# What did you DIY / Mod / Fix today?



## JayMac (Mar 28, 2015)

A place to post a simple picture of or few words about something you built, moded or brought back to life today.

As a huge fan of the "Postie thread" (http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?10791-What-did-the-Postie-bring-you-today) and just as huge a fan of DIY - I thought I would see if this would stick. (As cool as Posties are, making it yourself is even cooler, no?)

Preferably coffee related but anything cool will do. Doesn't matter if it's simple, complex, been done a thousand times before, all fair game.


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## JayMac (Mar 28, 2015)

Alright... leaves me to start then...

Here is a combined E61 pressure / temperature gauge I just finished.

Pretty much the usual.

The only thing different from the standard is that no PFs died or were modified in the making. It uses a naked PF, a JB-Weld filled basket that came with my Fracino and quick-connects normally used with air compressors so that you can insert the basket into the PF in the first place. While I was at it I used another quick connect between the gauge. I suppose the thermocouple died in the making too as it is permanently attached to the basket also.

In the long run about all it did for me is prove that the source of my sour shots was my bad technique (over-dosing to the point of channeling) not the machine. I pretty much figured that out before finishing this anyway, but completed it for the sake of stubbornness and to be sure there weren't multiple issues.

I first tried with normal epoxy but had to spend an hour freeze/boiling it to remove it as it wasn't sound enough near the boiling point. I can't recommend JB Weld enough for anyone who has to do something similar.

Some here, Jeebsy I think, mentioned being able to source the metal parts from hardware stores for a few quid. If that's the case I'd love to know where; I went to several before breaking down and going to a specialty hydraulic shop where even with a huge discount I had to shell out £25 for heavy stainless steel parts - serious overkill.









Next?...


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

In the spirit of the thread....

I hacked a few bits of wood out of a 5-bar gate as the latch wasn't free to lift high enough to easily clear the catch.....

When I say hacked I did actually use a pad saw, a small wood chisel & mallet plus a power driver with a torx bit.

Earlier I has taken down a few joists from the top of a wooden pergola (as they were fugly and blocked a lot of light... this was achieved with the minimal "tools" of a ladder and a bit of force.

I changed a couple of fluorescent tubes and a few light bulbs.

No pictures though


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## Milanski (Oct 10, 2013)

Drewster said:


> I changed a couple of fluorescent tubes and a few light bulbs.
> 
> No pictures though


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

I like the idea of this thread (also the postie thread and all the refurbishment or customising threads). I doubt if I will ever have anything to post up though, I'm not much of a modder and don't trust myself with DIY if it is likely to involve: heat; leccy; water; pressure; all of the above. So that's coffee out! Basic servicing of bikes or decorating is about my lot, and if I posted that, it would be like, er, watching paint dry!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Tiled my kitchen last month, that was the most ambitious thing I've done yet

Crap splashback

View attachment 14777


Panic

View attachment 14775


After

View attachment 14776


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

Top job there Jeebsy, drilling a hole for an extractor fan is a displeasing experience!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Just looking at the picture of the black splashback pisses me off...my hatred of that splashback was completely irrational.

Haven't drilled a hole for the extractor yet, it's just wedged up between the cupboards. Was disappointed to find it doesn't actually extract anywhere so deciding on whether to keep it or remove it. That's a rainy day job.


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## bronc (Dec 10, 2012)

I think it looks better with the white tiles. Job well done. Maybe you should paint the tile gaps orange to go with your espresso equipment.


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

@Jeebs

The tiles look great good job!.......

...... Unfortunately you now need to change the cupboards, worktop and the rest of the units :-(


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

jeebsy said:


> Haven't drilled a hole for the extractor yet, it's just wedged up between the cupboards. Was disappointed to find it doesn't actually extract anywhere so deciding on whether to keep it or remove it. That's a rainy day job.


My advice is DON'T do it on a rainy day, also if you drill from the inside brick dust will fly everywhere.

It's one of them where you will be spouting expletives every few minutes and make sure that the clutch on your SDS drill isn't works or you are gonna go flying!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

It backs onto an internal wall, doesn't actually go outside


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Sick off DIY, completly redone the garden, new shed, decking, borders, slabbing, turfing....

Now i gotta do loads of work to the boat which i am soooo looking forward to.

If it wasn't for my tight wife then i would pay someone to do it all and sit and watch with a beer.


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

froggystyle said:


> If it wasn't for my tight wife then i would pay someone to do it all and sit and watch with a beer.


Phhhhhhht!!! (Spitting coffee on keyboard moment)

Snort! Fnaaar! Fnaar!


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Ha its funny, as i was typing that i thought will Drewster be along to comment

You never disappoint.


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

I started my bike up and didnt realise there was a vacuum the other side of it. I burnt through the flexihose with the zorst.

Being the tight git I am I kept it thinking I could put it to good use, well the day has come









Flushed with success I showed my partner. "why have you done that?" she asked,, my reply, the controller was a bit small and my hands hurt after playing for any length of time, its like they're made for a childs hands. She replied "Doesn't that tell you something"


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

She replied "Doesn't that tell you something"

Yes, get an xbox.....


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

I swap systems from time to time with my dad so we can play each others games. I agree the Xbox controller fits much better in the hand, Im just brand loyal to sony I guess


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Pah settling for 2nd best over a brand is no excuse.


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

youve never played* "The Last Of Us" *then,, such a pity seeing as its considered the best game ever


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

'considered'


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

froggystyle said:


> You never disappoint.


I aim to please!! But to be fair I don't aim that high!!


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## NickdeBug (Jan 18, 2015)

Well, yesterday rather than today, but...

New sleeper retaining wall at the bottom of the front garden. Patio next, followed by large G&T









Before

View attachment 14786


So far

View attachment 14787


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## coffeefanatic (Jun 3, 2015)

Defo needs a touch of orange on the cupboard handles to add a bit of "coffee colour consistency"


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## frederickaj (Jul 31, 2014)

Spent an age Drilling my Nemox Grinders to add the Iberital worm gear mod .Had to drill the steel tops of the grinder and broke god knows how many drill bits .

It was well worth it as I now get a great brew .


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

NickdeBug said:


> Well, yesterday rather than today, but...
> 
> New sleeper retaining wall at the bottom of the front garden. Patio next, followed by large G&T
> 
> ...


You sir have a cracking view!

I look into other peoples bedrooms out my back garden!


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Are you sure you should be telling us that froggy?


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## "coffee 4/1" (Sep 1, 2014)

had weeks of banging & screwing in shed ha ha for these

mini-mazzerd kitchenaid grinder modded

s/s drip tray for elektra, as original had chrome dulled

spangenhelm for nephew, chainmaille took forever to finish, this is defiantly a one off, high heat & riveting not for me.


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## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

grumpydaddy said:


> Are you sure you should be telling us that froggy?


C'Mon Grumpy that was too much of an open goal (even for me)........


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

grumpydaddy said:


> Are you sure you should be telling us that froggy?


Thought it was legal??


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## Beanosaurus (Jun 4, 2014)

\ said:


> View attachment 14794
> View attachment 14796
> View attachment 14797
> 
> ...


The chainmail is obviously awesome but what exactly have you done to that Kitchen Aid grinder??


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

froggystyle said:


> Thought it was legal??


Yes but you should really put some clothes before grabbing the binoculars


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## "coffee 4/1" (Sep 1, 2014)

Beanosaurus said:


> The chainmail is obviously awesome but what exactly have you done to that Kitchen Aid grinder??


for the grinder mazzer-mini burrs shimmed & tap, remove bean separator now holds 20g beans, made stepless to fine tune for lever machine, aluminium hopper plate, aluminium catch cup,

so used grinder £40

mazzer burrs £24

aluminium £10

black spray paint & bits £10 total £84.00 cheap or not


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

I know someone who made an entire chain mail suit out of wire coat hangers, cut, wound round a former, and linked 3-into-one (or whatever it's called). It took months. I tried it on and it weighed a ton! Would probably have worked as reasonable protection too, unlike the lighter gauge 2-into-1 type that you can buy from purveyors of re-enactment accoutrements.


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## "coffee 4/1" (Sep 1, 2014)

blimey entire suit, i used garden galvanised fencing wire that was tough to wrap round former and cut each link,how on earth did they do it in the 14th century,each link welded as well


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

They were at it day and knight! ?

The one I tried on did take 2 people a very long time to make (mentalists! ) but of course it wasn't welded, I think they just bent the rings closed with mole grips. She made her own mead as well, which was quite nice.


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

Tried proper chain mail on once, weighed a ton when you picked it up but wasn't too bad when worn.

What lever machine is that btw?


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

Stripped the SJ I got from funinacup. I couldn't get the base plate off so maybe there is 3.5kgs of free coffee in there! No surprises, except for the portafilter holder being held on with bolts which had nuts on the back instead of bolting into the body of the grinder itself. I was following a guide for the Major where the body seems to be tapped. This meant when the bolts were removed the nuts fell down into the body which was interesting fun to try and get back out. Seems impossible to get the nuts back on without removing the motor which I don't want to do, so I'm just going to tap the holes on the body and bolt it on. Seems odd that they didn't do that in the first place.

Someone had done a sweeper mod previously with electrical tape but over the years it had lost effectiveness. So I followed coffeechap's advice of the 'easy' clean sweep method (cardboard from a cereal box on the lower vanes, held in place by the uppers) and it works brilliant. No retention in the doser but I was seeing about 0.4g retention in total. This seems to be getting stuck in the burr chamber so I need to get better at brushing it out as I don't think there are any mods to improve this. With some serious brushing there was virtually no retention.

I need to do a Mr Whippy/anfim cone mod next and a schectermatic/snozzle whatever it's called as it doses all over the place. I also need to come up with a better solution for the hopper. At the moment I'm either using a small part I made from aluminium, originally to dose into the portafilter to help dosing into the grinder. This is pretty nice but I can't get a tamper in to keep weight on the beans. If I don't use my 'hopper' I can get the tamper in but it won't go down far enough to reach the beans. Solution I think is for me to machine a bit of steel bar that will fit perfectly into my 'hopper'. If I get it just right I can machine a lip so the bar will drop down as the beans go through and will catch on the lip so it doesn't end up resting on the bolt in the middle of the burrs.


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## JayMac (Mar 28, 2015)

Tripped over this ancient thread when a member asked about thermometers a few days back. Made me think it needed a post.

Last year we got two 13 week old kittens (omg, so cute).

So as a welcome gift I made them a floor to cieling climbing pole / scratch post out of scrap flooring someone else in my building left outside (amazingly I get almost all the wood I need for the occasional project that way). This was inspired by https://www.hicat.co.uk/tomcat-3/ which look awesome but I can't justify grinder prices for a cat toy even if they are all hand made in London. But in any case it was just a few evenings of fun DIY.

Basically six pieces of flooring joined in a hexagon (as a substitute for a huge cardboard tube). Joined together with a series of half and full shelves / perches for the cats. One piece is disconnected and hinged. All surfaces are carpeted in and out for climbing a scratching. Decorated with hanging toys inside. One trick is simply to make it about 6cm shorter than your ceiling. Then you can still stand it up. By then jacking it from underneath with a platform you create something that doesn't need to be connected to any surface that cannot fall over due to its diameter and jamming on the ceiling if the cats develop hulk like strength. So I move it around the flat periodically to keep the cats on their toes. Didn't take too many shots as I was constructing it, at least not that I can find. But here are a couple.


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