What Preps are you doing this week? Part 11

[Frnc]

I . I used 12p worth of gas yesterday, including a shower! Less than the standing charge. It got me thinking. It's not right that someone using almost none pays the same standing charge as someone using loads.

I used my new power drill as a screwdriver. It was OK for the London Bar, but kept slipping for the strike plate. Maybe I used the wrong bit. Anyone got any tips on that?

If I could guarantee that the local LPG place would be open "forever" id be re jetting my boiler and running it on LPG via refillable bottles and telling the gas co to come rip the meter out.... No standing charge on my own LPG bottles not sure how LPG costs (£1 ish per litre ) Vs natural gas but without the standing charge


As for rte screwdriver bits look at the screw head closely you've got Philips which are a simple + ph 1 are smaller screws up to about 6 gauge then up to 11 gauge they are ph2 and 12 gauge ph3...

You've also got pozzi but they have a slight star pattern a cross with very subtle 4 additional points pz1 pz2 and pz3
Eg
IMG_20240512_161156637_HDR.jpg


They look the same at a glance but use one in the other it'll slip like mad

I think the PZ bit I used on the London Bar screws worked better. Maybe for the others I was using PH and should have been PZ. I have done a lot of screw driving in the past, such as ply lining floors, never had much of a problem. I just did a bit of quick research and apparently Phillips are more prone to slipping, as they were specifically designed TO slip if the torque was too great. I see the screws I bought for the strike plate are PZ.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Car needs a wash before I pass it to the MOT god's on Saturday morning...... Checked it over last weekend


Greenhouse is looking more green tomatoes are away ..need to pot my peppers and chillies on when I grab some compost

Potatoes need ridging again too wet last night

Sweetcorn is in

Blackcurrants have set as have the gooseberrys

Need to get some carrots planted

Got a mouse problem in the chicken coup so need to set some traps or shut the cat in

[Yorkshire Andy]

Driving home last night came via the supermarket on leaving dense black smoke in the distance between the supermarket and the fire there's the fire station by the time id found somewhere safe to park and get my mobile out ... I was pulled up on the pavement outside the fire station rung the door bell no answer within 20 seconds. So used the red phone in the box on the wall...


That was a new experience like going back to the 1990's with a corded phone with one yellow faded button on the base unit which connected to bt exchange like a regular 999 call as I was on the phone the bells went inside the station and lots of running about was their dinner time call handler oh your actuality outside one of our fire stations yes on your red phone can't give you the phone number the labels are all faded

[Frnc]

Sounds like an adventure, Andy. What are the odds?

Had to use the superglue out of my emergency grab bag. Was having to squeeze loads to get a drop out. Is it supposed to be like that? It was a hard plastic bottle. The replacement I just added to my basket is a tube, same brand, Loktite. I cut the top down to the next notch. Got it done anyway.

I was glueing a piece cut out from a Guinness coaster into the gap behind my London Bar and the lock, as it's supposed to make it more secure if there's a gap. Had to miss out the 2 screws below, so it's not that secure anyway. I noticed that the latch was catching in the gap in between if I didn't push the door firmly, so hopefully it will fix that as well. One screw because the bell wire was close, the other because of the mortice lock.

[PPrep]

Had to use the superglue out of my emergency grab bag. Was having to squeeze loads to get a drop out. Is it supposed to be like that? It was a hard plastic bottle.

I've found that superglue has a definite shelf life. This probably varies between brands and on storage temperature, and the adhesive tends to go hard and become useless. Some of the tiny tubes are meant to be single - use.

[jennyjj01]

Had to use the superglue out of my emergency grab bag. Was having to squeeze loads to get a drop out. Is it supposed to be like that? It was a hard plastic bottle.

I've found that superglue has a definite shelf life. This probably varies between brands and on storage temperature, and the adhesive tends to go hard and become useless. Some of the tiny tubes are meant to be single - use.

Superglue can have very short life 1 - 2 years if stored properly unopened. The cheapo tubes are also often barely full enough to be any use. The bottles have too much air in them and can set like a rock in about a year.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Doing my famous Elmer Fudd impression hunting wascally mice on the allotment put the traps out baited and unset for a few nights bait kept going. Set 2 of them finely last night 4 traps 2 nearest their access points unset further 2 set. 2 mice on the set traps tonight nothing this morning before work ... So it's game on to reduce the population.... One was still alive in the trap which I don't like to see... swiftly dispatched with a single hammer blow to the head (faster than going home for the air rifle)


Cars had a good clean inside and out before it's mot tomorrow (clean car looks well looked after) gave it a look over 2 weeks ago all looked good underneath after a good pressure washing to remove the accumulated winter filth .. brakes all cleaned and lubricated in the relevant places... Oil and filters all done had it out for a 20 mile blast tonight on the motorway to clear the the cat converter out only just gets warm on the 9 mile drive to work and 9 miles back .. lights checked today .. tyres have about 9- 8mm of tread on them so fingers crossed the man doesn't find any issues ...

This weekends projects if the car fails fix it .. if it passes allotment and beer

[Frnc]

I should look at all the consumables I have like glues, especially in the EGB. I just got two small tubes of Locktite delivered anyway. I need to get a system going regarding dates, rotation. I have different systems, eg batteries are all on one spreadsheet, apart from the rectangualar smoke alarm ones, which are on my smoke alarm note, which has year purchased for each alarm and when battery was replaced.

I just got a load of Knorr Zero Veggie stock cubes, Best Before is August. I think they'll be ok a fair few months after that. Still using one that is April.

[Nurseandy]

More veg planting & firewood processing all week. Back to work tomorrow so my back will get a rest

[Peter]

Cars had a good clean inside and out before it's mot tomorrow (clean car looks well looked after) gave it a look over 2 weeks ago all looked good underneath after a good pressure washing to remove the accumulated winter filth .. brakes all cleaned and lubricated in the relevant places... Oil and filters all done had it out for a 20 mile blast tonight on the motorway to clear the the cat converter out only just gets warm on the 9 mile drive to work and 9 miles back .. lights checked today .. tyres have about 9- 8mm of tread on them so fingers crossed the man doesn't find any issues ...

This weekends projects if the car fails fix it .. if it passes allotment and beer

With our small family car, 21 years old, until I had a new cat fitted last august I always had to do the motorway blast,
4000 - 4500 revs in 3rd gear 20 mile round trip and no problems with emissions.