So life has a way of kicking you when you're down. Things go wrong, people screw you, fate seems destined to bury you under a sea of crap; you know, the usual.
So I have a Wahl electric shaver I've owned for three years. It gets used alot, since I keep my beard at a four day stubble most of the time, and I've never maintained the thing. Well, today it stopped working. The blades just stopped dead but the motor kept running, so I figured it was a mechanical issue.
Now I'm pretty good at just giving in or giving up when things get difficult, and in times past I would have thrown it in the garbage and gone out to get a new one. But today I'd rather try and fix things and besides, I don't have the dough to replace it. So, since I couldn't break it more, I got out the screwdriver and did what they do down in Mexico; I tore it apart to see if I could fix it.
It was quite an education in mechanics. Two plates with teeth are sandwiched together and connected to a moving arm that slides the plates back and forth that forces the teeth to cut like three dozen tiny scissors. Well after taking it apart, there was hair jammed all over the inside, and the toothed plates had hair, rust, dust, and the original oil it came with all gummed up between them making a sticky mung, keeping the plates from sliding together smoothly. So I rinsed everything off, sprayed Liquid Klean all over to get rid of the mung and scrubbed with steel wool to clean it all up. Since the little tube of oil the shaver came with was lost long ago, I dug out the gun oil, applied some between the plates, and screwed everything back together.
Now it works like a champ. Better than it has for months.
Not a huge victory by any means. Not even a great accomplishment. But hey, sometimes you gotta give props to yourself for the little triumphs, high five the Universe who hates you, and yell out
COUNT IT!!!
7 comments:
yay!! i totally would consider that a triumph!! i mean not only did you even attempt to fix it, but even though you didn't have the oil that came with it you were able to improvise. and best yet...it works better than it had in a while!!
i wish i had something like that that i could say "HA! take THAT stinkin universe!" i know i could use it! :)
I recently disected a CD player to try and fix it. But alas, Twas not meant to be.
Dude...wow! I am so happy for your victory. And not just a small victory...you boldly went where you never dare to venture...electronics! So much for "Don't touch it you'll break it"!
Rock on, Bro!
I think it's important to take major pride in little victories...it gives you the nudge to go and and try other things that you may not have.
And then I come on to comment and rain on your parade. (you do need the rain in AZ don't you?)
So basically, you finally maintained your trimmer like you should have been doing all along. You need to realize, it's not your XD. It can't go forever and not get cleaned. Even Bubba Grunt in Iraq remembers to clean his equipment every once in a while. I sure hope you take better care of your vehicles than this. ;)
For your punishment you must hand deliver one firearm per year to me due by August 31 of each year. For your benefit I will gladly take you somewhere we can shoot said firearm and any others that happen to climb aboard your mode of transportation with you.
Thank you all.
So, Steve, that's how it is, huh? My penance, so to speak. Paying off an extortionist and then going off to shoot those 'orrible guns with him?
If only. Blanchett Park calls to me.
BTW, I was looking over my S&W 642 today, and I happened to get a glimpse down the barrel. Now I carry this pistol every single day, but it hardly ever gets looked after since it's a revolver and can withstand neglect almost indefinitely.
Well, inside the barrel there are actual dust bunnies growing in the muzzle area. I was horrified. I had to immediately break out the cleaning kit and run a patch through the barrel.
How embarrassing.
But I should never touch electronics. I always break anything with electricity flowing through it. That's why all I touched on the shaver was the mechanical stuff. I only break mechanical stuff 50% of the time.
Steve, that was funny. I want in on the punishment as well! LOL!
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