Stuff you have fixed today

[mdr]

I may have fixed a shed roof. Never used the stuff before. The instructions say don't apply it too thick (~1mm). It's so hard to spread I think I ended up nearer "patchy". Instructions also say it needs to dry before it rains. It rained two hours later.

That "no nonsense" brush is in fact a load of nonsense.



Using a plasterers float would have been better!

 

[Agroshield]

It's so hard to spread...

Possibly the cold weather is contributing to that. Leave in airing cupboard overnight. Stand in a bucket of boiling water when using.*

The brush dismembering gets a bit more serious when it is epoxy floor paint with a pot life.

* You will have wet feet and the roofing stuff will not work any better if you read that incorrectly.

 

[Brad93]

View attachment 263413

I may have fixed a shed roof. Never used the stuff before. The instructions say don't apply it too thick (~1mm). It's so hard to spread I think I ended up nearer "patchy". Instructions also say it needs to dry before it rains. It rained two hours later.

That "no nonsense" brush is in fact a load of nonsense.

View attachment 263414

Using a plasterers float would have been better!

Had that with a B&Q timber brush

 

[8ob]

Today I fixed an old charger that’s waiting for a bit of attention, all the leads were goosed so I bought some butle cable and some motorcycle jump leads from Halfords. All I wanted some decent crocodile clips but couldn't find any, doesn’t seem to be a thing motor factors keep anymore

Probably spent more on it than it’s worth but it’s a handy thing being 12/24v and boost.

 

[8ob]

I am on a bit of a forcing myself fixing mission, two or three small items a day for the last few weeks

My favourite HD 8mtr long jump leads have needed a make over for a long while, got a bit spendy and bought some decent brass croc clips.

Thought I would try heat shrink instead of tape to keep the leads together.

Hellerman boots

Bolted on the new croc clips.

Not a hope in hell of these grips staying on the clips so I drilled a bleed hole and loaded them with silicone.

Leave to cure and should be good for a few more years.

 

[Mick Annick]

I am on a bit of a forcing myself fixing mission, two or three small items a day for the last few weeks

My favourite HD 8mtr long jump leads have needed a make over for a long while, got a bit spendy and bought some decent brass croc clips.

View attachment 263823

View attachment 263827
Thought I would try heat shrink instead of tape to keep the leads together.

View attachment 263824

Hellerman boots



View attachment 263825

Bolted on the new croc clips.

View attachment 263826

Not a hope in hell of these grips staying on the clips so I drilled a bleed hole and loaded them with silicone.


View attachment 263831 View attachment 263832

Leave to cure and should be good for a few more years.

View attachment 263833

Nice clamps, though I can’t remember the last time I needed jump leads; mine were knocked up for me as a present by our workshop guys in 1985 - my daily driver then was an 80” Land Rover - they thought I’d need them

 

[8ob]

Nice clamps, though I can’t remember the last time I needed jump leads; mine were knocked up for me as a present by our workshop guys in 1985 - my daily driver then was an 80” Land Rover - they thought I’d need them

Any of the trucks with a tachometer will take batteries down if left for a few weeks, they are never normally in a position where you can get that close so those long leads are just the job.

Bob

 

[Barking Mat]

I am on a bit of a forcing myself fixing mission, two or three small items a day for the last few weeks

My favourite HD 8mtr long jump leads have needed a make over for a long while, got a bit spendy and bought some decent brass croc clips.

View attachment 263823

View attachment 263827
Thought I would try heat shrink instead of tape to keep the leads together.

View attachment 263824

Hellerman boots



View attachment 263825

Bolted on the new croc clips.

View attachment 263826

Not a hope in hell of these grips staying on the clips so I drilled a bleed hole and loaded them with silicone.


View attachment 263831 View attachment 263832

Leave to cure and should be good for a few more years.

View attachment 263833

Like the angle on the crocodile clips, never seen them before.

 

[Agroshield]

...those long leads are just the job.

I've wondered if putting a male-female dinze midpoint of jump leads would allow extension with a welding cable.

 

[mdr]

I may have fixed a shed roof.

Update: Now I've fixed the shed roof! (it was still leaking)...


That's a beautiful permanent repair; just look at the alignment of those bricks.

Job done!

 

[mrsbruce]

My friend asked me to have a look at an sewing machine for him, couldn't tell me what was wrong or anything about it, just assured me it didn't work. As usual I was expecting blown caps, fuses or worn brushes...
View attachment 261370
Imagine my suprised when he turned up with an overlocker that wasn't even broken. It took me about an hour to rethread it and it works perfectly.

Still got paid; a box of stepper motors and a coconut Toblerone.

Overlockers are a pain to rethread, even if you know how to do it. There are many overlockers doomed to lie at the back of cupboards because the rethreading of them blew the owners (and their partners) minds out their ears.


Today, I laid a slab on the path in my garden.

Hubby had never got round to finishing the path, and the ground got so hard, all the run off, ran off over the ground, and pooled on my driveway. I dug down to the old path hardcore, added a layer of weed control fabric, a layer of gravel, more fabric, sand, then slab.

Not exactly big news, but something else to add to my cv.

 

[maz0]

Been having an on-going fault with the TD5 Defender lately. Takes ages to start unless you prime the fuel pump first. Before spending the 200 odd quid on a new fuel pump I decided I would take out the old one first and see if there was anything obvious with it.

A previous owner had been here before, handy little fuel pump hatch pre-cut in the tub floor. Also noticed a weird hose attached to the auxiliary port, might be letting air in.



Out with the fuel pump, and spotted all this black snot. Had absolutely no idea such a thing existed, quick google tells me its "diesel bug", what the heck?!

The whole pump was coated in it, in every crevice. The pump entrance at the bottom had a black film of it across the mesh, engines probably been starving for fuel.



More inside, this was half way through cleaning.


All cleaned up and blocked up the auxiliary hole to make sure its not leaking air. I added some jeyes fluid to the diesel tank for the diesel bug, apparently helps kill it..should have probably dumped the tank and put in new fuel, but this is just to see if it works in the morning. Fingers crossed.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

Made good use of 3 hours being unloaded in Harrow by updating the works lights on the wagon.

So worth having. I added LED floods to my Sprinter's tow bar recently as the normal reverse lights are useless. Next up i need to swap to 13-pin trailer wiring and put a couple on the side of the trailer as well as the two floods it has on the back.



Made a difference:

View attachment 264016

Out with the fuel pump, and spotted all this black snot. Had absolutely no idea such a thing existed, quick google tells me its "diesel bug", what the heck?!

Yes, diesel algae. Only way to get rid of it is to physically clean it out.

It's caused by condensation/moisture when the tank's at a low fuel level for long periods of time. You can get diesel stabiliser to prevent it. I have some stuff from John Deere (bought through Farol) for that. I add it to my jerry can every time i fill it. (I usually empty it into the van and refill every couple months.)

 

[Maker]

A friend messaged me the other day "Can you fix light switches?" Err no but I can tell you what to buy and swap it for you. How do you break a light switch anyway?

The rocker was cracked somehow, her landlord is using Covid as an excuse to not come out and fix anything so she's keeping receipts for everything she has to fix herself, maybe I should put a bill in for my time too? Emergency callout... Won't be cheap.

 

[Barking Mat]

I've wondered if putting a male-female dinze midpoint of jump leads would allow extension with a welding cable.

Ooh, i like that idea

 

[Moose McAlpine]

I've wondered if putting a male-female dinze midpoint of jump leads would allow extension with a welding cable.

You could do. When i was at the AA we had jump points on the van and the jump leads plugged in with Anderson plugs. Another easy way for adding extensions.


A little of a year ago i made myself some nice sets of welding earth clamps and leads, all different clamps, electrode holders etc. I made them all with 5m long leads and dinse plugs so i could add extensions too if needed.

Only about a week ago did it dawn on me what a trick i'd missed. I should've had ~1m tails on all the earth clamps and i would've saved a load of cable by having 3/5/10m extensions instead of each lead needlessly being 5m long.

 

[Barking Mat]

You could do. When i was at the AA we had jump points on the van and the jump leads plugged in with Anderson plugs. Another easy way for adding extensions.


A little of a year ago i made myself some nice sets of welding earth clamps and leads, all different clamps, electrode holders etc. I made them all with 5m long leads and dinse plugs so i could add extensions too if needed.

Only about a week ago did it dawn on me what a trick i'd missed. I should've had ~1m tails on all the earth clamps and i would've saved a load of cable by having 3/5/10m extensions instead of each lead needlessly being 5m long.

really good point, tails and extensions...

 

[4String.]

You could do. When i was at the AA we had jump points on the van and the jump leads plugged in with Anderson plugs. Another easy way for adding extensions.


A little of a year ago i made myself some nice sets of welding earth clamps and leads, all different clamps, electrode holders etc. I made them all with 5m long leads and dinse plugs so i could add extensions too if needed.

Only about a week ago did it dawn on me what a trick i'd missed. I should've had ~1m tails on all the earth clamps and i would've saved a load of cable by having 3/5/10m extensions instead of each lead needlessly being 5m long.

Indeed .

All our units have an Anderson connector on them for powering the hydraulic ramps and steering axles, but guess who is the only driver with long enough extensions to connect to any of them .

The previous firm I worked for made me some up when I had to couple to a ginormous Special Types fully steered low loader which needed power for operating the hydraulic neck and I inadvertently kept them when I left, as you do . They also made me adapters to connect between the 3 main sizes of plug and it's surprising how often I use them to get someone with a flat battery out of the mire.

My intention is to fit connectors to the the front and rear of my van, but not sure where on the list of jobs that one is .

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Smug Bar Steward.

Sat here enjoying the effects of a large free breakfast.

I was task to meet a senior member of the team.
Go to a site a plan a way forward.

The company has just taken on the nation wide contract, so we are trying to make a good impression.

This site fire alarm was condemned by the last place. Along side the intruder alarm.

Me, managed to fix both.
The intruder alarm was a mess.
But a factory restore with engineers dongle had the system usable.
Perks of manufacture training.

Must add it to my cv.

The fire alarm.
It still shocks me that people treat them as a cash cow and do shoddy work.

Experience showed me on this panel there is a back door entry code. This allowed me in to reset the codes. So the site can use the panel.
Power up the LCD display and fix the 4 faults.

But what then shocked me was the manager wrote the codes on the panel to aid his memory.

In plane site of the door, window.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

really good point, tails and extensions...

Yeah, if only i thought of it before fitting 5m tails to every damn earth clamp i own..

Indeed .

All our units have an Anderson connector on them for powering the hydraulic ramps and steering axles, but guess who is the only driver with long enough extensions to connect to any of them .

The previous firm I worked for made me some up when I had to couple to a ginormous Special Types fully steered low loader which needed power for operating the hydraulic neck and I inadvertently kept them when I left, as you do . They also made me adapters to connect between the 3 main sizes of plug and it's surprising how often I use them to get someone with a flat battery out of the mire.

My intention is to fit connectors to the the front and rear of my van, but not sure where on the list of jobs that one is .

I plan to fit a rear Anderson plug to the van, so i can fit a winch to the trailer and it won't need an onboard battery. Looked at those nice coiled Anderson leads but they're something insane like £185!

I could do with a set like you've got with adaptors, they're slways useful.

I'll add it to the list and the pile of parts waiting to go on the van and trailer. I only bought it because it had the higher tow rating, but it has all additional wiring and switches that are useful and now need to be sorted.