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7 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

I have lost my valve grinding twiddle stick.  This is a bit of a nuisance since I've got everything else together to crack on with the valve replacement but without the stick, there's not much point.  I know as soon as I get a replacement the one that's hiding will appear.

Push a short length of plastic tubing over the valve stem, and then put the stem in a battery drill chuck.  You can now wind the valve back and forth without wearing your hands out, and as long as you regularly re-distribute the grinding paste, can get a very good grind like this.  I've done it several times, and despite nay-sayers on t'internet saying it won't work, I find it does and if anything gives a better finish than I can achieve with a constantly-falling-off-mini-toilet-plunger.

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9 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

I have lost my valve grinding twiddle stick.  This is a bit of a nuisance since I've got everything else together to crack on with the valve replacement but without the stick, there's not much point.  I know as soon as I get a replacement the one that's hiding will appear.

Use a drill to hold the other end and lap it in like that? Don't forget to change direction periodically to maintain the grindiness.

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I put together a nice toolkit for the car today to help keep my towns delivery (and non delivery) cyclists on the go.

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Anything that I appear to have missed was likely in my emergency kit anyway.

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It all fits quite snugly. I think I might screw a spanner rack onto the lower hatch so I don't need to go rummaging for a 15mm every time I want to take my bike in and out. And given the last bike I had in here had 3 different sizes of axle nut, probably for the best anyway.

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There's one on the way in to my local Sainsburys that flashes the registration up on a screen next to the speed hump. I've no idea why but it resolutely refuses to acknowledge the cracked old dealer plate on the front of the Volvo. Day or night, the screen just stays blank. My other half (not a Simpsons fan) found it hilarious* when I'd always say "It's a ghost car" in a poor Chief Wiggum impersonation. 

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1 hour ago, N19 said:

Oh, and I also discovered that the ANPR system in the car park can't cope with suffix plates. Security scratched their head a bit and eventually pulled the manual override.

Had this game when they introduced the registration based parking ticket system somewhere round here (think it was the Summertown bit of Oxford) which would only accept the post 2001 format of plates, so it just kept flashing up "Invalid registration" when I tried to input the reg for the Saab.

Our local Sainsbury's ANPR system couldn't see the Lada because the camera was directly above the entrance and the plate was tucked back quite a long way under the bumper.  Caused me a right row with the parking enforcement company when they gave me a ticket one day.  Turns out the system flagged up anything it hadn't seen going into the car park as overstayed when the warden went out with their computerised enforcement doodad.

They were quite puzzled when they reviewed the video footage of me driving in and then leaving less than half an hour later exactly as I claimed...apparently not recording the reg of a car on the way in wasn't an eventuality they had thought of.  I was expecting a right fight with them, but they were actually really apologetic. 

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10 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Had this game when they introduced the registration based parking ticket system somewhere round here (think it was the Summertown bit of Oxford) which would only accept the post 2001 format of plates, so it just kept flashing up "Invalid registration" when I tried to input the reg for the Saab.

Our local Sainsbury's ANPR system couldn't see the Lada because the camera was directly above the entrance and the plate was tucked back quite a long way under the bumper.  Caused me a right row with the parking enforcement company when they gave me a ticket one day.  Turns out the system flagged up anything it hadn't seen going into the car park as overstayed when the warden went out with their computerised enforcement doodad.

They were quite puzzled when they reviewed the video footage of me driving in and then leaving less than half an hour later exactly as I claimed...apparently not recording the reg of a car on the way in wasn't an eventuality they had thought of.  I was expecting a right fight with them, but they were actually really apologetic. 

The car park in St Albans city centre changed recently, and it always records my registration as 'LUM590' without the suffix. Fortunately it is reliably wrong so will record the wrong plate on entry and on exit, so I don't get a ticket.

(Although I suppose if they wanted to issue a ticket they'd need to go and watch the camera at which point they'd see the mistake and not bother)

(But that assumes that traffic wardens have common sense)

Anyway, any system that attempts to validate a registration number (rather than simply taking it as a given) must be incredibly slovenly written and implemented to not have included support for any valid registration number. Especially when you can google 'regular expression uk car registration' and hey presto...

(?<Current>^[A-Z]{2}[0-9]{2}[A-Z]{3}$)|(?<Prefix>^[A-Z][0-9]{1,3}[A-Z]{3}$)|(?<Suffix>^[A-Z]{3}[0-9]{1,3}[A-Z]$)|(?<DatelessLongNumberPrefix>^[0-9]{1,4}[A-Z]{1,2}$)|(?<DatelessShortNumberPrefix>^[0-9]{1,3}[A-Z]{1,3}$)|(?<DatelessLongNumberSuffix>^[A-Z]{1,2}[0-9]{1,4}$)|(?<DatelessShortNumberSufix>^[A-Z]{1,3}[0-9]{1,3}$)|(?<DatelessNorthernIreland>^[A-Z]{1,3}[0-9]{1,4}$)|(?<DiplomaticPlate>^[0-9]{3}[DX]{1}[0-9]{3}$)

...you have something which will check any valid registration plate of any format.

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Ah, now you mention it, another one I've had an argument with is the one at Heathrow T3.  It insists on recording the Xantia as XAN714 on the entrance, yet correctly on exit.  So the barrier refuses to open...cue waiting five minutes with people honking and swearing at me until someone answers the assistance button.

Had forgotten that one!

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25 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Had this game when they introduced the registration based parking ticket system somewhere round here (think it was the Summertown bit of Oxford) which would only accept the post 2001 format of plates, so it just kept flashing up "Invalid registration" when I tried to input the reg for the Saab.

I imagine the thinking was that the possibility of anyone in Summertown driving a vehicle over 18 years old was so remote as to not be worth taking into consideration.

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Just now, anonymous user said:

What, even 248 RPA?

I don't think he would have got on with traffic wardens or ANPR parking systems. Too modern. He'd be strolling into the distance, murmuring about 'apps' whilst Lewis fumbled for his credit card.

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9 hours ago, vulgalour said:

I have lost my valve grinding twiddle stick.  This is a bit of a nuisance since I've got everything else together to crack on with the valve replacement but without the stick, there's not much point.  I know as soon as I get a replacement the one that's hiding will appear.

Put the shaft in the chuck of an electric drill ? 

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Hire one? I have no idea whether that's still possible, but given some construction work is still going on, councils are still moving rubbish to avoid everywhere looking like the film set of Shaun of the Dead it's got to be worth a phonecall/google to find out.

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10 hours ago, brownnova said:

Started to clear some crap out of the areas down the side of my house today... then realised the skip isn’t open so I have nowhere to put it... guess it can stay there then... 

this was planned (after 6 years) but local place not open

surf on here and go shopping later instead

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Council tips are shut to the public (at least round here) so the staff can concentrate on getting the dustcarts unloaded and, if needs be, cover for dustmen if they go sick.

Dozed off to sleep around 1am, woke up a few minutes later, that's funny why is someone doing DIY at this time of night? Sounds like an angle grinder? 

By the time I'd realised what was going on, they were mostly through my neighbours bike chain and front disc. They couldn't get it started as it was a non runner having been hit by a car a month or so ago and knocked over, and had to pull it with their own scooter.

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11 hours ago, New POD said:

Put the shaft in the chuck of an electric drill ? 

Don't lap valves with a drill. A drill spins too fast, in one direction, and you won't get a feel for how its lapping. It will just cut grooves into the seat in a flash.  

You need that comparatively slow back and forward motion you get with doing it by hand, and it gives you a chance to make frequent checks as you progress to ensure you aren't taking any more material off than you need to.  You aren't trying to remove loads of material, you just want to ensure the seat's round and concentric. 

Get a another stick

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13 minutes ago, sickboy said:

Don't lap valves with a drill. A drill spins too fast, in one direction, and you won't get a feel for how its lapping

Hence my comment a page ago about using a reversible battery drill on very slow speed, and constantly re-distributing the grinding paste.

It does work.  I've had some very nicely lapped in valves using this method before.  Even dull finish with no scoring or grooves.

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46 minutes ago, sickboy said:

Don't lap valves with a drill. A drill spins too fast, in one direction, and you won't get a feel for how its lapping. It will just cut grooves into the seat in a flash.  

You need that comparatively slow back and forward motion you get with doing it by hand, and it gives you a chance to make frequent checks as you progress to ensure you aren't taking any more material off than you need to.  You aren't trying to remove loads of material, you just want to ensure the seat's round and concentric. 

Get a another stick

10 seconds and it's done. 

It worked on an A series for me in 1992. 

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3 hours ago, N19 said:

Council tips are shut to the public (at least round here) so the staff can concentrate on getting the dustcarts unloaded and, if needs be, cover for dustmen if they go sick.

Dozed off to sleep around 1am, woke up a few minutes later, that's funny why is someone doing DIY at this time of night? Sounds like an angle grinder? 

By the time I'd realised what was going on, they were mostly through my neighbours bike chain and front disc. They couldn't get it started as it was a non runner having been hit by a car a month or so ago and knocked over, and had to pull it with their own scooter.

Absolute cunts, if anyone deserves to get it (CV) they do ?? 

The bike thieves of course not the council workers  ! 

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