25-05-2017, 09:36 AM
(25-05-2017, 06:14 AM)Craig Wrote: My favourite trick, when the mains cord pulled it off the bench was to catch it.
A tale from my apprentice days ...
Norman came into the workshop and said "I've got another job to do before I finish and I've got a TV24 in Brook Road that needs a new smoothing cap. If I drop you round there, can you do it for me?"
It was an easy walk home, so no problem. I walked over to the rack and picked up the right elecytrlytic and asked Norman if he wanted to hang on to his soldering iron. Obviously, he might need it on the next job, so yes.
I walked over to the bench, grabbed the Henley Solon in one hand and unplugged it with the other. I then turned round and grabbed the business end of the iron in my left hand so that I could wrap the mains lead round the handle!
I heard the sizzle before I felt the pain! Despite thrusting under the cold tap straight away, it was still agony!
Anyway, I soldiered - or should that be soldered? - on and was duly deposited at the customer's house.
Now, anyone who has dismantled a Bush TV24 will know that, although the chassis simply slides out after removing the fixing screws, first you have to turn the set over to unscrew the two brackets that hold the front panel controls - not easy with one hand!
Slowly but surely, the job was eventually done. All it now needed was reassembly! I managed to get the chassis in the cabinet, pushing the controls in front of it, screw it up and turn the cabinet over. Now I needed to position the control brackets while I inserted the screws - definitely a two handed job with one hand inside the cabinet holding everything in position, the other inserting the screws.
Fortunately the elderly customer recognised my predicament and offered a helping hand - for which I was very grateful! Eventually the cabinet was upright again with the set displaying a perfect picture.
Time to go home - but not before first checking that the soldering iron was stone cold!
