Anyone doing any diy this weekend?

[MikeG]

........Buy some rods and poke it?.....

Rods, but don't poke it. Fit the screw attachment things, and wind that clockwise* into the blockage and then pull. You'll bring chunks off at a time, until you finally break through. A pair of Mollgrips clipped onto your rods helps turn them (and don't forget to wear gloves, and clean your rods straight away whilst they're still wet).

*Because if you go the other way you'll unscrew the joint between two rods, and then have the fun of fishing a lost rod out of your drain.

 

[MikeG]

I was back on the porch today. The first three panels consumed an awful lot of render, but more importantly, took two coats and a long time to dry. I decided to pack out the Savolit board with another sheet so that I could finish with a single coat of render, and that coat would go off relatively quickly. So, I glued & screwed some board on like this:

This still gave room for squeezing render into the rebate. Then it was just a question of applying the stuff and troweling it up at the appropriate time, then sponging it. Half a day's work, then a few hours doing other things before coming back to do the sponging:

Tape on, above, then tape off:

You'll note that I've also done the fillet up the canopy roof. That gets cleaned up tomorrow, as does the oak.

 

[Tin Pot]

Rods, but don't poke it. Fit the screw attachment things, and wind that clockwise* into the blockage and then pull. You'll bring chunks off at a time, until you finally break through. A pair of Mollgrips clipped onto your rods helps turn them (and don't forget to wear gloves, and clean your rods straight away whilst they're still wet.

*Because if you go the other way you'll unscrew the joint between two rods, and then have the fun of fishing a lost rod out of your drain.

Cheers - am I okay blasting it with the pressure washer first (as I have one), before I buy some rods?

I don't really know what pipes are like external underground. I assume they're not as flimsy as the internal ones under the floorboards.

 

[MikeG]

You should be. I assume that there is no water backing up behind the blockage, because if there was then a pressure washer wouldn't be any help. I do prefer rods, though, because once the blockage is cleared you'll not only be able to feel if there is any damage causing the blockage in the first place (often a tree root or a displaced/ broken clay pipe), but your rods also measure out exactly where the problem is. This gives the exact location of where you need to start digging.

 

[slowmotion]

That infill panel background looks awfully like wood wool slab, very popular in the late Sixties and early Seventies. Is it the same stuff?

 

[MikeG]

Yep. It is Savolit Plus. Shredded wood with a cement-based binder. Breathable, and a great base for lime render. Most people mistake it for Strawboard, or Strammit (sp?).

 

[slowmotion]

Yep. It is Savolit Plus. Shredded wood with a cement-based binder. Breathable, and a great base for lime render. Most people mistake it for Strawboard, or Strammit (sp?).

I once saw a lump of what looked like straw in the snow at the top of a ski lift in Austria, and decided to give it a playful kick. Despite wearing ski boots, it nearly broke my toes when it turned out to be wood wool slab.

 

[Tin Pot]

Installed an oven last night.

Planted four grapevines this morning in the dark.

I stand astride DIY like a King!

 

[Tin Pot]

Can anyone recommend a book on DIY?

This looks good and comprehensive but may be too American and too expensive at nearly £50

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Troublesho...#mediaMatrix_secondary_view_div_1508492463498

 

[petek]

Can anyone recommend a book on DIY?

This looks good and comprehensive but may be too American and too expensive at nearly £50

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Troublesho...#mediaMatrix_secondary_view_div_1508492463498

49p plus postage from Amazon partners here..
Excellent book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Readers-Di...06&sr=8-1&keywords=Readers+Digest+book+of+DIY

 

[Tin Pot]

49p plus postage from Amazon partners here..
Excellent book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Readers-Di...06&sr=8-1&keywords=Readers+Digest+book+of+DIY

Any idea how much detail it goes into in repairing electric ovens?

 

[Tin Pot]

Mowed around the south east corner of the garden to clear it out, put in a chiminea, some paving slabs, and two chairs and tried it out as an autumn relaxation spot.

Changing my ideas from Italian, to camp style. Want to hang some lamps in the tree. Get something to cook sausages in the chiminea. Something to store beers out there in.

 

[screenman]

I am going to make some floating shelves scaffold planks, in truth I am going to work out how to make floating shelves from scaffold planks.

 

[screenman]

I am going to winterize the swimming pool and get the helicopter pad cleaned, either that or pickup some leaves.

 

[derrick]

Been DIYing all week, the weekend is for riding.