Meccano to the rescue!
Barry spent much time as a boy constructing models from Meccano. There have been many occasions when the skills learnt from hours of construction have come in useful.
The handle on the larder fridge came adrift at the top. We tried glueing it, but it wouldn’t hold.
We looked at replacement handles. With parts and postage it was going to cost about £100. Better, surely, to repair it if at all possible.
So, with drill and screws and a Meccano-like ‘stainless steel flat straight brace mending bracket’ (its official name) that cost 70p, Barry effected an efficient repair.
I was grateful - of course I was, but I pointed out that it wasn't straight. It wasn't necessary - Barry already knew that, but he insisted that it was the door that was crooked, not his handiwork, so of course I believed him.
It’s not just the exterior of the fridge that needed attention. The interior also required some refurbishment, particularly after one of the shelves crashed to the floor yesterday. Fortunately, the bottles on it didn’t break, though the shelf itself was now in pieces.
Sadly, Meccano could not help on this occasion, so new parts have been ordered – two new shelves, as one had cracked previously, and a ‘chiller’ basket or is it a ‘crisper’? Whatever, we await their arrival, not exactly with bated breath, but anticipating a slightly more ordered refrigerator.
Life is so exciting in the Cooke household.
Well done Barry on the repair job! Looks good & sturdy. Far better to repair these things than replace them as some folk would do!
ReplyDeleteThat's what we thought. Very little is discarded in our house, even when it should be;-)
DeleteWith a broken shelf and a broken handle, I'd be ordering a new fridge. I'm no good at McGyvering any repairs.
ReplyDeleteWe have deep pockets and short arms ;-)
DeleteMan after my own heart. We had metal Meccano from my Dad's youth, and plastic Meccano of our era. Metal so much better..... And I heat you on the lack of lasting power of shelves and bins in fridges these days. Aren't they appalling - even in expensive models!
ReplyDeleteBarry did suggest mending the basket with gaffer tape but we bit the bullet and took out a mortgage on replacements;-)
DeleteI, too, was brought uop with Meccano because my maternal uncle worked for the company back in the '40s. It was wonderful to make things but dismantling them was a pain!
ReplyDeleteLearning through doing is invaluable.
DeleteWith a broken handle and broken shelves, some people would have just bought a new 'fridge, depending on the age of the existing model. I think it is good that you've saved the 'fridge for a few pounds. If it is an older model, it may not be as energy efficient as newer models but buying a new one would be worse for the environment. We had to buy a new crisper because Household Management can be a little rough with things.
ReplyDeleteThat's scary. I've just worked out our 'fridge is 17 years old.
Delete17 years is good going.
DeleteI meant to mention the age of ours is 2023 minus 2006. Ten plus four plus three, equals seventeen, the same as yours.
DeleteWhy don't you just get a new fridge....I'd have to,
ReplyDeleteit would make me fly off the 'handle'...! :).
At the moment one of my small fridges, the ice
compartment door, has a broken catch, so l have
to secure the door with a folded piece of cardboard,
it'll have to do for now...! It was my Mums, and at
least a hundred years old...HeHe! Everything in my
home is old..like the owner..! :O).
And! No! I never had Meccano, l ended up with Bayko,
very similar but made of plastic...
Goodness! Just had a quick peek, used sets now coast
anything between £70-£120... Made from 1934 discontinued
in 1967..
💮🍁🎃👻🍂 💮🍁🎃👻🍂 💮🍁🎃👻🍂 💮🍁🎃👻
A folded piece of cardboard serves well as a repair;-)
DeleteRick would have looked and then say, it's better to buy a new one, and cheaper too, if we loose all the food which is in it, and I am not sure if I can repair it.( If it would have been a computer he would have spent a month on it !)
ReplyDeleteBarry quite likes repairing things, which is fortunate:-)
DeleteBarry sounds like a very handy man.
ReplyDeleteHe is!
DeleteWe are looking at fridge freezers, our one in the garage is on the blink, so a new one for the house and a swap around is due.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the research. There's so much choice.
ReplyDeleteHi Janice - how wonderful to have a hubby who fixes things ... even if only slightly drunk in charge of the door handle!?!?! Good luck with the innards when they arrive - I hope they happily fit ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteDrills and drink don't make good bedfellows . . .
DeleteYou couldn't have done it with skills learnt from Lego which was largely responsible for Meccano's demise.
ReplyDeleteFair comment!
DeleteAlways handy to have a handy man living at home. We too fix all that can be, everything new is usually not near as sturdy as the old anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt is handy. I'm not completely useless . . . but . . .
DeleteWell done to Barry! What a shame about the shelves though. Still, it beats having to buy a new fridge! xxx
ReplyDeleteIt's very much cheaper than buying a new fridge! x x x
DeleteI recently joked to a friend that I think we have spent more on replacement parts for our fridge/freezer than we spent on buying it in the first place! The plastic parts are so flimsy that any little knock seems to break them.
ReplyDelete'we have spent more on replacement parts for our fridge/freezer than we spent on buying it in the first place!' It certainly feels like that sometimes . . .
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWelll done! My husband was very handy too. I miss his skill at repairing things. I know in theory how things could be fixed but I am afraid of power tools :) I find it best to stick to sewing repairs which are within my skill set!
ReplyDeleteI'm just visualising you sewing a fridge handle on ;-)
DeleteLOL, exactly :)
ReplyDelete