3 February 2015

Repairing - no job is too small

I used to wear my hair longer when I was younger. I think I was in my late fifties when I had it cut short. Through all my young years I bought a variety of hair clips, most of them good quality French clips, and when my hair was shorter, they spent over a decade sitting in the bathroom drawer.  As many of you know, I haven't been to the hairdresser for a long time. Short hair is now longer, the weather is hot and I went searching for my clips to pull back my hair and get a little pony tail happening.  


I'd only been using the clips for a few days and my favourite one, which must be 35 years old, felt a bit wobbly. When I removed it from my hair, the top had almost separated from the stainless steel clip it was sitting on. For a wide range of reasons, I did not want to buy a new clip - that would mean going to the shops and I'd rather stay clear of them. I decided the best way forward was to repair it. It seemed a simple repair to me. Just a few dabs of glue and time would probably fix it.

This is probably the strangest selfie I've ever taken.

I found some PVA wood glue that I'd used previously on metal. I cleaned the clip thoroughly, dabbed on some glue, then pressed it down with my fingers. Excess glue seeped out the sides, I wiped it off and cleaned the clip again, then secured the top to the bottom with a bulldog clip. It stayed like that overnight. The next morning, the clip was useable again. I have it in my hair now and it makes me wonder about how long I'll be able to use it. I think it will be with me till the grave. The steel clip and the ornamental top are both in good shape and as long as the glue does its job, it should be fine. Small steps.

What are the more unusual things you've repaired?

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27 comments

  1. Probably my shoes are the oddest thing I've repaired. They are black leather sandals and quite pricey but the only ones that that are comfortable for long periods. The black leather insole part had been rubbed where I grip with my big toes and both had little areas worn through to the base that were getting bigger. I used a permanent black marker to color the worn areas then used some leftover polyurethane sealer and brushed it over the entire inner sole. I did 2 coats, letting them sit overnight between. Perfect! I've been wearing them for nearly a year with no more wear!

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  2. Rhonda, the color of your hair is absolutely beautiful!

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  3. I once had a vacuum cleaner that used a bag and the bag was completely full. I didn't want to run to the store and buy more bags (I was already planning a trip in a week or so) so I put on my gloves and pulled some of the contents out of the bag and placed it into the garbage. Gross, I know, but it saved me a trip to the store and I was able to do the necessary vacuuming for the week.

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    1. LOL Many years ago when I had that style of vacuum cleaner I did the exact same thing!

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    2. Oh, yes. I have tried that too, and it works a treat.

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  4. I have a good quality Dyson vacuum cleaner, which the handle broke on (the part that you hold with your hand) my husband, made me a new handle out of a block of timber! He cut it out with a jigsaw in the shape of the old one, using the old one as a template, sanded it smooth and attached it to the vacuum cleaner! I was so chuffed, as there was nothing wrong with the vacuum cleaner, and I didn't want to have to fork out for a new one. He made that a couple of years ago, and I'm still using it today!

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  5. I have a hair clip just like it in my bathroom drawer from when my hair was longer! It is the only one I saved because it was the best and I have had it for at least 30 years. I am glad you could fix yours because every time I go looking for something to replace something that I have loved and used I find that they do not make it anymore.

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  6. Today I darned the darn on some handknitted socks...nothing like them when the weather is cold (which it is in the UK!) On Saturday I was cross...having taken favourite pair of shoes to the mender only to be told 'I can't do that make, every time we find an adhesive that works on the rubber compound, the manufacturer's change it!' Well...they may be comfortable but I won't be buying any more.

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    1. My hand knit socks have no actual "wear" on them, but a couple of pairs had a hole from a pulled thread. I was very satisfied darning them and grateful my grandmother taught me how to darn at least fifty years ago. I have plenty of knit socks, but these were a favourite pair. My feet protest at commercial socks now after fifteen years of hand knits.

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  7. Right now I have part of my blender sitting across the room waiting to be repaired. I have bought the araldite but just haven't found the time and motivation to actually do the job. This has been a nice little reminder to just do it. :)

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  8. My most unusual repair was probably the timber photo frames that belong to my mother. The heavy cardboard stands had bent due to the high humidity and wet weather. To get a better idea of what I am talking about you can take a look at the blog post I wrote at he time. https://organisedcastle.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/make-mend-picture-frame/

    I find repairing existing items one of the most satisfying aspects of a simplified life.

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  9. My parents were depression kids, so they were very adept at repairing and extending the life of what they owned. When we were young, Mother had us sew on buttons that came loose, repair our skirt hems and seams that occasionally opened up.

    I generally enjoy repairing or replacing what is repairable! We have purchased several “solid bones” items at sales that need repairing/upgrading.
    1. Replaced the broken wheels on several of the children’s old toys with stiff container covers.
    2. Window screens: pull out the rubber cord, pull over the screen wire and push back in the rubber cord. When the screen is torn, I sew an scrap piece of screen wire over it. When the screen is torn at the edge, I sew it over the frame of the screen with fishing line.
    3. The door shelf brackets on the refrig in the rental unit were broken off. I threaded a piece of thin plastic rope through the slots in the door and then around the shelf to secure it. It lasted until the landlord finally fixed it.
    4. Granddaughter’s backpack had a small pocket zipper fray out. Since she was not using the particular pocket, I stitched it shut. The water bottle holder had also detached. Using mesh from an umbrella holder, I made a new water bottle holder that was a dark neon blue with a closure string on top to upgrade the look!
    5. The rusted nails that held the circa 1960 one-room school house desk top finally came off. We repaired it by adding flat hinges at the back and a locking chest hinge at the side to increase its safety for the grandchildren.
    6. The sliding door runner developed a dent that often caused the door to jump off the track. The last time it happened, I took a piece of board, laid it against the track, and “pounded out/flat” the dent. No more door problems.
    7. Pot covers that drop and get dented are repaired, the same way: using a piece of board as a leveler and pounding out the dent.
    8. Last month, my husband opened up the iron and reattached the wires that had come loose. The iron works again, and we saved the purchase of a new one and a repairable iron from ending up in the landfill
    9. He also removed that back of the washing machine to expose the drain mechanism. He cleaned the stuff that was preventing the drain from closing and set back the machine so I can once again wash and rinse clothes in it without all the water leaking out before I am finished.
    10. Mending towels was a new activity for me. I now greatly enjoy doing it and highly recommend it to anyone who might be so inclined!!

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  10. I am so luck y to be married to Mr. DIY who can repair anything, no job is too small
    Saves us a lot of money in this material world. Our coffee machine was in bits yesterday, he is also an amateur barista:)

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  11. love your selfie! lol had a good giggle, you have gorgeous hair too!
    sorry don't have anything to report that i mended but am contemplating about darning towels, just haven't figured out how
    selina from kilkivan qld

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  12. I've just repaired one of my recycling bins again. The handles keep breaking, and now there's more packing tape than handle! But I reckon I can get another year out of them with a bit more taping.

    I was delighted on the weekend when the people who are coming to make me a new fence for the chook run suggested that they could straighten the very bent hinge on the gate rather than buying a new one - my kind of people!

    Madeleine.x

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  13. We repair everything we can..no job too big or small. Luckily I am married to Mr. Fix it and I'm pretty handy!

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  14. My favourite shoulder bag is just fine but the leather strap that goes over the shoulder is about to snap across near the buckle. It's been cracking at that point for a while. Each time my little grandson sees me he mentions "have you fixed your handbag?"
    Well, today I did. My Sunday Best (that dates me) handbag came with a spare leather shoulder strap which I have never used. I had a 'lightbulb' moment this morning.
    I snipped off the worn out shoulder strap and replaced it with the brand new shoulder strap that had been sitting in my handbag drawer un-used.
    This was all done before I read your blog today … we must be on the same wave length.

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  15. How synchronicity works... :-)
    Yesterday I treated my leathers stuff: the coats received a generous application of moisturizing cream, bags were cleaned with coconut soap, shoes received some polish, and I fixed whatever had needed a fix. My favourite black purse has 13 years - and it's ready for another 13 years.
    They all were a bit pricey, but it's so good to have reliable, durable things that goes a long way...

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  16. Being a Mum of littles I recently have repaired an arm on a wounded stuffed mouse, a hole cut into my linen curtains (grrr), and patched a knee in some jeans...funny how telling such small details are of my days right now. ;)

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  17. I have become a master of using the internet to find parts to fix the odd thing that needs repairing. A new screen for the French press, the plastic water guard at the bottom of the shower door, etc. Of course I do things like replace buttons and mend too. We just used the last replacement hinge we had for our kitchen cabinet doors and I'm hoping the company that sold them to us is still in business so I can order a few more.

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  18. I try to repair everything now. YouTube has amazing step by step videos to guide you. Recently I took apart my vacuum cleaner and cleaned it all out and now it works like a charm.

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  19. I have to agree Rhonda, you have an absolutely marvelous head of hair! Gorgeous colour and shine. Distracted me and now I can't concentrate to reply to your question.
    =)

    Vicki
    Trinidad & Tobago

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  20. Our neighbours wanted to throw away their children's outdated toys: metal wheelbarrow, few scooters and a pushbike. They put it near their recycling container on our rubbish pick up day and my husband happened to see it when he wheeled our bins out. Neighbour did not mind at all, and we claimed all these treasures. My dad turned that old, rusty wheelbarrow in a piece of art now, now it is sparkling silver in colour and has bright handles. He also combined wheels from one scooter and a frame from the other, and my girl now has a fantastic scooter which she loves. As for a push bike, my 9 month old does not mind it being a bit faded and pushes it across our section everyday for hours :) This makes me happy for many different reasons - my children got few good toys for almost free and we diverted to much of a potential rubbish from the landfill.. Ah, and since then we became good friends with these neighbours and our children play together very often :)

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  21. A friend and I were just remarking how what one person might perceive as a great reason to go buy something shinny and new when something breaks or rips at our respective houses we're just trying to figure out how to fix so we don't have to go buy something. Funny. Its such a matter of perspective. I am sure glad you were able to fix your clip.

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  22. We had one old spatula where the plastic handle broke in two and one very bad saucepan with a good handle. My husband combined the two good parts and we have been using a very sturdy spatula ever since. We rescued an old wooden headboard that was missing a bit of the scroll work. He made a pattern out of some scrap wood and attached it to the headboard before painting it white. It looks lovely and you would never know by looking at it that it was almost trashed. When my son was little, he once said, "My dad can fix anything." I'm lucky to be married to a handyman because he's had to repair a lot of things throughout our marriage.

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  23. I had a good laugh when I read this post as I have the exact same hair clip! It is also my favourite and I have had it for close to 30 years. Luckily I haven't had to repair it yet, but when then time comes I certainly will!

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