This month’s Repair Cafe was a huge success. We had a good turnout of participants, both mentors and those coming in to get help fixing their items.
Cat hideout
Flashlight
Instantpot
Leaf blower
Smoking stand
Solar light
Stand mixer
Toaster
Under-counter light
The Makerspace’s own 3D Printer
Himalayan salt lamp
Cutting off the broken legs of a coffee tableWe cut off the broken legs, attached the door, and restored structural integrity.Cleaning the contacts of the flashlight restored it to working orderThis instantpot got bumped onto a hot stove burner. The owner brought it in so someone could scrap it for parts.Instead of scrapping it, we repaired it, even taking the care to make sure it sits level and doesn’t wobble. Repair is better than scrapping for parts!This leaf blower had a defective switch. We didn’t have one on hand and the owner wasn’t sure they wanted to take a chance spending money on an aftermarket replacement switch, so this one was not repaired.This is a smoking stand, which is an object old enough that most readers probably wouldn’t recognize even if the picture was better.One of the mentors brought a welder and after spending some time trying to find an outdoor outlet (successfully), we were able to put this back together again.This solar powered, motion activated light wasn’t illuminating. We discovered the solar panel and battery were inseparable and decided to scrap it for parts (light & solar panel).The stand mixer worked fine when it came in, but it had power wires exposed. We got it patched up and safe to use again. May it last another 50 years before its next repair!This toaster came in with one side working fine and the other side not staying down. It took several attempts, but we eventually got it working reliably again.This light worked, but the white shell had a broken corner and would not longer stay on. It’s glued on now, and the owner is back in business.
I’d like to thank all the people involved. From the people who donated their time to come in and help, the people who brought in things to see if we could keep stuff out of the landfill, people who donated cash, and those who helped spread the word about the monthly event. This includes those who shared our posts on social media such as Mastodon and Nextdoor, those who shared it on their own accounts like the Community Development Department at the city of Urbana, the people who created and distributed our fliers, mentioning this in community groups… all of you. The Repair Cafe would literally be a failure if people didn’t show up, and knowing that the event exists is the first step.
Also, because people have been very excited about the Repair Cafe and asking how they can help, so we collected a list of things that you can do and posted them on the event page.
We look forward to seeing people next month, and all the interesting things they bring in to get fixed.
2 Responses
Where is the repair cafe located
It is in the Makerspace.