Welding a tool.

[Retired]

Hi,

Yesterday dinnertime just as I was removing the lid from the pressure cooker Paul our neighbours gardener popped round to ask if I could repair a tool using my big machine to weld it for him which he had just broken; he had been removing weeds between patio flags; I briefly looked at the tool and said its unlikely given how thin the blade was going on to add that to butt weld it would only fail again very quickly but please leave it with me. Fully charged having now had dinner I wandered into the workshop and welded on a pair of heavy steel splints fettling these neatly with the angle grinder. The pictures are poor quality but I was busy wanting to crack on with other work. Paul is delighted with the repair and normally such a broken tool would be binned. Typical though how these jobs drop onto me at the most inconvenient moment; Paul is a grafter so no problem at all to help him out and I enjoyed tinkering around for half an hour.

A case of modern tools built down to a price?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

He obviously didn't pay for your half hour.

 

[focusonwood]

From the grip, that's a B&Q own brand 'Verve' patio weeder costing £3.26 new!

 

[bourbon]

My first thought was, for the cost, throw it away and get another. But then I thought that (a) you did a friend a favour. (b) you enjoyed the challenge of improving the tool, (c) what else did you have to do for the half hour and finally (d) You saved him £3.26p! Good on you. Reuse, Recycle

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Nice one phil.p; years ago our solicitor charged over £200 per hour to get my wife's name wrong in her will so do you think £100 for a first class job fair?

Yes well spotted focusonwood; B&Q best tooling?

Well sussed bourbon on all counts. A self employed gardener such as Paul must struggle to make ends meet especially during bad weather; as you say I helped a friend at no monetary cost to me; a bit of weld and a bit of time pottering around doing something I wanted to do rather than something I had to do was enjoyable and its nice to keep the old skills in use. I know Paul struggles because as he told me he could buy better quality tools than this B&Q rubbish at car boot sales but he can't claim any money back on them; a few quid means little to me but I well remember the many long years first married without a single pound in the house. Paul might be better off on benefits but he grafts for a living so an helping hand would be the better appreciated.

I just hope Paul never arrives with something like an Howard Rotavator for me to repair; little favours can escalate?

Its strange though that such requests always seem to come just when least wanted?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Solicitors? I promised two local charities £5000 each from my mothers estate, and It wasn't until after the estate had been wound up that one of them inquired about it. I knew the guy, and I asked about it. He told me the solicitor dealing with it had contacted him nearly a year before which was why he was ringing me. When I contacted the solicitor he said they hadn't contacted anyone and he thought I wanted to give the money after the estaste had been wound up. Why??? After it had been taxed?? And that was one of the best solicitors in the area, apparently. I should have had them in court but I couldn't have the hassle of suing a solicitor.

 

[dickm]

Hi,

I just hope Paul never arrives with something like an Howard Rotavator for me to repair; little favours can escalate?

Come off it, Colin, you'd really love that to happen just for the challenge!

(From one who for many years drove a Howard Bullfinch with a Villiers 2-stroke engine. First "proper" job I did on a very poor clone of an early Myford was to modify the crankcase of the Villiers to take proper seals.)

 

[Retired]

Hi,

It's very difficult to trust anyone these days phil.p; certainly no solicitors.

Thanks dickm; you've got me well weighed up. Do you remember Ford 100E side valves; I used to convert these to shell bearings many years ago plus a decoke every 3,000 miles and an oil change at every lamp post? How times have changed; I've still got a set of decoke wire brushes and the rubber sucker grinding stick with the fine/coarse abrasive. Tappet rattle is never heard of either these days or even changing points using feeler gauges; the youngsters are missing so much fun?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[dickm]

Ford 100E??? Go and wash your mouth out! BMC A-series every time, starting with the 803cc in a split-screen Minor.

 

[SammyQ]

Minors were lovely motors Dick. So much room you could park two feet either side of the engine and sit on the wing to service them. Mind you, the brake master cylinder was an absolute pig in a poke to get access to? Lift carpets, plate out of driver's side floor..."Sh*t! HOW do I repair those leaking seals?" Never mind the Macpherson struts snapping....

Life got exciting when you dropped the 1275cc engine from the Spitfire into it though....'dung off a shovel' occurs to me...

Sam

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Dick M; you sure bring memories back of my days of torsion bar suspension and Fulcrum Pins; wipers which packed up in torrential rain and a sticking electric fuel pump? What fun I had in those long ago days but then cars could be repaired at home with few tools including a big hammer.

A 1275cc engine dropped in SammyQ would sure leave a long rust trail as bits of bodywork fell off and heat the brake drums up nicely on full chat?

I've just returned home after having our Yeti in for its first service; rather than sit around waiting I decided to have a pleasant walk to a nearby garden centre to pass away an hour in lovely warm sunshine; as I reached the dual carriageway a banshee passed me in a low gear with the pedal to the metal; these Ferrari drivers must think the speed limits don't apply to them; I wonder how long he/she will retain their driving licence; the car sounded wonderful but what an idiot the driver was.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[dickm]

I've just returned home after having our Yeti in for its first service

Uh oh! Are we clones? Recently replaced my aged Golf Estate with a 63 plate Yeti.
I guess your's doesn't have the very naughty defeat software?

 

[SammyQ]

A 1275cc engine dropped in SammyQ would sure leave a long rust trail as bits of bodywork fell off and heat the brake drums up nicely on full chat?

:Arf! Arf! I did see one once, that had Jag rear suspension and a Vsummat under the bonnet... :shock: ...there was no way that Genghis Khan (complete with a small horde) could have got me to sit in THAT suicide wagon!

I was also priveleged to witness a VW beetle recieve a Porche engine/gearbox transplant... 8) two hundredweight of breeze blocks in the front 'boot' to hold her on the road, but boy, could that Peoples' Waggen could shift!

Sam, older, wiser, happy with his normally aspirated family runabout....

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had the chance years ago of a test drive in new a Porsche 944, which apparently at the time had the most powerful normally aspirated four cylinder engine on the road. It was a decent drive, about 25 miles, and I was talking to the female rep who was with me. I asked her if anyone ever had an accident on a test drive. She told me it was very rare, but they'd one happen 12 months or so before when an idiot driving a brand new 928 S4 decided to overtake on a blind corner, totalling both cars. i asked her what the other car was ... it was a week old BMW 635 CSI.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

I bet you love your Yeti Dick M; Bron and I love ours; which model is yours; we bought a new Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo in 2014 it being our first Skoda after a friend highly recommended Skoda to us; the Monte in black over red was gorgeous and just two things persuaded us to part with it; very low profile tyres which rattled our teeth over our bombsite AKA roads and traffic calming humps etc also we were offered a very decent deal on the new Yeti in July last year; we miss the Monte but the Yeti is absolutely brilliant and quite a lot more economical to run which surprised us; Skoda used to attract many jokes with owners subjected to ridicule but just look at the many reviews on Skoda now in fact go for a test ride in any Skoda model to be impressed. The Yeti is now an aging design but Bron and I like the look of ours in black with its rear tints and alloys; it's got lots of modern electronics to play with which don't interest me in the least; it doesn't even have a disc player which is now old fashioned it accepts media such as memory sticks instead with touch screen controls; we also bought a new Garmin Sat Nav plus a dash camera; I've just treated the leather interior with the lotion supplied; the Yeti has had paint and interior protection as well from new; I asked if the new Karoq was on display but not as yet. The Karoq looks much sleeker than the Yeti but would we part with our Yeti in a couple of years when its three years old as we usually do or do we keep it because its perfect for us; I've just returned from the local tip after taking a full load of garden rubbish; its amazing what the Yeti holds it virtually converting into a good sized van with the rear seats folded.

One thing I really dislike about the Yeti is its fuel saving stop/start system but this would now apply to any car I drive with this system installed; I now turn this system off every time I drive away because it drives me mad and I want to be in control of the car not a lot of electronic kit? The best diesel consumption reading obtained was whilst running in and it hit just over 78 mpg but now I often see well over 60 mpg so no complaints at all; I only use BP Ultimate Diesel. Tyre pressure warning icon indicating a tyre problem but all tyres reading perfect pressures; our Yeti is the Adblue model and I wondered at first what problems this would throw my way but I've only needed to top up twice in over 7,000 miles and buying a big container of Adblue for around a tenner wasn't painful. I'm settling nicely with the cruise control and the parking radar is very useful. With still two years warranty to run I only drive and keep the Yeti clean.

Years ago SammyQ we owned a moggy van which served us well; I've seen a number of these modified to pick up looking quite smart; I believe every part is still available for these old Morris Minors? Many guys these days are content to remain home in front of the TV watching wall to wall sport with a lager in one hand whereas years ago it was common for guys to get into the workshop stripping and rebuilding motorcycles or those with funds would modify their car. Your mention of a Beetle reminds me when we owned a Beetle fitted with a "Zoom tube" exhaust which rattled windows each time it was fired up; I also rode a motorcycle with a 1200 cc Beetle engine installed; below are pictures of me on a Brough Superior and my first BMW R75/5 750cc; this BMW was a year old when I bought it and after a year of ownership I traded it in for a new one of the same model; the car picture is a clone of my big Healey and its Reg No was EEB 88; when I was single I used to buy lots of bikes and cars ranging from a Bond Bug up to an Austin Champ plus the usual Jags etc; these days I'm settled down and enjoy being out in the Yeti with Bron.

What a story phil.p; thanks for adding it; some people should never be allowed on the road; a near neighbour of ours bought a Porsche Boxster in black and was very disappointed he couldn't fit his golf bag nor golf clubs into it; he only kept it a year because it was more of a toy or status symbol; our neighbours enjoy trying to outdo each other with choice of motor; when we moved in we had a year old Citroen 2CV and over the years have owned small cars to suit our needs such as nine new Micra's and two new Aygo's.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Lons]

We looked at a Yeti for my wife a number of years ago but she wasn't impressed and decided on another Mini.
I helped my son buy a 16 plate Octavia VTS a couple of months ag however and it's a very nice car.

Skodas aren't cheap and chearful nowadays ans seem to last forever, just look at the number of taxi Octavias on the roads.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Lons; I can understand your wife opting for the mini over a Yeti; mini's and the baby Fiats are very popular lady cars around here although many are now running around in big 4 x 4's which they appear to have little control over or be able to judge the size of? A couple of years ago I was amused to see a mother drop her child off at our local school then drive her Chelsea 4x4 taxi 100 yards back home. When I was at school kids had legs and feet and an inch of snow didn't close our school; how times have changed in the last 60 years; food used to be a luxury and there were no obese kids in my schools? It's always interesting to see where threads lead to such as this thread. As you rightly say Skoda are no longer cheap but I think it fair to say they are most cheerful. Bron and I briefly considered buying A Dacia Duster but decided to spend quite a lot extra in buying the Yeti; Duster's though are now being seen often so they must be catching on and Duster reviews are a lot more positive than they were.

It used to be common for small motorcycles to be used as daily transport such as the Mobylette or later Honda 50's but now with so much money around cars are the norm. I assembled some of the very first Honda Motorcycles that came into the UK and what a revelation these were with electric start and indicators whereas our own UK motorcycles still relied on kick starting and sticking arm out to indicate a turn; one thing I really did like about the Honda bikes was the way the crankcase split horizontally therefore not leaving a little puddle each time it was parked.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobylette

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_PC50

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for us today so I'm reluctant to resume work on erecting our new fence up the rear garden; just a typical summers day?

Kind regards, Colin.