Replacing a failed sealed unit...

This is a job I've finally got round to fixing, basically one of the double glazed units (sealed units) in our wood framed double gazed windows failed a while ago, by that I mean condensation was building up between the 2 panes of glass and rather than replace the whole frame i decided to just replace the sealed unit.

I found a company near to us who can make sealed units to whatever spec you want so I ordered one, much cheaper than replacing the whole frame. The sealed units in upvc windows can also be replaced in a similar way and it's cheaper to replace them rather than the whole window frame, how to's can be found online and a few minutes searching will find companies near to you who can make replacement units, you will need measurements though.

Here's a video of the process, obviously this will be different for upvc windows -

Thanks for visiting.

Allotment Update...

This is the first of many visits to the allotment, I had thought I was starting later than I usual do, turns out I'm a bit earlier this year than last year, and as it happens we have started most of our seeds off earlier than we have in previous years.

Doesn't look like much was done, but you have to start somewhere.

Here's the video -

Thanks for visiting.

Harvesting Grey water...

If you want to collect waste water please do some research into it first, there are things to consider in terms of storing and preventing bacteria buildup, filtration and numerous other things, we've installed a simple system that will only be used in the summer and any water will only be stored temporarily, so no longer than 24 hours

For a while now we've talked about trying to save more water, we have 5 waterbutts for collecting rain water, but we felt we could collect the water from showers and baths.

So to that end we've installed a very simple system to divert the water from the bathroom waste to a temporary storage tank (waterbutt) for use in the summer months for watering the ornamental plants.

It's a really simple install, it does involve some basic plumbing however, I've used solvent welds for this as I prefer that to push fit.

The valve we're installing is made by a company called Watertwo and it costs about 30 pounds, and here's a link to their website - https://watertwo.co.uk/the-watertwo-device/

Here's the rough installation guide -

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Glass sphere / crystal ball stand...

My wife has a new glass sphere which she wanted for taking pictures through, it does come with a small glass holder, but she wanted something a little more sturdy so I made a stand for the sphere from a piece of oak.

The wood has some cracks in it, but I used CA glue to stabilise them and although a simple shape it works well, and looks good with the sphere sitting on it.

Here's the video -

Thanks for visiting.

Turning Picture Frames...

This is a project I started sometime ago, but only just got round to finishing.

It turns out that you can make pretty good picture frames using a lathe, although you will be restricted by the capabilities of your lathe, as in how big you can make them, but you could always go the other way and see how small you can make them. They are pretty easy to make and can be stained or painted to suit your needs, and you can make them from solid pieces of wood or by gluing wood together, it depends on what you can get hold of in terms of materials.

Have a look -

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This is not one of my better ideas, but I have always (for some reason) wanted to turn chipboard (particle board) to see what would happen, well now I know.

It's not something I'll ever do again, chipboard or particle board as it's known is horrible stuff to turn for obvious reasons, the end result is oddly pleasing, but the actual turning was very messy, lots of dust so it goes without saying that you need a proper dust mask and eye protection (even when turning proper wood)

The end result is oddly pleasing though.

Here's the video -

Thanks for visiting.

Allotment update (a bit late posting) ...

I'm a bit behind with posting due to work and other things, so I'm combining the last two allotment visits into one post.

The fist video is us harvesting our borlotti beans and some squash plants, and the second video is us picking this years apple harvest, which isn't as big as it has been in previous years, but we still got enough to make some wine and juice and the rest my wife cut up and froze for pie fillings through the autumn and winter.

There's not much on the plot now, we will get some kale and chard and we should also get some sprouts for Christmas dinner, but for now the plot has been left alone and once Christmas is over I'll start fixing the fences that are damaged (and anything else that needs fixing) and come spring I'll start moving plants about, we have two gooseberry bushes in the gardens at home which are being relocated to the plot, and there are some small fruit trees on the plot that I want to move.

So look out for more allotment posts next year, and in the meantime I'll try and finish off some of the Christmas makes I've started and post / make videos about.

Picking the beans and squash - 

Picking the apples and juicing -

Thanks for visiting.