How far do you push something till you retire it ?

Most things I like to fix and usually improve in the process , but there are some things like gloves that are worn to the bitter end and finally laid to rest.

 

dig a small hole on a sunny hill overlooking something that pleases you. Wear your new gloves while you dig. Lay the old gloves tenderly in the hole and say a few nice words about how much you appreciated them and their protection of your hands over the many years. Cover the hole, place a nice big stone to cover the hole, turn and walk away.

 

Believe it or not those were only about 2 weeks old.
Gloves don't last long on me, no matter what they cost.

 

Just looking at those gloves makes me tired.

 

Time for some kevlar gloves I think.......

 

My rule of thumb is not to toss anything until it has been repaired at least 3 times, but in the case of those gloves, they are ready to be tossed.

 

i'm kind of like that with Boots! Ugg.....what a good pair costs only to have them lest less then a year! Only one brand and style I have found that will stand up to my kind of abuse and last longer then a year, and they are damn near the most expensive boots there are! I think a full honors funeral for these boots is well earned! LOL

 

Duct. Tape.

 

They may not be useful as working gloves anymore, but they can be re purposed. The leather can be used as patches for torn jeans / work pants or other material. nail the gloves to a board and fill the gloves with potting mix and grow some herbs in it. Use it as a dueling glove ....just fill it with ball bearings when you smack it across your opponent's face when offering the challenge.

Edit:....hands for a scare crow....he/she won't mind

 

I push something, including repairing, until the repairs would cost as much as new. Cars, clothes, equipment, whatever. Electronics are one exception for me. TV dies? I don't even tinker anymore, just get a new on. Computers are almost the same way, depending on what goes. New stuff is so cheap now (and inexpensive, but I used cheap for a reason) that it isn't cost effective to repair some stuff.

The big exception being that if I can repair something so that it's better than new, I'll spend more on it than new if I think it will last.

 

That's the funny thing about that .
If you fix something, it immediately has acquired more value to your self.
Some electronics with different names are made by the same manufacturer, and often have the same failures . some are fixable .
I have put some circuit boards under the microscope and was shocked at how poorly things were done.
Mostly these come through Walmart, which explains a lot.

 

I just took apart and fixed a ratchet strap that had the ratcheting mechanism bent and the strap broken at the hook.
The strap just needed a bowling knot and the metal needed to be straightened out so it would release.
You're not done yet damn it.

 

If I toss it, it's done. The wife accuses me of being a pack rat.

 

Amigo! Those haven't been gloves for a long, long, time! My sincere condolences.

 

Just a couple weeks ago I used a one inch square piece of leather cut from one of my worst condition leather work gloves (no longer usable, but still kept in my pile of work gloves) to use as a reinforcing patch to repair the sheath of one of my fixed blade hunting knives. The leather sheath had worn paper thin due to heavy use on the inner side that contacts the hip when worn on the belt.

The knife and sheath (a 1970s era fixed blade Puma Skinner) were presented to me by the wife of a Vietnam Vet Army Master Sergeant when he passed away as a remembrance of a long time family acquaintance who loved the outdoors and hunting. I used Devcon Household All Purpose sealant to secure that "new" layer of skin where it was needed most.

So far it's working very well, though I don't wear it often. I have my own knives of the fixed blade and folder variety that are my usual cutting implements. That old Puma Skinner with its curved belly & upswept point enjoys a semi-retired status, though I have used it to trim venison from the freezer as a method of keeping the steel familiar with cutting meat, and to think of the old Sarge when I do.

 

We had the clothes washer go out. Just to come and touch the thing - the local repair outfit wanted $100. No, they don't do estimates. A new washer is $215. So yeah, out with the old and in with the new.

The math?

To run a load at the local wash-a-teria is $2 a pop. Or 108 load of laundry to = the cost of a machine at home.
We normally run 5 to 7 loads per week - in 6 months, I've paid for the machine vs using the public washers - and not knowing what was in the previous loads...

 

When I was quite young an old man gave me some advice, quote "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without"

 

Well said. The "green" mantra should be re-use, re-cycle, re-purpose, & re-vise.

Sometimes something as simple as replacing a cheezy plastic handle on a tool with a good wooden one can give you a more usable tool (grip-wise) than the original, and extend the life indefinitely as well.

I truly love disposing of excess parts on some over-complicated things to get a result that is lighter, simpler, more reliable, and more durable. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's fun.

 

Knowing how to fix minor problems with old household appliances is the same as saving the price of a new one every time you fix it.

I used to know a guy that paid his way thru college by picking up curbed appliances and dead lawnmowers.

He scrapped out the actual junkers (after scrounging useful parts), fixed the minor problems, and sold off the refurbished appliances at full used value.

Lawnmowers often just needed a little carburetor cleaner sprayed in them, or the plugs cleaned. Washers might just need the wire screens in the water hoses cleaned out ("It's not gettin' any water, Ethyl. Time to chuck t!") and dryers sometimes just needed a new belt.

On the side, he also pulled out the old spindle-type electric motors, added a buffing wheel or grind stone to the axle, put a switch in the power cord, and sold them "cheap" at $20.00 or so a pop.

It was almost like free money.

 

I have a pair of old Redwing boots that were resoled about 25 times, rewelted twice, completely resewn along every seam, had the toes capped when they wore through, and had a patch sewn along the right outer side when that blew out. When the cobbler shop finally asked me to retire them they were about 10 years old.
I'm keeping them around. I just like the look of them and the memories I have of places traveled in them.