even more DIY

[ade]

back to the washing machine:

considering it's 12 years old, it's not doing bad; and aside from the routine upkeep (which hasn't much at all, just bearings and shocks, totalling £35-ish, so far), the only problem has been it's buttons.
they've been an issue since we first got it:
View attachment 26099

the gaps, as you can see, are pretty small, but they do have a capillary action and in and around a kitchen that's not good. they're also fairly deep, too deep for my old toothbrush to thoroughly clean, so they do occasionally clog up.
of course, this wouldn't be too bad if the front assembly was sturdily built, but it isn't. only four plastic clips held the PCB, upon which are the buttons and dials, and the second breakage occurred last week (don't ask when the first happened, i think it's been like that since it was put together).

and so, after a trial screw (since whomever designed the PCB incorporated screw-holes in strategic places; something that nobody else picked-up on during the rest of it's design leading to the failure of the trial screw idea) and then a rethink,
View attachment 26100

View attachment 26101

i was loathe to have screws poking out the front, on display, so a suitable securing bracket or strap was a puzzle until i found a couple of old pelmet-pole brackets. it's only half a bracket, but having two adjusting screws came in handy. at least i have an excuse for that drawer full o' junk.
the bracket needed a bit of cutting and fettling and the screws, as you can see, are sunk into the top of the front, to be covered over by the top panel of the washing machine.
i would've liked to have swapped the start button for one of the unused extra-function buttons, but it's all micro stuff and each button had a micro-resistor associated with it.

 

[tiny]

Crikey! That sounds awfully complicated! You need James May over -- have you seen his TV programme where he dismantles and reassembles a lawnmower?!

My DIY list is piling up... I "fixed" the dripping tap in the kitchen by tactically putting some PTFE tape under the rubber seal in the mixer cartridge, replaced a couple of O-rings with some that... looked sort-of similar... and now you need two hands (and maybe a leg) to wrench the spout round, when it's supposed to move freely... but it doesn't drip!

I also spent hours raking out cracked grout in my bathroom... until... after hours of tedious labour, the tiles started falling off revealing a rotten panel, meaning that I could have just ripped the damn thing off the wall in the first place.

All the pipework in the cloakroom is leaking, so I've ripped out the cracked pipe, leaving a hole in the wall and a sink that drains directly onto the carpet.

And I've got to fix the double-glazed window with a broken bolt that makes it impossible to open... and the other windows that move back and forth...

Oh... and the leaky toilet and the hole in the ceiling caused by the leak...

Anyone want a house swap?!

 

[ade]

Crikey! That sounds awfully complicated!

nah, easy-peasy

You need James May over -- have you seen his TV programme where he dismantles and reassembles a lawnmower?!

saw all three of them progs. i was a bit miffed that they weren't more in-depth (perhaps they were just edited badly to fit a time slot?).
personally, i'm still in love with his Toy Stories: Flight Club. 'awesome' was made for things like that.

My DIY list is piling up.......Anyone want a house swap?!

cripes! sounds like our house :biggrin:
i'm still held off doing stuff because of the weather (snow today, and tomorrow). i'm toying with the idea of cladding my bedroom, as i did with the bathroom, as there's some water damage under my window. the cost of the cladding is off-putting though: £200-ish. so, i'm looking for seconds or summat. 'course, i'll need a few decent window-open days for doing that (the fumes from the adhesive, despite being 'odourless', still affect me).

 

[dogboy]

You're not going to believe this, but I bought a Speed Queen washer and it came with a 10 year warranty, though they said they usually last for about 22 years before they need repaired.

 

[ade]

You're not going to believe this, but I bought a Speed Queen washer and it came with a 10 year warranty, though they said they usually last for about 22 years before they need repaired.

YIKES! at the price (about a grand over here)
did you get a toploader or front? i remember from childhood that the toploaders lasted decades.

 

[dogboy]

YIKES! at the price (about a grand over here)
did you get a toploader or front? i remember from childhood that the toploaders lasted decades.

Definitely a top loader. I don't believe in front loaders as they don't use much water. With washing cloth diapers, I want all the water I can get in that thing. Here in Lynchburg, we have a lot of water, so conservation isn't an issue. The Speed Queen here cost a little over $500.00 if I remember correctly. It may have been $450.00. That's probably because they're one of the few things still made in the U. S. They're made in the state of Wisconsin.

 

[ade]

Definitely a top loader. I don't believe in front loaders as they don't use much water. With washing cloth diapers, I want all the water I can get in that thing. Here in Lynchburg, we have a lot of water, so conservation isn't an issue.

we're plenty wet, too, but everything revolves around the south over here and they tend to be drier. consequently, modern UK washing-machines are 'water saving'. i hated this washer when we first got it. i'd have to wash my work-clothes two or three times to get the soot and grease out. and i'd add water, like you do.
i still add water when i'm doing my nappies, but i use the soapy water that i've handwashed my plackies with (only need to use one laundering tablet that way) and i always do an extra rinse cycle.

.... they're one of the few things still made in the U. S. They're made in the state of Wisconsin.

aye, i noticed; and in the town of Ripon, too. the original Ripon is not too far from us (in american terms, that is).

 

[dogboy]

aye, i noticed; and in the town of Ripon, too. the original Ripon is not too far from us (in american terms, that is).

It's always interesting to see where things are made. A lot of companies have multiple countries where they manufacture so they don't have to pay for transporting and probably tariffs, if I'm guessing correctly. I think Hondas, Toyotas and Subarus are all manufactured in the U. S. as well as Japan and who knows where else.

 

[ade]

alas, no pics, and i'm still recovering from the latest tricks.
replaced the car's drop-links, at least a week ago, and i'm still suffering in my shoulders. not that i was feeling good when i began the job, but i had to make the most of the good weather (we're currently on rain, rain, rain.....again).
and, naturally, the unsettled weather helps to trigger migraines (still working on getting my good vision back :biggrin

so, to an ongoing headache which has a fairly cheap fix: the uPVC windows and their draughtiness.
ours were banged in the 80s, all in a rush to get onto their next job, and many parts of the fitting are a bit shoddy. the backdoor has even snapped a hinge because of the bad fitting. the same bad fitting also saw the fitters drive the hinge-screws through the seal-track, so that the rubber seals don't seat in the track around the hinges.
as if that wasn't enough, there's also warping of the frames.

with the seals now being old, it was time to replace and upgrade them.
original type seals are available, named as 'bubble' gaskets or seals (got mine from Amazon), as are samples. a universal seal is also avaible to buy, from many places. i got a range of styles and sizes, including one classed as 'oversize' in anticipation of bad sealing.
my first try was on the backdoor, doing a straight like-for-like replacement. it was better, draughtwise, but still buggered by the badly fitted hinges.
i'll be redoing that with the oversize seal after the result with the front donwstairs window. i took out the window, initially, as that also needed some fettling to open and shut easily. replacing the seal in both the window and the frame is much easier whilst the window is out. unfortuntely, i first did a like-for-like replacement and that was as woeful as the old seal (we're talking about 2mm gap between the seal and main windowframe). so, i replaced that with the oversize seal.
bliss
i was worried about stiffness when using the handle (what, with my shoulders and mum's arthritis), but it bedded in nicley after a day or two, and a bit of opening and closing.

just all the bloody rest to do, now!

note: if doing this, you may need to adjust your latches once the new seal is fitted.

 

[ade]

a basic pant pattern:
View attachment 26326

i've left it gridless so that you can print it out (or trace it off the screen) and then add your own grid to own specification.
it's taken from a well-known pant (hey up, Gaz!) and should fit without modification. the outline is inclusive of hems; the originals were doubled-over hems and with sewn in elastics, but you needn't be so exacting (especially for what is a semi-disposable garment). reckon on an inch and a half for the hems.

personally, i'd add a couple of inches to the length and to the wings, and using lighter elastication, for comfort.
the crotch width works fine at the orginal ratio, but that's your choice (bearing in mind the effect on the leg holes if altering the crotch width).

 

[MetalMann]

Definitely a top loader. I don't believe in front loaders as they don't use much water. With washing cloth diapers, I want all the water I can get in that thing. Here in Lynchburg, we have a lot of water, so conservation isn't an issue. The Speed Queen here cost a little over $500.00 if I remember correctly. It may have been $450.00. That's probably because they're one of the few things still made in the U. S. They're made in the state of Wisconsin.

The bad thing is that top loaders are becoming the same way worth less water usage. I'd I wash my prefolds, I rinse then before the wash.

 

[dogboy]

Where I live, we have lots of water, no droughts and I realize that makes my situation different from others who live in drier climates, California being the worst. We have a large, man made dam and if we are in a drought, we have the James River. Normally, we're drinking mountain water, so we're lucky. Water is still a precious commodity, though.

 

[ade]

nearly at the end of the bathroom refurb.
i'd been holding out for a discarded piece of worktop to replace the sink's worktop and to tidy up an awkward corner that was too awkward to serve any real purpose and acted more as a gather of dust. alas, waiting for a worktop wasn't working and none of the cupboard offerings by the shops would fit (and i certainly didn't want to spend fifty quid or more only to start chopping up what i'd just bought.)
in the meanwhile, i'd picked up this:
View attachment 26448

it's an old central-heating boiler cabinet. it had been left out for the binmen by the local plumbing shop as it's got a bit of surface damage to it's glossy front. naturally, i snapped it up. aye, owt for nowt

after a bit of humming and ahhing over whether or not to make the cabinet's cutout design feature a feature in it's new life as a cupboard, i set to work.

View attachment 26449

and there you go. it's now for storing the bog-roll and extends the worktop.
still a bit of finishing to do, but that's largely weather dependent (sealing, one door to paint and door knobs). oh, and i did get new door knobs; they were going cheap, mum needs something easier to grip with her arthritic hands and it's best to match, isn't it?
the only tip from this is that it's better to use a handsaw (fine toothed) than an oscillating multi-tool.