Stuff you have fixed today

[Windy Miller]

The mower. The handle snapped off where it bolts onto the deck, again. Becoming a bit of a Trigger's broom, this one.
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Found a piece of oval section tubing in the scrap pile, think it was once part of the kids' climbing frame.
A bit of re-shaping with a vice and a BFH to fit the handle tubing into one end.
A while ago somebody posted a link to a set of unbelievably cheap but good quality Chinese hole saws, I knew I'd find a use for them some day.

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Welded up. Hopefully by not flattening the tube where it meets the deck bracket it'll be a bit less prone to fatigue.
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A couple of coats of Halford's finest, think it'll do. Not bad for a 20 year old machine.
I cut the tube at 45deg with some vague idea that it'd spread the load and be less likely to crack around the weld line. Seems to have worked OK for the other side so far
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Is that a Hayter Hobby? I’ve had exactly the same experience with mine. Several times now!

 

[Red'n'Black]

Is that a Hayter Hobby? I’ve had exactly the same experience with mine. Several times now!

It's a Sovereign, cheapy Italian-made one with a 3.5HP Briggs engine, all the DIY sheds were knocking them out with various different badges on at the time. Deck is slowly rotting to bits but the engine is sound, a new carb diaphragm every few years and it just keeps going.

 

[Windy Miller]

It's a Sovereign, cheapy Italian-made one with a 3.5HP Briggs engine, all the DIY sheds were knocking them out with various different badges on at the time. Deck is slowly rotting to bits but the engine is sound, a new carb diaphragm every few years and it just keeps going.

I was on my way to buy a new mower when I popped in to see a Mate at his garage. He happened to have rescued a Hayter mower from a skip with a broken handle like yours. He had welded it up a£25 later it was mine.
20 odd years down the road and I’ve welded the handle a few more times and rebuilt the deck once or twice.
The old B&S engine still fires up first or second pull!
Marvellous old thing really!

 

[GafferTapeKing]

Today I fixed a Bosch tumble dryer, how long for is very much an unknown.

The door Micro-switch had inhaled fluff, in fact a large chunk of the inner workings were chock a block with fluff, this is probably bad.

I found a spares list, there was a fleeting temptation to break this dryer for spares given some of the list prices.

I thought Bosch would be making all their own parts from Unicorn poo and Unobtainium but this part seems to be universal
"Fits BALAY, Bosch, Constructa, GAGGENAU, Lynx, Neff, PITSOS, PROFILO, Siemens, Viva Tumble Dryers "
So Bosch is now just part of some other penny pinching conglomerate.



A new microswitch is available for £23.85 in a door lock assembly, Ho Ho Ho - NO!

98 pence from Farnell for the switch sounds better,

It ran fine for two minutes with a 1 Kilo test load, so I swapped it with about 2 Kilos of load

I was invited to turn it off after 30 seconds

It was doing a grand job on a full set of Shogun brake pads but this was apparently "making too much noise" the one kilo load was my gardening shoes which were full of water.

The next test involves a long extension lead, which I can find and a disposable charcoal barbeque which is eluding me at the moment.


A new BUSH dryer arrived yesterday and is working very well so this German bit of finery will be available to perform a fire juggling act, once I find the BBQ packs.

Finding an electrical switch, a possibly sparky thing packed with fluff in a nest of fluff was the last straw.
This thing will eventually find a way to set itself on fire so I intend to cut to the vinegar strokes with it.

Exhibit A from the door lock tinder-box, a couple of generous fist fulls to get the party started like a house on fire.

 

[Maker]

A cheap pair of sunglasses, mum's favourite and no other pair she's tried are as good apparently, but the frame snapped just above the hinge. Improvised a jewelers vice with screws and soldered the frame back together, good as new (Minus the paint )

 

[Arc Tourist]

Way to go there young Jedi.

 

[Barking Mat]

A cheap pair of sunglasses, mum's favourite and no other pair she's tried are as good apparently, but the frame snapped just above the hinge. Improvised a jewelers vice with screws and soldered the frame back together, good as new (Minus the paint )
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Fair play, most people would have binned, and bought new, good on you.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Good work [but I'd have put a cloth or tissue under the lens for fear of scratching ]

 

[Maker]

Good work [but I'd have put a cloth or tissue under the lens for fear of scratching ]

It's a very clean bench I'll have you know!

 

[Blobber]

Perhaps there should be a "stuff im going to try and fix" thread? anyhow why is it if someone knows you have a welder they think you can glue anything back together, can I just patch this up?!!

Er yeah right, its from a 1980s Thwaites dumper so dont think a replacement is going to be easy to find, but I do have this that is about the right size box and a few nice bends to chop about

Lets see how we get on!

 

[Moose McAlpine]

Anyhow why is it if someone knows you have a welder they think you can glue anything back together, can I just patch this up?!!

Hold on, you mean your welder doesn't dispense liquid metal miracles?

 

[MattF]

It's a very clean bench I'll have you know!

Practically chuff all gets done on it then?

 

[Arc Tourist]

Perhaps there should be a "stuff im going to try and fix" thread? anyhow why is it if someone knows you have a welder they think you can glue anything back together, can I just patch this up?!!
View attachment 299972
Er yeah right, its from a 1980s Thwaites dumper so dont think a replacement is going to be easy to find, but I do have this that is about the right size box and a few nice bends to chop about
View attachment 299973
Lets see how we get on!

I remember years ago, overseas you could buy 90*, 45*, and even 22 1/2* degree short muffler pipe fittings at the local Auto Parts stores. It was a simple matter to make up what ever was required with some fettling, and if you had a oxy / acet. torch.

 

[Mr Fro]

I've been serving the cars today - that 535d is a heavy old beast!

The older I get, the less enthusiastic I become about getting under vehicles. Maybe it's having kids now that makes me think more about the safety of it all. I dunno...

 

[GRW]

I remember years ago, overseas you could buy 90*, 45*, and even 22 1/2* degree short muffler pipe fittings at the local Auto Parts stores. It was a simple matter to make up what ever was required with some fettling, and if you had a oxy / acet. torch.

You can still get simple absorption type silencers and exhaust mandrell bends etc to build an exhaust pipe. I work for a firm that works on Diesel Electric Generators and for plant room stuff you need to be able to build an in-situ exhaust system.

I know we used to get Silencers from Halliwell, but if you have the ID of the ends and the length and diameter of the box you should be able to find a suitable replacement off the Web, and pipe/bends to make a copy.
AllSpares the motor factors sell straight pipe and weld bends for what is almost certainly a 2" pipe silencer (as a Thwaites Dumper almost certainly has a Lister-Petter T Series engine, and they'd be 2" exhaust)

 

[Cobbler]

I remember years ago, overseas you could buy 90*, 45*, and even 22 1/2* degree short muffler pipe fittings at the local Auto Parts stores. It was a simple matter to make up what ever was required with some fettling, and if you had a oxy / acet. torch.

Merlin motor sports in Castle Coombe circuit do various bends & sizes for exhausts.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Lets see how we get on!

Is he prepared to fork out a reasonable amount, or is he one of the 'for 9p' brigade?

If so, I'd tell him to jog on.

 

[Blobber]

Is he prepared to fork out a reasonable amount, or is he one of the 'for 9p' brigade?

If so, I'd tell him to jog on.

Hes a good friend, does me plenty of good turns so no money will change hands plus using what i have wont cost anything apart from some wire and C02

 

[mechman]

Perhaps there should be a "stuff im going to try and fix" thread? anyhow why is it if someone knows you have a welder they think you can glue anything back together, can I just patch this up?!!
View attachment 299972
Er yeah right, its from a 1980s Thwaites dumper so dont think a replacement is going to be easy to find, but I do have this that is about the right size box and a few nice bends to chop about
View attachment 299973
Lets see how we get on!

Funnily enough I got one of those silencers given, practically new it's going on my Winget. It's a round tuit job tho.

 

[pedrobedro]

It's a Sovereign, cheapy Italian-made one with a 3.5HP Briggs engine

I've been welding one of those for the last 3 years and it finally got replaced this year as there's not much left to weld to. The motor is still going strong, just burns a bit of oil . It belonged to a friend of mine.