The sheer joy of repairing something.

Very much vintage technology the, sewing needle. SHMBO asked me to repair a favourite shirt, less than ten stitches later and it was ready for action again. It was an enjoyable few minutes and less landfill. SHMBO very happy too, double joy.

I think (make do and) mend should be in the school curriculum.

[GrimJosef]

I mended our washing machine yesterday. And I mean actually 'mended' it. The door interlock (one of these https://www.espares.co.uk/product/es...nussi%20FJ1214, or one of these https://www.ransomspares.co.uk/parts...lock/79762.htm if you don't mind a 'pattern' part) had stopped working. I didn't order a replacement part though. I actually disassembled the failed one, found the poor contacts on the bimetallic structure inside, cleaned them all up, put it back together and refitted it to the machine. And it worked !

To be honest the machine is about 25 years old and is showing signs of failing in more serious ways (e.g. rough sounding drum bearing) so we will likely have to replace it completely quite soon. But at least yesterday's fix means that we can make the choice of a new one at leisure. And there was a good deal of satisfaction both in getting it going the same day and in not throwing a complex part away because some small detachable components inside were poorly .

Cheers,

GJ

[paulsherwin]

I enjoy doing sewing repairs and alterations as well, despite not being very good at it. I sewed a button on a shirt this morning. I also enjoy maintaining and using my 1934 Singer 201K sewing machine.

[vinrads]

I second that ! when I visit are local re cycling depot it amazes me what people throw away, during the loft clear out I found no fewer than six luggage cases , I guess they came from deceased family members , are local Hospice charity shop were only to pleased to take them. Whilst I was there I purchased several mint CD's at 50p each . Mick.

[Graham G3ZVT]

When we cleared out my late mother in law's house some years ago I rescued a seized up sewing machine, a ubiquitous Singer model 99K, electric motor version.

I had it on the upstairs landing windowsill as a display piece for a few years.

One day, for want of something to do, I decided to see what I could do with it, even though I knew nothing about them.
It needed a blow-lamp to free the seized-up joint, then I discovered how to perform the all important timing adjustment that allowed the bottom bobbin gubbins to perform its magic.

It now works perfectly, it still lives on the windowsill, but I do use it from time to time, and it's much more satisfying than if I was to buy a modern machine, despite all its bells and whistles.

[ukcol]

I suspect that pleasure from making things and mending things is written into our DNA. It would make sense that the individuals that held these skills would be more likely to survive and pass on their genes and there would be pleasure associated with these skills for similar reasons.

Many of us will have experienced the terrific buzz from successfully completing a repair, particularly if the job has been an absolute swine. This can be balanced against the "downer" that goes with an unsuccessful repair attempt.

[emeritus]

I regret not having had room for my late mother's Singer 15k, a reliable workhorse capable of sewing 1/4" leather. At least the motor and attachments found good homes with forum members. Charity shops couldn't take it due to its exposed belt, although I later found there is a charity that takes them for export to the third world. Keeping old stuff going can require some ingenuity due to lack of availability of spares.

I agree that there is a certain satisfaction in keeping things going. Before I retired I had an office job in central London, but always kept a basic tool set in my desk, and couldn't resist things like re-hanging the fridge and cupboard doors in the office's kitchen so they shut properly, or putting some drops of 3 in 1 oil on the squeaky hinges.

[paulsherwin]

I still have my maternal great grandmother's Jones Family CS, bought on HP in 1898. It has a lot of wear but still sews quite well. I don't know much about my ancestry then so it's a tangible link with family history.

[TonyDuell]

My late parents taught me that the greatest joy comes from making something (it doesn't matter what..) and being able to say 'I made that'. Almost as much joy comes from repairing something (and being able to say 'I fixed that'). I grew up making and mending things, and I've not changed.

Not done any electronic repairs for a couple of weeks as I've been putting up more shelves for my large collection of books. But I'll be getting back to it soon.

Still have my mother's and grandmother's sewing machines. I am not much good with them, but no way am I going to throw them out.

As regards lack of spares, for mechanical parts I did what I think some others here have done. I got a small lathe and taught myself (and continue to teach myself) how to use it. So if I need a pulley or a spacer or something, I just make one.

I also hate throwing things out if I think there is somebody who can make use of them. I've got a lot of odd things (off-topic for this forum, so I won't go into more details) that are waiting for me to find the right home for.

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by merlinmaxwell

I think (make do and) mend should be in the school curriculum.

I hope not! I grew up with parents who'd lived through and embraced the WWII make-do-and-mend thing, and continued the idea (inflicting it on me) for the rest of their lives despite having become sufficiently wealthy that they no longer needed to scrimp and save or make-do with second-best.

I wholeheartedly rejected the idea, and wouldn't want to see it making a comeback. Technology and progress means we're freed from the need to patch old things up and keep on using them: more and more of us can afford nice things: surely that's something to celebrate and embrace?

[Tractionist]

It's called 'Conservation' .... and is far better than 're-cycling' - because many things are simply not re-cycled properly at the moment. Items such as sewing machines and typewriters are in great demand and regarded as valuable in places like India and certain parts of Africa. Why? Well ... principally because THEY STILL DO THE JOB, are unaffected by power cuts, and [in the instance of a typewriter] are un-hackable etc.

Sewing machine ownership in places like India and Nigeria mean THAT YOU CAN EARN AND HAVE A LIVING ..... I know ... because I've lived there.

A good mid to late 50's transistor radio is as useable and frugal as many contemporary counterparts .... and I purchased my latest one [a pretty collectable and valuable model] for ......... £1.00 on my local Sunday Market/Car Boot!

A trip to my local vehicle breakers yard always leaves my shaking my head! (The lads down there always report: "It's the software and electronics/electrics what kills 'em!!"). Hmmm .. well a Morris Minor is virtually 'organic' and will chug along at 70mph [the legal speed limit here] all day long.

The planet can only take so many 'Fashionista's' ... then it will be 'Goodnight Vienna' !!!

[AC/HL]

The three Rs are now Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, in that order.

[Tractionist]

Originally Posted by AC/HL

The three Rs are now Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, in that order.

Ever erudite! Cheers Bill .... couldn't have said it better!!

[llama]

Can't agree with Tanuki up there ^.

My latest "thrill repair" was my daughter's 53 reg Fiesta [this is electronics related, honest]. Local garage changed the battery and alternator which reduced (!) the number of dash warning lights but still ON was the ignition light. They refused to take it further because they're "not that type of garage"...

My local travelling mechanic made a bold attempt at a fix - he reckoned the blue wire to the alternator might be suspect but couldn't find a break. He left without charging us anything.

Therefore ("so") it was up to me. No way could my daughter afford a Ford diagnostic and no way was I going to allow a crying wolf to sit there glowing. I feel without my fix the car would have been a write-off.

Pico (scope) on the Internet proved to be very useful on "smart charge" Ford alternators and I learnt that an orange/yellow wire should have battery on it, the blue wire should have constant pulses on it and the grey wire should have streams of pulses going back from the alternator to the controller which then lights the ignition light. My portable scope showed pulses on blue but none on grey. There was no battery voltage on the orange/yellow so I ran a new wire from the alternator to its location on the main multi-plug. Fixed.
Seeing as there are contemporary Fiestas/Fusions in the family I'm tempted to make up a simple diagnostic tool for Ford smart alternators: a 12v to 24v convertor so an op-amp comparator can drive a LED to check on the orange/yellow wire and CMOS dividers feeding LEDs to check the signalling wires. One would soon get used to the expected pattern of lights.
Yes sheer satisfaction, and more!
Graham

[McMurdo]

..and that's why I made it my living.

Now summer's here I've been skip-diving and acquired a fair number of those supermarket solar powered LED garden lights. (the supermarkets fill skips with warranty returns. They're only rated IP44). They're not worth repairing commercially (at around £8 for a set of 4 good ones) but a few minutes spent waterproofing the solar cell with silicone sealant and cleaning the battery/switch contacts has brought me no end of pleasure especially now I can plant them in my garden.

Simple pleasures.

[k_yller]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

/.../

I wholeheartedly rejected the idea, and wouldn't want to see it making a comeback. Technology and progress means we're freed from the need to patch old things up and keep on using them: more and more of us can afford nice things: surely that's something to celebrate and embrace?

This is dead end road.
If you know how to make/repair you have a choice
you can repair yourself, rent somebody to do it, buy the new one etc.
If you don't know you became a kind of slave you have no control over situation and have to belong others opinion.

In Germany (anyway kind of rich country) DIY is much more popular than in UK

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by AC/HL

The three Rs are now Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, in that order.

When I first visited the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales several decades ago, not long after it opened, the mantra was "Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Recycle". So there are really four Rs. Annoyingly, the word "repair" seems to have been quietly dropped over the years.

Repairing something, irrespective of the technology or material, is very rewarding and satisfying, which is why some of us choose to do so much of it. I also volunteer at my local Repair Cafe once or twice a month.

Mention of sewing is interesting. I have successfully repaired a few Avometer cases using some strong needles and thread purchased from the local haberdasher's. Finding a large sized thimble is still something of a problem, however, as they all seem to be made for dainty fingertips! Any suggestions?

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

I grew up with parents who'd lived through and embraced the WWII make-do-and-mend thing, and continued the idea (inflicting it on me) for the rest of their lives...

It's interesting how we're formed. My own parents tended to expect major household items to last, say, twenty years, and were bemused by neighbours electing to replace their furnishings and electricals much more often than that: they didn't press such an attitude upon me, but if I rebelled against it at all it was in the direction of thinking twenty years hardly long enough.

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

Technology and progress means we're freed from the need to patch old things up and keep on using them: more and more of us can afford nice things: surely that's something to celebrate and embrace?

Freed from the need, or deprived of the ability? Much hinges, I suppose, on what your judgment finds "nice". My involvement with old radios and related items started nearly fifty years ago, when my impression soon began to be that things agreeable to see and to use were being discarded in favour of items that were less satisfying but somehow modish; and now - well, to me it seems there's a tremendous range of flimsy or otherwise ephemeral gewgaws to keep folk busy with getting and spending, but in many fields no "nice things" at all to be found on the High Street. Fortunately for me there are plenty such items to keep me company for the rest of my days, however long I'm granted.

Paul

[Station X]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

Finding a large sized thimble is still something of a problem, however, as they all seem to be made for dainty fingertips! Any suggestions?

Sail maker's palm?

[Tractionist]

Originally Posted by McMurdo

..and that's why I made it my living.

Now summer's here I've been skip-diving and acquired a fair number of those supermarket solar powered LED garden lights. (the supermarkets fill skips with warranty returns. They're only rated IP44). They're not worth repairing commercially (at around £8 for a set of 4 good ones) but a few minutes spent waterproofing the solar cell with silicone sealant and cleaning the battery/switch contacts has brought me no end of pleasure especially now I can plant them in my garden.

Simple pleasures.

Yoooooooooooooooooou little Devil !!!!!!!!!!!