Remember when we used to repair things instead

With many items, replacing cost less than repairing. Things are made that way today.

Maybe some things, but I still darn my socks and sew on buttons. I fix worn or damaged jewelry. And I bring tech stuff to a guy I know who fixes it for cheap. So yeah, I fix stuff and I wasn't even born during the depression but much later. One thing I miss are cobblers to fix favorite shoes and sandals.
 

I fix things, rather than throw them out, whenever possible. I like the challenge, but I also know when it's simply not worth it.

I learned a lot by watching my dad do repairs, when I was a kid. To this day, when I triumph, at the bench, I always wish my dad was there so we could talk about the repair job.
 
My Dad could fix most anything and if something finally had to be thrown out he salvaged everything from the item. He met his match with my moms toaster. I don't remember what the problem was but I suppose there was a spring inside that he tightened to much. The next morning my mom pushed the lever down and the toast hit the ceiling.
 

My father could jury-rig (jerry-rig?) anything. Anything. It might not have been "purty" but by dang it worked!

When we got home on Wednesday, the shower diverter in my bathtub/shower didn't work for some reason. The Spousal Equivalent has been working on it for two days now...……...I'll probably never take a shower in there again.....sigh.

Well, as predicted, the shower still isn't working. It diverts, but now water is spraying out around where the tub nozzle comes out of the wall. "DON'T CALL THE PLUMBER! I CAN FIX IT, DAMMIT!" Sigh, continued. Men......
 
I came across this article about repair-ability. It seems the EU is now going to require that manufacturers of certain types of products must make them repairable with common tools. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The comments section is interesting too.

Don
 
My Dad could fix most anything and if something finally had to be thrown out he salvaged everything from the item. He met his match with my moms toaster. I don't remember what the problem was but I suppose there was a spring inside that he tightened to much. The next morning my mom pushed the lever down and the toast hit the ceiling.
Give her a baseball glove for Christmas and see if she catches on.
 
I came across this article about repair-ability. It seems the EU is now going to require that manufacturers of certain types of products must make them repairable with common tools. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The comments section is interesting too.

Don
I guess that means regular screws instead of those that require a special screwdriver tip.
 
Simplicity and ease of maintenance/repair for the average person was the idea behind the Ford Maverick.

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Seems there used to be a fixit shop in every town. Now if something breaks, people toss it and go out and buy a new one. The landfills are overflowing! Nowadays things are made to be non-customer serviceable with closed circuits and sealed cases.

I always like the saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
 
A favorite pair of shoes had a small sole problem. Do you think I could even find a shoe repair shop? Course not. I got out the super glue and wore them for months more
A friend told me about a product called Shoe Glue. It works wonders, although not as good as having a shoe repair shop. I haven't seen one of those in years.

Wait. Maybe it was Shoe Goo. I dis-remember!
 
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The switch on my hair dryer came off yesterday, and two screw removals later I found that a small plastic holder component inside had shattered. Poor design, but an easy superglue fix kept my dryer out of the landfill, and money in my wallet. I've also glued a number of shoe soles back together as many today come glued on rather than stitched, even with name brands. Things are made today as cheaply as possible, with no concern given to durability or repair capability.
 
We repair when feasible. With electronics, if it’s a circuit board, I usually give it a pass unless it’s relatively inexpensive. A solder joint or simple component, I can handle.

My wife is an accomplished seamstress. She will remove any decent fasteners or buttons if a garment is to be thrown away. So we have a sizable assortment of odds and ends. Its amazing how often they come in handy.
 
Parts made of 100% unobtanium is another barrier to repairing an otherwise serviceable unit. You know what is broken, you can easily remove it from the appliance, but the last replacement part was sold two seconds after the production line for your turnip twaddler stopped running.
 
And metric size screws with torx heads?
I would love one of those Vespas.

I enjoyed riding my Vespa for the 11 years I owned her. She was freeway legal and would do 78 mph if needed, but I rarely took her above 65. Automatic transmission, electronic ignition, fuel injected, electronic computer control and security, and an absolute bear to work on since all that capability was packed into a very tight space to maintain the "Vespa" look.

I gave her up after I turned 75 and realized that I didn't have any business riding a two seater anymore.

And that fear I had that gas would go over $8 a gallon, …. never happened.
 
If it's repairable, for a cost of half or less the price of a new item, I almost always try to fix it. I have gobs of tools, and have been fixing things all my life...so, for me, "fixing" is almost part of my normal routine. If it's something I've never tackled before, a bit of browsing on UTube usually gets me pointed in the right direction.

I recently spent $43 bucks to fix a $39 jigsaw.

I ordered the part I needed off the internet for $23 bucks.

Then I stripped the head of a screw that was holding the old bent part on the saw trying to get it off the saw, so I had to go buy a set of screw extractors which cost me $20 bucks.

But at least now I have a set of screw extractors.
 


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