Author Topic: What have you fettled today? (Read 2170858 times)

Kim · « **Reply #14450 on:** 14 April, 2020, 12:12:52 am »

Quote from: neilrj on 13 April, 2020, 11:47:27 pm

Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2020, 06:16:29 pm
We found a mysterious puddle on the kitchen floor this morning. Aim hopefully doesn't come into it, so I've been boggling at the combination of a dry ceiling (it's directly below the bath, of recent tiling saga), non-leaking radiator and ostensibly weatherproof PVC door.

(I've just had a shower, and the ceiling remains dry...)

I'm thinking aliens.

Always the frost that's fallen from frozen food here - seems to be huge amounts once melted?

Nahh, we didn't use anything frozen yesterday. And it's in the wrong corner of the kitchen for that, really.

Barakta's had a bath and it's still dry. I'm leaning towards the precipitation theory, on the basis that the gutter is blocked^[1] directly above the door, and there was some serious wind and at least some rain last night.

_{[1] I haven't got a long enough ladder and the landlord doesn't believe in non-emergency maintenance.}

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14451 on:** 14 April, 2020, 08:34:10 am »

Lean out of an upstairs window with a broom handle? Or a perfect quaxing opportunity? Photos to be posted in "I carried this on my bicycle".

hatler · « **Reply #14452 on:** 14 April, 2020, 09:50:18 am »

Quote from: Kim on 13 April, 2020, 06:16:29 pm

We found a mysterious puddle on the kitchen floor this morning. Aim hopefully doesn't come into it, so I've been boggling at the combination of a dry ceiling (it's directly below the bath, of recent tiling saga), non-leaking radiator and ostensibly weatherproof PVC door.

(I've just had a shower, and the ceiling remains dry...)

I'm thinking aliens.

Dribble some water in different corners of the kitchen and see if they end up in the location of the puddle ?

vorsprung · « **Reply #14453 on:** 14 April, 2020, 10:54:52 am »

fixed the metal pole that props up the middle of the washing line with the pop riveter

Kim · « **Reply #14454 on:** 14 April, 2020, 01:22:08 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 08:34:10 am

Lean out of an upstairs window with a broom handle? Or a perfect quaxing opportunity? Photos to be posted in "I carried this on my bicycle".

Annoyingly this isn't practical, due to the way the window opens. Otherwise I'd have done it years ago. There's a limit to how much shake hands with danger stuff I'm willing to do for what is ultimately someone else's benefit. Especially now.

If I owned the house, I'd just buy a proper ladder (and something to lock it to). My current ladder^[1] is only long enough to reach the ceiling.

_{[1] Which I did carry home on a bicycle, though I wasn't riding it at the time.}

Kim · « **Reply #14455 on:** 14 April, 2020, 01:24:03 pm »

Quote from: hatler on 14 April, 2020, 09:50:18 am

Dribble some water in different corners of the kitchen and see if they end up in the location of the puddle ?

The door certainly leads to the puddling point. We know that from the previous door, which was full of holes. Pretty sure the radiator does, too. And the bin, but that got emptied a few hours earlier and didn't really have anything liquid in it anyway.

Anyway, no sign of further puddling...

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14456 on:** 14 April, 2020, 02:22:47 pm »

I have finally got around to sewing my third badge on to my saddlebag. This was the Winged Wheel, joining its ACB and RRTY cousins – except that I'd learnt from the hard work of stitching those through the flap with its plastic lining, so put this one on the side. Much easier. But no neater.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #14457 on:** 15 April, 2020, 06:34:38 am »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 02:22:47 pm

I have finally got around to sewing my third badge on to my saddlebag. This was the Winged Wheel, joining its ACB and RRTY cousins – except that I'd learnt from the hard work of stitching those through the flap with its plastic lining, so put this one on the side. Much easier. But no neater.

You use a sail maker's palm?

rogerzilla · « **Reply #14458 on:** 15 April, 2020, 01:05:14 pm »

Despite being the same make and nominal diameter, the Bundy track bike's Zenith bars slipped down a bit on potholed roads (I've had Nitto stuff that has been similarly just out of spec). So I made a beer can shim and now it feels spot on.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #14459 on:** 15 April, 2020, 01:21:07 pm »

Swapped the stretched leather top of my Gilles Berthoud Aspin on the fixed for an ‘open’ top. The old top had changed shape more than I’d thought. Something to try after work this evening.

Refitted a loose mudguard bolt to HK’s Kinesis.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14460 on:** 15 April, 2020, 01:22:33 pm »

Quote from: asterix on 15 April, 2020, 06:34:38 am

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 14 April, 2020, 02:22:47 pm
I have finally got around to sewing my third badge on to my saddlebag. This was the Winged Wheel, joining its ACB and RRTY cousins – except that I'd learnt from the hard work of stitching those through the flap with its plastic lining, so put this one on the side. Much easier. But no neater.

You use a sail maker's palm?

I don't have such a thing. It might have been useful for the first two that I sewed through the plastic-lined top flap but on the sides, which are canvas with no lining, it's not needed.

tatanab · « **Reply #14461 on:** 15 April, 2020, 02:07:12 pm »

Quote from: LittleWheelsandBig on 15 April, 2020, 01:21:07 pm

Swapped the stretched leather top of my Gilles Berthoud Aspin on the fixed for an ‘open’ top. The old top had changed shape more than I’d thought. Something to try after work this evening.

I have five Aspins. Only one has changed shape much, the others are still pretty much as new. The one that changed was a natural finish, if that makes a difference, and it sagged such that on a bump I could feel the bolt heads on my old 2 bolt Campag saddle pillar. Those bolt heads are pretty close to the leather anyway. Happily this change corresponded with an inclination to change saddle colour on that machine. My oldest Aspin has held its shape well at about 10 years old and probably more than 20,000 miles.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #14462 on:** 15 April, 2020, 05:33:32 pm »

I find B17 saddles change shape too much within a year of purchase. The organic tanned B17 would last three years but they’re not available any more.

I’ve actually not ridden the GB saddle very far despite buying it in 2011; it didn’t fit my arse particularly well. It was out on longterm loan to a couple of friends instead. PeterM OTP suggested that the open top was noticeably better than the normal top, so why not give the GB saddle a last roll of the dice.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #14463 on:** 15 April, 2020, 06:52:39 pm »

Bought my best B17 2nd hand in Hawes about 20 years ago. Unbelievably hard at first. It became really comfortable about 5 years ago.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #14464 on:** 15 April, 2020, 08:15:33 pm »

A fair chunk of the family fleet. Youngest has twisted her bars and eldest had twisted them further to fix so brakes on. Twist straight and note to tighten on weekend. Eldests chain had come off and tbf was pretty tightly wedged by the bolts for mech guard. Easy fix and note to put a thick washer on the bolt to stop it sticking through so far. The wife dropped her bike and broke the plastic chain guard. Can wait to weekend and will deploy the phenomenal super glue she bought me when I asked her to get glue for the log burner door seal.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #14465 on:** 15 April, 2020, 08:56:28 pm »

I think that many Brooks saddles made around the turn of the century and more recently don’t seem to last very well. I think the tanning isn’t as bombproof (process changed to be less toxic), the cows are killed younger (thinner hide) and perhaps less care is taken with the hide’s grain orientation (more stretching in use).

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #14466 on:** 15 April, 2020, 09:04:24 pm »

Finished wallpaper stripping. 35m2 of vinyl. Next stage, skim then paint.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #14467 on:** 16 April, 2020, 12:23:15 pm »

As part of the Great Photo Project I've decided some of the pictures need scanning on a proper scanner.

Available parts
Ubuntu machine
Work W10 lapdancer
W7 install disc
Ancient OpticFilm scanner
Windows drivers for same
SilverFast slide scanny software

The scanner isn't supported on Ubuntu
The scanner isn't supported, as far as I can see, on W10 unless I pay
Downloaded VirtualBox
Got W7 running
Enabled USB ports
Got scanner installed
Got SilverFast installed

It all seems to work. I can even save the results to an external drive.
(It took much longer to do than he above suggests. Some Bad Swears were used and I had to endure some Very Annoying YouTube how-to videos.)

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #14468 on:** 16 April, 2020, 03:46:33 pm »

I saved up 4 non-essential, but time limited chores and got them out of the way today. 1) dropped off a Hermes parcel, 2) picked up an Argos delivery from the nearby Sainsburys, 3) picked up a half moon hall table and 4) went to work to pick up some tat I'd accidentally had delivered there.

Then I put up a curtain on a rail I'd bodged/put up yesterday. Then I fitted the half moon table to the wall after cleaning the glass top and conjuring up some washers from a bit in the bike bits box. Then I effected a repair of the rattly front mudguard on the Cube. Then I swapped the Marathon Plusses for GT365s. Both sets of tyres were a doddle to remove/fit. Now for a test ride...

salar55 · « **Reply #14469 on:** 17 April, 2020, 10:14:30 am »

Having the spare time now, fitted maple window sills in the rooms to match the ones in the extension. The maple boards 250*40mm have been lying in the shed since we build the extension 14 years ago🤭. Needed a break from building work, then it became a job to do one day😅. As usual could not be bothered until now, and the other half never says when are you going to finish all the little jobs in the house😁. R

Tim Hall · « **Reply #14470 on:** 19 April, 2020, 11:21:13 am »

Moar plumbing!

Yesterday I decided to replace the washer bath room hand basin hot tap. Lever off the top to get to the screw normally present that holds the tap top on. No screw but a metal clip of some sort. Lever metal clip and crack!, cheapo acrylic tap top is now in two pieces.

Arse.

Look on Toolstation website and once I've reset my password order a "contract tap basin reviver kit", basically the internal gubbins of the tap and heads. Get a message from Toolstation that they're ready to collect so off I go.

Get home and find the hole in the existing tap is too big. Order an adaptor and pick that up this morning.

Adaptor goes from 3/4" down to 1/2". Poxy existing taps are an intermediate thread, probs 5/8".

Break out Polymorph and kettle. Mould a knob for the top of the tap. That'll do until I get the bathroom renovated.

Home win after extra time.

Feanor · « **Reply #14471 on:** 19 April, 2020, 11:23:59 am »

New charging port assembly into Junior's iPhone.
Fiddly job, but it now charges.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #14472 on:** 19 April, 2020, 02:42:55 pm »

Fixed a new 1/8” chainwhip to be better than new.

The old hammers with loose heads no longer do.

robgul · « **Reply #14473 on:** 19 April, 2020, 03:16:58 pm »

Continued sorting the new workshop - cycle side pretty much sorted with toolboard etc and spares in small bins . . . woodwork side taking shape with a run of metalclad sockets installed and the most of the tubing for the dust extraction system (sounds grand but it's just 40mm waste pipe, a small cyclone and a Henry vacuum cleaner . . . but it will work!) Frustration at difficulty of getting timber ordered and delivered to finish the benches and a couple of mobile woodworking machine trucks.

Rob

rogerzilla · « **Reply #14474 on:** 19 April, 2020, 05:57:31 pm »

Fitted a Hive Outdoor camera to cover the shed and garage. Lots of thieving junkies/stoners in Swindon and the price of drugs has soared during the lockdown.