Any question answered...

I'm sure if you ask here you'll get some volunteers.

probably.

Could you not try the traditional "I'll meet you by the Starbucks in London Bridge, bring cash money" approach, and get a mate to sit in Starbucks in case the proto-emptor shows fight?

i could, but it's quite a long way from coventry.

i think i'll just have to go and meet them.

What is the item, and where is the potential purchaser?

Are they trying to get you to post it to them?

If so what method of payment are they suggesting?

More detail!

they're suggesting cash in hand in stoke aldermoor (fairly shit area) for a guitar.
the only way i could get there is by bus and if they decided to pull one on me i'd have nowhere to go really. and they type in all capitals.

if i lived in london i'd probably try out a line like 'COME MEET ME AT BETHNAL GREEN'

IF THEY TYPE ALL IN CAPS THEY WILL, 100% FACT, ROB YOU.

I'd simply refuse to meet them there, if you are uncomfortable with both the area and having to get there.

If the guitar is well described and fairly priced then someone else will make you an offer for it.

yeah that's probably sensible. i would normally be comfortable with it but it's likely just to be someone being a twat.

If they do steal it from you then you've lost the bus fare on top of the guitar, that's a rubbish deal.

buses aint cheap!

419 scams.
Has anyone on here ever played with the person writing the letter?

tynan, probably.

I doubt it. More likely the growth of the economy drove the increase, like it always does.

That was of course also a factor. However, increases in motor traffic capacity will generally result in more motor traffic in London, every time, and that's what was happening. Luckily, the original plans of indulging in more and more road widening were abandoned, but the M11 Link Road was still built, and numerous other bad projects were undertaken.

increases in motor traffic capacity will generally result in more motor traffic in London

ftfy

The block of flats in which I live has, over the past few days, had the drains cleaned.

There are 28 of these drains, 14 X 3" and 14 X 4".

The 4" are for the dunnies, the 3" for grey water- baths/basins/sinks.

Now the drainage contractor has had no problems whatsover with the 4", but numerous problems with the 3"- our flat was one of the problems.

The contractor tried to use a rotating macerator, but the pipe was too clogged to admit this device, so they jetted the pipe, which forced thick black sludge out of every item connected to the soil stack being jetted- kitchen sink, wash-basin and bath.

Kitchen sink is steel, and is fine, wash-basin is ceramic and is also fine.

Bath however is vitreous enamel over cast iron, and that has discoloured badly- extensive yellowing, some black streaks, and the surface that was covered in the black ooze has roughened.

Would a light abrasive product such as Brasso cut back the surface of the bath, getting rid of the stains and the rough finish? Or would very fine wet and dry be better?

Or, would trying to cut back the surface to a nice shiny one be a crazy idea?

hasn't ceramic got a glaze?
if so and it is stained, it must have got past it, and damaged the actual ceramic

if not please ignore

I'm not sure.

I think that what has happened is that the surface, instead of being smooth, has become covered in microscopic scratches and pocks, which are holding onto the stain- which is why I want to polish the surface back to being smooth again.

Butu I'm really not sure if this would work.

I would suggest that as the contractor as caused the staining/damage that they should be the ones to make good. I would not suggest scouring or polishing yourself. And I'm not suggesting that you go screaming to them 'ooo ooo compensation please' with a beggar bowl, just suggesting that if you dont ask, you dont get. Of course if you bathroom is allready in a piss stained hovel like stat they'll probly tell you to FRO, but if its clearly a well cared for property, then they may just do the right thing.

you haven't seen his bathroom :)

Two options for these baths, get them sprayed with an acrylic layer for say £300, or re-enamelled for around £2,000.

The contractors will choose the cheaper option and I don't want that.

they're suggesting cash in hand in stoke aldermoor (fairly shit area) for a guitar.
the only way i could get there is by bus and if they decided to pull one on me i'd have nowhere to go really. and they type in all capitals.

if i lived in london i'd probably try out a line like 'COME MEET ME AT BETHNAL GREEN'

Stoke aldermoor is not that bad.

the contractors will have to get it back to the condition it was in before they fooked it. i work for a very big english gas company and have 'generated' a couple of insurance claims. we cant just choose the cheapest option.

To be re-finished correctly the following would need to happen:

Bathroom wall taken down, bath moved down to ground floor.
Bath packed and despatched to re-enamellers.
Bath shot blasted to remove existing enamel.
Bath re-fired/glazed at 800 degrees with fresh enamel.
Bath repacked, returned, re-installed.
Wall put back up.

That's £2,000 just for the enamelling part, leaving out the transport.

I reckon the drainage company will fight tooth and nail to avoid that, and it would take forever.

So I'd prefer to refinish the surface if I can, quickly and cheaply.

Oh. I zee your point. Just paint it with white gloss then. HTH :D

But seriously, I would fight it and if thats what they pay that's what they pay. It's what their insurance is for. They should have taken proper precautions to protect YOUR property.

I take your point, but at this point I really want there to be an end in sight for the completion of the bathroom, before it takes every free weekend of 2011 away from me.

Observe contrast between shiny, nice looking edge of bath, and matt, stained area around plug hole:

Now it's an old bath, it's 75 years old to be precise, and the surface where contact would most often occur was slightly roughened/matt- but it was all white, unstained.

The stains have penetrated the surface layer of the enamel, and therefore will not wash off- which is why I was wondering about polishing back the surface.

Ok it's an old bath so this is probably to be expected. I can't advise you on how to do it, but I'd really recommend www.diynot.com forums to you. It's a brilliant resource with some very friendly and knowledgeable folk on it. I use it as a resource for all my diy projects. I'm sure you'd get better advice on this subject over there.

Exactly- I paid £46 for it (and £40 delivery), so charging someone £2,000 plus wall removal/rebuild and courier charges seems a bit much.

I've had a lot of success bringing the paint of my car back from oxidised oragne to a nice bright red using a mild cutting compound, which was why I was thinking about using something similar here- I have, basically, nothing to lose.

I may end up getting one of the refinishing companies in who sand the bath back to key it, then spray an acrylic over it- I'm slightly loath to do this though, as I think that only lasts five or so years, which seems a step backward when the bath has proved that enamel can last 75.