Home DIY

Hang on. I'm confused.

We need pics with a colour coded mark up of what you're sticking where.

What's the existing desk made out of?

Why magnets? Could you use some velcro strips? Easy to apply/remove, will level fairly flat, cheap and significantly less effort than magnets... or am I missing something?

While drafting an unnecessarily sarcastic response I came up with a much better idea.

G clamps.

When you Google image small g and c clamps it turns out that there are some quite refined ones.

The hand knob could easily be replaced with a cut down button end hex.

It feels like double sided tape would be a lot easier unless you are planning on removing it a lot.

Excellent idea:

https://youtu.be/zj_IKd8XYNI?si=aw1sCaPtk9AeFQiI

What's happening here?

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I guess I could recess a very thin something into the top, but not the entire thing - A because of the size and B because I'm routing in a Logitech PowerPlay (upside down) into the desk so it's perfectly flush with the desk with the aim of charging and receiving 2.4ghz signal through the valchromat.

I've just received a big pile of pieces (350x550mm) and actually even at 8mm it's rock solid so think I could def do a 2-4mm recess in it.

The surface is lovely fwiw - def nice for a mouse pad. Going to do a few tests of spilling/wiping stuff on it and then test a few other sheets with different finishes (matte varnish / hard wax etc)

Test 1: pour coffee onto untreated valchromat. Not recommended.

edit: actually it's already dried (after wiping immediately) and it's unnoticeable. Felt like I was brushing off loads of fibers when I was drying (so I probably was) but it's looking and feeling good now. Going to try a few more liquid tests (leaving flask with coffee on bottom for half an hour etc).

@hugo7 4cm thick oak kitchen worksurface.

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Don't want 'fairly flat' or any movement/shuffle at all.

I don't hate this idea but still feel like strong magnets would keep it in place for longer and more precisely. I don't want to notice the desk and surface are a mm misaligned in 6 months.

I have. attacked it with a knife and covered it with something white and sticky.

PVA then bonding plaster ready for somebody else to skim, what started as a crack turned out to be something bigger...

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Behind the drawers is a cupboard in the kitchen. In it is the underfloor heating manifold so the rest of the cupboard is useless.

That’s why we decided to cap the cupboard and put the drawers under the stairs.

The cupboard finishes at that line and so there are only the three drawers. Originally, the carpenter just made the cupboard and installed it up to that wall but that left the space at the end looking awkward so I asked him to build a fake cupboard at the end to even it out.

Because he’d already attached the trim, there’s a gap. I don’t really notice it but I could fill and sand it to make it consistent.

Ah, makes sense. Filling and sanding would be way down on my list

What bit of this is 15mm?

https://www.toolstation.com/made4trade-lever-ball-valve/p57154

I've come into a load of spare hose pipe and want to tie it to a bit of wood stuck in the ground so I can make my kids can have a makeshift out door tap jinx the nice weather.

Cheers

Ps if anyone knows the search term for this sort of tap handle that would be super useful.

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Presumably the inside diameter of the fittings, to be compatible with 15mm pipe.

And apologies if this is a stupid question, but isn't it a 'lever ball valve'?

If you want something to attach to the end of the hosepipe, then you want something from Gardena or Hozelock. That fitting will be made for 15mm PEX or copper pipe.
https://www.gardena.com/int/products/watering/hose-fittings/hose-connector-with-control-valve-13-mm-12/900878101.html

Cheers both.

It needs to be suitable for little hands so have gone with this.

I've decided that it'll be easier to work out once I have it irl.

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OK, update - valchromat is great - passes a charge through, connects to wifi etc. But what could I finish it with that would be completely sealed/wipeable so I could ALSO use it as a kind of chalkboard/doodle surface to jot down to-do/sketch out lighting diagrams etc. Or is THAT the point where the idea becomes too much?

Yup. I genuinely don’t notice it when walking past so I’m almost certainly going to leave it.

I've found some old right angled copper pipe that will make the tap-on-a-stick have a better WAP.

What do I need to connect to the threaded section to join it to a standard copper pipe (like one that plumbs into a radiator)?

Some sort of compression fitting with a female threaded end?

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Yes. Screwfix item 93992 should work, for example.

Awesome! Thanks.

If you're using plastic pipe, do you need the 90 degree bend in the middle or can you just run a curve and save fitting/reduce number of things that might leak?

Are you clipping the pipe to anything for support and to reduce movement as it gets warm?

Consider Toolstation 29554, or equivalent, to allow you to fix your bibtap to something.