What's on the Bench 2024

[Andy T]

Another piece of non-modelling modelling

My best mate's dad, Tony, has MS and is relying more and more on a wheelchair. Tony was responsible for getting my wife and I together so I was more than happy to help out.

He's a lefty like Zoë & I, and whilst the controls can be swapped over to the left armrest, they stick out and impede him getting in & out:




So I hatched a plan and after marking very carefully I sawed the carbon fibre bracket in half :surprised:





I then flipped it over and fixed it back together. You can just about see the metal pins I inserted into holes I made (broken drill bits can still be useful) This was the third dry fit before eventually committing to 5 minute epoxy



I left it in the sun for a good hour to harden up then rounded and smoothed the corners, and shaped a metal shim/reinforcing plate to add extra strength



After a bit of primer and textured plastic paint it's ready to go back to him. It was a bit of a rush job as he could only be without his chair for tonight, but I managed to get it done and it's not too shabby, if I say so myself



Offset to the left now, so he won't catch his leg on it all the time

[Waspie]

Nice one Andy T

[Jim R]

Well done Andy. A good fix.

[Neil Merryweather]

Well 'What's on the Bench' is quite a lot of liquid resin. Lesson learned on buying cheaper 3D printed figures. Unfortunately now outside of the returns window, and also a fume induced headache to go with.
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If you can get hold of a UV light, cut him in half and blast the inside for 5 or 10 minutes. Or put him out in the bright sunshine.
IPA is your friend for clean up

[Guest]

Very nice fix on the wheelchair controls

[Stefee]

Is there anything you can't turn your hand to?
Now, about this patio I need laying.....
Seriously though well done and a great help to the recipient.

[Scratchbuilder]

Now that is what modelmakers do, they just do not make models... This morning got a call from a neighbour, the little one had pushed the cassette thing into the slot a bit on the hard side and bent one of the pins. So out came the pointy tweezers, angled the light and in I went - two minutes later all was well and the Dinosaur game was ready to be played - untill the next time....

[Jack L]

If you can get hold of a UV light, cut him in half and blast the inside for 5 or 10 minutes. Or put him out in the bright sunshine.
IPA is your friend for clean up

Yeah, thanks to the 3D resin topics here I doused everything in IPA. Including my leg. But he's in the bin along with his mate. Put it down to painting practice ♂️

[Andy T]

Thanks all. I gave the controller back to my mate and he's well chuffed :smiling3:

Is there anything you can't turn your hand to?

I try and draw the line at plumbing lol, it scares me :tears-of-joy:

When I fitted our kitchen a few years back I had a nightmare to sort out behind the sink. Years of bodged additions got chopped out and I had:

• Hot & cold for the mixer tap
• Waste disposal
• Dishwasher
• H&C feed to the adjacent utility room
• H&C feed to adjacent shower room
• Outside tap

It took two days of thinking, ended up looking like spaghetti junction, and put me in hospital with a stress related flare up of my diverticulitis

Never again :smiling5:

[Jack L]

Some colour and some details added. Paint bottle for scale.

[Andy T]

One for the gardeners, a DIY lawn lute / leveller.

I'm trying to rescue my bumpy lawn after years of neglect. Top dressing and levelling out with a lute seems very popular but once I saw the price of them I let out the Barnsley War Cry - " 'OW MUCH!"

Luckily we've just stripped out an ex Ocado van which had a load of aluminum & stainless racking



So I figured I'd have a go at making my own lute. After a bit of grinding and drilling out some rivets I had a rough idea in mind



More drilling, grinding & riveting saw a completed article





I'll have to give it a test drive first, but if it seems like it'll do the job I'll make it look a bit more presentable. Not bad for free and an hour's work.

[Tim Marlow]

That’s a new one on me Andy. Great job on it though, really looks like it will do the job. Must admit though when I saw the name “Lute“ I thought you’d gone all Alan A’dale and hey nonny nonny

[minitnkr]

I used to use a lawn roller to level the lawn in the spring every year. A 2' X 3' cylinder filled w/water w/handle attached like the old push lawn mowers. Did the job nicely w/o messing up the grass.

[boatman]

I used to use a lawn roller to level the lawn in the spring every year. A 2' X 3' cylinder filled w/water w/handle attached like the old push lawn mowers. Did the job nicely w/o messing up the grass.

WELL i use a lawn roller an ole round tin can borrowed from next door with metal bar through the centre filled with concrete an a handle its used to do a great job on the lawns but now that blasted mole an its family havin taken ressidence i give up an its laughin at that mole deterent thing i paid nr 12 quid for what a waste of dosh an there are still mole hills here an there might have to buy a mr 12 lol Aaaaarrrccchhhhhh AN youre very clever Andy to make that gadget up an help your freind on his wheel chair very well done to you sir an if only there were more people like you in this country
chrisb

[Andy T]

AN youre very clever Andy to make that gadget up an help your freind on his wheel chair very well done to you sir an if only there were more people like you in this country
chrisb

Thanks Chris, I was just helping out where I could. I'm sure many on here would do the same.