Folks Of Interest Am I weird, or just like all of you??

So today was typical of my weekends. Wife told me the George Foreman grill is kaput. So, instead of tossing it and buying a new one, I tear it apart and find the cord is shot. Off to the hardware store for a new cord, and 1/2 hour later, George is ready to grill again.

Friday, we got the scrap order at work (for warrantee parts). I spot two heated seat grids, so I grab 'em. Want a heated seat for my bike (I ride all year 'round). Both were fragged, so I tore the one apart, see how it's done, and fix the one better suited for the bike. Another hour and the seat is back on the bike, the wiring will wait until I get back from the junkyard for a couple heater blower resistors, and maybe a switch (conversion vans are GREAT for switches).

Had always meant to relay the brake lights on the Falcon, to save the hydraulic switch. Grabbed the big box o' relays (grab 'em every time I'm at the 'yard), and did the deed. Took enough pics for an article come tech week, too!!

And this is how it goes. I never throw anything out until I am satisfied that:
A) it is truly broken beyond repair, and
B) it is scrapped for all it's useable parts, which are put properly away, so's I can find 'em.
C) Everything is disassembled, if only to learn how it's put together.

Car parts, even when replaced, are kept for patterns, or emergency spares.

In the house, my vacuum is 1954. Washer and dryer, 1983, Toaster mid 60's, Computer 2004, etc. etc; and my shop tools can date back to very early 1900 (converted-to-electric drill press, for one).

So am I the only one, being truly a throwback to an earlier era, if not just plain weird?? Or is it a HAMB thing, something that draws us all together??

Cosmo

 

I love taking stuff apart, and fixing it usually isn't a problem if its stuff thats readily available, but the junkyards are all about a 2hr drive so it isn't very practical for me...plus I still havent gotten any better in the patience department with age like I thougt I would....

 

Those old vintage toasters make the best toast. We had one for several years, til it finally burned out.

Blue

 

I do it, too. But I do it to try to beat the throwaway idea big companies have today.

And I like the style of a lot of old looking appliances and tools.

 

2004...Running Bias-Ply hard drives?

Those old vintage toasters make the best toast. We had one for several years, til it finally burned out.

Blue. Amen, yer onto sumpthin.

 

I was going to tease you about the George Forman grill and the fact that I never grill on anything but fire..... But ya, your just like me! I've got a 100 year old house, a batch of 50-80 year old cars and tons of stone aged tools that I'm constantly repairing and improving. The rest of the world will never get it.

 

All sounds logical to me. I think its the rest of the world that's fucked up.

 

You sound like me.... or I sound like you. Sometimes it annoys the dear wife that I hang onto so much "junk".

 

I think I'm with you, lot of boxes of something that will "someday" be used... =)

 

Do you still have it?? I started working life rebuilding toasters...

As if anyone's surprised...I still have some parts...

Cosmo

 

Everybody forgets the three R's. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

 

My favorite toys growing up were broken things I could tear apart. Eventually I started putting them back together and once in a while they would work. Now I fix things for a living, have spare parts for cars I no longer have, and it bugs the heck out of me when I can't fix something.

 

Hey, at least my wife understands, even embraces it! She cooks on a 1950 Wedgewoood stove (and yes our toaster is just as old) in our 63 year old "restored" not upgraded house and drives a 40 year old car to work. I think she's a keeper.
I hate everything you buy today is throw aways. There is a shop down the street from mine, as a kid I remember it was an electric shaver repair shop. Can you imagine trying to find a shop to repair your razer today?

 

I think we're all a bit like it, I got it from my Dad who used to pull old valve radios apart and reuse everything in his hobby as a Ham radio operator

 

Yep, the same here my Sunday, had birds nesting on a 3 inch ledge above my door, miter saw and some left over door casing, had to buy screen, made a screen window frame. Ice maker quit working, read online how to trouble shoot went thru the proces, ordered a water inlet valve, framed 2 walls in my basement, took my daughter to the park, transplanted some hostas,honey do, mowed the yard, cooked enchiladas for dinner, cut up some scrap steel for a tool stop for a bench grinder I bought at an auction, will weld it up this evening.

 

I'm with you, brother.

Got my grandma's 1947 Toastmaster and two garages full of grandpa's tools and parts.

 

Yup, everytime an appliance quits around here my wife is ready to toss it out and get a new one. Stove just needed a new igniter, dryer needed a new drum bushing, dehumidifier need a new motor, etc, etc. my brother and I have a handyman business we run since we retired and people seem amazed that we can fix things instead of just replacing them.

 

Only weird thing is that you didn't have a box of cut off cords on the shelf. Other than that you seem perfectly normal...

 

Least you forget hot rodders are the original recyclers. HRP

 

grew up on a farm , taught by my great grandfather to use evrything more than once. That is if a vacume broke he would reuse the motor ,
reuse ale scrapmetal posible , and i just love taking things apart se how they work and fix them if possible .

 

... and Repurpose. I try to find a use for something whenever possible. Even if you have to chop it apart to get something out of it. Those Tropicana containers with the flip tops, great for mixing up plant food with water, a lot easier to store as well.

I had a problem with my washing machine a few months ago, looked it up online, narrowed down the problem, took it apart and found a bad coupler that cost me $20 to replace. I love appliance parts places, those guys are amazing and very helpful.

Spotweld broke on the ironing board, I just drilled it out and used a self-tapper to hold the piece back on. I'll try to fix almost anything before I give it the last rites.

Bob

 

My wife asks me to look at things first. I have every manual and parts list for anything I've bought. Washer and dryers are pretty easy, so are stoves.

I was battling my oil burner for many years, finally converted to gas. I still have a shelf of spare nozzles, filters and other parts that I'm slowly giving away.

Bob

 

I had a neighbor who had a nice audio home system that quit working. I took it, found that the power supply/transformer was shot. Tried to get the specs and buy a new one. The schematic did not show the specs and the company would not tell me the specs forcing me to by one from them. I unhappily gave them the few extra bucks rather than buying a aftermarket unit for less. Cost me 80 bucks and the system works great.
One of many stories just like yours.
Yep we all do that crap. We cannot help it.
My wife likes it and my sons think like that too.
I had a friend once tell me I "could make a car run with an eraser and a paperclip"

 

I am not excatly Mr. Handyman, but my bros do a great job of keeping stuff working when most people would be tossing stuff out. Being in the vintage stuff business I have an electrical genious, Craig, who fixes a lotta stuff for me, he fixed two vintage clocks last visit and is slated for several floor lamps, table lamps, on next visit. ~sololobo~

 

I used to just toss stuff and buy a new one, but in recent years I have become Mr. Fixit. Our Milwaukee angle grinder stopped working, you had to bang it on the bench to get it to start. I tore it down and found the brushes had worn away so after $10 it ran like new again.

Then our washing machine wouldn't agitate the clothes so I went on line and found out there is a dog thing in there that wears out, tore it apart (with instructions from the internet) and bought the parts. Had it working in about half an hour.

Our kitchen faucet was leaking so I called Moen and found out they have a lifetime warranty. They sent me free guts for it and no more leaks. The kit even came with great instructions.

I am actually having fun fixing things instead of just replacing them and you can find tons of information on the net if you just Google your make and model and what is going on. I have done a lot of things to my daily driver from information I found on line, saving me expensive trips to the dealer.

Don

 

?? HUH ?? YUP u all sounds normal to me ?? we do it the same on this side of the water.............well ...thats just "hot roddin'" aint it , we can applies to ALL things....cheers RK57

 

I do just about 100% of the building and repairs on our cars, RV, house and it's contents.
We're throw-backs to the old days of where farmers, etc. HAD to figure out how to build and repair things or they'd starve.

I believe there's 3 main reasons society has become a throw away/replace or pay someone else to repair it society;

1) In the 80's, society started to switch to technology/white collar emphasis on careers. Much of that generation didn't grow up interested in how things work and how to repair it. It wasn't passed on by older folks and High Schools pulled their shops.

2) Cheap, crappy, throw away products. Right or wrong, we as a society "accepted" small and large appliances that would last 3-5 years instead of 20+ years. Also, the technology made it difficult to repair things yourself or unfeasable to have it repaired. You replaced a $25 VCR because it cost more than that to have it repaired. TV's too. I recall testing TV tubes with my dad at the self test bench at the drug store. Replace a bad tube and you're up and running for $4. Now, you e-cycle it and buy a new one.

3) Dual income households enabled us to buy (or BELIEVE we could afford to buy) all the toys. In the 70's as a kid, we had a 3 bedroom/ 1 bath home. One car, etc. It was a big deal when we had TV's added to the bedrooms.
Now my house has 7 TV's, PC's, 3 cars, RV, etc.
Because my Wife is a stay at home Mom, I have to figure out how to build and repair things or we'll starve! (repeat of line in first paragraph).

 

new cord ? you don't have any hanging on wall ? you are wierd .
fix stuff all the time , i'm cheap. my car will take years to finish.

 

I have 2 boxes of those....
Once in a while I'll get to use some of them. Replaced a worn-out cord on a Makita grinder once; even had a cord with the stress-relief molded on that fit it.

My siblings would make fun of me for taking things apart (and not putting them back together), but I just figured it as "building up my mechanical skills"; which has come in handy.

And, I agree with Hot Rods ta Hell, growing up on a farm, you had to make do with minimal purchased parts....not only $-wise, but time/distance to get a replacement; IF they had it.

 

just rebuilt the faucet on the back of the house this weekend. $1.15 to make it work like new. Wife doesn't know any different. she just tells me whats broken and expects me to fix it. she thinks her friends husbands that can't fix things are strange