The Family Seat

Fresh from fixing toys I decided to upgrade the toilets in the house to family seats. These are effectively two seats in one allowing the Tykes to use the loo unaided without having to have inserts lying around the toilet. The upstairs seat was also shot, so a new downstairs seat in white MDF was purchased. Fitting this to the downstairs toilet was no problem apart from a rust stain on the bowl which took a bit of a soak with vinegar to remove.

The stain had come from two screws which had been used to bodge the downstairs seat back together after one of the hinges had come loose previously. There were no stainless screws to hand at the time so new holes were drilled through the chromed brass hinge and in to the seat which was an effective repair, if not a long-term one.

Fortunately as the old upstairs seat and the old downstairs seat used similar fittings I would be able to re-assemble one intact seat from the parts available. The only issue was the original loose hinge.

So all the holes in the seat were filled with wood-filler and two new holes drilled to accept the stainless screws recovered from the dead seat. The next problem was that as the steel screw heads were so corroded that they basically fell apart and left the shank of the screw embedded in the MDF seat. One hole drilled OK but the other hit steel, but only on part of the hole, which caused an off-centre mess that wouldn’t allow the stainless wood screw to bite into. I fixed the good screw into position but had to cut down the other screw until it was just the head which was superglued into place for cosmetic affect.

The next time it comes apart ‘tis for the bin.

JOB DONE

Noah's Ark: Provisioning

Measuring out for the flat door will be easy but attempting to measure the thickness of the door hinge is going to be a bit more difficult with only a steel rule. As I was buying a Vernier caliper for work I also indulged in a bit of overkill for this job and bought a Draper caliper, let's call it an investment for the tool box.

Also something to grip the door while drilling would be useful, so another investment was made for a small bench vice.



They arrived all ship-shaped and I have the drill and bits, PVA, and screws required so full steam ahead.

Noah's Ark: In The Beginning

The final toy in this batch was a wooden ark with a busted ramp. It has been a sturdy toy, mostly, but expecting glue to stand up under the combined assault of the tykes was an optimistic assumption on the part of the manufacturers. So, inevitably, the door parted company with the hinge along the glue line.

Obviously what is needed is a bit more strength in the joint which can be supplied by a couple of suitably placed woodscrews. On inspection drilling a pilot hole through the door should present no problem. The hinge however may or may not depending on how far through the steel pin runs through the hinge.

Either way pilot holes will need to be drilled and the screws countersunk. In order to do this a spot of shopping is in order I think.