Home DIY

Steve Bryant is brilliant.

07734051303

Say Matt who tried to sell him the Wilier recommended him!

Conaider using CT1 as an alternative to No More Nails. Astonishing stuff.

What's the bit that goes on the end here?

Boom. Best suggest.

I put up some shelves using Gripits last weekend - probably overkill but I wanted to play it safe. Turns out the new spirit level I bought was very much not fucking level at all so I ended up with some massive holes in the wrong place in the plasterboard.
This weekend was spent drilling into the brick behind the plasterboard, fitting regular plugs then filling up the holes around some longer screws.

I think you need a new bubble for the spirit level.

Seriously I thought I was going insane. The level said it was fine, my eyes (and wife) said it was completely wrong: https://youtu.be/rQ9984rfkDI

There's a plastic version of those by Fischer that has a metal tool included to insert them. I've found they improve on pretty much every aspect of the metal version. Like you say though, if you get to the point where the plasterboard has given up around them it would be tricky to get the GripIt fixed.

Seen some new plastic helpers from Hafele, yet to get a box but I will. Solves an age old problem for carpenters and kitchen fitters. Should be useful in quite a few situations.https://www.hafele.co.uk/en/product/space-plugs-set-of-50-orange-plastic/000001130001a7f700030023/#SearchParameter=&@QueryTerm=spacer&@P.FF.followSearch=9915&PageNumber=4&OriginalPageSize=12&Position=47&OrigPos=61&ProductListSize=69&PDP=true

Ha. That thing. Was bought by a friend because no one had thought of bringing a level.
Could be used as a rough guide or to play with the cat.

I have two spirit levels and neither agree. Suspect I need to replace with better ones that are adjustable.

Guys, if you doubt your spirit level then turn it around and see if it agrees. Worst case scenario mark the glass to let you know the proper setting. Mind you the laser line is pretty much ubiquitous these days.

Want a video to see how shite they are?
How can fluid dynamics be wrong? ;)

I figure you're talking about shite laser lines? I'll bet there are some out there, mine seems to do a decent enough job.

I'm talking shite about my two spirit levels. As they are shite. The ealier comment of never agreeing.

Have used a laser line thing recently, the tech has moved on alot. The small cube (stanley onehttps://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-cubix-self-levelling-laser-level/69712 ) was self leveling and easily visible to the naked eye. Last one I used before that was five or six years ago and needed the tripod setting up and wearing special glasses and cost alot.

If you're needing something level and you don't know how accurate the spirit level is, its definitely worth reverse checking it first.

Simply place the spirit level on a clean flat surface and note where the bubble is (or the digital reading). Rotate the level 180 and reposition it in the same place. Ideally you'd be on a known level surface and the bubble should be centred (reading 0) both ways, although your chosen surface needn't be level, so long as the indicated angle reads the same (a digital 0.75 would change -0.75)

@Airhead I suspect this may be one you know. My sash windows are pretty knackered and I'm looking at getting them repaired/replaced.

For the bay windows one quote has come back with: Including 6 new sashes, 2 with vertical glazing bars, 3 new cills, 6 lower box frame replacements and 2 new exterior corner cappings and says that a scaffold will be required for proper replacement of exterior corner cappings.

What are the exterior corner cappings? A google doesn't show me anything specific. I was really hoping to avoid scaffolding for the job (I'm in an upstairs flat so the scaffolding has to go in the garden belonging to downstairs and we only removed the scaffolding from the loft conversion last week).

Cheers

Got a surface mounted double socket plug box on my chimney breast that I'd like to move about 15cm and recess. How legit is it for me to dig out approx 15mm of brick out to do this? Do I need any permission or sign offs to do this?

On a party wall chimney breast in case that makes any difference.

Hard to say really, my first thought was the corners of the stone/cement cill that sometimes are missing.

Crack on you're well within your rights. Just be safe when you're working with the electricity.

edit :- Suddenly thought you might need to be careful when you move 15cm you might need a bit more cable than you currently have. No diagonal runs of wire, ever, anywhere. If you know where the cable is coming from and you're just shortening it by 15cm, no problem.

Ta. Yeah was going to stick with the existing cable which can get me close to where I want them.

What are my options if I do want to move them further, is a junction box acceptable? I could run the cable under the floorboard, wire up the junction box then poke poke it under the floor board, then bring the new cable up?

Are they the bits on top of the mullions?

(Googles mullions) Could be. Given it doesn't seem particularly obvious I'll give them a ring. Cheers

Both mine fail that test.

If your stuck and the bubbles aren't adjustable, you could wrap tape around the low end of the spirit level, to build it up. A bodge, but works so long as your level can sit on your project, restarting on the high end and the built up tape.

Or just get one with an adjustable bubble 😀