woodhutt
Established Member
I do like restoring things if that counts. Particularly old mantle clocks which often involves repairing the movements as well as refurbishing the cases.
Pete
Pete
I like fixing things
- Thread starter sammy.se
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
Ha! This literally happened to me last month with a erbauer cordless mitre saw.MikeG.":31tiva4e said:
On the plus side: 1/ it started working and 2/ I learned how simple the thing was inside.
More frustrating for me however, is taking something apart, twice, and putting it back together again and it still not working. Like my dewalt SDS drill. Looks good as new. Because it can't be used
MikeG.
Established Member
Westwood":ix36bvvx said:
Ash.
That would work
Established Member
A great man once said...
DBT85
Established Member
Have a watch of AvE on YouTube. All he does is that km things apart and tell you about how it's made or why they used x material or y fitting. Always enjoyable even if it's not an item you care about.
My son saved up to buy a racing quad copter. He ordered it before lockdown and it never arrived. We got a refund, he reordered another and eventually we got it. After patiently waiting nearly 2 months, on his second go with it it burst into flames! I felt really upset for him so as well as pursuing the seller, we set about trying to repair it.
They have very small electronic components call ESCs (electronic speed controllers) - in this case one for each of the four motors. They're about 3/4" x 1/2" circuit boards with three wires in and three out. It was one of these which had gone up in smoke.
The replacement (which we managed to source in the UK) cost around £8. An evening's soldering yesterday and (amazingly in my view because electronics are "magic" in my mind and black magic at that) it's back in the air.
A happy son, and it was a lot of fun fixing it together.
It was a very different exercise to getting my Wrigley truck back running again - that involved bigger spanners rather than a magnifying glass!
They have very small electronic components call ESCs (electronic speed controllers) - in this case one for each of the four motors. They're about 3/4" x 1/2" circuit boards with three wires in and three out. It was one of these which had gone up in smoke.
The replacement (which we managed to source in the UK) cost around £8. An evening's soldering yesterday and (amazingly in my view because electronics are "magic" in my mind and black magic at that) it's back in the air.
A happy son, and it was a lot of fun fixing it together.
It was a very different exercise to getting my Wrigley truck back running again - that involved bigger spanners rather than a magnifying glass!
gregmcateer
Established Member
Our faithful old Stihl chainsaw blew the spark plug the other day, so after a little cry, my bro and I did a bit of interwebbing and have ordered a little tap and sleeve kit to try.
Any helpful views of thread lock to use on the sleeve insert?
TIA
Greg
Any helpful views of thread lock to use on the sleeve insert?
TIA
Greg
Terry - Somerset
Established Member
I like fixing things - a great sense of satisfaction that I have beaten the system and solved for a few pence what may have taken £££ to replace.
But I am also rational - 25 year old Bosch garden shredder stopped working. Checked obvious things - not solved. Do I junk it or buy a new one with 3 year warranty? I could spend a few hours dismantling, try to identify the problem, only to find that a new spare part costs most of a replacement anyway.
Second bugbear relates to more modern kit - typically built down to a price in China and assembled using jigs. Spares often unavailable. Fixing these is rarely worth doing - and sometimes barely possible anyway!
The Victorians had it right - large lumps of cast iron and steel all of which could be rebuilt by anyone with the skill to operate large cast iron and steel machines.
But I am also rational - 25 year old Bosch garden shredder stopped working. Checked obvious things - not solved. Do I junk it or buy a new one with 3 year warranty? I could spend a few hours dismantling, try to identify the problem, only to find that a new spare part costs most of a replacement anyway.
Second bugbear relates to more modern kit - typically built down to a price in China and assembled using jigs. Spares often unavailable. Fixing these is rarely worth doing - and sometimes barely possible anyway!
The Victorians had it right - large lumps of cast iron and steel all of which could be rebuilt by anyone with the skill to operate large cast iron and steel machines.
gregmcateer
Established Member
Good points, Terry.
But if one has the time and inclination and it's not costing anything or very much, then why not give it a go? One can always replace if unsuccessful
But if one has the time and inclination and it's not costing anything or very much, then why not give it a go? One can always replace if unsuccessful
Racers
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Our Bosch lawn mower stopped working its about 2 years old and the motor has self destructed plowing contacts off the motor, you can buy a new motor for £97 or the whole mower for £86, it might be under guarantee Bosch have suspended the guarantee untill after lockdown so I awate them contacting me.
We bought a Makita lwn mower to replace it and its is very nice built a lot better than the Bosch.
Pete
We bought a Makita lwn mower to replace it and its is very nice built a lot better than the Bosch.
Pete
DBT85
Established Member
This is why we fix things.NickM":39erw50z said:
that satisfaction and appreciation.
Trainee neophyte
Established Member
I'm very ambivalent about repairs. It means something broke, which means I was half way through a job and had to stop to repair a tool which should have worked, so a one hour job takes three hours, not including a trip to get parts.
Why do tools only break when you are using them?
Why do tools only break when you are using them?
heimlaga
Established Member
It is a really bad situation when the system has become so hell bent on discarding and buying new that you cheat the system when you do what humans always have done and always will need to do. Repair what can be repaired.
DBT85
Established Member
The issue is that there are a lot of things it's cheaper to replace than repair, depending on how your time is valued. More so if you don't immediately know how to effect that repair and have to work it out.
That and sometimes the spares cost a large portion of the cost of a while new machine with a warranty.
That and sometimes the spares cost a large portion of the cost of a while new machine with a warranty.
heimlaga
Established Member
That is true only under certain condition.
Very often the new replacement is that cheap only because it has smaller capacity or shorter life expectacy than the machine it is replacing. This becomes a downward spiral and now we are in many cases approaching the point when the new machine severely limits your ability to get the job done for which the machine is intended at the same time as the cost of frequent replacements is eating you out of the house.
I rekon this frequent replacement of everything is hollowing out the national wealth when all money is spent on buying stuff that is worthless next year. Furthermore land and other primary means of production are morgaged againt and the money spent on even more stuff that is worthless before the loan is paid.
We are also using up natural resources at an alarming speed....... and upholding a system of extreme social inequality. You need water poor people working under slavery like condition to supply goods that is cheap enough to sell as disposable.
If for instance a bicykle or a band saw os a freezer was made by people who earn a living wage in trhe country where it is to be marketed than the lobour cost would be a significant part of the retail price. Then it wouldn't cost much more to build it to last 50 years instead of 4 years. It would certainly not be cheap to purchase but if you spread the cost over 50 years it would probably cost less per year than buying short lived cheap versions.
Very often the new replacement is that cheap only because it has smaller capacity or shorter life expectacy than the machine it is replacing. This becomes a downward spiral and now we are in many cases approaching the point when the new machine severely limits your ability to get the job done for which the machine is intended at the same time as the cost of frequent replacements is eating you out of the house.
I rekon this frequent replacement of everything is hollowing out the national wealth when all money is spent on buying stuff that is worthless next year. Furthermore land and other primary means of production are morgaged againt and the money spent on even more stuff that is worthless before the loan is paid.
We are also using up natural resources at an alarming speed....... and upholding a system of extreme social inequality. You need water poor people working under slavery like condition to supply goods that is cheap enough to sell as disposable.
If for instance a bicykle or a band saw os a freezer was made by people who earn a living wage in trhe country where it is to be marketed than the lobour cost would be a significant part of the retail price. Then it wouldn't cost much more to build it to last 50 years instead of 4 years. It would certainly not be cheap to purchase but if you spread the cost over 50 years it would probably cost less per year than buying short lived cheap versions.
