Been watching an interesting and fun show called The Repair Shop. It is a bit like Antiques Roadshow in that people bring in rare and sometimes valuable items, but all the items need some level of repair. The shop has a number of specialists who go about figuring out how to fix everything from clocks, paintings, kids toys, telescopes, furniture, and other well-selected items. It's on Netflix and is a BBC production.
Re: The Repair Shop
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:34 pm
by BoSoxGal
I saw that advertised and plan to check it out at my client’s house next shift. He likes shows without a lot of plot as his cognitive issues make it hard to follow a narrative arc over several episodes. Also like any guy he likes gadgets. Anyway glad to hear it’s good!
Re: The Repair Shop
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:37 pm
by BoSoxGal
Here’s a trailer for those who like them:
Re: The Repair Shop
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:11 am
by Gob
It's become staple viewing over here. Though I wish they'd show more of the repairs, and less of the heart warming stuff.
Re: The Repair Shop
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 4:12 am
by dales
I always subscribed to the idea that if something couldn't be fixed, use a bigger hammer.
Re: The Repair Shop
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:20 am
by Gob
You only need two tools, gaffa tape and a hammer.
If it moves when it shouldn't, gaffa tape it.
If it doesn't move when it should, hammer it.
Re: The Repair Shop
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:36 am
by MajGenl.Meade
One can always learn something (well, others than lib can). I always thought gaffer type was spelled that way (it is). But "gaffa" is also a variant, although doubtless originating from ignorance of the correct original spelling. Not that Gob's ignorant - doubt he invented "gaffa" as a name. He's not that smart.
Also, learned that I am incorrect (i.e. wrong) in believing that gaffer tape is a colloquial term for duct tape.
The two are different animals entirely. I doubt I've ever used gaffer tape - always duct tape.
One can always learn something (well, others than lib can). I always thought gaffer type was spelled that way (it is). But "gaffa" is also a variant, although doubtless originating from ignorance of the correct original spelling. Not that Gob's ignorant - doubt he invented "gaffa" as a name. He's not that smart.
Also, learned that I am incorrect (i.e. wrong) in believing that gaffer tape is a colloquial term for duct tape.
The two are different animals entirely. I doubt I've ever used gaffer tape - always duct tape.
Don’t you mean duck tape? Or is that yet a third animal?
Don’t you mean duck tape? Or is that yet a third animal?
Glad you asked.
The durable cloth-backed tape first appeared during World War II, when Johnson & Johnson developed an olive drab version as a handy way for American soldiers to waterproof their ammo cans. According to the company, soldiers dubbed the product “duck tape” because it forced moisture to flee “like water off a duck’s back.”
Troops realized that the tape was good for more than just keeping their powder dry, and after the war, it caught on as an easy and effective way to seal, among other things, heating ducts. Johnson & Johnson even began offering a silver version of the tape specifically for this purpose, giving rise to “duct tape.”
So which is correct? “Duck tape” has the chronological upper hand, but “duct tape” is a more accurate description of the product’s historical use. To make things even more complicated, though, it's no longer used to seal ducts! You could always just hedge your bets the way the leading manufacturer does when it bills itself as “Duck brand duct tape.”
To make things even more complicated, though, it's no longer used to seal ducts!
When the duct on my portable AC unit sprung a leak, you bet I used it to seal the deal.
I believe they meant in the normal course of professional duct installation. Otherwise we may as well call it "spectacle tape" or even "underwear tape"
Don't ask
Re: The Repair Shop
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 3:19 pm
by ex-khobar Andy
I was in a plane once departing Pittsburgh - probably USAir - when the pilot announced that we'd have to go back to the gate. One of the overhead lockers kept opening as we taxied. The catch was broken. They were not allowed to take off with a malfunctioning locker door.
We stayed in line. The cockpit door opened and the copilot came down the aisle to the offending locker. He looked at it, tried to bang it shut a couple of times. No luck. "Anyone got some duct tape?"
Someone close by produced a roll. This was before 9/11 when a technician going to a service call would often have his tool kit as carry-on. Two lengths of duct tape and a huge round of applause later, problem solved.
If you count the guy wielding the hammer, that's four.
Is that the old "new math"? I've got one guy wielding tape and a hammer. Surely, three? Or is this a story interpretation problem? Your 4 is two tools and gaffa tape and a hammer?
But then the answer is five because it's those 4 plus (as Gob insists) "you".
