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When I started decorating many years ago I used to drain down and remove radiators before repapering. Then our heating engineer advised against removing radiators because of the risk of increasing corrosion in the system and the need to rebalance the radiators after the system was reinstated...

I received an email from eBay today confirming they are making payments direct to my bank account from 31st May 2021 rather than into a Paypal account and requesting my bank account details. They say I will save the Paypal fees but they are increasing eBay selling fees! Am I alone in trusting...

Dominic Chimea from The Repair Shop has just posted a video on YouTube showing how to use electrolysis to remove rust from tools using a car battery charger. Regards Keith

I helped a neighbour repair his greenhouse and thought I’d either caught my hand on a pin or had a splinter in the fleshy part of the hand below the thumb. For a fortnight it caused irritation but no sign of a splinter and the hand was looking infected. I went to see the chemist and she sold me...

My Black & Decker "Dustbuster" cordless handheld vacuum cleaner expired today after 27 years of use. It was permanently on charge and used most days on small cleaning jobs that didn't warrant plugging in the full size cleaner. I expected it to last maybe 2 or 3 years so was very surprised it...

About 5 or 6 years ago I bought a Makita 10.8v drill and impact driver set. The reason I bought a small set was my grandson was helping me build a wood store and he would have struggled with the weight of the 18v drill. Over the years I have used this set in preference to the 18v because it is...

Sad news my tailor has gone bust! Not someone in Saville Row but Edinburgh Woollen Mill. They've kitted me out for years with shirts, trousers, jackets and jumpers in those lovely country styles. I know a lot of retailers have hit the dust with the pandemic but this one did surprise me because...

I had a lot of carpentry to do making planter boxes when we made our garden disabled friendly and decided to buy a mitre saw to speed up the process in case we got a second dose of COVID19. I wanted something basic capable of cutting 125mm wide decking boards so bought an Evolution R210CMS...

The lockdown has enabled me to catch up on redecorating the inside of the bungalow which was long overdue. I bought new paint brushes and a good quality roller and sleeve set for not a lot of money and wondered whether people clean brushes and rollers after use or treat them as disposable items...

Another saga when I changed from diesel to petrol last year because the car wouldn't pass the MOT. I sold the diesel to We-Buy-Any-Car and it was an interesting and a little painful experience. When the guy from We-Buy-Any-Car had had a look at the Citroen to assess putting right any damage he...

Now that the Government has said the ban on selling petrol and diesel cars could be in 2035 or earlier I am wondering how it will affect our economy? For example the building industry where none of the electric vans seem capable of towing a trailer. Whereas it is common for a builder to bring a...

If you've got a head for heights this short video may interest you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmWIi_4Ep7I. Couldn't imagine what HSE would make of it these days. Regards Keith

HSS Round skew 10mm diameter (3/8”) SOLD 10mm Round skew chisel in High Speed Steel supplied by Ashley Isles with Ash handle. Overall length 380mm. In very good condition. £10 plus £3 P&P. Gary Rance is a master of this tool as shown at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHN0xy2sBt8 and he was...

Books for sale. You can pay by Paypal, cheque or cash. Postage is by Royal Mail second class which works out cheaper than a courier.If you are local you are welcome to pick up from me in Newton Abbot and save postage with a free cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit. Making Dolls’ Houses in 1/12th...

Books for sale. You can pay by Paypal, cheque or cash. Postage is by Royal Mail second class which works out cheaper than a courier.If you are local you are welcome to pick up from me in Newton Abbot and save postage with a free cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit. Country Furniture by Jack...

Today I constructed a full height cupboard in a bedroom and had to tie in plaster coving to match the existing. Cutting into the existing coving at an angle was simple with my Aldi oscillating multitool which I think cost me about £30 some five years ago. I guess this is the most innovative tool...

A heads-up for mobile phone users with a data limit. I'm on a monthly mobile phone contract from Tesco with a monthly data limit of 1GB. I started with 500MB but suddenly started using data at a rate of knots so upgraded the limit. When I started to reach the higher limit I rang Tesco to enquire...

I’ve recently been watching The Repair Shop which is on BBC2 on weekdays from 6.45pm to 7.30pm and have found the series very interesting. It involves renovation experts repairing items of furniture and antiques for the general public. The items include wooden furniture, clocks, ceramics...

There’s been a fair bit of publicity recently about the need to conserve water. A couple of years ago we changed our central heating boiler to a more efficient condensing combi boiler but the boiler is a long way away from the kitchen and we waste a lot of water waiting for the hot water to come...

I’ve had a few electric cable reels that have all developed the same fault, the cable insulation has split where the cable comes out of the reel. I haven’t been able to take the reel apart to rewire the connection so I usually end up binning the reel or cutting off the cable and buying a...