Monthly Archives: January 2026

A paid bit of laser engraving

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

For a wedding. I was asked if I could do this. First I tested it on a piece of ply, to get the placement and layout of the text correct. And then onto the slice of tree itself. I thought … Continue reading →

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So what’s in Frankenstein’s greenhouse at the start of January?

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

Well, Cayenne chiles to start with. Not ripe, but still looking fairly healthy. And, err, strawberries in flower? Really?

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Skoda Octavia lock failure #3

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

Finally! It’s open! I cheated a bit though. I discovered that I could by a new lock mechanism for about £20 from ebay. So I did. Then I took a hammer and cold chisel to the old one. That soon … Continue reading →

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My first home-made foundation

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

I reckon it looks pretty good. A fair bit thicker than the stuff you buy, but perhaps I can improve on that over time. And in fact this will probably get cut into starter strips anyhow.

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Skoda Octavia lock failure #2

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

Yay! I managed to get the steel door liner out! I actually found instructions for doing this online, but they obviously assume that you can open the door in the first place. It’s much the same for a VW Passat, … Continue reading →

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For candles?

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

My wife had a load of burnt-out candles in glass pots, but rather than throw them away it struck me that I might be able to use them to keep frost off the greenhouse on cold nights. All I needed … Continue reading →

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First experiments with the laser cutter

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

Might as well dive straight in, eh? 😀 I started with a simple keyring: And then, a “bee-ring”: I’m happy with these, but not 100%. I think ideally the air pump needs to be off when the engraving is done … Continue reading →

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Does the BBC realise that National Grid isn’t?

Posted on January 9, 2026 by james

Catching up with the aftermath of Storm Cornetto Goretti, I’ve just read on the BBC News website: More than 44,000 properties across the UK remain without power, according to updated figures from the National Grid But National Grid are not … Continue reading →

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A new “toy”

Posted on January 8, 2026 by james

I bought an XTool D1 Pro laser (20W version, with an air pump) to experiment with laser cutting and engraving. First though, I made a little cabinet for it.

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The peppers in the polytunnel have not enjoyed the cold

Posted on January 8, 2026 by james

Not sure these are going to make it to next season… On the other hand, these ones in Frankenstein’s greenhouse are still looking pretty good.

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