Steve's workshop - Painting the outside walls

[Steve Maskery]

I bought a large sheet of green cloth several years ago and I don't think I've ever used it. Maybe once. But having all this Unistrut stuff up on the ceiling, it makes sense to install it.

I've also got some large rigid conduit I acquired a few years ago and has been getting in the way ever since, so I bought some rope, hooks, eye bolts, Zebedees, clips and suchlike and rigged this up.

The cloth has an open hem at the top with a wooden strip in it, and it is held on with some clips made from short lengths of conduit.

The rope is tied on a cleat

When not in use it's out of the way

It means I can take a picture like this

and a picture like this

and make a picture like this

The same thing can be done with video, it's how they do the weather forecast stuff on TV. I don't know how much I'll use it, but it's there when I need it.

At the moment it's held on a wooden lath, but I know where there is an aluminium dinghy mast surplus to requirements and it's mine for the collecting, next time I go and visit my old ex-NDN.

 

[JonnyW]

I didn't see that coming Steve.

I thought it might have been a roll-away spray booth or somik like that.

Jonny

 

[SammyQ]

Can't wait to see the Weta rip-offs....

"Planes "...."Workshop Impossible "..."Jurassic Padauk"...


Sam

 

[sploo]

Can't wait to see the Weta rip-offs....

"Planes "...."Workshop Impossible "..."Jurassic Padauk"...


Sam

=D> for the last one alone :wink:

 

[SammyQ]

"Ai thank yew"...

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I went out to the cabin and couldn't find any rubber. But I did find a short roll of DPM that we used twixt sole plate and concrete. It doesn't really have a lot of give, but it might do. So I took it down to the workshop and photographed it.

It was as I was photographing it that I saw the square of sticky, squidgy stuff stuck on the underside of the sink. I guess it is to stop the sinks from scratching each other in the factory when they are made and stacked. But it is perfect gasket material. Whooppee! The rest of the unit has come out well from the dishwasher, so I think I get a few quid back from B&Q/Home Depot. They are identical.

I've also been told off (privately) about my knot-tying skills. And me a Chief Scout too. Shameful. So that needs to be put right.

 

[Brentingby]

Very seaman-like there, Steve. You'll make a sailor, yet.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I already am!

S

 

[Brentingby]

Brilliant!

 

[NickWelford]

I thought that square squidgy stuff is supposed to act as some kind of damper on the underneath of the bowl to make a thin sink sound more like a heavy gauge sink.......

 

[Steve Maskery]

Maybe it is. Could be. But all I know is that I think it makes a pretty decent gasket.

I've just been out and fixed it. Got the sink into the hole, but I've got to remove more of the back to get it into the right place. There will be nothing left of the cabinet structure!

A few years ago I fitted a kitchen for some friends. I did a decent job, not perfect, but pretty good. I'd never fitted a sink before and I did it when the plumber was present. I'm glad he was, as I'd never have thought to remove so much material to get the sink in.

There really has to be a better way.

I've worked out in my head how to do a better job, but it will need to wait until tomorrow, now.

 

[Graham Orm]

I already am!
View attachment 20150912
S

AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! So the America jaunt was all a green screen experiment!!

 

[wcndave]

I noticed the same when doing my kitchen, you really have very little worktop left front and back. I was constantly worried about it breaking when I moved it.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Some time ago I was given a kitchen sink and I've been wanting to put it in the workshop. The problem is what to do with the waste water. I'm not allowed to discharge it into the rainwater soakaway. But I reckon that a caravan-style butt will be adequate for what little water I shall use. It's just for washing my hands, sorting out my contact lenses when they fall out and using water stones.

So as I mentioned, I had to cut away a lot of the unit to accommodate the sink and I didn't like how flimsy that left the unit as a result. They are only cheap units to start with, with a 3mm back, so I decided to rebuild them.

I cut out the back rail completely. Unfortunately that did do some damage to the inside faces of the sides, but it is high up, inside at the back, behind the bowl, so no-one is ever going to see it, not even me. I also cut some pieces from the cutout and pocket-holed them in place. The unit is now more solid that it was to start with

I bought the Kreg a couple of years ago when Axi was selling them off. I've never used it until today. I can't be certain, but I think some bits are missing. There were no bolts to clamp the toggle clamp to the base and no manual. I've had to download it off the net. It's a bit late to send it back now!

The notch on the right is to allow a cable out. Believe it or not I did clamp a piece of scrap to the back to prevent spelching, but obviously not well enough. Still, it's all hidden. :-"

I also cut another strip from the centre waste, bandsawed it down and stuck it through the drum sander until only the laminate was left. I then used it to cover the end of the worktop.

The tap is from Screwfix and it heats the water as it come through, like a combi boiler, so there is no need for a separate water heater. I've also bought a water softener, plus another one (which hasn't arrived yet) for the boiler in my house. When the plumber comes I'll get him to install both at the same time.

I bought some cheap tiles in B&Q the other day, a bin end. They were not the perfect colour, but I wasn't too bothered, they were cheap. My tiling tools were part of the haul, so I asked on the Off-Topic forum how I might cut them. Thanks for your help, guys.

I'm glad I waited a bit, because just as I was about to start I remembered that I already had some tiles left over from my bathroom, tucked away in the airing cupboard. And they were a better colour, too. I have a little laundry room, so I'll use the new ones in there, so they won't be wasted.

The tiles themselves were just a tad too high to fit under the wall sockets, so they will have to go behind the worktop rather than on top of it. The walls are pretty good there, so it will look OK, I don't think there will be any unsightly gaps. So I pulled the unit out and screwed some support strips to the wall.

These tiles are a different size to the ones I've just bought, so it turned out that I needed only one cut. I scored it with an angle grinder blade

put a triangular stick underneath it and pressed. Nothing! I had to practically jump on it to break it.

But when it did go it was as clean as a whistle. Very pleased.

It's over 20 years since I did any tiling, I'd forgotten how messy it is. And having to improvise without the right tools (my notched trowel, for example) is a pain. But the end result looks OK, I think. I'll grout it tomorrow.

 

[xy mosian]

Cracking job allround Steve, congratulations and well done.

Might I suggest making the notch, for the cable, into a notch for the plug? Much easier than taking the plug off if the heater needs removing at any time.

xy

 

[flying haggis]

Cracking job allround Steve, congratulations and well done.

Might I suggest making the notch, for the cable, into a notch for the plug? Much easier than taking the plug off if the heater needs removing at any time.

xy

Make the notch accomodate a cable with a socket on the end, and plug the heater into that, best of both worlds then.

 

[lurker]

Those power sockets are too close to the sink.
I doubt the plumber will agree to work on that.
I guess the sparky who signed off your paperwork was unaware a sink was going there.

Sorry to rain on your parade

 

[wcndave]

My plumber and electrician put plugs closer than that! Was a team effort as well.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hmm, I know. I might have to blank it off.

 

[lurker]

All three of them?
Also a blank off plate might not be enough.
It needs to be the correct IP rating.

The recommendations (note that word!) say a minimum of 300mm but 1200mm prefered.

If it were mine the one behind the tap & the next left would definitily go.
The one on the left (on the other wall) might be in excess of the 300mm but it doesn't look it from the photos

The electrical heater tap thingy needs a fused outlet not a 3 pin plug.