What I have fixed today

[RogerS]

Fixed my Nilfisk wet and dry vacuum cleaner. Nil cost. See t’other thread.

 

[Mike G]

Yesterday I replaced the inlet valve of our washing machine.........for the second time. I changed it 2 or 3 months ago, and the drum would still fill up with water, slowly, when the machine was standing unused. That water would go stagnant, and make the machine smell, so it's not good. When I last changed it, I bought the replacement valve from a local shop. They fetched the valve in from one of their vans, and I'm convinced it was an old one they'd taken off another machine to replace. It never worked. So, yesterday I did it again with a genuine OM part, and today the drum is dry.

 

[Eric the Viking]

I fixed my snoring. Does that count?

I cannot believe you.

My wife is adamant that she doesn't snore. Neighbours three streets away would disagree.

I have been millietres away from pressing record on the phone, but Bad Things would probably happen if I ever played it back. So I have now taken to saying "Be Quiet!" loudly, in the middle of the night. Amazingly, it often works for ten minutes or more.

At breakfast, mildly, "Oh, by the way, you were snoring again, dear."

"No, I WAS NOT, DEAR."

It's terrifying, and she absolutely knows she's doing it.

 

[Accipiter]

I cannot believe you.

My wife is adamant that she doesn't snore. Neighbours three streets away would disagree.

I have been millietres away from pressing record on the phone, but Bad Things would probably happen if I ever played it back. So I have now taken to saying "Be Quiet!" loudly, in the middle of the night. Amazingly, it often works for ten minutes or more.

At breakfast, mildly, "Oh, by the way, you were snoring again, dear."

"No, I WAS NOT, DEAR."

It's terrifying, and she absolutely knows she's doing it.

I'd press record... Just for the fun

 

[Malc2098]

I cannot believe you.

My wife is adamant that she doesn't snore. Neighbours three streets away would disagree.

I have been millietres away from pressing record on the phone, but Bad Things would probably happen if I ever played it back. So I have now taken to saying "Be Quiet!" loudly, in the middle of the night. Amazingly, it often works for ten minutes or more.

At breakfast, mildly, "Oh, by the way, you were snoring again, dear."

"No, I WAS NOT, DEAR."

It's terrifying, and she absolutely knows she's doing it.

I feel your pain for the same reasons. I pressed record about 5 years ago, but never had the nerve to play it to her.

 

[Accipiter]

A step towards "fixing" some storage problems...

Back area of the workshop (storage/dumping) area... With searching at the back for some stain I didn't have I decided some old kitchen drawers should be made use of. Used some of the recently acquired MRMDF (from the recycling centre) for side frames. Still more "fixing" to be done

 

[Accipiter]

Side step on this thread with "snoring" having come into the discussions... making your other half aware is best for their health and yours.

*AI Overview
Is Snoring Dangerous? | Dr Kenny Pang

Snoring is not inherently dangerous, but it can be a symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a serious condition where airways close, causing breathing pauses. Chronic, loud snoring raises risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and extreme daytime fatigue.

When to See a Doctor (Warning Signs)
Breathing Pauses: Loud snoring accompanied by snorting, gasping, or choking.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: Feeling very tired despite a full night's sleep.
Morning Headaches: Waking up with a headache or a sore throat.
Irritability/Memory Issues: Difficulty concentrating or mood changes.
High Blood Pressure: Chronic snoring is strongly linked to hypertension.

Why It Can Be Dangerous
If snoring is caused by OSA, the body is deprived of oxygen periodically throughout the night. This puts intense, repetitive stress on the heart and brain. The resulting lack of restful sleep can lead to dangerous daytime drowsiness, potentially causing accidents.

When to Seek Medical Advice
It is recommended to consult a doctor if snoring is loud and persistent, or if a partner observes breathing pauses, as this may indicate the need for a sleep study to check for sleep apnea. *

 

[AndyT]

A step towards "fixing" some storage problems...

Back area of the workshop (storage/dumping) area... With searching at the back for some stain I didn't have I decided some old kitchen drawers should be made use of. Used some of the recently acquired MRMDF (from the recycling centre) for side frames. Still more "fixing" to be done

You seem to have moved in to a corner of my own workshop!

 

[Accipiter]

You seem to have moved in to a corner of my own workshop!

There's probably more than a few of us with workshops like 'ours' . I now need to sort through the other stuff (presently stacked up on my workbenches) if I want to do 'any' woodworking

 

[Phil]

Side step on this thread with "snoring" having come into the discussions... making your other half aware is best for their health and yours.

*AI Overview
Is Snoring Dangerous? | Dr Kenny Pang

Snoring is not inherently dangerous, but it can be a symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a serious condition where airways close, causing breathing pauses. Chronic, loud snoring raises risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and extreme daytime fatigue.

When to See a Doctor (Warning Signs)
Breathing Pauses: Loud snoring accompanied by snorting, gasping, or choking.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: Feeling very tired despite a full night's sleep.
Morning Headaches: Waking up with a headache or a sore throat.
Irritability/Memory Issues: Difficulty concentrating or mood changes.
High Blood Pressure: Chronic snoring is strongly linked to hypertension.

Why It Can Be Dangerous
If snoring is caused by OSA, the body is deprived of oxygen periodically throughout the night. This puts intense, repetitive stress on the heart and brain. The resulting lack of restful sleep can lead to dangerous daytime drowsiness, potentially causing accidents.

When to Seek Medical Advice
It is recommended to consult a doctor if snoring is loud and persistent, or if a partner observes breathing pauses, as this may indicate the need for a sleep study to check for sleep apnea. *

Very good read.
Years ago just before lockdown I went for a sleep test.
Diagnosed sleep apnea, stopped breathing up to 30 seconds multiple times that night.
I had to buy a CPAP machine, NOT cheap.
Fought for 3 months with the mask, 2 different ones.
Machine is still in the bedside cupboard, gathering dust.

 

[Woodbloke]

Snoring solution. Sleep in a separate room preferably a loooong way from the culprit with at least two solid doors between the snorer and non snorer - Rob

 

[MartinF]

I finally got around to doing a couple of jobs that have been outstanding for a while.

Replaced a couple of GU10 halogen bulbs in some downlighters with GU10 LED bulbs. I held off doing these because I couldn’t figure out how to release them from the light fittings but, on looking closely, they were held in by spring clips.

Put reflective foil behind more of our radiators in an attempt to cut down on the heat wasted on heating up the walls behind.

 

[Pete Maddex]

Dishwasher didn't release the tablet, reset and now it works.

Pete

 

[Steve Maskery]

I have 3 bessey-style bar clamps. They are not Besseys, they are cheapknock-offs. I didn't buy them, they were left here by the previous owner. "That's kind of him", I thought. No. They don't work properly and he left me to get rid of them. This is what I am talking about:



They rarely get used. Even the two that do work a bit don't work well. I was doing a glueup today and one of them wasn't tightening up as all, the head just stayed where it was and the clamping mechanism just got pushed back.

So I decided to have a look inside.



Pretty simple really. The bit that does the grabbing is the silver bar (vertical in the photo). There is an identical one in the other half of the red casting.
The bar itself has serrations along both long narrow edges. The steel is of the cheddar variety and the serrations have worn smooth. I tried to tickle them up with a stroke of a hacksaw but I was surprised to find that that made no difference.
So then I swapped the two steel plates over and voila! It now works properly.
However, I've also done the same thing to one of the others that was not working very well and that has not solved the problem. But at least I have one more useful (for now) sash cramp.
Anybody got any more ideas about how these can be made to work again?
S

 

[Steve Maskery]

A lot of tosh and nonsense.

What I have written above is a load of garbage. In my defence, I did ask Copilot to help me out with the problem. Serves me right. He spouts so much garbage with total confidence.

It is true that after I had swapped over the two shiny pieces of steel it worked again. But that was coincidence, not cause and effect.

The two shiny bits only keep the head aligned on the bar, they have nothing to do with the actual gripping, that is done by the black casting. But the inside of the hole in that casting, through which the bar runs, is fairly smooth, and the serrations on the bar itself are smoothed off somewhat because they are so soft. So the casting doesn't grip and the head slides.

So I did a bit more digging and came accross this rather excellent video by a gentleman who goes by the handle Bisch Basch Bosch:

His are blue, mine are red but inside they are identical. And he shows very well the key difference between them and proper Besseys - a grub screw. So I maxed out my metalworking skills and drilled and tapped a hole and tried it out. Better but not right. It would at least start to tighten up, but slipped again when the going got tough.The problem was that despite the hole being about 10mm deep and my grubscrew only 6mm, it didn't actually go in very far, because my one and only M6 tap is a Second and I could do with a Bottom tap for this operation. So back to the drill press, deepen the hole, re-tap and have another go. Perfect. It feels secure and I can clamp up properly.

Of course, by this time my glue had gone off...

S

 

[TrimTheKing]

I have an old Galaxy (diesel), and it's been struggling to start on colder days this winter. Obviously the "glow plugs" (pre-heat plugs) needed replacing. I rang my independant garage guy, and asked what my chances were of doing it successfully myself.......and he said I'd be lucky if I got 3 out of the 4 out, and don't be surprised if I only get one or two out. But, he said he wouldn't do any better himself, so I may as well have a crack. Apart from dropping one of the little nuts which hold the electric cable on, it went perfectly, and I got all 4 out and the new ones in. And the car started instantly. I was rather pleased.

Wonder if it would be that easy on my Ranger, I'll have to take a look because that definitely does NOT like to start when it's zero and below!

 

[TrimTheKing]

Not really a fix, but I noticed at the weekend that one of my Festool batteries has died and would not charge at all. A quick warranty ticket raised on the 5th in the Festool app, instant UPS collection created and collected on 9th. Was with Festool in Germany on 10th, assessed as dead and new one shipped. Received replacement on 11th. Not bad service at all.

Slightly worrying though as that's the third battery I've had (second warranty replacement) in 2 years for the same battery. I don't know if they're a bad batch or they don't like being unused for long periods and running down to zero, who knows. I'm going to make a reminder on my phone to charge all batteries every 4 weeks just in case...

 

[duke]

Racking my brain for three day checking the wiring, starter etc., as to why the tractor wouldn't start. Had a brain fart and ordered a new ignition switch. That was the problem. Time to move snow.

 

[duke]

New one installed!

 

[Cabinetman]

Just realised I have had a success I can claim.
After deliberating on the blocked snowblower carb and despite the useful suggestions on here I decided to replace the carb, a new one was not expensive at all and there was a pressing reason why I needed to shift the snow, it arrived next morning.
Absolute doddle of a job once the covers were removed. Started first time using the pull cord!
Happy wife (and me).

 

[Eric the Viking]

Longstanding readers of these columns may remember a certain 10.8V jigsaw (sorry Bosch, I "forgot" your magic 1.2V!). The (red) blade clamp on the end of the piston (Bosch-speak: "lifting rod") wasn't fitted such that it held the blade true...

I've been preoccupied recently with the after effects of a physically small but consequentially huge operation (and it's been jolly not-comfy, to boot). My brain slows down under such circumstances. The after effects have been easing off, and I'm finding I can do more as each day passes. First physio appointment tomorrow morning. But I digress.

I was mentally kicking myself over the jigsaw as it was down to me not spotting the problem in warranty. The penny dropped at the back end of last week that the whole piston might be available as a spare part, and possibly affordable (or at least cheaper than another entire jigsaw!).

So I Googled it halfheartedly: Yes it was available! Bad news: the part ranged from 50 to 90 UKP depending on the parts supplier (wow!). Then I discovered the Robert Bosch trade spares site.

The same part number seemed to be used on three or four 10.8V models, and _much_ cheaper: 36.16 UKP (including VAT and 4.20 delivery).
It had to be worth a punt.

It arrived yesterday. First obvious difference is that the original blade clamp was red plastic; the replacement is black.

Second, not-so-obvious thing is that the replacement has a bit of plastic sticking out at the back, and, once fitted, it fouls the case of the machine and the rear blade support roller mech. This isn't a terribly good pic, but you can probably see the old red one has a slightly different shape, especially nearest the tabletop in the picture.

At a guess the independent spares places have NOS that does fit properly and are simply charging 'because-we-can' prices.

I strongly suspect mine was part of a bad batch in manufacturing that didn't get QC'd and escaped. It _is_ the correct part number, but someone at Bosch updated the design without actually checking the new part fitted. In these days of 3D printing, that's "rather" poor.

Well, I am a man with a Proxxon mini-drill (the gentleman's Dremel!). After I've been beaten up by the physio tomorrow I shall attempt to do battle with back of the black clamp, and we'll see who wins.

I have high hopes of a cheap-ish fix to an annoying problem. Better pictures to follow also as I'll have to strip it down again and re- re-grease it <grrr>.

If anyone cares all these 10.8V Bosch tools seem to be held together with T10 Torx self tappers (for plastic) and a single clip on the back of the battery compartment (slides out and off with a flat-bladed screwdriver). It's a manual job, as they're buried slightly too deep for my cordless set to reach.
-------------------------------------------
Saturday
It was perishing in the workshop, as I wasn't really moving about enough to get warm. It was, however the nicest place to quickly set up for photography, and it meant I could reassemble the saw without getting SKF's best general purpose grease all over the kitchen table.

Before doing that I had a moment of repair insecurity: I realised the red (old and twisted) piston was pretty sawdust-caked. What if that was upsetting the blade clamp? A bit of poking around inside the clamp with a bit of copper wire did produce a lot of crud. The blade seemed to fit better, but still on a squint, or so it seemed. I thought I should do a side-by-side comparison, which turned out to be a bit tricky to photograph:

[click on the image for a bigger version]
The 'Spam key" end of the thing is held down to the bench with a weight, such that the wings of the key are parallel with the benchtop (in the important axis), and the paintbrush handle is merely a prop for the back of the blade in each case.
If you look really hard you can see the blade held in the red clamp isn't straight, it's twisted in the direction of the white arrow. It's not by much, but it's quite enough such that you can't run the jigsaw against a straight edge, as it won't cut straight. It will either bind up or dive away depending which side the guide is on.

The last two pics are looking end on into the two clamps. Ignore the stainless cover plate. The black clamp mech has a slot that's at a true
(-ish) right angle to the 'key' part, as it should be. The red one is indeed twisted (sorry - I left a blade in it - was shivering by that point!).


To be clear, the red/black plastic bit is a locking ring/blade release, which rotates by a bit less than a quarter turn. The slot the blade sits in doesn't rotate and should be perpendicular to the wings of the 'key' part.

So it's now reassembled, with the black, replacement clamp fitted. No fettling was needed, but loadsa grease added to anything remotely greaseworthy in the mechanism. Testing with a few batteries showed it's running true, with a satisfying run-on (thanks to the extra grease).

And that one's now done - total cost 35 UKP (would've been zero in warranty). Phew.
Bosch owes me really, but it's a handy little thing for small jobs, and nice to have it trustworthy at last.

PS: A caution to anyone with the same problem: you really can't repair these things. the main "shaft" of the thing is actually a tube, and must have a spring inside to eject blades. It's crudely pressed or stamped onto the 'key' part. It's not impossible, I guess, to cut it off then braze it back straight, but if I tried it would be melted plastic bits and a spring somewhere in orbit.

The part number is: 2.600.780.190 and it's apparently used on a number of small Bosch jigsaws.

 

[duke]

I hope the physio will help.

 

[Eric the Viking]

Physio went really well, thanks for thinking of me. She's nice, and spent most of the session checking the real me against the notes. I'm back there on Wednesday, when I will, no doubt, be given a list of exercises. Initial experience suggests the op really helped, proven by a few simple tests (some important reflexes are a lot closer to normal, for example).

I have another MRI scan on Thursday morning, with a follow-up outpatient appointment TBD with the neurosurgeon, where she'll show me what she did and discuss any further steps (if worthwhile). I think there'll be regular checks on progress over the next year or so, as it takes a long time for the spinal cord to settle and so on.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

[duke]

Jenny will get an xray , then a visit to the surgeon. Which will be 6 weeks from the surgery date.
Probable physio sometime.
Had her staples removed this past Wednesday.
It's good that you are "cautiously optimistc".

 

[fuse]

Got the vice fixed ( post #143)
Bought a selection box of roll pins off eBay and used bent long nose pliers to hold back the sprung washer
Great success-thanks to Accipiter for the idea.

 

[Eric the Viking]

Got the vice fixed ( post #143)
Bought a selection box of roll pins off eBay and used bent long nose pliers to hold back the sprung washer
Great success-thanks to Accipiter for the idea.

That's really encouraging.

I stupidly overtightened my little, general-purpose vice a month or two ago, and the Acme thread is now binding. I don't think i fractured the casting, thankfully.

You've encouraged me to strip it and find out what's wrong. I ought to be able to cook the thread up to straighten it (if it's bent, as I suspect). It's about 40 years old, dating to when the Chinese manufacturing was truly pants, but I made soft jaws for it, and it's really handy for all those little 'third hand' jobs.

On the list for when I'm allowed to do that sort of thing again. It'll be a totally uneconomic repair, but my repairs usually are... ;-)

 

[TrimTheKing]

We bough our daughter, 17, a little car for a joint birthday/well done in exam results gift as she’s started lessons.

Mate of mine was driving behind us the other day when I was giving her a lesson and messaged me to say the high level and left brake lights were out, so ordered replacements then spent an hour yesterday showing her how to remove the lights cluster and high level light to change the bulbs. Showed her what to do then let her do it.

We then set to fitting the dash cam we got her for Christmas (which is part of her insurance requirements) and hiding all the cables in the gaps around the headliner etc.

Surprisingly easy once we got going, having never done it before.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Bosch dishwasher. Already had a new heat pump and controller board in the last 3 years. The rest is probably 5 or 6 years old by now.
Come to do a cycle yesterday, just a flashing display panel. Not error code, but none of the buttons would work.

Merde.

Had to rush off to pick up SWMBO from the railway station about half an hour away. Got there on time, only to get a call to say she had missed her connection at Poitiers, because the station was flooded and she couldn't get from one platfor mto the other... fortunately there was still one more train that evening.

So back home for a few hours, time to tackle the dishwasher. Googling suggests,rocking it to release the float valve, if it was stuck, switching it off and on again (which, of course, I'd already tried). After that, it would appear to be another new board.

Merde.

So I decided to unload it to try to rock it (although it did not appear to be flooded inside) and noticed that a pan was ever-so-slightly sticking out of the front of the basket. I moved said pan a nanometre and lo!, the machine started again.

Eejit, Maskery.

S

 

[AndyP]

We then set to fitting the dash cam we got her for Christmas (which is part of her insurance requirements) and hiding all the cables in the gaps around the headliner etc.

Is that the norm these days Mark? Just for young drivers?
What sort did you fit? Front and rear view?

 

[duke]

That is a real pain in the arse Steve, I mean the dish washer. Oversensitive sensor.

 

[RogerS]

Steve…that’s a new word for me….dishwasher. We have a new one. I’ve still not got round to plugging it in. Bought only for LOML but since I like washing up ………

 

[Accipiter]

.... washing up ………

One of my daily "exercises" Twice daily... along with wiping up and putting away also... My 'contribution' to home chores

 

[Lons]

Steve…that’s a new word for me….dishwasher. We have a new one. I’ve still not got round to plugging it in. Bought only for LOML but since I like washing up ………

It's on my wife's list of potential divorce reasons if I fail to maintain the dishwasher.

 

[Lons]

Is that the norm these days Mark? Just for young drivers?
What sort did you fit? Front and rear view?

We don't have young drivers in the family but I have heard that's the way insurance comapnies are heading. Personally I don't think it's a bad thing.

I'd been procrastinating for a while when a motorcyclist came straight out of a side road and hit the side of my wife's Mini causing a lot of damage. He was 100% at fault pretty knocked up as the Mini was doing 50 at the time and he admitted fault to a policewoman at the scene but later no doubt persuaded by family and his insurance company he tried to blame my wife. Luckily there was an expert witness coincidently following him and had stopped to help, just happened to be a retired advanced motorcycle instructor or it would have been knock for knock, loss of excess and part no claims bonus. Our insurance company persued it and got fully reimbursed although almost at the court stage.

The first thing I did after that was fit front and rear cameras to both of our cars and my daughters Fiesta, I also fitted extra wiring and holders to the motorhome and towcar so I could take one of the front cameras with me when we went away. I wouldn't be without them now just for peace of mind.

Nextbase 522GW in case of interest and they're around 6 years old now.

 

[TrimTheKing]

Is that the norm these days Mark? Just for young drivers?
What sort did you fit? Front and rear view?

Yes in a lot of cases it gets the premiums down if you say you have them, and actually fit them. TBH I would have done it anyway because twice I've had people hit my car, accept liability at the roadside then reverse their decision when it comes to the insurance company. Thankfully on both occasions witness stopped and offered their dashcam footage as evidence, and both times I was exonerated. Amazing how many people do it though, so I figured for her sake, and ours, dashcam's are the future!

Front and rear, and they record even when the car is parked, so if someone hits you at night then you still get evidence, unless they nick the car of course...

 

[Accipiter]

Failed to fix a Ryobi ews-1266 circular saw today... I know the thread is for *fixing* something but... I had a go. There are 3 teeth missing on the gears and, as a replacement unit is no longer available it's going to be dumped at the recycling centre later this week.

A few years back I (reluctantly) loaned the unit to my daughter/son-in-law's neighbour to cut his decking boards... taking pity on him having used the unit to cut a few sleepers for daughter's garden I was working on. Showed him how to use it, told him not to force it... let the blade do the work at a steady pace.... NEVER again . Of course I'm to blame as I didn't check it after I got it back...

 

[Steve Maskery]

You have my sympathies. I once loaned a circular saw to my vicar neighbour to cut some wood It came back with NO teeth on it at all. He said it didn't cut very well. It turned out it wasn't wood he was cutting, it was worktop, with a totally unsuitable blade.
He did have the good grace to buy me a new blade, but I never loaned him any tools again.
(This is the same guy who, when his wife had put petrol into her diesel car (or itmay have been the other way round, I can't remember), planned to drain the fuel into his wheelie bin and tow it down to the tip. It took two of us to disuade him. And also the same guy who leant a ladder against a tree branch and got up there to cut it off with a chainsaw. Guess which side of the ladder he started to cut...).
S

 

[duke]

Failed to fix a Ryobi ews-1266 circular saw today... I know the thread is for *fixing* something but... I had a go. There are 3 teeth missing on the gears and, as a replacement unit is no longer available it's going to be dumped at the recycling centre later this week.

A few years back I (reluctantly) loaned the unit to my daughter/son-in-law's neighbour to cut his decking boards... taking pity on him having used the unit to cut a few sleepers for daughter's garden I was working on. Showed him how to use it, told him not to force it... let the blade do the work at a steady pace.... NEVER again . Of course I'm to blame as I didn't check it after I got it back...

It has happened to me, now I never loan out a tool unless they are experienced at using such tool.
Even if you did check it the damage was done but yes .

 

[RogerS]

You have my sympathies. I once loaned a circular saw to my vicar neighbour to cut some wood It came back with NO teeth on it at all. He said it didn't cut very well. It turned out it wasn't wood he was cutting, it was worktop, with a totally unsuitable blade.
He did have the good grace to buy me a new blade, but I never loaned him any tools again.
(This is the same guy who, when his wife had put petrol into her diesel car (or itmay have been the other way round, I can't remember), planned to drain the fuel into his wheelie bin and tow it down to the tip. It took two of us to disuade him. And allso the same guy who leant a ladder against a tree branch and got up there to cut it off with a chainsaw. Guess which side of the ladder he started to cut...).
S

How is his nomination for a Darwin Award going?

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

Well, he's obviously got his Common Sense Bypass, so he's halfway there?