On 5/1/2025 at 4:54 PM, TomsFocus said:

Had a go at this today...

Vinegar house window cleaner - no difference 

Alcohol car window cleaner - no difference 

And apologies to Ian, I did find some Tar Remover in the cupboard, albeit Simoniz branded - no difference 

No idea what this glue is made of but it's well on there!

 

Acetone is one of the best solvents readily available. Ebay sells it as nail polish remover:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134763364912

It tackles most adhesives and plastic residues quite well. It is great for cleaning out the nozzles of polyurethane foam dispensers as well, provided it has not fully set.

I am always suspicious of 'magic' potions which do not state the ingredients, I like to know what I am using!

 

5 minutes ago, Tdci-Peter said:

Acetone is one of the best solvents readily available.

I've been raiding 'her' drawer for years now 😂

Sadly I already had some pure alcohol on order before Peters post.  It arrived today and...also seems to have made no difference!  Is there a knack I'm missing here?  It evaporates too quickly to leave it soaking for long.

Is acetone stronger than alcohol?  I'm not sure what type of plastic this is made of so didn't really want anything that melts plastic.

4 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Is acetone stronger than alcohol? 

It's very different, it will most likely melt the plastic and make it a sticky mess. I'd advise against acetone.

31 minutes ago, unofix said:

It's very different, it will most likely melt the plastic and make it a sticky mess. I'd advise against acetone.

Acetone is 'stronger' than alcohol, which is why I'd recommend another go with it. Just use a MF cloth to absorb some and then rub straight away onto the errant sticky residue. You're right, I wouldn't let it 'soak' in, just use the rubbing motion of the damp cloth to remove. I'm so curious as to what caused the residue you're trying to remove 😀

31 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I'm so curious as to what caused the residue you're trying to remove 😀

It was just a sticky label, I have no idea what type of glue was used  though.

7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

It was just a sticky label, I have no idea what type of glue was used  though.

I'd be shocked if acetone didn't remove sticky label residue, though my go to for that would be simple lighter fuel, obtained in every PoundLand though you often have to ask for it as it's kept below the counter because it's a scumbag favourite for stealing! 

Given up.  Cut a piece of paper to fit so I can use it without getting sticky everywhere.  I know it'll look dirty quickly but this will do for now.

Ebay really seem to hate private sellers.  Not only have they killed off any chance of cheap items or 99p start with the 'buyer protection fee', and hiding ads without paid promotion, but now I'm forced to use their 'simple delivery' as well, which is considerably less simple than my tried & trusted chosen service!

Simple Delivery | eBay

 

Also just found out that RM have dropped the free collection service for larger items.  That has been free for a few years as the postman is delivering anyway.  But now they will charge 30p per collection, which I can't add to the buyers postage price using 'simple delivery', and will have to book separately through the Royal Mail site, using a card payment for 30 pence!  Whoever called this simple must have been having a laugh...

 

32 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

... Whoever called this simple must have been having a laugh...

You'd almost think that it's that flawed, that someone in 'government' must be involved 🤣

Someone got arrested Sunday night for attempted murder 2 doors up from my elderly parents house. 88yr old man battered with a metal pole. He in hospital serious injury's but stable. Another man got arrested  for grievous bodily harm today nearby. 

My parents completely oblivious to the police helicopter, 10 police cars,vans. Armed police everywhere  in black, helmet, goggles ,machine gun style weapons. 

Parents  front door  and conservatory doors wide open!!! 

 

On 5/13/2025 at 1:09 PM, TomsFocus said:

Ebay really seem to hate private sellers.  Not only have they killed off any chance of cheap items or 99p start with the 'buyer protection fee', and hiding ads without paid promotion, but now I'm forced to use their 'simple delivery' as well, which is considerably less simple than my tried & trusted chosen service!

Simple Delivery | eBay

 

Also just found out that RM have dropped the free collection service for larger items.  That has been free for a few years as the postman is delivering anyway.  But now they will charge 30p per collection, which I can't add to the buyers postage price using 'simple delivery', and will have to book separately through the Royal Mail site, using a card payment for 30 pence!  Whoever called this simple must have been having a laugh...

 

Further to this...it appears ebay have ripped off the buyer with their 'simple delivery' as well.

No option for a small parcel, so they've had to pay medium parcel rate, costing £1.70 more than I would've charged them.

There's also no mention of size on the auto-generated label.  So the postman won't know whether it's oversized when collecting.

And yes, I have indeed had to pay 30p by card for RM collection.  

And it gets worse...  RM charge 30p for each parcel collected at the same time!

So if it takes an extra 3 seconds to scan in the barcode from an additional parcel, they're being paid at a rate of £360 an hour.  Even Ford dealers don't charge that much!

Rip-off Britain.

4 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

So if it takes an extra 3 seconds to scan in the barcode from an additional parcel, they're being paid at a rate of £360 an hour. 

How do you think Daniel Kretinsky got to be a billionaire?😀

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-14665377/Investors-approve-Czech-Sphinxs-3-6bn-Royal-Mail-bid-Postal-service-falls-foreign-hands-time.html

 

Second Don't Like for today...

Front door key wouldn't unlock from outside.  Could turn it towards lock but it felt totally solid when attempting turn towards unlock.  After a bit of wiggling it eventually pushed past, but now I've lost trust in it.  Is it likely to be a one-off? 

It's a Yale type cylinder.  Are they really as easy to replace as they look?  Any measurements I would need to check?

45 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

It's a Yale type cylinder.  Are they really as easy to replace as they look?  Any measurements I would need to check?

You may need only to replace the cylinder.

The good news is that there are only two sizes of Yale 'Nightlatch' no matter what style or version. The measurement is taken from the edge of the door to the centre of the cylinder (key slot).

Size ~60mm

Size ~40mm

Should take no more than 15 minutes to replace, and a maximum of 5 screws.

https://yalehome.co.uk/door-locks/nightlatches/

 

32 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Are they really as easy to replace as they look?

Unofix has pre-empted me there, but just to add there are loads of how to do it videos on You Tube which may be helpful if in doubt.

On our doors, when I replaced the handle mechanisms, the actual lock cylinder itself was only held in place by one screw. Difficulty was locating the beggar!

 

Thanks both.  It's not a nightlatch.  It's a long one that goes right through like this.  Looks like it does only have one screw through the side of the door, same as changing a lock barrel on a car door!

 

20 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Looks like it does only have one screw through the side of the door, same as changing a lock barrel on a car door!

Euro Cylinder 👍

Very easy to change, just the one screw but you need to put the key in and partly turn it to be able to withdraw the Euro Cylinder from the door.

There are many different sizes so you need to measure carefully. The rotating latch can be in the middle like the one in your picture, or it can be more to one side than the other.

Thanks.  Surely we should be using British cylinders?  Not Euro trash!

I have now realised that saying 'Yale cylinder' was effectively like saying 'my Fords broken'.

I'll have to measure it carefully tomorrow.

Has anyone received a parcel through eBays Global Shipping Program recently?  It's been over a year since I bought anything from them and I can't remember who the end service was once it reached the UK now.  I've had no end of problems with ParcelForce lately so will not buy the item if they are the end courier now.  RM or Evri are much more reliable, for me at least.

13 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Has anyone received a parcel through eBays Global Shipping Program recently?

I hope I don't divert your thread, but a few weeks back, I ordered an item off Ebay, and was surprised and disappointed to see that it was then delivered via Amazon prime! Some may know I'm not a fan of Amazon, so have no idea how this particular transaction worked!

I got a parcel yesterday of electrical equipment bought from an eBay seller in Germany. It came via royal mail.

On 5/25/2025 at 8:10 PM, TomsFocus said:

Thanks.  Surely we should be using British cylinders?  Not Euro trash!

I have now realised that saying 'Yale cylinder' was effectively like saying 'my Fords broken'.

I'll have to measure it carefully tomorrow.

Get one with three stars - recent update so that lock is more difficult to remove if they melt your plastic door.