Category: Do It Yourself

  • Sighting A Straight Line

    Sighting A Straight Line

    Introduction I would say sighting a straight line is a common practice used by builders and joiners to determine if a piece of timber is straight or bowed. It can be used to test any length of timber, but long pieces in particular. The practice requires no tools, just eyesight with a good depth of…

  • Cleaning A Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother

    Cleaning A Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother

    Introduction I’ve had a Nespresso Pixie since June 2012 and at the same time I acquired a Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother (Aeroccino 3 to be precise). These devices are very nice to have and work well even after 2½ years continual use. The coffee is very nice too. NOTE: The Nespresso Aeroccino 3 has been…

  • Print A Long Thin Calendar For Any Year

    Print A Long Thin Calendar For Any Year

    NOTE: You can now select 365 day calendars E, F and G. I’m sorry they were unavailable. Coming on this site later this year (2024): A4 landscape style calendar, suitable for printing on Laser Printers which have smudge resistant ink. Introduction My wife and mother-in-law both prefer a long thin calendar like this in A3…

  • Fourteen Different Calendars

    Fourteen Different Calendars

    Introduction If you didn’t already know it the 1st January next year will always be on a different day to the 1st January this year. This comes about because: for ordinary years with 365 days there are 52 weeks and 1 day remaining, for leap years with 366 days there are 52 weeks and 2 days remaining.…

  • Dyson Slim DC18 Cleaner Head Maintenance

    Dyson Slim DC18 Cleaner Head Maintenance

    Introduction This article advises how to perform Dyson Slim DC18 Cleaner Head Maintenance. This can involve removing the Brushbars to remove items that have got wrapped around them and removing the Soleplate for access  so dirt can be cleaned out. In extreme cases the Motor Housing can be opened so that dirt can be sucked out of…

  • Dyson Slim DC18 Filter Cleaning

    Dyson Slim DC18 Filter Cleaning

    Introduction This article describes the Dyson Slim DC18 Filter Cleaning process for the Pre-filter and the HEPA (Highly Efficient Particle Arrester) Post-filter. Many devices in this world which pump air have air filters. They’re installed to stop dirt harming mechanisms, bearings, etc.. Without filters that dirt would ultimately make them perform badly or fail.  The air filters clog up…

  • Repairing Broken Timber Fence Posts

    Repairing Broken Timber Fence Posts

    Introduction A friend of mine has a fence at the bottom of his garden made from six interwoven fence panels each 6ft × 6ft (1.8m × 1.8m). They are erected on a three feet high bank of soil. His neighbour on the next street has a garden backing onto his but beyond the bank of soil. So work done on…

  • Woodscrews And Bolts

    Woodscrews And Bolts

    Introduction This article on woodscrews and bolts is very basic at the moment but may get improved with time. Woodscrew Chart by W. L. Fuller Coach Screws and Bolts have been used in the construction and erection of my shed as mentioned in my post about Securing Shed Doors.

  • How A Toilet Cistern Silent Fill Valve Works

    How A Toilet Cistern Silent Fill Valve Works

    Introduction This article is in effect an addendum to the post Repairing A Toilet Silent Fill Valve which explains how to access and dismantle such a valve and inspect or change the diaphragm that sits in the valve. That post also explains what is, and is not, silent about a Silent Fill Valve. This is…

  • Repairing A Toilet Silent Fill Valve

    Repairing A Toilet Silent Fill Valve

    Preface This post describes: How to repair a Toilet Silent Fill Valve. Basically that’s how to replace the rubber diaphragm within the valve. Introduction I recently heard my cistern overflowing. On investigation I decided to adjust the float level to stop it by reducing the height to which the water in the cistern rose when…

  • Unblocking A Bathroom Wash Basin Drain

    Unblocking A Bathroom Wash Basin Drain

    Introduction I recently noticed the waste water leaving my bathroom wash basin was taking more time than usual to drain away. Realising this meant a total blockage may be imminent, I set to work dismantling the waste pipe and bottle trap so that I could begin unblocking my wash basin drain. Boy was there some gunge to…

  • Fixing Shelf Battens To Old Walls

    Fixing Shelf Battens To Old Walls

    Preface This post describes: How I spent a day fixing shelf battens for two shelves in a house. The walls were old and not solid brick as expected. The walls crumbled when I drilled into them so I had to repair them and drill again.

  • Opening Dual-Flush Toilet Cisterns

    Opening Dual-Flush Toilet Cisterns

    Preface This post describes: Opening Dual-Flush Toilet Cisterns to maintain the inlet valve and flushing mechanism.

  • Zipper Slider Repairs

    Zipper Slider Repairs

    Introduction Here are two zipper slider repairs that can be done when the pull tab has come off and either: the crown (or lug) is lost, you still have the crown (or lug). This post is an edited compilation of two posts I wrote on this blog in the past describing the repair of Zipper Sliders. I have updated the references and…

  • Preventing Steel Rusting on My Carport

    This post describes the methods used to prevent steel rusting on the frame of my car port. I used two part epoxy resin paint when I repainted rusty sections after 19 years.

  • Dripping noise from a rainwater spout

    Dripping noise from a rainwater spout

    Preface This post refers specifically to downpipes with a square cross section. It shows how to modify a rainwater downpipe spout (shoe) to stop a dripping noise when the drip starts within the outlet shoe. Introduction For drips that drop off the guttering outlet and fall all the way down to the bottom of a straight downpipe and hit the…

  • My Easily Positioned Bed Headboard Wall Fixings

    My Easily Positioned Bed Headboard Wall Fixings

    Introduction This post describes a method for DIY readers to make and mount bespoke wooden Bed Headboard Wall Fixings, to my design, so that no bolts are visible and so the headboard can be removed by just lifting it vertically to allow for cleaning or horizontal adjustment. It gives a specific example. Other headboards will be different, but I hope anyone wanting to use this…

  • Automotive Air Compressor RAC900 by RING

    Automotive Air Compressor RAC900 by RING

    Introduction This post is about the RING Automotive Air Compressor RAC900 which is an excellent pump for inflating anything with a Schrader valve, (e.g. car tyres, bicycle tyres, etc.) or balls, airbeds, etc. (3 Inflation Adapters are supplied). It has to be powered by a 12 volt (30 amp peak) supply such as a car battery (not provided).

  • Laundry Symbols

  • Household Measures

  • Female Clothes Sizes

  • Dressmaking Fabric Widths

  • Gas Oven Settings

  • Dyson Slim DC18 Upright – Undercarriage Repair

    Dyson Slim DC18 Upright – Undercarriage Repair

    Introduction This post gives a detailed description, with photos and reference to a Parts Diagram, of how to replace a Dyson Slim DC18 Undercarriage. The Undercarriage would require changing if part of it broke since parts cannot be obtained individually. I changed mine when the Air Input Changeover Valve Actuator broke. “Since I first published…

  • How Many Parts Make A Shower Head?

    How Many Parts Make A Shower Head?

    How Many Parts? You may be surprised to learn that the shower head that came with my Mira Sport Thermostatic Shower is made from 22 separate parts. If you count them in the featured image above you will see 21 but take note that the main body of the shower head, on the right, is made…

  • Keeping Birds Off TV Aerials

    Keeping Birds Off TV Aerials

    Introduction In my previous post “Freeview Aerial Direction” you may have noticed something unusual about my Yagi TV antenna/aerial. Yes, amongst the array of directors in front of the dipole and on the reflector at the back there are some Zip Ties (Cable Ties – often used for anchoring a cable to something else). In this…

  • Terrestrial Freeview TV Aerial Direction

    Terrestrial Freeview TV Aerial Direction

    Introduction In November 2012 I had my terrestrial TV aerial relocated to another corner of my chimney stack so that it doesn’t overhang my solar panels. Birds were perching on it and making a mess on them. Consequently I needed to check my TV aerial direction to be sure it points to the transmitter. The aerial engineer (Martin…

  • Removing A Bra Wire From A Washing Machine

    Removing A Bra Wire From A Washing Machine

    Preface This post describes: removing a Bra Wire from a washing machine when it has come out of a bra and penetrated the inner drum of a front loader. These wires tend to come out of badly maintained bras while being washed. They don’t necessarily damage the machine immediately but always have the potential to…

  • I’ve Spilt Paint On My Patio Slabs. What Will I Do?

    I’ve Spilt Paint On My Patio Slabs. What Will I Do?

    Introduction “Oh dear! The spilt paint on my patio slabs created a 20cm dia. puddle when my tin of mahogany paint blew over. It was tipped up by a gust of wind which lifted the cardboard it was resting on.” “There would have been photos but I had to swear first and then get on…

  • Should You Worry About Your Bath Overflowing?

    Should You Worry About Your Bath Overflowing?

    Introduction Bragging bath owner, “Me, worry about my bath overflowing? It’s got an overflow pipe. I shan’t worry.” Plumber, “Oh! Has it? Well I would still worry.” Why you DO NEED to worry about your bath overflowing? I know someone who has had a bad experience with a bath overflowing, but it wasn’t their bath…