RIMLESS GLASSES: this was a real challenge. One arm had broken off at the root (1) and there was no chance of fixing the break. First job (2) tape over the lens to protect it and dig out the old fixings (two barbed metal prongs pushed into plastic sleeves through holes in the lens). Next (3) drill sideways into the lens and (4) glue the wire end of the broken side-arm into the new hole.
By Vilnis Vesma
CHANNELING KIRSTEN FROM “THE REPAIR SHOP”… I have become a total fan of epoxy putty. To deal with this hole in the side of a ceramic planter I used a steel-filled putty which bonds well to concrete and glass etc. Hard enough to sand down in 20 minutes, painted with a coat of B.I.N. primer (dry in 15 minutes), pattern loosely touched in with watercolours and sealed with a coat of metal lacquer to give it a glossy finish.
You can still see the join (as they say) but OK for a little over an hour’s work.
By Martin Roper
TIP: There are two types of cross-head screws. It’s important to use the correct screwdriver to prevent damage to the screw and possibly round it off. Note that the Posidrive has extra flutes on the screwdriver while the Phillips is plain