Analog Lipstick Tube Thermostat

ViviLnk

No more digital thermostats!

After 3 super duper programmable wonder boxes which could do everything except run
the furnace we dragged the vintage 1960 era bimetallic analog milk horse out of
retirement and watched in amazement as the house warmed up and cooled down without a hiccup!

The only problem was temperature control.
In the 1960’s no one quibbled about 71/72/73 degrees.

Close enough was good enough.

Enter another fine analog product from yesteryear- the lipstick tube.

With a twist of the dial the temperature can be adjusted in increments of 1/2 degree!

Ma is happy, I am happy, the furnace is happy.

Happy, happy, happy!

By the way, credit for the lipstick tube adjustable switch courtesy of
Fred MacMurray in “Dive Bomber”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033537/

Spring Spruce Up 2016!

Okay, summer is officially here!

Now is a good time to look back at all the Springtime Spruce up repairs
completed between thundershowers and routine maintenance chores here
in beautiful downtown Raleigh.

For example, door jamb repairs remain a popular option for many people with
spring fever.

Here:

ViviLnk

Here:

ViviLnk

And the finished job here:

ViviLnk

Sometimes a window sill or two could use some tender loving care:

ViviLnk

Up on a ladder again!

ViviLnk

Brand new maintenance free PVC replacement sills will do the job every time!

ViviLnk

And, nothing like a nice new fence to shape up the yard.

Sometimes you need a fancy homemade right angle layout tool to make
straight lines for the fence posts!

ViviLnk

Of course, no fence is complete without a gate latch:

ViviLnk

And yes, with all the rain this Iris bloomed early and often!

ViviLnk

Just a small sample of the mischief and merriment from Spring 2016!

(There was a soffit repair with blurry pictures which I cannot post! Darnit!)

Blurry Picture Soffit Repair (See the beautiful tongue and groove board patch? Yeah,
neither can I! -sigh- )

ViviLnk

So now I brace for the heat and humidity of the Dog Days Of August! Call me a with work order!
We can laugh together in the steamy Southern Sunshine!

Oh, yeah, there was a rebuilt kitchen drawer this spring as well. Amazing how often kitchen drawers
need help! Quite a few have come my way over the years!

ViviLnk

If you want to see some of these repairs live on camera, I made videos wayback long ago! Yes!

CLICK THIS LINK HERE FOR A WINDOW SILL REPAIR

CLICK THIS LINK HERE FOR A DOOR JAMB REPAIR

Pegboard Picture & Plaque Storage Crate

Framed pictures and plaques suffer nicks and dings and other damage when they lean
against each other stored on a shelf or worse, stacked flat on top of each other in a pile.

With the variable length, width and thickness of a typical framed picture and
plaque collection storage and transport is an adventure at best.

One solution is to pack them vertically in individual partitions protected from
any potential injury.

This crate made with pegboard sidewalls and adjustable partitions created with
dowels solves many storage and transport requirements.

Window Sash Latch Rail Replacement

ViviLnk

ViviLnk

Yes! (Some!) window sash repairs are possible. This latch rail was probably destroyed by
a wood virus, not water rot or insects. So, overall, frame stiles were repairable with a
new latch rail inserted in place of the badly decomposed original. A cheaper, faster
alternative to the special order replacement kit which can take up to 3 weeks to arrive.
As Hannibal Smith famously said: “I love it when a plan comes together!”

This, of course, is not my first rodeo.

A previous wildly improbable wood damage repair can be found AT THIS LINK.

And here find TWO sash repairs from the wayback machine in the days before insulated glass!

WAYBACK SASH REPAIR #1

WAYBACK SASH REPAIR #2