Author Topic: What have you fettled today? (Read 2187822 times)

Wobbly John · « **Reply #12900 on:** 14 April, 2018, 08:57:32 pm »

Float valve on the allotment lawn mower - I thought I'd just pop down and give the grass a quick trim and then spend the afternoon working on the Windcheetah. Filled the mower with petrol, primed it and gave it a couple of pulls - decide to pump the primer one more time, incase there was an air bubble, only to find petrol pissing out of the air filter. Had to drain the tank; return home for the bike trailer; decide to get some timber to make coldframes, from the timber merhant on the way back to the allotment; bring the mower home; Strip out and clean air filter & float chamber, get float valve unstuck and working again before reassembling; loading back on the trailer, back to the allotment (just under a mile). By the time I'd done a few extra jobs at the allotment while the mower cooled down, it was too late to do any workshop stuff before cooking tea.

robgul · « **Reply #12901 on:** 14 April, 2018, 09:05:40 pm »

Strimmed my wife's allotment (that's not a euphemism!) - stuff about knee-high across most of it. Pretty easy with a new petrol machine - last time I strimmed anything was about 1990. Followed up by covering most of the plot with plastic sheeting to kill everything.

We did also harvest the first produce in the shape of some forced rhubarb - some we'll eat in a crumble but we'll be sending one stick to Geoff Boycott's mother to help out our cricketers.

Fettling a new kitchen for one of my daughters tomorrow and Monday - such fun.

Rob

Tim Hall · « **Reply #12902 on:** 14 April, 2018, 09:55:10 pm »

Put together lots of Wickes' finest flatpack kitchen. Screwed together in a long line and secured quite a lot of same to its rightful place in the kitchen. Unmolished the old sink, breaking my small pipe cutter in the process, together with the shonky chipboard cupboard it was resting on. Now delving into error code 20 on the AP's wish dosher.

I'm knackered.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #12903 on:** 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am »

Current fettle fail. Got a stuck pedal.

Jurek · « **Reply #12904 on:** 15 April, 2018, 10:29:23 am »

Yesterday.
Four gas struts into two top-hinged kitchen cupboard doors, so that when the Aussie lifts up the door, it stays there.
Ordinarily, I'd use a CAD program to work out where to place the pivots for the struts.
On this occasion I didn't

First door took four hours, required a trip back home for some bracket modification, and resulted in the inside of the cupboard looking a bit like Swiss cheese

Second door took forty five minutes.... and noticeably fewer expletives than the first.....

rafletcher · « **Reply #12905 on:** 15 April, 2018, 10:48:04 am »

Yesterday cleaned out the big shed gutter, and moved the small shed and placed it on some extra timber to raise it off the ground a bit more. And fitted a new latch to the new back gate. Today will be laying some turf on the paths between the raised veg beds.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #12906 on:** 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am »

Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am

Current fettle fail. Got a stuck pedal.

I have ninja skills for stuck pedals. Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #12907 on:** 15 April, 2018, 01:31:28 pm »

Mostly my trike. Took off the wornout B17 Special and put on the Anatomica Titanico from my Frezoni. Flintmined the tyres and brake pads, adjusted the cantilever brake and rear axles (will need some cups and possibly axle cones soon), replaced a rear tube with a slow leak and trued the wheels. Replaced the mudguard zipties with bolts and made and fitted a new mudflap. I still need to sort out the crown race.

Replaced a cracked QR mudguard fitting on the audax tandem, together with the stoker's handlebar tape. That'll please the Wee McTaggart.

Changed the Alfine 11 oil in HK's MTB commuter. At least that bike is finished now AFAIK.

Replaced the cracked mudguards on HK's Moulton and mined the tyres. I still need to replace the worn out lever hoods and the gear cables and handlebar tape. Perhaps during the week.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #12908 on:** 15 April, 2018, 01:47:02 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am

Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail. Got a stuck pedal.
I have ninja skills for stuck pedals. Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.

I'll give that a try. Thanks.

The pedal is one of those which only has an Allen key recess just to make it more challenging.

Jurek · « **Reply #12909 on:** 15 April, 2018, 02:01:14 pm »

Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 01:47:02 pm

Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am
Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail. Got a stuck pedal.
I have ninja skills for stuck pedals. Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.

I'll give that a try. Thanks.

The pedal is one of those which only has an Allen key recess just to make it more challenging.

A couple of feet of relatively small bore steel pipe, slid over the allen key, is probably your friend in this situation.
It certainly was the case with me. That, plus (for me) extended thinking that I'm turning it in the right direction

Polar Bear · « **Reply #12910 on:** 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm »

Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.

Dibdib · « **Reply #12911 on:** 15 April, 2018, 02:31:00 pm »

Some unexpected roadside fettling this afternoon - got to about a mile or two before the end of the club ride and noticed that both bolts on one of my bottle cages were attempting to make a discreet bid for freedom.

Thankfully I'd noticed before either of them had escaped completely, so it was just a quick nip up with a multitool rather than an annoying online shopping job!

Jurek · « **Reply #12912 on:** 15 April, 2018, 02:52:58 pm »

Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm

Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.

That should do it.

My 2-part kit for pedals with spanner flats.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #12913 on:** 15 April, 2018, 06:07:12 pm »

Spring bike maintenance. Sat: take off winter tyres to fit summer ones. Find a broken spoke. Sigh. Stop, go to pub via Embra bicyclops. Today: Dan fixes wheel. Put tyres on. Thinks "I'll have a shiny new chain too". While removing assorted grot from crankset, find an awful lot of play in the cranks. Sigh. Start dismantling bottom bracket. Apply a BFO mallet. Suck teeth. Apply BFO mallet some more. BB retaining doodahs fail to budge. Sigh again. Phone Embra bicycle.
Reassemble crankset so I can ride to work next week. Spend hours cleaning the cassette so I don't contaminate the shiny new chain.
Fiddle about with rear BB7 caliper. Look for overhaul kit on t'interwebs. Fail.

Torslanda · « **Reply #12914 on:** 15 April, 2018, 07:22:32 pm »

Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm

Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.

You are turning it the correct way, aren't you?

Don't want to see a post in the 'I'm Such A Fecking Div' thread . . .

Torslanda · « **Reply #12915 on:** 15 April, 2018, 07:23:53 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 15 April, 2018, 06:07:12 pm

<Snip>
Fiddle about with rear BB7 caliper. Look for overhaul kit on t'interwebs. Fail.

I've got a Zyro account. What bitz do you need?

Although, all you really need to do is strip it, clean it and put it back together with plenty of antisieze...

rafletcher · « **Reply #12916 on:** 16 April, 2018, 04:23:21 pm »

Finally got around to hanging the new back gate. Took a bit of fiddling as nothing about our house is square, but it went ok and my wife is pleased with the rsesult.

Polar Bear · « **Reply #12917 on:** 16 April, 2018, 04:31:45 pm »

Quote from: Torslanda on 15 April, 2018, 07:22:32 pm

Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 02:23:41 pm
Old ti seatpin with a broken saddle clamp will be deployed.

You are turning it the correct way, aren't you?

Don't want to see a post in the 'I'm Such A Fecking Div' thread . . .

I hope so. Left side pedal, left hand thread. The dogma of right is right, left is wrong stays with me.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #12918 on:** 16 April, 2018, 05:04:59 pm »

Quote from: Torslanda on 15 April, 2018, 07:23:53 pm

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 15 April, 2018, 06:07:12 pm
<Snip>
Fiddle about with rear BB7 caliper. Look for overhaul kit on t'interwebs. Fail.

I've got a Zyro account. What bitz do you need?

Although, all you really need to do is strip it, clean it and put it back together with plenty of antisieze...

Ah ok. Well I ordered 2 new calipers off eBay but I shall have a go at the old one when I take it off, good to have a spare...

rogerzilla · « **Reply #12919 on:** 16 April, 2018, 06:46:25 pm »

Quote from: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2018, 04:31:45 pm

The dogma of right is right, left is wrong stays with me.

Unless it's BB cups!

robgul · « **Reply #12920 on:** 16 April, 2018, 07:06:37 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 15 April, 2018, 11:17:30 am

Quote from: Polar Bear on 15 April, 2018, 09:04:47 am
Current fettle fail. Got a stuck pedal.
I have ninja skills for stuck pedals. Try boiling water, immediately followed by your biggest pedal spanner.

.... or Finish Line Chill Zone works well to freeze different metals and (usually) let them come apart

Rob

Polar Bear · « **Reply #12921 on:** 16 April, 2018, 07:35:17 pm »

I'll give that a try too. Thanks Rob.

robgul · « **Reply #12922 on:** 16 April, 2018, 08:46:52 pm »

Quote from: Polar Bear on 16 April, 2018, 07:35:17 pm

I'll give that a try too. Thanks Rob.

... I took some seized pedals off a bike the other week using the freeze stuff - you'll probably need to give it a couple of doses (and there's "waiting time" required)
Presumable you have the cranks off? - clamping the cranks flat in a bench vice (thick rag wrapped round them) makes for an easier job.

Rob

citoyen · « **Reply #12923 on:** 17 April, 2018, 01:08:08 pm »

The club is holding a grass track racing event soon, so I used this as motivation to sort out the fixed wheel for my singlespeed CX bike that has been languishing in the garage for a few years, problem being an old bearing that needs to be replaced but is stuck. I recently bought a bearing removal tool for a pressfit BB and by sheer good chance, the hub is *just* wide enough to take the tool. Luckily, I was also able to find both the replacement bearings I bought all that time ago, as well as the wheel's axle and locknuts languishing in the bottom of the spare parts box.

Job done, I then had another look at the info for the event and saw that the races will be on freewheel bikes. Doh!

Oh well, at least I now have another serviceable wheel in my collection.

Greenbank · « **Reply #12924 on:** 19 April, 2018, 09:37:07 am »

Finally got around to sorting out the mudguards (I'd adjusted them for the winter wheelset and when I swapped the wheels back the mudguards were rubbing). Also the front brake was rubbing (brakes were adjusted as the rims are different widths too). Replaced the front dynamo light as the old one had stopped working (and I can now remove the temporary front light I had on).

Just need to lube the chain when I take it outside and then I can commute in relative ease.

Need to replace this commuting bike though, might have a snoop around Decathlon next time I'm there...