h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One of my favourite hobbies is fixing things - I can fix mechanical things like a music stand or electrical, such as washing machines etcs.

But mostly what I fix is what would be described as DIY - doors hanging off their hinges, fireplaces coming away from the wall, all that sort of stuff.

Today's task was to fix a stair on our staircase. I had to remove the carpet, then sort out the step - the nose of the step, the bit that sticks out at the front, had snapped off on one side. I was able to get it all working again by screwing four big screws into it. Then I had to refit the carpet, for which I realised I was totally unprepared.

I had to go out and wander around the shops to buy a something to put the carpet in place - eventually I found a bolster chisel which seemed to be appropriate, and yes, I was able to put the carpet back in place.

So our staircase is safe again.

I have a job that can be quite tediously repetitive and dull.

I quite enjoy it when something goes wrong as it allows me the opportunity to flex my fixit skills. I love problem solving.

My next project at home is to build some sort of repair stand for my rather bizarre bicycle, a Flevobike.

http://goo.gl/photos/CVsni8Ab7fPvnbJ48

I think the simplest solution will be to clamp a couple of lengths of pipe to the work bench and sit the bike on those and strap it down. Rather like how some vehicular bike racks work. For my bike, one pipe would support the tubing at the bend in front of the seat and the other would support the luggage rack behind the seat.

The bonus is that two lengths of pipe will take up less shop space than any traditional bike stand.

Ooh! I just had a thought. I could mount U shaped pipe clamps or brackets under the shop bench and just slip the pipes into those when I need them and still have the bench top free.



Sorry...

Didn't mean to take up your journal with my project planning.

I'm more of a BIY type -- Break-it-yourself.

I thought Recumbentman was the only one with one of those bikes!

I've paid folks to re-shingle the roof, and also to lay ceramic tile in our small'ish kitchen - never having used a wet saw, I didn't want to waste half of them as part of the learning.

But I have done all other changes to the house - all functions except the bath tub in our only such room, all the kitchen plumbing as well, built and wired an office in the basement, cut in a door-way between two rooms, installed some lights where none had been, even re-routed some of the heating ducts. Over 16 years, the list goes on and on.

It's quite satisfying to do your own projects and challenges.

My sons are sharply divided on this: the elder attempts everything in his house and mine, while the younger saves up and pays what my auntie used to call a "proper man" (although he has recently painted his kitchen ceiling)

My father was extremely good at all building crafts (except, as he admitted himself, bricklaying and plastering, which he outsourced). He was a fantastic cabinet maker and had been a "sparks" in the Navy which meant he could do rudimentary repairs to anything electrical.

My sister and I were brought up to mend our own bikes, etc., and often assisted with carpentry and all other jobs where another pair of hands or eyes were necessary, so we know how jobs are done. Our mother is also very good with her hands, so we learned sewing and all other forms of needlework. Myself, I am totally cack-handed, and can't even hang wallpaper straight, even though I know the theory.

So I consider myself lucky to find a husband who was naturally good at this sort of thing. He's the only Latin teacher I know who will wriggle under the sink to fix the plumbing or dig a whole cubic metre of decomposed teabags and grass cuttings back into the vegetable garden. (His father was a plumber)

It would have been very annoying to have to pay people to do jobs that really are so basic, and only require common sense.

My sons also do their own handiwork, but these days so many boys and men don't even seem to know which way to hold a screwdriver (And I don't mean the ), let alone what it's for.

Apart from the savings, and not having to wait till the "men" come to do it, there is the satisfaction of having done it yourself, as Nick says.

(Besides nearly 40 years with budget-stricken military - make do with what you have - I am the son of a plumbing, heating, electrical, water-con, air-con contractor. A hammer is a hammer, a wrench is a wrench - - - but in a lot of cases, a knife and a screwdriver does it )

Traveller in Time handicapped without a pocketknife
"Was thinking I only let the 'proper' man do the combustion jobs; car engine work and gas fitting.

Then someone mentioned the wet paper sticking to the wall concept. I have done that several times but I am never satisfied with it not during the job and not after it. (There are always seams just not right)"

Today's job was fixing one of our kitchen chairs. It was slipping at one of the joints. When I toook the upholstered seat off, I found that original makers had made a mortise and tenon joint right on a knot in the wood (something you should never do). Over the 25 years we've had the chair the knot had shrunk and the whole joint had shattered - a load of small bits of woods came out when I took off the cover.

I had to make up a big metal plate which I used to hold the whole thing together, but I've no idea whether it will work in the long term. Too much of the wood is gone.

I'm surprised they didn't sell you a knee kicker to stretch your carpet. You can make one for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClB5Zp3QXE8

Baron G's bike is one I'd love to try but it would take some learning I expect. If you look carefully you see the chain drives the front wheel, so when you turn your pedals have to veer too.

Is that much of a problem?

Not once you get used to it, but yes, there is a steep learning curve. The front wheel drive isn't that much of an issue (other than sometimes "spinning out" when geared too low on an incline) but the mid bike steering is where it gets weird. the whole front half pivots to steer. You steer with your arse basically. This is the only recumbent I've ridden that you can actually ride hands free.

It took me at least a month of falling down before I really got the hang of it. I felt like I was five again.

I've had a recurring dream in which my car's steering wheel and brakes basically don't work very well, so I have to shift body position in turn to make it turn or stop.

I am really happy that my car doesn't need that kind of extra help in real life. .

This reminds me of something ... I've posted it in the Topic Drift conversation http://h2g2.com/user/U225620/conversation/view/F131941/T8315575/page/20 post 386

Isn't having a topic drift thread sort of like bringing coals to Newcastle?

Not quite. We keep inadvertently remaining on topic.

Then maybe this should become the miracles thread.

I looked for a knee kicker but couldn't find one.

I'm not going to ask what that is.

The closest I can come is the memory of major pain in my brother's house because his coffee table has a glass top, and I've hit my knee or shin against it a few times . Those things seem like torture devices.