[emclo]

I would love to see things that have been fixed or made instead of bought! This is a lost skill these days with the throw away, call a repairman mentality...

I, myself, absolutely hate to pay anyone for something I can do or fix. I have recently made a garage radio out of some old speakers, an old car tape deck and a wooden box. I am in the process of turning a hair clipper case into a pistol case with expanding foam and plasti-dip. Even my wife will throw something she sees out on trash day into the minivan if she thinks we can fix it up (picked up a really sweet wicker/iron storage box last week with some minor wicker damage).

This is a great way to get prepared without spending money!

Lets see some innovation!! (my pics to come)

 

[Ponce]

I like picking up junk and making them work once again because not only do I have something that works once again but also it teaches me how it works and to me that's more important.

 

[techo]

I've been repairing stuff all my life. Everything from Plasma TV's to toasters.

 

[Dwind]

sounds like something The Professor from Gilligan's island would do

 

[JHA]

Check out this site - I spent hours on it - these guys build wind turbines out of old car parts. I think it's a great way to recycle and create alternative power.
http://www.otherpower.com
J

 

[meisje]

Try makezine.com and instructables.com

 

[Adamfreedom]

Just got me a stick welder and starting to try to learn how to weld. Its a great trade and will make money if need be.

 

[MountainManDan]

if you have ever had the opportunity to meet anyone who grew up in Russia and immigrated to the U.S. you will quickly learn that they fix EVERYTHING no matter how little or disposable we may think the item to be.

i think as the economy gets rougher and those dollars need to be stretched further we will see more people living with the 'things' in their life for longer periods of time and also taking better care of those items and learning to repair as many as possible.

in my travels to various third world countries it always amazes me the 'junk' (in my eyes) that people save...but then again you never know when you will need a part or may be able to improvise a part or repair from salvaging parts from another item...you also will notice this hoarding like behavior in almost all island communities (hawaii included).

 

[welderguy]

I have a hard time throwing stuff away, I am always thinking I can fix it or use it for other projects.

 

[Vanishing Nomad]

I am the same way. I have old BDUS that i keep just to use as patches for others, and for the buttons as well. I recently saved a coat, because I had an old one and was able to take zipper parts from it to fix the newer coat.

 

[welderguy]

this reply is a little off subject but I had to reply to Royal Dragon, I have pair of insulated walls bib overalls that the leg zipper broke on, I used duck tape to keep em closed, I was lucky and found a pair of replacement overalls at a yard sale for 5 bucks.
I still have the old ones its been 3 years now but I keep saying one day ill find a zipper for them . I call that being frugal my wife calls it being cheap as hell and a pack rat.

 

[test]

I do not possess any pics as you requested, but fixing and repairing things is my forte.

It pays to be a brilliant and innovative technician [as others have described me ].

Such surely is a lost art.

 

[icaris]

Many electric appliances usually have only a small problem like a loose wire. This week I fixed an electric sander that burned a hole in the circuit board due to a 'hot connection', I fixed the hole with pratley putty and soldered wires in to make the connections and now it works great.

At my parent's house I have to fix everything since my dad is an accountant and he really knows how to stretch a penny.

 

[sailinghudson25]

Recent list 2 tv's, washer, dryer, stove, 1964 cub cadet tractor, echo chainsaw (awsome little saw), 1980 VW rabbit (bodywork, suspension, and replaced all small parts on gas engine). Recently rebuilt a diesel engine for it, too slow, put the gas one back in. When gas gets more nuttier than 4 a gallon, it goes back in.

Not so recent list but still own/use. Kubota tractor (hydrostatic trans blew up), 1961 ford falcon (new engine ,trans rebuild, suspension rebuild, bodywork in progress), 1953 GMC fridge. Can't forget the house. I had to find 3 inspectors before they would consider it "a viable house" by their standards. It's up to par now. Redid 1/2 the basement walls. New roof (the frame too), built 2 car garage, and the usual gut reinsulate, rewire, resheetrock, and refloor gig.

 

[Wintermute]

Simple for me I run my own forum for my projects (machining, welding, woodworking, gunsmithing, adding in sewing soon).

http://www.improvised-engineering.com/

--Wintermute