February Repair Cafe Update
Sunday 11th Feb we were visited by a bumper 19 people for repairs!
Our lovely sewing volunteers Nila and Sam had repair success with taking up a pair of trousers and fixing the zip on a bag for Lynn’s little one - who was delighted. Sam also talked Lynn through the best way to fix another bag which needed a new and longer zip.
Bali brought in a coffee machine which was looked at by Gordon - he gave her some advice and now she thinks she can have a go at fixing it herself now. We hope that we can inspire you to take on repairs yourselves as well - with a little knowledge and guidance, there are many things that we can all have a go at fixing ourselves - thus saving lots of things from landfill.
Jane brought in a music box for repair and many people were taking a peek when the mechanism was revealed! Steve advised that it needed lubricating and cleaning before a repair could be assessed, so Jane may bring it back another time.
We always have lots of people wanting electricals repaired - but our talented sewers are always happy to take a look at your sewing repairs. Got a jumper with a hole in it? A split in a seam? Bring it down and see what they can do!
It’s always nice to overhear repairers and people who bring things in, talking about their trades or repairing skills whilst I’m sat at the welcome desk. Di had lots of questions for Simon about how they sharpen things - and went away with a newly sharp knife and a better understanding of how to sharpen. Simon also brought a lovely old saw back to life, painstakingly sharpening every tooth on it - Bob was very impressed with the care they took over it.
There were a couple of instances of things actually not being broken! One clock brought in by Stephanie was looked at by Gordon and started to work right away. The same thing happened with Harriet’s kettle - perhaps our fixers have the magic touch?
There were a few items that just needed a new part - which is quite a common occurrence at our cafes. Janet brought in two lamps, looked at by Steve, one of which just needed a new switch. Carley’s hoover also needed a new switch, and Rachel’s table lamp required a new fuse. All these things are quite easy to source, and people are welcome to bring their items back to the cafe with these parts to ask our repairers to help them with it.
We asked our resident electrical and mechanical fixers what are the top tips to check with your electrical items before bringing them in
Make sure you have the cables and plugs with you so we can test the item fully
Try and remember as much information as possible about when the item stopped working - how long has it been? Did anything unusual happen at the time (sparks, a loud noise etc)?
Thanks a million to our amazing volunteer repairers, as always, and Dorothy who kept us all topped up with hot drinks!
Our next cafe is March 10th 2pm - 5pm: we hope to see you there!
