and today i have mostly been...

[steve_earwig]

Can I get what? I was eyeing this stuff up on ebay earlier http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Anchor-Bond-R ... rkt%3D1%26 which I guess is similar.

It could work, I'd probably have to fill that end of the block with the stuff, however if the mortar between the rows isn't complete the resin could just dribble out of the block I want and drain down the inside of the wall.

Tomorrow I really need to take a picture of these blocks so you all know what the feck I'm going on about...

[steve_earwig]

Or I could just do a Google image search

[OllieNZ]

That looks aboot rite, chemset is just a generic name I think. Those things look rite 'orrible to do anything with.

[Welly]

The 'empty' bits around the edges of the blocks* would be weak but I guess the first 2" either side of the mortar line would be better* as you'd be able to fix into the 'snot' of mortar. Of course that means knowing where all the joints are!

The best fixing would be a long 'butterfly' type anchor which would open into the larger voids in the middle - finding those though

Chemical gobbo might be the only practical answer.

[steve_earwig]

The 'empty' bits around the edges of the blocks* would be weak but I guess the first 2" either side of the mortar line would be better* as you'd be able to fix into the 'snot' of mortar.

I do know where the mortar is, the inside of the wall hasn't been rendered. It sounded like a plan to me so I just tried it. I prodded the mortar and it seemed pretty solid and there's a line of it 2" from the hinge - "that's handy" I thought.

Turns out the mortar is unsubstantial shite too No wonder Miloš didn't trust the brickwork for anything at all, apart from just being there. I'm beginning to think any plan that involves fixing something into the masonry is doomed to failure.

Obliquely, it's occurred to me that the RHS of the door frame is near an internal corner of the upstairs terrace, so if I had a 115cm long masonry drill bit** I could put a threaded rod through and bolt the damn thing to the house.

** well, when I say masonry drill bit, bear in mind the insubstantial nature of the bricks (I'm sure Lego would be stronger). All it really needs is a rod with a cutting edge ground into the end. I may actually have done this once before...

[lozz]

Today..I've been landscaping.

New houses are a nightmare..finding where Bob the builder burries his rubbish has been fun./not.
Wish icouid find the Muppet & give him his well deserved ..kick in the gonad's. Hope they learn
5mm topsoil.. won't cover glass & rubble..

[steve_earwig]

This bungalow was built on the site of an older house, apparently it's still here buried in the yard

Lawns are crap because of it, flower borders are full of rubble (mostly small as I've already dug out all the big bits of concrete, broken roof tiles, half bricks and various tractor parts). Out the back is a flower bed made out of part of the old foundations, it was full of bricks and at one end I dug out a slab of concrete with the base of a toilet still attached

And this afternoon we finally have some sun! I've been out in the garden pulling convolvulus but the dry surface is just a crust as if I stand in one spot for too long I sink in. Forecast: more bloody rain

[Welly]

Lozz, we bought a new home on one of those new estates when we got married in 1995 (bejesus) our house was built on a kinda former granite/hardcore site. Or something. Needless to say any swift stab into the borders with a spade was met with a 'thunk' as you penetrated the generous* top soil layer.

We spent the first year adding top soil and mixing it with 'mulch' which I've never used again but used to collect it in bags from a smelly farmer. Opening one of the bags on a summers day was akin to shoving your face into a fetid nappy/dead rat combo. Eventually the soil was conditioned and we grew prize-winning effect Sweet Peez.

Our current house was built on a former Horsey field so is quite soft and rich I guess. And no I don't care where the Horses went, horrid creatures

[steve_earwig]

Taste nice tho

[lozz]

I'm not alone then..
My previous houses have been Victorian build.
Not used to living in the modern world.

Igot most of the rubble cleared up ..next job plant some more tree's & perhaps throw some astro turf down
The real stuff don't seem to want to grow here..
Hopefully iwill get it all finished in 6+ months ..

[steve_earwig]

More balcony door nonsense. Seeing as how these doors have had the least use, why are their mechanisms the most worn? I need to replace some of it but they're 28 years old so they're as rare as

This'll astound you: these balcony doors, of which there are 3 doubles and one single in this here bungalow, are opened by raising a handle on the hinge side, which lifts the entire door out of the latches so it can open - weird.

Having sanded the frames I vacuumed them and finished up wiping them all down with a damp cloth. While I had it in my hand I thought I may as well give the (double-glazed) windows a wipe and guess what - they're both blown and full of junk There used to be 3 glaziers in town here but they've all either retired or gone bust, so I'm going to have to go further afield. I guess removing them would make sense but I'm not sure I want to leave them out for an unknown length of time. Plus one of them is 3'x6' and I have a feeling it's going to be massively heavy and I'm rather concerned it'll all go wrong if I lift it out (i.e. bloodbath).

Ah well, back to the salt mine

[steve_earwig]

A warning for all garden rakes:

My foot+my head=mitre saw+kindling pile.

That is all.

[steve_earwig]

More slapstick: pulled out the JLO-powered Flymo to find the mixture on it is so weak it'll only run with my hand almost covering the air intake. Surmise a blocked jet. Arse, it'll need pulling apart again. SO, being a genius*, I decided to blow compressed air up the fuel line. It's sure to dislodge something right? Yes, it dislodged the needle valve so it now leaks fuel out the carb. Smart.

Pull out Techumseh-powered Flymo. I couldn't remember why I wasn't using this one but I soon remembered it wouldn't run above an idle even with the governor pushed wide open. Excellent. I really should get around to repairing these things but there aren't any spares, just used garbage that sometimes appears on ebay.

So I pull out the self-propelled B&S-powered Atco I bought a couple of years back, before I got all the Flymos. I don't like using it, it feels a bit like cheating. While I was mowing it occurred to me that I still didn't give it it's first oil change. I was going to do it before but the oil was completely clean, so I didn't see any point just yet. Now I thought maybe I should do it anyway, and see about painting the underside of the hood with something to stop it rusting (Flymos don't do this because they're made of plastic). Tipped it up, washed it and was amazed how much rust there was already - what do they paint them with, emulsion? Of course, as it's a B&S tipping it up means the exhaust is now full of oil, so I ran it on idle for the smoke to clear, whilst considering how to deal with the rust.

While I was doing that I still had the mp3 player blasting in my ears, so I couldn't actually hear it and I think I kind of forgot it was running. That was up until the point I tried to stop the blade with my finger

I have a badly bruised finger tip but, f*ck me, that could have been so much worse. Lesson learned I reckon.

Meanwhile, back to the balcony doors. It was looking like I wouldn't be able to replace the lifting mechanism and, coupled with the blown DGU's, things were looking grim. I was thinking I'd have a go at repairing the mech but would probably end up replacing the whole lot. I'd entrusted Bro-in-law Ivo with the mech as he travels up and down the country and is quite tenacious. He'd already tried all the usual suspects with no joy but, early this morning t't'wife got a call from him, he's managed to track some down right up the other end of the country

[Welly]

I was spraying water into the intake of my B&S on Saterday. I think it liked it, smells cleaner in the eggsauce department now

[steve_earwig]

Knowing B&S the exhaust will probably rot out and fall off...

I have the carb off the JLO Flymo, it's a Bing 52/16S102. Surprised it's a Bing (BMW flat twins use 'em) but then it is a German engine. No problems with the needle valve, although there were a few small bits of grass clippings present (I did fit a fuel filter to one once but it didn't like it - the carb is gravity-fed but only by a couple of inches) so one of them is probably the culprit, maybe for both issues.. I can't find any details on the carb, apart from the only screw on it is idle mixture - idle? Not possible as the throttle is governor-controlled. Likely to be of early 70's vintage, judging by the codes. I've already given it a clean so I guess I'll just stick it back together and see what happens.

Meanwhile, Miloš, our tame builder, was meant to come back this week but unfortunately last week decided to take an impromptu skydiving lesson - he fell off a ladder. No bones broken but he landed on his shoulder and it's still quite painful. We've been invited for coffee this week so I'll tell him to stop shamming and get on with it