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Paul Fenwick
@pjf@cloudisland.nz  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

The most satisfying repair at the Glen Eira #RepairCafe last weekend was a lady with a desk lamp with a head that had partially detached from the flexible arm.

Together we identified the reason why (loosened screws came out), the repair needed (new screws, with care taken to align a plate properly), and the parts and tools to do it.

"Would you like to put the screws in, or shall I?"

She put them in with gusto, even switching to a different, sturdier screw, so the lamp ended up in better-than-new condition.

My goal in volunteering isn't so much to reduce consumerism or save things from landfill (although both are important), as it is to empower people to have the skills and confidence to repair their own items.

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Paul Fenwick
@pjf@cloudisland.nz replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

And honestly, most of the time the only thing they need is confidence. Most people can turn a screw or change a washer or clean a filter, they've just never been given the permission to crack open an item they own and do so.

Sure, there are plenty of things that require more specialised skills and knowledge, but the majority of things that end up at my table have broken in straightforward ways, and can be repaired with straightforward fixes.

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Simon 🐮:spot:
@Firesphere@cloudisland.nz replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

@pjf My best moment was about a year ago.
An 8 year old boy with his mum and a broken water kettle boiler jug thingy.
Aside from fixing the jug, and the boy constantly asking all sorts of questions about how it all worked, I let him (under supervision), dismantle every part of the kettle he could, with my screwdrivers. And keep all the screws neatly organized on my screw-organizer plate.
Once he was satisfied he had taken apart everything he could, he wanted to know how electricity could warm water.
I spent about an hour giving a whole lecture about electricity, using 2 highways next to each other, full of trucks, to convey the message of magnetic induction, amperage, voltage, wattage, and how they relate and how he could calculate how much Watt an appliance used with the triangle

P
____
V * I

It's one of the best things about repair cafe, give people insight in their appliance, teach and explain how they can safely and methodically take things apart and repair minor issues, etc. ❤️

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