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May 17, 2017 23:33:44 GMT
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Basic Wombling : "If you think it might be useful - grab it!" I got brought in to strip a 1960s/70s bedsit (complete with a genuine James Bond flip-up bed) and modernise it. SHMBO had just got a (big!) camper van, and was lookng for a bed Shame the plans soon changed so the bed ended up as surplus. It was a cool gadget though!
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May 17, 2017 23:17:42 GMT
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Another excellent cure for boredom - plastering an Edwardian/Victorian stationmasters house (the blue bags were full of loose plaster we had pulled off the walls ) ... in mid-winter On the plus side we got to spend 3 days at a time in the holiday cottage while we working on it, and the local pub had no mobile phone reception so folk were always sociable. We "just" had to build a timber frame on the walls, fit insulation, platerboard the walls, then plaster the walls & ceiling....
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Last Edit: Sept 18, 2019 0:18:22 GMT by nomad
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May 17, 2017 23:01:22 GMT
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A friend has a holiday cottage down South, if I'm passing nearby I often stop for a few days and always take a toolkit "just in case" You know those passing comments like "the bath tap has started dripping, do you think it just needs a new washer?" ( the word *just* always sets alarm bells ringing!) Hmmm Turns out, it "just" needs the mouldy silicone stripping and re-doing (yes - the rest of the mould did get fixed before I left ), then 2 new bath taps, and repeat for the sink so it all matches. I really appreciate the effort my friends put in to make sure I don't get bored on my holidays! Honest
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May 17, 2017 22:42:19 GMT
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A mate is very into woodwork and his wife does a lot of voluntary work with the local church. When the church lost their overspill storage, they had to get rid of a lot of broken church pews they had been keeping. He collected a car load, kept what he could use and I got a few of the unwanted bits. It made me happy ! Take a Retro 70s sofa-bed (that I'd recovered about 10 years ago just to see if I could ) and you get ... I love this type of project. I think we paid £30 for the sofa 2nd hand about 20 years ago so it owes us nothing, the timber was free ... (if anyone likes the material I've got plenty left, or visit the big local material markets at South Shields / Chester-le-Street)
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May 17, 2017 22:27:28 GMT
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Find a "spare" bit of garden around the side of the house, add some scavenged stuff & time ... A chap along the street had a skip with loads of decking (he had removed it as his kids kept slipping on it when it rained) Around the same time, a mate stripped his shed as he wanted 1 wall to make a lean-to. I took the other wall + 1 end (with door) + "scrap" bits The "scrap" shed bits were just the right size to make the side wall higher, and to put an extra panel at the end to make it longer Waste not ... Decking for the floor (great for drainage ), use some leftover decking to make a nice solid end. We're getting there Nice new (bought - not scavenged!) plywood roof Job done (sorry no "finished" pic but I'm sure you can work out the rest) !
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May 17, 2017 22:10:42 GMT
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A sunny day, few beers, loud music - sit back and relax or ... Of all the jobs that got done on the house, this was one of the simplest but made the garden feel huge! Tip : take hedges down to shoulder height to open up the garden without loosing the feeling of privacy
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May 17, 2017 22:01:44 GMT
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Things don't have to be high-tech. The cooker in the new house was impressive but all 6 dials were beyond help (and about £12 each for new ones! ) Solution? Buy 1 new oven dial as that needs numbers, then just paint the others with no-expense-spared "wheel silver" aerosol. Find a shop selling "kids DIY jewelry" packs and use 1 stick-on "fake black dot" gem to mark the "Off" point on each dial. (sorry, no "Finished" pics but you get the idea)
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May 17, 2017 21:48:39 GMT
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Once upon a time ... Step 1 - put a temporary roof over an open back yard to keep things dry. Step 2 - remove it a few years later and replace with a decent roof Step 3 - scavenge a smart bay window (Ebay £12 ) remove the side windows and use the center glass & frame. Add a freebie pair of old (Edwardian?) french doors. Then "just" add strong security mesh inside and the parrots love it forum.retro-rides.org/thread/edit/120130
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May 17, 2017 21:34:08 GMT
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I like a lot of Retro stuff but badly-fitted fake ceiling beams and artex are not my favourite Nice - if you like this type of thing (note the gaps above the beams!) Ceiling plastered & painted, coving well on the way Love the result!
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May 17, 2017 21:21:24 GMT
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It's amazing the difference a new bench top can make in a small galley kitchen. The new compact sink and "pre-owned" integrated hob don't hurt either. The low-budget oven I ordered was out of stock so the local place gave me a free upgrade to one of the models they had in stock. A good result The off-cuts from the bench made a neat "integrated" top for the washing machine, and a handy shelf for kettle etc. Minimal waste
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May 17, 2017 20:57:58 GMT
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Ingredients needed to make a quick extension cable : A 97 metre "offcut" of cable (bought as scrap for £3.42 when I was working at a cable factory - it was too short for them to sell as a 100m roll ) An empty timber cable reel (thanks to our resident sky dish installer) A decent metal-clad socket ( found here forum.retro-rides.org/thread/129308/any-advice-pubs-strip ) From To That was done a few years ago and still looks as good as it did when I made it.
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May 17, 2017 20:46:05 GMT
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A bit of background : I'm a big fan of using stuff I've scavenged rather than buying new (this applies to cars, home DIY, and my daily work) A few recent threads on here ( grizz etc ) seem popular so why not start another one I'll let the pics do the talking (I'm working through pics from about 4 different cameras over the years so will probably list them in date order) A quick sample of what to expect, from ( 5 crowd control barriers 13" x 6" )
to
(more info forum.retro-rides.org/thread/152982/guess-solution )
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Last Edit: Mar 18, 2021 19:06:55 GMT by nomad
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May 16, 2017 21:13:43 GMT
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^ Good points above.
I've lost count of how many "sub £200 daily" cars I've bought, and soon had to spend more on service/maintenance parts than the original purchase price (pick any from - tyres, brake calipers/pads, driveshafts, ABS, exhaust, suspension...)
If you need to pay for labour or welding the cost jumps up again so a £500 purchase soon becomes a £1500 project.
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May 16, 2017 15:30:46 GMT
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May 16, 2017 14:50:22 GMT
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"Affordable" for me changes regularly depending on circumstances - this month it might be £200 next month maybe £5,000+
I've found I can have most fun with motors from scrap value (<£100) to "presentable" under £2,000. If they go bang or get bumped in a carpark I can laugh it off or throw them away and get something else. I've had cars in the £5,000 - £6,000 range but I'm not so relaxed with on-street parking & "spirited" driving.
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May 15, 2017 16:49:19 GMT
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May 15, 2017 16:39:03 GMT
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Stuff that always appeals : "make do and mend" threads (using a retro as a daily, grizz "other modifications" threads etc) technical (engine swaps - modern motor/ecu into an older car, how to wire fuel injection, megasquirt/jolt etc) road trip writeups. Stuff I look at sometimes : event writups / meetups / community events. Not for me (no broadband) - videos A couple of ideas : Maybe create a "other machinery" or "bike etc" sub-forum in the "other modificatioins section" ? Review cats? I think the MO says cats are always good, some folk above would prefer birds? Time to review the MO ?
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May 14, 2017 21:52:15 GMT
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Top find - thanks for sharing He has a few other "special" items for sale
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May 14, 2017 15:35:41 GMT
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May 12, 2017 16:24:09 GMT
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^ it's interesting to see so many different opinions on this thread ( "Historical is optional", "Oh no it isn't" etc ) It's always a good idea you put a link to support what you're saying, so everyone knows where you got the info (Your mate in the pub, UK.GOV website etc) classics.honestjohn.co.uk/news/comment/2015-03/classic-car-tax-exemption-what-you-need-to-know/I can't believe the authorities are making the change just so us car folk can put a black & silver plate onto our 1973 Retro. BenzBoy posted cars must "be registered within the ‘historic vehicles’ tax class" so the plates will identify vehicles on historical tax. Should I be getting concerned???
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