Jump to content

Do people try and fix things anymore?


ph5172
 Share

Recommended Posts

My flymo (second hand) died the other day, I could hear the motor spinning but nothing else. 

Took it apart and replaced the snapped belt (after drilling out a few screws that were welded in do to being exposed to the grass on the deck)

£4.40 and job done in an hour (well less than a week waiting for the belt)

some of the guys I work with couldn’t understand why I didn’t bin the machine and just buy new (the nearest equivalent was £100 on offer) 

I am late 30s and by the sound of it appear to be the last of the generations that attempt to fix rather than just bin and buy. 

My theory is, if it’s knackered already what’s the worse you can do.  

Anyone else notice this? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 53
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

3 minutes ago, B725 said:

It's always better to at least try a repair and it gives you some satisfaction if it work's. But we live in a throw away society and a lot of people just can't be bothered. 

I was most made up (mainly because I had saved myself £100 as well)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Friends tend to bring me their broken cars, bikes, machines etc and I make it clear that I will gladly have a go, but it has to be understood that things can and do go wrong. I love resurrecting things that people have given up hope on.

I have said before, I regarded myself as a bodging expert until I joined Pigeonwatch, then I realised I was only a mere apprentice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will try and repair most things. The one area I do shy away from now is electronics. Too clumsy for the micro circuitry these days, though I did build a RC aircraft radio and receiver, plus servos in my youth, but as with all things, it has moved on and left me behind. Best with the hammer and screwdriver now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm 27 I fix as much stuff as I can or where possible make my own parts /adapt old ones & regularly keep old bits from broken things as spares in the future & I'm always on the look out for off cuts of wood , metal or Pvc piping . Just made a load of hoop frames to hang netting over to keep the pigeons off the cabbages on my mother's allotment plot 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, ph5172 said:

My flymo (second hand) died the other day, I could hear the motor spinning but nothing else. 

Took it apart and replaced the snapped belt (after drilling out a few screws that were welded in do to being exposed to the grass on the deck)

£4.40 and job done in an hour (well less than a week waiting for the belt)

some of the guys I work with couldn’t understand why I didn’t bin the machine and just buy new (the nearest equivalent was £100 on offer) 

I am late 30s and by the sound of it appear to be the last of the generations that attempt to fix rather than just bin and buy. 

My theory is, if it’s knackered already what’s the worse you can do.  

Anyone else notice this? 

I'm 34. I'd always repair rather than replace. 

But you are right. The guys I work with are similar to yours. I sometimes take their "broken" stuff off their hands. Fix it and either keep it or sell it. 

I have a nearly new husky chainsaw that a bloke I work with was taking down the tip because it wouldn't cut. He'd never greased the clutch and the chain break had seized on. I just gave it a good dose of WD40 and a new clutch and it's never failed since!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, spandit said:

Don't know what to do with the telly - can't even use it as a monitor as that would need the HDMI ports too...

I moved my lg into another room so if the wife wants to watch Emmerdale I can go in there and watch something else. It works fine on an aerial. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends on what it is, as to if I'll try and fix it.

Cheap as chips and easy to replace but will probably break beyond repair just getting into, I won't bother. Though sometimes I'll take it apart to see what broke.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I try and fix most things first. I’m 31 been a mechanical engineer for nearly 15 years so it’s second nature. Most recently changed brushes in washing machine, mrs wanted to buy a new one but £5 later I had it up and running and saved £££s. Samsung TV capacitors replaced on an old flatscreen, still going strong 10 years later! Wife’s GHD hair straighteners failed, replaced some thermal switch and got them going again. However you’re right the amount of items thrown away because people believe an item has one life. Saying that things aren’t built like they used to be, and an intentional life of an item is more than likely engineered into a product now days. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m 28 and fix as much as I can. However I do usually shy away from the circuitry type of thing. Latest fix was the hoover (just a snapped belt) but the mrs was about to spend £300 on some shark hoover thing. Other fixes the last few months were a rotivator (new gaskets and plug) also a water pump for the central heating system on the canal boat (new bushes). It’s more the satisfaction of fixing something for me than the coat side of things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every thing i saw that was broken at home and at work i intended to fix in my cave, it got to a point that i couldn't see what was in my cave that i was going to fix due to the mount of stuff in there. 

So , i cleared a load of tat out thinking I'd rather spend my life outside of my cave living my life rather than inside my cave wasting my time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...