16 May 2012

If it's broke, fix it!

| acame
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Here’s an intriguing idea. If you’ve got something broken, get it fixed. Who hasn’t got a clunky vacuum cleaner that used to suck – and now doesn’t suck much at all? Or maybe that pair of pants with a little tear? Maybe you’ve got no sewing skills and though they only cost $10, you DO love them. It could cost $15 to have them sewn up at an alterations shop but is it worth it? Perhaps your child has a wooden toy with a wonky wheel and you haven’t got a clue how to un-wonk it.

These days, it’s generally easier to chuck out things that don’t work and buy something new. But in the spirit of repair, reuse and recycle, in Holland, a recent initiative called Repair Café brings together those people with things they’d like to repair with those who like to repair them. For free! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/world/europe/amsterdam-tries-to-change-culture-with-repair-cafes.html?_r=1

There are plenty of people in the Canberra region with great and varied skills who are just itching to use them. Blokes from Men’s Sheds, unofficial sewing circles and budding electrical engineers may want to lend a hand and show off their skills. Is anyone interested in exploring this idea?

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Bluenomi said :

JC said :

screaming banshee said :

budding electrical engineers

Yeah, its this part that worries me. Just so you know a budding electrical engineer (unless coming with a prior trade skillset) is not qualified to repair anything electrical.

Whilst I agree with your sentiment, just for the record your don’t need to be qualified or licenced to fix anything electrical (read an appliance). What you do need to be licenced for is to work on fixed wiring, but so long as it plugs into the point there is NO licence what so ever to repair it.

Yet do you need a licence to put one of those plastic tags on the cord to say it is safe to use. Yikes

You need to be certified, but it isn’t a 4 year apprenticeship, just a day and half at CIT.

http://cit.edu.au/future/courses/test_and_tag_electrical

All crap aside though that test is just a feel good for employers to say they have done the right thing by their employee.

JC said :

screaming banshee said :

budding electrical engineers

Yeah, its this part that worries me. Just so you know a budding electrical engineer (unless coming with a prior trade skillset) is not qualified to repair anything electrical.

Whilst I agree with your sentiment, just for the record your don’t need to be qualified or licenced to fix anything electrical (read an appliance). What you do need to be licenced for is to work on fixed wiring, but so long as it plugs into the point there is NO licence what so ever to repair it.

Yet do you need a licence to put one of those plastic tags on the cord to say it is safe to use. Yikes

screaming banshee said :

budding electrical engineers

Yeah, its this part that worries me. Just so you know a budding electrical engineer (unless coming with a prior trade skillset) is not qualified to repair anything electrical.

Whilst I agree with your sentiment, just for the record your don’t need to be qualified or licenced to fix anything electrical (read an appliance). What you do need to be licenced for is to work on fixed wiring, but so long as it plugs into the point there is NO licence what so ever to repair it.

I’m definitely interested in this, I personally feel far too much is discarded that is repairable, and I tend to do whatever repairs I can myself, or find someone who can.

acame, if you decide you do want to look into this idea further, let me know, and I’ll send my details to you.

Being an electronic technician fixing tv’s and electrical goods for a living, i can say I have seen my fair share of what an engineer can…or can not doo with a soldering iron…

screaming banshee said :

budding electrical engineers

Yeah, its this part that worries me. Just so you know a budding electrical engineer (unless coming with a prior trade skillset) is not qualified to repair anything electrical.

Amen to that. In my experience engineers (qualified of unqualified) with soldering irons generally wreak havoc wherever they go. I’m an engineer, so I know what I’m on about.

Leave it to the tradesmen to make things happen properly. 🙂

screaming banshee6:56 pm 16 May 12

budding electrical engineers

Yeah, its this part that worries me. Just so you know a budding electrical engineer (unless coming with a prior trade skillset) is not qualified to repair anything electrical.

Interesting idea. I am already part of such a group – they are called “friends” and come from a diverse range of backgrounds and skill set, and can usually be called upon for assistance in areas I am not skilled or equipped to tackle on my own.

I am all for activities which try and reverse to trend toward our throw away society (I would love to know how many of those huge TVs at the ewaste collection work perfectly and cost $1000 only ten years ago), and I can see how such a plan would benefit people who have no networks locally (lots of people come to Canberra for work) or people with friends from a very small subset of the community (eg a ethnic minority) who don’t know anyone who can fix their particular consumer item.

TL:DR I probably wouldn’t use such a service, but support the idea and would consider helping if I thought I could.

Make Hack Void repairing things to better than they were before ?

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