It's amazing what you find

Oh heck, I feel your pain when an old faithful tool dies. It sounds like you might be able to bring it back to life though.
I've just switched on my dad's old Wolf drill for the first time in 25 years and it runs perfectly. So it's not now heading for the recycling centre..
Al.

When we moved into this house there was a Black and Decker metal cased  drill in the shed cupboard. It has the oringional cord that’s looking a bit iffy. It is single speed but runs quite fast if a bit noisy. I might put a new lead on it and keep it for days when I forget to put the De Walt batteries on charge.

Yes, I'll check it out with my multi meter tomorrow Cymro, but it didn't trip my earth leakage in the garage.
Yes, I might replace the cord Dave. Plugs that aren't moulded on, now that's a novelty. Who here can remember being able to chose any vivid colour of 3 pin plug from the racks in Woolies?
I'll find a use for the drill, maybe with a polishing mop or rotary wire brush.
My problem is I can't bring myself to throw anything out that may have a use..
Al

I've started restoring a 1960's Staples trolley that's been sat in our garage for decades. Back in the 80's Mrs SDA painted it with a browny orange garden paint and I'm trying to take it back to it's original finish. 

The wheels pulled out of their sockets and cleaned up quite well. Under the grot and remains of black/grey paint the look as if they're bronze, which seems odd.

The trolley 'shelves' are actually two removable wooden trays with an oak veneers ply base and solid oak handle and side trims. The frame and the two dowels that connect the top of the frames are of beech and long brass screws hold it all together.

I've cleaned and refurbished the top tray and the dowels and cleaned off one of the side frames but I've hit a problem. I've used up all my stock of sandpaper and still need a few sheets to settle the two side frames and the bottom tray. As I'm supposed to be shielding I'm not supposed to go to B&Q and Amazon looks dire for sandpaper unless you buy 50 sheets a time.

Has anyone got any suggestions for a good source of sandpaper?

1 sheet to 25, various grades. 



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sandpaper-Sanding-Sheets-Klingspor-PL28C-Wood-Metal-mixed-You-Choose-grit-40-240/291998662189?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item43fc79fe2dmVqzgRsslQoc-5t2r7bSZ5Q&enc=AQAEAAACYIQvEcHUrT7nmUC3yY5qbPyaBN1nJEDYW8MyypsJPgXK%2FbHXiSk3bResJq8XcxLpXCn8UUvjQUlMmob3LS7x7rE6pmc%2BDJLX%2Bv3qdFsAjSR8WmwlRPl8Ekvs%2F0T6Z74PVWiNvONnOAudeKDIlYnH9kVZ0beCkZAdg%2BZftZe0w7trUfSVbDMGdlrPD2oQn0Zfij9rBNSngZIpjSgJRMtz8AdQu0K3IT1ApAd3HCdnbiF0Yw5847Yab8i3w0XXF%2FoWYDROTv1TVgtFShefevl%2B8PPZxb1gJcSHVeCgzT6EY3qW9bt1bIiLRYlCfjmWvRp5dmAEuqMVgQygYUy67caak%2B0H7YTYAukOX7YondsN5Np6x2%2FEhYY9zYEEJZ2M%2BpvNUhLvXT6Rtu%2BKBmsVTiat5upSuEzOV9B4Uue9HgiD%2F7oKvneUnaohrHz2ML7S3uckBFDa%2BGt2oI0lEXYY2X%2F325iptVtoxCF4h938BAsONjfkAvD6ncqXswczq79weKM%2FPfxnxdXwnSltb%2FSU%2F1BTIRN97ZW%2BM7tTTh82CGy%2F4L6AyK35gNm6xU7VULTvVEu9cGPrWQM4IU60IlaFbUH1CsK1mXCxCMZby4CAGBNYMTuQWkJ2r5sB1YA6G2QLY5LL3KODiZ4aVIIQxOCHWz9L11NWR01S6MCgA390dCtg9ySZDuYh4ZhXsrkp4zCU8RGRRABj4VD%2Bz%2BEqSmCmp06KdObWoLGv2pFeUBfkWZuxlSG7nOOLrGOA%2Bex14c2icdCVuRNTK%2BxZyAa4Ol7FSPWG6VmdAyi1kGDgkc1JK4xJsiCg&checksum=2919986621894629ccd3fa8e49d5b06300f15d0e4301

Cymro wrote:Hope the earth continuity remains OK, Al. I understand it's simple to check with a basic multimeter, though I don't know how. Is it just a case of putting the meter to check resistance and, with the drill unplugged of course,  holding one probe to the metal casing and the other to the earth prong of the plug?

It's a nice bit of kit, which seems to have done much service but isn't beaten yet.

Cymro

Yes, that's a basic check. Might need a new lead, rubber coated wires?
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Richard

Cymro wrote:Thanks Richard. Time for me to check the continuity of my old (but frequently used) rubber-coated extension cable. I assume I'm hoping to find a resistance of zero?

Cymro

I have a very old soldering iron that was my Fathers, I think it is RAF from the war, takes ages to get hot, tip about 1" square! but I remember us using it to repair car radiators, when they were made from brass!. Still got it's rubber cable. My late parents house that we now live in had rubber mains cables, Father used to say ok if you don't disturb them. When I did the rewire, some were bare wires, no sign of the rubber!
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Richard

Cymro wrote:Thanks Richard. Time for me to check the continuity of my old (but frequently used) rubber-coated extension cable. I assume I'm hoping to find a resistance of zero?

Cymro

I plugged in an old rubber cable earlier this year and soon discovered it had zero resistance but unfortunately that was between all three conductors , needless to say the trip protested! 

Also during the lockdown clear up found some of my not so frequently used tools.

steamdrivenandy wrote:........

Has anyone got any suggestions for a good source of sandpaper?

I have a good stock in my garage and will send you some free of charge if you personal message me your address
I have put this on one side if you want it:
1 sheet 30 grit, 1@80, 2@100, 2@150
Would probably cut into quarters for post
Richard

That's an extraordinarily kind offer Richard, I shall PM you immediately. The only problem is, how can I continue to slag off West Brom after such generosity?

I've been looking for a hand chainsaw for a while, so if you want it to go to a good home I can provide one :) Let me know what you'd like for it, if you still feel you can let it go.

Downsizing.... Yeah, been there. Not so much downsizing, a 400 mile flit, and trying to cut costs. A garage full of land rover parts (those 'just in case' ones) the garage was so full of stuff that I had actually forgotten there was a door on the back!

The stuff I got rid of. Tried to sell stuff, but nobody interested.... Stuff I couldn't even give away. Now, looking at those parts on ebay.... Well, I could have paid for the flit a couple of times over. Ho hum.

PL2 That's driven me to dust off the leather case for the saw and apply some saddle soap to help bring it back to suppleness. I noticed it has a small metal (and rather rusty) tool n a pocket, which I presume is something to help set the teeth. The case has belt loops too. The actual saw looks in good nick with no rust. I'll PM you about price and postage.

Mrgeoffrey wrote:Also during the lockdown clear up found some of my not so frequently used tools.

Got me a bit stumped there, I thought lock picking tools, but they look a bit big.

These are two of my dad's tools I've never used, connected, and both banned now I think. Any guesses?

We have moved house numerous times. One move I decided that if we had moved something to that house and not used it there, and we had moved it from the previous house where we also hadn't used it, we would dispose of it. At the back of the larder there was half a bottle of Brandy. We don't hardly drink alcohol, I don't know why we had it. I tried to remember when we bought it. In France, 13 years ago. It was 12 yrs aged brandy when we bought it so I thought it must be well past its BBE date though I couldn't find one. So we invited the neighbours over and got rid of it. It was quite nice after all.
Something I have noticed is that when I was buying tools for doing cars, or plumbing, they were quite expensive. So you might think that it would be worth putting on ebay. However the price of quality tools has plummeted since you bought yours and they aren't worth the bother of advertising. Still, they are quality tools so why throw them away? I have half a dozen diamond ingrained hole cutting drills which cost a lot but now they make cheap ones with less diamonds so unless I can find a dolly bird with a 100mm finger to put one on, they are useless to me.

By the way that Wolf drill says "double insulated" which means that it probably only needs a 2 core mains wire.

Looking at those tools, biker, I had to cross my legs and squirm. I had that operation many years ago!

Bikeralw , not sure but are your Dad's tools poultry related?  One looks like a beak cutter not sure about the other.
I'll let others have a few guesses at mine hopefully might keep a few of us amused. 

Mrgeoffrey

One thing I have noticed lately with ebay, some tools are being advertised with silly prices, and seem to be selling, and others with low starting prices don't. Same tools.....

And, given we are/were supposed to be in lockdown, the amount of things that are collection only. Really?

Steamdrivenandy you have a pm :)

I could do with that hand driven chain saw. Some leylandii trees over the fence are threatening to overpower my house. Trouble is they are on council property and I have talked to them about it, and they admit the problem but of course they have no money to do all the jobs that need doing.

Peatlander 2 wrote:One thing I have noticed lately with ebay, some tools are being advertised with silly prices, .....

And, given we are/were supposed to be in lockdown, the amount of things that are collection only. Really?

What I have noticed on ebay, and it's not just recently, items selling for a thousand times what they are worth. Literally. I have to conclude that it is money laundering. Only one person will buy the stuff obviously, the fence. Money into paypal and it has disappeared from sight.

As for collection I for example have a good hardly used but kept fully charged leisure battery. If someone wants to buy it I will say where it is on my driveway and they can come and collect it. We don't need to shake hands or drink wine from a commuion cup.

I'm inclined to agree about money laundering, trouble is there's an electronic paper trail....

I also agree about the non sharing of the communion Cup. But, let's say I want your leisure battery (I could do with a new one, tbh) how do I justify the trip to get it? Not that I'm going to do an 800 mile round trip right enough, unless I can call in at Barnard Castle on the way past... Would that make it okay? :)

No, to me it just seems silly to advertise something collection only on a national platform. Perhaps face book local would be better. I dunno... Mayhap I am overthinking things.

Ah, it might be different in Scotland, I don't think you are "allowed out" whereas we are allowed to go out to parks, and ( I think) as from 1st June we are allowed to meet in small family groups in our gardens, staying 2m apart.
The best explanation for the difference I heard on Radio 4 is that Wales and Scotland are just trying to put every spoke in every works that England does because those two countries are trying to assert their claim to be independent. Hence they will do everything they can to be different to England.
There is no problem ordering stuff from businesses on either 'click and collect' from the store, or for having stuff delivered by courier or the Post Office.

A vaguely related thing that is annoying me intensely is that ScrewFix are selling Gift Cards that cannot be redeemed. I have got a gift card, and tried to order something on line to 'click and collect'. When it comes to the payment checkout page there is no means of paying for an item with a gift card. I went to the shop, which is open, and they refused to accept the gift card as payment. They refused any sort of payment saying it has to be paid on line. I said there is no means of paying for it on line with a gift card. I got upset and left. I am now having emails with head office, I think it should be illegal to sell a gift card which cannot be redeemed. Harrumph.

Mrgeoffrey wrote:Bikeralw , not sure but are your Dad's tools poultry related?  One looks like a beak cutter not sure about the other.
I'll let others have a few guesses at mine hopefully might keep a few of us amused. 

Mrgeoffrey

Quite right, poultry.
My dad used to keep up to 200 or so free range hens on the farm, and I have horrific childhood memories of going into the hen cotes at night holding a torch so my dad could lift the hens of the perches and trim their beaks with the cutter. Sometimes either they'd struggle a bit or I would not be concentrating with the torch, resulting in a beak cut a little too short and me getting a spray of blood in the face....

The other tool was equally gruesome, it's for inserting a small torpedo shaped capsule under the skin at the back of the necks of young male chickens, chemical caponizing. That also could go wrong by torchlight...

Waiting for other suggestions regarding your tools, I don't think they're torture related...
Al.

gassygassy wrote:
The best explanation for the difference I heard on Radio 4 is that Wales and Scotland are just trying to put every spoke in every works that England does because those two countries are trying to assert their claim to be independent. Hence they will do everything they can to be different to England.

Who did the explaining GG ?  Lord Haw Haw , sorry , an impartial  concerned radio 4 listener called Borees Cumming- ham ! IFrom what the scientific advisers tell us it appears as the virus got to us later we are a couple of weeks behind the curve so to speak. 

And what we Englanders need to remember is that Wales and Scotland are nations in their own right, just like England, but a bit smaller in population. They have their own parliament/assembly and powers that they hold to administer their nation. They are not counties of England but part of the United Kingdom.

In fact it would have been much better if the UK government had encouraged much more local control throughout England, rather than trying to shoehorn a one size fits all policy.

The anachronism in all this is that England, or the regions of England, don't have their own assemblies etc with accompanying reduction in the centralising tendencies of Whitehall.