would help his own grandchildren ask for and earn a spot sending an experiment into space with John Glenn as their virtual lab partner. He structured his adult life so his children would get a high-quality public education, the support of a booster club, and the path to college. He also made sure they could adapt, improvise, and overcome — including being able to fix what they owned with their own two hands.
Through Rocky, this module honors every parent, grandparent, neighbor, and veteran who pulled a kid into a project and showed them how.
🛠️ Rocky's Rules of the Shop
If you don't ask, the answer is always no.
Measure twice, cut once.
Do it right the first time and you won't have a second time.
Adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Asking for help isn't weakness. It's smart.
The right tool turns a fight into a job.
Clean up after yourself. Your future self will thank you.
A skill you keep to yourself is half a skill.
Earn Your Sponsored Starter Toolbox
Complete all seven Basic Hand Tools skills and unlock a real, sponsored starter kit from one of our retail partners — safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, sandpaper, file. About $50–$75 of tools. Yours, because you earned them.
Level 1 · Basic Hand Tools
Start here. These are the tools that build the confidence to pick up everything else.
Screwdriver Mastery
Phillips, flathead, precision. The fundamentals — and the doorway to every other tool.
+145
Hammer & Nail
How to start a nail without smashing your thumb. Picking the right nail. Pulling one out cleanly.
+145
Wrench & Pliers
Adjustable wrench, needle-nose pliers, slip-joint pliers. Grip, leverage, and when to use each.
+145
Allen Wrench & Furniture Assembly
Hex keys, reading IKEA-style instructions, knowing when a screw is stripped. Build your own desk.
+150
Glue & Adhesive Fastening
Wood glue, super glue, Elmer's, decoupage. Which goes on what — and how to not stick your fingers together.
+130
Bicycle Repair Basics
Brake adjustment, fixing a flat, chain care, tightening spokes. Your transportation, your responsibility.
+175
Communicating with the Pros
Knowing your limits. Describing the problem clearly. Reading an estimate. Working respectfully with plumbers and electricians.
+120
Level 1.5 · Apartment-Ready Skills
You just rented your first place. No money for a handyman. These four skills turn a tired wall into a fresh start — and a security deposit you actually get back.
Patching
Nail holes, doorknob dings, small drywall cracks. Spackle, putty knife, sandable patch. Make the wall forget it ever had a hole.
+135
Sanding
Grits, blocks, and electric sanders. Smooth a patched wall, prep a piece of furniture, save a banister.
+130
Finishing
Stain, sealer, polyurethane, varnish. Protect what you fixed. Make found furniture look brand new.
+140
Painting
Cut in. Roll. Edge. Two coats. The skill that turns "the apartment I rent" into "my place." Save $1,000 on day one.
+160
Level 2 · Power Tools
Earned, not given. Unlocks after Level 1 — each station requires adult supervision and its own safety lesson.
Drill / Driver
Bits, torque, chuck, holding it straight. The first power tool most people own.
+160Circular Saw & Hand Saw
Cutting straight. Kickback. Eye, ear, and finger safety. The big one.
+180Cable & Wi-Fi Setup
Hooking up your TV, router, and internet without paying someone $100.
+140Level 2 · Yard & Outdoor Power Tools
Mowing the lawn for the neighborhood is the original American side hustle. Learn the tools right, and you can run a one-kid lawn care business by summer.
Lawn Mower Basics
Push mowers, gas vs electric. Starting, mowing safely, edges, cleanup. The yard side-hustle starter.
+160String Trimmer & Hedge Trimmer
Weed-whacker line, hedge shaping, getting clean edges without taking a bite out of the fence.
+145Leaf Blower & Yard Cleanup
Blower technique, raking patterns, bagging, neighbor-friendly hours. Turn a fall afternoon into $80.
+130Rocky's Project Bench
Real household projects that use the skills you're earning. Pick one and put your tools to work.
Hang a Picture Frame, Level
Plan it, measure it, mark it, hang it straight. The first project most apartments need.
Tighten Every Loose Thing
A 20-minute walkaround of your home. Knobs, hinges, chairs, switch plates. Knock 'em all out.
Assemble a Flat-Pack Desk
Step-by-step with an IKEA-style instruction sheet, the right driver, and Rocky over your shoulder.
Fix a Running Toilet
Replace the flapper or fill valve. Stop the slow leak that quietly eats your water bill.
Rescue a Pair of Eyeglasses
The tiny screw fell out. With a precision driver and steady hands, you're a hero in five minutes.
Adjust Your Bike Brakes
Stop letting that squeak and that slack be a problem. Fifteen minutes and you're rolling clean.
Build a Neighbor a Better Day
A loose handrail, a wobbly step, a stuck cabinet at an older neighbor's house. With supervision and the right team, a few minutes can prevent a fall.