I like fixing things

[sammy.se]

I've come to the self realisation that I really enjoy fixing things that are broken. I enjoy it more than making things from scratch.
Sounds strange, I know...

Is anybody else like that?

It can be anything... Electronics, furniture, appliances etc.

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[marcros]

Have you thought of taking it a step further and taking on a machine restoration? (Sorry if you have already done so, I don't recall you mentioning it)

 

[sammy.se]

Have you thought of taking it a step further and taking on a machine restoration? (Sorry if you have already done so, I don't recall you mentioning it)

I have never thought of doing that, but now that you mention it I think I would really enjoy it. I don't have a workshop or garage, so I think that means I'd be limited in terms of what I can restore... It would have to be something small that I could carry in and out of the house to work on I suppose

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[owen]

I've come to the self realisation that I really enjoy fixing things that are broken. I enjoy it more than making things from scratch.
Sounds strange, I know...

Is anybody else like that?

It can be anything... Electronics, furniture, appliances etc.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Yes, I'm exactly the same. I'd much rather spend a couple of hours fixing something than throw it away and buy new.

 

[NickM]

I like fixing things too, but find failure very frustrating.

I had some success at the weekend when I tried to use my Wrigley truck for the first time since the Autumn. It's a bit like this one:

It's probably 60 years old and used to be used by my Dad on an almost daily basis in his flower growing business in Guernsey. He kept it after he packed that in, restored it a few years ago and gave it to me (strictly speaking I think he gave it to my son, but that's a detail!).

I couldn't start it and diagnosed there was no spark. A quick call to my Dad and he talked me through how to get to the points which was the likely cause of the problem. Anyway, a few hours later I had taken the flywheel off, adjusted the points and re-timed it all and, miraculously, I had it running again!

Very satisfying...

 

[adidat]

I like that al ot!!

Adidat

 

[sammy.se]

Yes, that feeling after learning how something works and then when you fix it is satisfying.

Good job on that refurb!

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[Rorschach]

I enjoy making things but I enjoy fixings things almost as much. Of course once you get a reputation for it people start bringing you their broken items :roll:

 

[heimlaga]

I also like fixing broken things but when I have repaired enough I also find it enjoyable to make something new in between.

If you are short of space you could for instance learn to rewind burned out electric motors. I have rewound the rotor of a an universal motor one and found it very interesting. Some months ago I found a broken winding machine at the scrap yard and when I find time to repair it I will be able to start learning to rewind three phase induction motors.

Pouring and scraping white metal bearings is another skill that is getting rarer theese days. I have done a few. Though it is not an activity that fits someone living in a flat.

Welding broken cast iron is a third of those rare skills worth mastering. I have done it but I am no full fledged expert.

My rebuilds and fixes include pretty much all my woodworking machines, my welder, my tractor, my car, the mayority of my hand tools, my anvil and my forge and my logging winch and my log trailer and my boat....... and a few traditional log houses...... there is no end to it. Now I am working on a windmill. Scarphed a new lower end into a 11 1/2 by 12 1/2 inch hand hewn corner post last week. Will forge some 10 inch nails tomorrow.

 

[doctor Bob]

we should meet up .............. I like breaking things.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Pouring and scraping white metal bearings is another skill that is getting rarer theese days. I have done a few. Though it is not an activity that fits someone living in a flat.

You are truly a star! :lol:

 

[sammy.se]

we should meet up .............. I like breaking things.

Haha, we should!!
We should have an Essex meet-up once Covid permits...

 

[MikeG.]

How many repairs, though, amount to taking something apart to look for the fault, finding nothing wrong, cleaning it up, lubricating and putting it back together again.....and bingo, the damn thing works? The most frustrating thing about that is that you haven't learnt anything.

 

[RogerS]

we should meet up .............. I like breaking things.

Haha, we should!!
We should have an Essex meet-up once Covid permits...

Well, you could pop over to check your eyesight was OK for you to drive :wink:

I also like fixing things but by the time I've found all the tools required, a clear working space, manual etc it would be far easier to get a new one or take it to someone.

 

[Nigel Burden]

I like fixing things. Bicycles when I was a boy, then my car, although changing a gearbox in freezing weather, without a garage was no fun. These days it's mostly second hand tools.

Nigel.

 

[Setch]

How many repairs, though, amount to taking something apart to look for the fault, finding nothing wrong, cleaning it up, lubricating and putting it back together again.....and bingo, the damn thing works? The most frustrating thing about that is that you haven't learnt anything.

If you're keen to learn, take it apart again to investigate further.

When you reassemble it, and it's stopped working again , *now* you've definately learned something!

 

[Yojevol]

I think there's a lot of satisfaction in 'cheating the system' by a successful repair. During the lockdown I have restored 3 greenhouse vent opener actuators for the cost of 3 tiny O-rings. Otherwise I would have had to fork out 75 quid for replacements which the manufacturer regards as consumables.

In my early motoring days I had a Triumph Herald which developed a noisy gearbox. On stripping down I found the layshaft end bearing and journal were shot. I managed to get the journal metal sprayed and ground to size at work (on the night shift ). The plain bearing was a bit of a problem though, being housed in a blind hole and no obvious way of extracting it. I took it to several garages and they all said it couldn't be done and that was supported by the offical Triumph manual. Recommendation was to go to the local scrapyard and get a complete gearbox. Not such a silly suggestion as there were plenty of reasonable gearboxes in rusty Heralds. The silly thing was that Triumph would sell me a new replacement phosphor bronze bearing :? So I bought the bearing and devised a way of extracting the old one. All was reassembled with great satisfaction.
This incident is particularly memorable because in the middle of it my wife decided it was time to get to the hospital to give birth to our first daughter. Next door neighbour came to the rescue with an offer of his 2nd car for as long as we needed it.
Happy Days
Brian

 

[Westwood]

Would love to repair an old barrel which has a split in two of the staves. So few coopers left.
I know they do in France but do we still make oak barrels in Britain ?
two other fixit projects I have are refurbishing some ancient garden shears; a mending a cricket stump. Anybody know what wood they're usually made from ? Not the fancy illuminated ones with microphones ....
The long haired management would like me to mend her Brother sewing machine ....but I keep saying thats not woodwork

 

[TFrench]

I really enjoy the challenge of getting something that looks a wreck and getting it going again. My dad is a black-belt fettler - there's very little that defeats him and I've picked a lot up from him along the way. He likes stationary engines though - I like my old iron to be useful. Hence the workshops full of old machinery :lol:

 

[Trevanion]

You know it's a bad habit when people you know start affixing 'Tinker' to your name :lol: