What "man jobs" have you done today?

[platypus]

How does this work? Presumably you drill a slightly bigger hole into the timber? the threaded bar goes in, and then the weight is taken by the nuts? How much threaded rod remains in the timber?

I drilled about an inch or two into the timber, and really just to locate the rod whilst siting the frame. Once the rods are concreted in they won't move, so I can move the washers up and down on the nuts as I need to ensure the floor is level.

So if you'll forgive the crudity, its something like this:


with the blue outline being the rod. Once the walls are built and the weights bearing down on those nothings going to move, not that I think there's a danger of that anyway given the thickness of the rods and the wood I'm using. Plus the frame is attached to the walls using hangars.

 

[BennyC]

Attention has turned from everything kitchen-reno whilst we wait for kitchen to arrive and focus on our and baby's bedrooms upstairs ahead of new carpet at the end of July.

So yesterday evening I started to break apart the 10 year old cast iron rad I picked up from marketplace for £50, luckily it's from the same manufacturer that we've purchased new rads for the kitchen from so is identical in design. Perhaps unnecessary but rather than have to tend to it in a few years and also do a decent job repainting it, I've decided to break it in to sections and replace all the seals.

As you can imagine most of the couplings are well rusted internally! They're not greased on assembly so takes quite a bit of torque and swearing to get them to crack but it's quite satisfying when they finally do

This is only about 100KG / 12 sections but had to add extra weight on top to stop it lifting and rotating.

I have a nice curve to my breaker bar now too

Planning to either strip it completely with wire wheel attachment on grinder or just key it back and then prime. We have a few new rads that we've sprayed white ourselves and spec white primer at point of purchase. This has black primer and white paint which has equalled a blue tinge.

Also fitted the light I purchased before we'd even exchanged over a year ago, sat in a box in the dinning from since we moved in. Looks great with Hue bulbs.

 

[vail3r]

Attention has turned from everything kitchen-reno whilst we wait for kitchen to arrive and focus on our and baby's bedrooms upstairs ahead of new carpet at the end of July.

So yesterday evening I started to break apart the 10 year old cast iron rad I picked up from marketplace for £50, luckily it's from the same manufacturer that we've purchased new rads for the kitchen from so is identical in design. Perhaps unnecessary but rather than have to tend to it in a few years and also do a decent job repainting it, I've decided to break it in to sections and replace all the seals.

As you can imagine most of the couplings are well rusted internally! They're not greased on assembly so takes quite a bit of torque and swearing to get them to crack but it's quite satisfying when they finally do

This is only about 100KG / 12 sections but had to add extra weight on top to stop it lifting and rotating.

I have a nice curve to my breaker bar now too

Planning to either strip it completely with wire wheel attachment on grinder or just key it back and then prime. We have a few new rads that we've sprayed white ourselves and spec white primer at point of purchase. This has black primer and white paint which has equalled a blue tinge.

Also fitted the light I purchased before we'd even exchanged over a year ago, sat in a box in the dinning from since we moved in. Looks great with Hue bulbs.

I didn't know old radiators came apart like that!

 

[BennyC]

I didn't know old radiators came apart like that!

Yup, they're assembled in sections. Longer ones should have 'leg' sections in the middle to support the joining nipples (el oh el) to stop them sagging. They're also supposed to be carried up-right for this reason too.

I bought these for £40 and intend to break them apart, refurb and then combine in to one longer radiator with middle leg section. I'll have 3 or 4 sections spare. This is highly contingent on them coming apart willingly!

 

[platypus]

Got all my footings done and they are going off already its so warm.

Just the one joist to put in and the wall plate at the (far) end, and then its ready for boarding.

Away now for 5 days so the OSB will have to wait, but then I've basically got 2 working days left to get the floor down and covered with a waterproof tarpaulin for the summer before we go to France!

 

[The Angry Welshman]

Started framing up the greenhouse

 

[LuckyBenski]

So a few firsts today...

Don't think I'd ever drunk beer up a ladder.

Good chance I'd never done household electrics while drinking beer*.

Definitely never done electrics while drinking beer up a ladder.

Helping friends sort out a few wiring issues at their place. We had a nice solid pop out the back of a switch and took a breaker out around 7pm so I'll go back to finish the last light fitting another day.

*I have done electrics while drinking in a field when working festivals. But that also led to me doing electrics in a rainstorm, doing electrics in mud, and doing electrics inside a Wheely bin full of live supercapacitors.

 

[NickK]

Good chance I'd never done household electrics while drinking beer*.
*I have done electrics while drinking in a field when working festivals. But that also led to me doing electrics in a rainstorm, doing electrics in mud, and doing electrics inside a Wheely bin full of live supercapacitors.

Had a nice Maredsous Abbaye Ardy Tripple (10%) last night. I've banned myself from picking up a soldering iron or opening the tube amp (which has a B+ of about 500V dc and 230Vac for all the kicks and giggles). Although it did pass my mind that I need to replace a switch inside it (which will be an pain in the butt).

 

[markwilliams82]

Generic Sunday jobs for me today, water and tidy up the garden oh and of course, dispose of a dead mouse our cat decided to catch last night which the wife won’t touch…

 

[BennyC]

Cracked the rest of the rad apart and keyed it up with the grinder and wire wheel. Primed it too. 8 of 12 sections done.

Part of me really wants to grease the threads on the nipples when reassembling to stop them rusting, should I ever need to take this apart again but I know I shouldn't and they're meant to be left as dry joints.

Juice Lubes do a bearing grease for road bikes that is highly water repellent I used on wheel hubs (not the face) to stop car alloys seizing on, to great success for many years.

Also fitted three window sills and painted some coving.

 

[Blackstar_solar]

Massive dump run for me this afternoon, got rid of our dead running machine, getting that in and out of the car was interesting, but meant I sorted through a bunch of stuff in the loft and garage too. Lots more space available now!

 

[Blackstar_solar]

Cracked the rest of the rad apart and keyed it up with the grinder and wire wheel. Primed it too. 8 of 12 sections done.

Part of me really wants to grease the threads on the nipples when reassembling to stop them rusting, should I ever need to take this apart again but I know I shouldn't and they're meant to be left as dry joints.

Juice Lubes do a bearing juice for road bikes that I used on wheel hubs (not the face) to stop alloys seizing on, to great success.

Also fitted three window sills and painted some coving.

Looks like they're cleaning up great.

 

[BennyC]

Looks like they're cleaning up great.

Thanks, hardest part was taking it apart!

I'll be rebuilding it upstairs for convenience and pressure testing it by making use of the thingy I picked up from toolstation earlier this year

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Disassembled a cardboard box. Slipped cutting the tape and ended up with a cardboard cut on the end of my finger. Figured I’d get some scissors, slipped again this time across the finger of my other hand. Lesson learnt, stay inside and don’t do any jobs! Sharpest box ever.

 

[tonys]

Disassembled a cardboard box. Slipped cutting the tape and ended up with a cardboard cut on the end of my finger. Figured I’d get some scissors, slipped again this time across the finger of my other hand. Lesson learnt, stay inside and don’t do any jobs! Sharpest box ever.

Obviously you hadn't done the proper Safety training or done a risk assessment.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Obviously you hadn't done the proper Safety training or done a risk assessment.

Fortunately I’ve done first aid

 

[tonys]

Fortunately I’ve done first aid

I certainly need to do first aid if I ever do DIY.

 

[marinersfan]

My Mrs' uncle is a builder, he came round to give me some advice on how to fit a loft hatch.

My man job was standing and nodding my head like I understood what he was saying.

 

[RedMogg]

Last three trips to the tip today - my sister-in-law's house is now 99% empty, ready for a professional clean on Weds:

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Image PXL-20250628-131331196 in OCUK Forum album

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Image PXL-20250616-153817243 in OCUK Forum album

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Image PXL-20250616-153805446 in OCUK Forum album

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I made sure to take photos of each condolence message as I bagged-up the many bouquets of flowers from our family, friends and strangers. Got a bit emotional when I found the cards from her children (my nieces & nephew) and ours.

Meeting with the Letting Agent this morning, which I wasn't looking forward to as the landlord has been an absolute arse (chasing rent five days after her murder, sending locksmiths out less than 48 hours after the police gave us back the keys and it was no longer a crime scene, generally being an insensitive bar steward).

Meeting actually went smoothly and respectfully, possibly because I'd given the company both barrels via a carefully re-written email (Google Gemini was helpful with replacing the majority of my swear words with more diplomatic language), CC'd to my "definitely bigger than yours" law firm...

Funeral arrangements have been sorted by my incredible wife and I'm going in tomorrow to pay for it all.

 

[RedMogg]

My Mrs' uncle is a builder, he came round to give me some advice on how to fit a loft hatch.

My man job was standing and nodding my head like I understood what he was saying.

My Wife's a bathroom designer; whenever we have tradies in, my eye twitches when they ignore her and I have to point out that all the tools in our house are pink for a reason...

I've posted the results of my "DIY skills" - resulting in a £4k insurance claim. I'm now only allowed to pay for "YDI" ("You Do It").