What have you fettled today?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Swapped the captain's handlebars on my stoker’s tandem to something more comfortable for me and topped up the tool/ spares bag ready for PBP.

Finished assembling my trike, barring bedding in the disc brake, trimming excess steerer tube and fitting front mudguard, handlebar tape and lights.

[The Family Cyclist]

Letter box 'ole made in door.  Looks terrible but the terribleness will be hidden behind bits of hardware.  Also the nut that holds the external stuffs in place requires an 11/32” socket

Are you sorted for the socket, I may have one if not

[Mr Larrington]

Letter box 'ole made in door.  Looks terrible but the terribleness will be hidden behind bits of hardware.  Also the nut that holds the external stuffs in place requires an 11/32” socket

Are you sorted for the socket, I may have one if not

Yes thanks, there’s a bunch of Imperial sockets in my cheapo Halfrauds set.

[T42]

Installed a new motor on the eBrute. Nothing wrong with the old one but it has a 135 mm axle whereas the new one's is 130 mm, which is somewhat kinder to the stays and a hell of a lot easier to get into the drop-outs.  All done & dusted, only... something's rubbing.  Not the brakes, more at cassette level.  There is a nut that goes on the motor axle: when the wheel-retaining nut is screwed up tightly the drop-out butts against that nut, and I think it's in contact with the cassette-lockring. aargh. Going to have to take the motor off again and back it off a bit. 

Which way to the fecking div thread, please?

And finally, 'twasn't me, 'twas vile circumstance.  Last week the supplier gave me a different 6mm-thick nut to replace the one in the kit. Fitted it this pm and all is well.  Only difference is that the new one has a more pronounced chamfer on the edges.  "Sometimes the one in the kit doesn't work but these do".

[Mr Larrington]

Drilled a 32 mm 'ole through the new door, that a shiny new lock might be fitted.  Shiny new lock's shiny brass ring-thing surrounding key'ole lacks the little pull tab thing of the old one, which means cleaning up the old one to make it Shiny.

Shiny new lock's shiny new keys are a different shape from the old “classic Yale” ones and thus also a different shape from the lock on the inner front door so no more getting the wrong key in the wrong 'ole at half past dark

[robgul]

Mid-fettling a customer's bike - he'd been quoted an astronomical amount by Halfords saying a new bottom bracket and headset were required (at inflated costs) having not examined said items ... BB bearings and upper headset bearing smooth as a baby's bottom, lower headset slightly rough and will be replaced.   Halfords also pitched new tubes for both wheels in their quote - interesting as tyres are tubeless on spangly Hunt wheels

[T42]

I'm glad Halfords haven't metastasized to France. Yet.  Mind you, I wouldn't trust my bikes to Decathlon or Intersport either.

[andrewc]

I'm vaguely planning on moving home in the next 12 months or so.  New homes usually involve some level of DIY, so I thought a folding workbench might be useful.  I missed out on a classic Workmate on Ebay when the bidding went silly.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354942575715   but shortly afterwards found a new model in damaged packaging on sale for £35 delivered.  I ordered it yesterday afternoon & it's just been dropped off by a man inna van.


All the bits were there, but I'm glad I watched a couple of video's before putting it together.   



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMICZE9kaV4


It's obviously been built down to a cost,  pressed steel rather than cast aluminium, but it should be sturdy enough for my occasional needs.   The wooden "jaws" appear to be made from laminated bamboo (?) instead of the original marine plywood. 

[Mr Larrington]

First coat of wood painty-stuff applied to ~5/8th of door.  Waiting for it to dry before I can turn it over and do the other side.  Have not knocked over the tin of painty-stuff either

[Jurek]

I'm vaguely planning on moving home in the next 12 months or so.  New homes usually involve some level of DIY, so I thought a folding workbench might be useful.  I missed out on a classic Workmate on Ebay when the bidding went silly.  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354942575715   but shortly afterwards found a new model in damaged packaging on sale for £35 delivered.  I ordered it yesterday afternoon & it's just been dropped off by a man inna van.


All the bits were there, but I'm glad I watched a couple of video's before putting it together.   



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMICZE9kaV4


It's obviously been built down to a cost,  pressed steel rather than cast aluminium, but it should be sturdy enough for my occasional needs.   The wooden "jaws" appear to be made from laminated bamboo (?) instead of the original marine plywood.

I have had one such as you describe for probably over 20 years. It is tough as old boots. The laminated bamboo is quite a bit harder than marine ply, so less likely to deform when you do up the thumbscrews. I have fashioned from MDF an insert which fits between the jaws when they are opened to their max - giving me an extended work surface.

[Kim]

Unless you leave it in a damp shedde, of course.

I obtained a 90s-vintage Workmate on eBay in such condition for a very reasonable price.  The metal parts were fine with a bit of wire brush and Hammerite treatment.  The jaws were a mess, and as an interim measure I replaced them with some cheap softwood that was available in Wickes.  Needless to say, it isn't wearing well.  Which is good, because I cocked up the measurements and they almost but don't quite close properly.  At some point I'll sort it out properly.

[andrewc]

You can obtain artisan crafted plywood jaws on Ebay, for the cost of a complete new Workmate...

[Jurek]

Unless you leave it in a damp shedde, of course.

</snip>

It lives in a shed and is, dimensionally, all over this parish and the next one.
But then again it has been used for (amongst other things) brazing and silver soldering, so the French polished dining table look never really stood much of a chance.

[andrewc]

Mine will live in the loft or under the bed, until I can find somewhere with a shedde, spare room or garage.   

[Jurek]

Mine will live in the loft or under the bed, until I can find somewhere with a shedde, spare room or garage.

I think Kim's reference was to my MDF insert rather than the rest of it - which'll be fine if stored in a shed.

[JefO]

I give my workmate style benches a far harder life than you guys. They stay outside.
Reason?
Facebook marketplace regularly gets them for sale at £10 to £15, and I have way too many bikes, tools, materials and spares to store the workmates (plural) inside. 

[MattH]

Riding home this evening my chain jumped off the big ring as I powered up a hill. That's unusual; this bike is normally pretty solid on the transmission. Then later, dropping to the middle ring the chain got caught between the big and middle rings meaning I had to stop to disentangle it. That's only happened once before, thinking about it that was the last time I rode it, and in exactly the same spot.
Looking down as I carried on home, the spacing between the rings was varying, looked like a bent ring 

Got home, and realised the actual problem was that four out of five of the chainring bolts were very loose  Thinking about it, I last touched them at least a decade ago...  at least it was an easy and zero cost fix, and nothing actually got lost on the road.

[T42]

Spent most of yesterday and this morning setting up chum's bike motor - getting the cassette & spacing nut to work together was fiddly in the extreme.  Couldn't get the cassette lockring tight without the wee thin spacing ring in place behind the biggest cog, but with it in place the lockring was almost off the end of the free wheel.  Ended up taking it to the shop where the mechanic whipped it into his den and brought it back in 5 minutes without the spacer ring but with all the cogs firmly anchored. Still scratching me 'ead at that one.  Went back this morning to put him a Slime tube in, since he's practically a cripple and anything that cuts down the need to mend punctures at the roadside is welcome. I'll be "selling" him on Schwalbe Duranos once he's got the hang of things.

Anyway: last night his wife turned up with a complete box of peaches and a crate full of vegetables by way of thanks. Then today they invited MrsT & I out for lunch, and when we were on the point of going home she shoved a collander of mirabelles into MrsT's hands.  Utterly gobsmacked. I love mucking about with bikes and wasn't looking for anything more than the fun of doing it.

[campagman]

I applied some proofhide to a Brooks B17. The saddle has been sitting unused in the garage for a few years but I now need a saddle with bag loops.
Also did my annual woolens wash, well the m/c did. It's getting warm tomorrow so they should dry well.

[JefO]

...

Anyway: last night his wife turned up with a complete box of peaches and a crate full of vegetables by way of thanks. Then today they invited MrsT & I out for lunch, and when we were on the point of going home she shoved a collander of mirabelles into MrsT's hands.  Utterly gobsmacked. I love mucking about with bikes and wasn't looking for anything more than the fun of doing it.

That's lovely.  I often work on friends bikes for the love of it. A proper thank you gift is a very rare and most welcome surprise, isn't it.

[Tim Hall]

A mix of fettling and divery.

The Boy was complaining that the Big Knife (Opinel Kitchen Knife) was in need of a sharpening, so I broke out the Special Bit of MDF, bits of emery paper, water spray and Windowlene.

10 minutes later the Big Knife was Scarily Sharp, which I proved when I sliced my finger, giving the blade a wipe with a bit of kitchen roll.

[T42]

...

Anyway: last night his wife turned up with a complete box of peaches and a crate full of vegetables by way of thanks. Then today they invited MrsT & I out for lunch, and when we were on the point of going home she shoved a colander of mirabelles into MrsT's hands.  Utterly gobsmacked. I love mucking about with bikes and wasn't looking for anything more than the fun of doing it.

That's lovely.  I often work on friends bikes for the love of it. A proper thank you gift is a very rare and most welcome surprise, isn't it.

Wonderful.  Problem now is where to put it all before it deteriorates - can only eat so much at a time.

[chrisbainbridge]

Stone the Mirabelles and then put them in brandy for the winter. Wonderful stuff. If you can leave it for 18 months even better.

[T42]

Used to do that kind of thing but alcohol has been streng verboten since the mid-90's. TBH I don't miss it.

Anyway, this morning I changed the blade on the lawnmower, and got my bike ready to ride again - mudguard, seatpost rack, etc. Tested my new motor up & down the street, all well.

[Jurek]

A mix of fettling and divery.

The Boy was complaining that the Big Knife (Opinel Kitchen Knife) was in need of a sharpening, so I broke out the Special Bit of MDF, bits of emery paper, water spray and Windowlene.

10 minutes later the Big Knife was Scarily Sharp, which I proved when I sliced my finger, giving the blade a wipe with a bit of kitchen roll.

What porpoise the Windowlene?