Replacement 3.5mm 4 connector headphone jack, varnish, shrink wrap, new jack completed, Photo 05 by Don Tai.
After many years of careful use, the headset that came with a long gone Blackberry smartphone lost sound in the right ear. If I wiggled it “just so” the sound would reappear, but with any further movement the sound would again be gone. It was clear that the wire would need to be cut back and the 3.5mm phone plug would need to be replaced. Because I do like the feel and the quality of the headset and mic, this was worthwhile to repair.
A year ago Bell decided to install fiber optic on our street. For some reason they had cut squares into the sidewalk, which was filled in with asphalt. This year city contractors broke up and completely removed and replaced the complete sidewalk.
Bell Fibe install in Ontario. 2017 Sept 15, a year after, contracted city workers replace the sidewalk. photo by Don Tai
Bell Fibe install in Ontario. 2017 Sept 15, a year after, contracted city workers replace the sidewalk. photo by Don Tai
Bell Fibe install in Ontario. 2017 Sept 15, a year after, contracted city workers replace the sidewalk. photo 3 by Don Tai
Viking Auto Dryer by the T. Eaton Company, 1995, front control panel. Photo by Don Tai
Dead it was, our dryer, a Viking Auto Dryer, from the T. Eaton Company, circa 1995, model number EDX22RW1181, front load, Toronto, Canada, hopelessly turning and turning, all without heat. Of course our clothes were not dry after an hour. Wife was not impressed and put the dryer at the top of my “to do” list. A solution was required before the next weekend load. Nothing stops for laundry or cooking.
Motorcycle valve has a bulbous end which goes on the inside of the rim. This prevents the valve from going through the hole in the rim. A pump is screwed onto the top, allowing air into the tire.
Pressed my front tire’s tire valve in a certain direction I did, and air leaked out. This cannot be good. After checking the age of the tire, I knew that my tire valve needed replacement. In this case my DIY efforts proved insufficient, but I learned something. I had a local bike shop replace my tire and valve.
Beto bicycle floor pump V1, early version, bought at MEC in Toronto. The pin in the valve head broke. Photo By Don Tai
Bought from MEC a decade ago for $25CAD, this pump has served me well pumping up kids schrader low pressure tires, as well as the odd presta style. A litle bit of inattention from the Big Weed and she broke the valve head. Specifically the plastic pin that holds down the valve head to the valve. A repair was in order.
Olympia Nomad motorcycle jacket: nice jacket, well constructed inside and out
Textile motorcycle jackets are really for one time crash use, then they are trashed. “Face”, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada had bought an Olympia Nomad textile motorcycle jacket in May 2012, then lowsided at 80 mph in Montana in July 2012. With only a couple of months of use and about $300US later, it was a shame to trash the jacket. We opted to try a repair of the damage. The jacket had minor melting and a hole in the left elbow, some teeth missing from one of the air vent zippers, small rips of the cordura that covered the zipper, and abrasion and stitching destroyed in the slide. The right elbow had a couple seams abraded away that needed to be resewn.
