We got four hand cranked jobbies one is a treddle 29K long and short arm and a 201 & 55 all superb machines, grab them now because they are quad in price.Ab Origine wrote:

The Apprentice wrote:
Don't say that! I really wanted it at the time but didn't have the cash. They're one of those items that will always be of use, but will never be made again.

When I was an ickle wee kid I shared a bedroom with one of these chappies.........


Quite an incredible piece of engineering really.
My mum was a ninja on it. I swear she could bake a loaf with it if challenged.

No idea where it went. I suppose space became a premium as us four kids grew and accumulated our own crap.

I can do the papering and decorating thing pretty good too as it goes. I can also sew by hand and fix just about anything, including shoes and boots on occasion. Not because I knew how too but purely down to be resourceful and using what I had around. Can also be creative when I put my mind to it.

I actually put the sewing and creative thing together last halloween and made some corpse bride outfits with the deliberate intention of selling them... which I did. Made a few quid and plan to do the same again this halloween. I still have one of those outfits left as I finished it too late. But overall, I was impressed by me

When I was young I also had quite a fascination with taking apart clocks and watches if I got the chance too... never got as far as putting anything back together however

feather wrote:
That right there is beautiful. Couldn't get one of them from Maplins these days...

huh.. i got one of those. it was in the basement for years i guess.

I can do plastering if anyone in the local area needs a hand. Got a City & Guilds in it back in the day, though I've never done it as a full time job 'professionally' (too much like real hard work lol)

Its a skill thats always stood me in good stead though.

feather wrote:
I gave one of those away to a lady up the road who made things but couldn't afford one. I'd had it for years purely for decorative value and figured she would have more joy from it then me, plus I'd had it for ages.

She was one delighted lady that day

psketti wrote:
Aww...I know I slag you off, but you're not a bad old stick.

Ab Origine wrote:

... now do fuck off

Ab Origine wrote: True dat ^

This tip kicks ass imo.
The Best Ever Picture Hanging Tip

do you guys have things called hercules hooks over there? they are pretty nice for hanging stuff on drywall. up to 150lbs apparently

feather wrote:
Excellent, thanks feather That tap thing looks pretty easy

I'm sure my sister has got one of those wallpaper steamer things actually. I'll have to ask her. There's a big painting job needs doing in the hall and landing, me and my bro don't really fancy it but it's got to be done.

batou wrote:
I'm sure you can get them bats, but not so much. Mostly traditional construction over here is masonry and plaster board which just standard raw plugs are good for.

Not sure about the modern stuff though, as most of it seems to be headed that way. It's a pretty neat little invention, actually.

dubmeup wrote:
This puts me off sewing machines...I've always been a bit scared of them...the noise, the speed and power of the angry needle

Ab Origine wrote: Tbh rawl plugs are no good for plaster board. They just expand into empty space and therefore have no strength.
There are various types of dedicated board fixings. The butterfly type and the type that compresses two arms as you tighten them, being the main ones. Both of these clamp against the back face of the plasterboard and will take a lot of weight. Strongest plasterboard fixing would obv be screwing into the studs or noggins. They aren't always where you want them to be though which is where plasterboard fixings come in.

dubmeup wrote:
That's what bats is talking about, dubs. I'm talking about masonry with plasterboard on top or just plaster. I think 'Dry-wall' is the hollow stuff you're talking about. My place doesn't have a single 'hollow' wall in it because of it's age. It's good in one sense but it's a bitch to hang a picture. They tended to use those breeze-block type things or even bricks for internal walls and then coat with plaster when they built these flats.

I don't think they even bother doing that any more, as a lot of the new places I've seen don't even have block separating internal from external/communal areas, just plasterboard on wood joists. Not good, imo. But, I'm sure it's all environmentally friendly and whatnot. Cheap too.

Ah yes abs sorry, I thought you were referring to board on a stud wall. Not a lined masonry one. (My experience is that even old houses are prone to stud partitioning. The place we were in before was stone built 17th century. It basically was a donut with the oblong external walls and a central chimney. All the inner partitions were later stud additions) As you were then