Stuff you have fixed today

[Arc Tourist]

Even back then, your labour rates were too low. Unless you had an expensive girlfriend to maintain.....

I recall getting a bottle of Coca Cola, a Milky Way bar, and $1.oo from Mr. & Mrs. Kay for about two hours work every other weekend; that was big time money for me.

Didn't learn about a girlfriend until I was fourteen, and that didn't cost money but was big time for me too.

 

[brewdexta]

Last week I had one of those reverse-Midas-touch periods where everything I touched turned to poo. So I gave the workshop a miss for a couple of days. Virtually everything I touched, broke or stopped working.

But the last couple of days seem to have been OK so I think I'm back to only making the occasional screw up.

Yesterday I fixed the 25 year old Dualit 4 slot toaster, I treated it to a good polish and 5 new elements and a clockwork timer. Total cost £60 and it should be good for another 25 years.

Today I fixed an annoying technical issue with my home grown heating system where not all the one-wire temp sensors were populating the database with data. Turned out to be some obscure bug between software versions, so just upgraded the lot and made a couple of minor config changes and suddenly it all works.

 

[MattF]

Last week I had one of those reverse-Midas-touch periods where everything I touched turned to poo. So I gave the workshop a miss for a couple of days. Virtually everything I touched, broke or stopped working.

No fun when you have one of those spells, is it. I had nigh on a week like that, a few weeks ago. Everything kept going tits up. Makes you paranoid.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Makes you paranoid.

Don't worry, they are all out to get you.

 

[Chillitt]

No fun when you have one of those spells, is it. I had nigh on a week like that, a few weeks ago. Everything kept going tits up. Makes you paranoid.

A week? Amateurs...

 

[Blue Chips]

Yesterday I fixed the 25 year old Dualit 4 slot toaster, I treated it to a good polish and 5 new elements and a clockwork timer. Total cost £60 and it should be good for another 25 years.

We have a two-slot Dualit toaster that has been going strong for about 30 years. It still has the original elements, although I did replace the timer a couple of years ago. Good solid workmanship and materials.

 

[Luggsey]

Making washers to fix the WC!
I get all the best jobs.....

 

[Johnnybravo]

Making washers to fix the WC!
I get all the best jobs.....

View attachment 289041

Some of those holes are trying to make a bid for freedom....

 

[Blue Chips]

Making washers to fix the WC!
I get all the best jobs.....

A rather prosaic project, but an important one, as no one likes a leaky loo or a faulty flusher.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Got this B&D drill and stand the other day. I was told the drill worked, but the lady was not 100% sure as she had not tested it.



It did come with a chuck key, but the chuck it self was very still to operate.




Just showing of the difference, half way through T cutting and polishing the paint.
I didn't opt for a repaint as I still have the water slide transfers on the other side.




A test before dismantling showed the drill did work, but it was very slow and laboured.
The motor end was full of grease and dried saw dust. I had to use a craft blade to remove most of it. Then it was placed in a hot vapour tank and the rest was soon dripping out.
The end bearing was soaked in engine oil.


The rotor was cleaned up on a lathe with 0000 grade wire wool.



The gear box grease was solid. it was like a wax, it was that solid.



The old grease was removed by boiling it in washing soda.




It removed all the old grease and freed the chuck up as well.



All polished, PAT as well, shame I didn't clean the plug when I re-wired it.



The chuck and key was heated up to about 400Deg C then dipped into old engine oil to blacken it.

It now has a 3" polishing wheel on it and bean used to polish up silver spoons.

 

[Arc Tourist]

View attachment 289232

Got this B&D drill and stand the other day. ...........................................
View attachment 289236

The rotor was cleaned up on a lathe with 0000 grade wire wool. ....................................................

Learned something new, as I sometimes get lost in translation. You call it a Rotor here, overseas its known as an Armature, and where the brushes run over is called the Commutator.

 

[Cobbler]

Learned something new, as I sometimes get lost in translation. You call it a Rotor here, overseas its known as an Armature, and where the brushes run over is called the Commutator.

I know it as an armature & commutator, never heard it referred to as a rotor, but it is, ‘cos it goes round ..... or should do!

 

[Seadog]

You call it a Rotor here

Nope, we call it an armature as well. TYA is law unto himself

And yes, commutator.

 

[Arc Tourist]

Nope, .......................... TYA is law unto himself

.........................

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I know it as an armature & commutator, never heard it referred to as a rotor, but it is, ‘cos it goes round ..... or should do!

Nope, we call it an armature as well. TYA is law unto himself

And yes, commutator.

I always call them a Rotor and stator. As one rotaes and one is stationary.

Simplz.

 

[Seadog]

Rotors and stators are usually, in my experience, used to describe the parts in alternators. It's a funny old world.

 

[m_c]

In Starters and Dynamos it's a armature and commutator, as the armature carries alternating current, and the commutator commutates (aka reverses) the current.

In alternators, you don't commutate anything, so it's just a rotor as it spins, and a stator because it doesn't.

 

[Luggsey]

View attachment 289232

Got this B&D drill and stand the other day. I was told the drill worked, but the lady was not 100% sure as she had not tested it.

View attachment 289233

It did come with a chuck key, but the chuck it self was very still to operate.


View attachment 289234

Just showing of the difference, half way through T cutting and polishing the paint.
I didn't opt for a repaint as I still have the water slide transfers on the other side.


View attachment 289235

A test before dismantling showed the drill did work, but it was very slow and laboured.
The motor end was full of grease and dried saw dust. I had to use a craft blade to remove most of it. Then it was placed in a hot vapour tank and the rest was soon dripping out.
The end bearing was soaked in engine oil.
View attachment 289236

The rotor was cleaned up on a lathe with 0000 grade wire wool.

View attachment 289237

The gear box grease was solid. it was like a wax, it was that solid.

View attachment 289238

The old grease was removed by boiling it in washing soda.


View attachment 289239

It removed all the old grease and freed the chuck up as well.

View attachment 289240

All polished, PAT as well, shame I didn't clean the plug when I re-wired it.

View attachment 289241

The chuck and key was heated up to about 400Deg C then dipped into old engine oil to blacken it.

It now has a 3" polishing wheel on it and bean used to polish up silver spoons.

We have to fail a PAT test with those older style plugtops. The newer style are insulated on half the length of the neutral and line on the plug pins. I think its to stop little fingers being able to touch the metal of the pin as its inserted into a socket. Not a worry for a workshop tool used by you of course! It may have had an old round pin type from new!

 

[Luggsey]

A rather prosaic project, but an important one, as no one likes a leaky loo or a faulty flusher.

You got that 100% right!

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

We have to fail a PAT test with those older style plugtops. The newer style are insulated on half the length of the neutral and line on the plug pins. I think its to stop little fingers being able to touch the metal of the pin as its inserted into a socket. Not a worry for a workshop tool used by you of course! It may have had an old round pin type from new!

True, about that old plug. But it is in my workshop.