Accomplishments

[sonia]

I fixed my stove! I have a Magic Chef gas stove circa 1989. The burner I use most often has been more reluctant to light over time. For a while it wouldn't light if the oven was heating or another burner was on. Lately it wouldn't light at all. Pretty clearly a gas flow issue.

I lifted the cover and peered at it a couple of times, but there wasn't anything obviously accessible to clean out. I watched a couple of youtube videos and looked again. It's a bad time to do something that might break the stove or cause an emergency with natural gas, but there was this big friendly-looking phillips screw holding down the burner.

I reminded myself where the gas meter and shutoff are, and went ahead and unscrewed it. The burner lifted up easily - and a BUNCH of fine soot poured out of the tube where the gas flows. Oh! That should help. I cleaned up the soot where it landed in the stove. I poured soot out of the other three burners too, directly into the trash since I knew it was coming.

I put everything back the way I found it. That burner lights easily, and all four burners work better. I'm guessing that hadn't been done since the stove was put in, since the burners were already hard to control at low flame when I moved in in 2005.

A while ago I made a mask from this shaped pattern. It was fussy to make, and my glasses immediately fog up when I wear it. My sewing machine, ironing board, and fabric have all been sitting out while I thought it over. I've been using bandanas with a piece of aluminum foil folded in at the nose as suggested by gaudior when I go out.

I've been contemplating this pleated pattern, but I suspect my sewing machine (which I received for my birthday in 1987) would have trouble with the multiple layers of fabric.

I saw this simplified pattern via ladyjax and since I'm tired of having all the sewing paraphernalia out, I finally gave it a try today. I sewed in a couple of plastic-coated twist ties at the nose to give it a little structure and help with glasses fogging up. It seems to work ok, although I think I would make the mask a little wider if I try again. I already cut out another set of pattern pieces, so I'll probably make a second one, and then put the sewing equipment away for a while.

Comments

[runpunkrun]

Hooray for easy, effective, self-guided home repair!

[sonia]

Thanks! I'm so relieved nothing went sideways with the stove.

[sanguinity]

We've been using that first pattern (or one much like it, the small size of this), with an unbent paperclip zigzagged onto the selvage over the nose for shaping. The wire apparently helps with the glass-fogging issue -- Grrlpup hasn't been having any trouble with her glasses at all.

[sonia]

Cool! How are you keeping the unbent paper clip in place? (Looks up selvage, is still wondering.)

[sanguinity]

Sorry, the seam allowance. The leftover bit of fabric between the seam and the edge. I sew the seam, and then before I turn the mask right-side-out, I lay the unbent paperclip on the seam allowance right near the seam (it's bent a little, to follow the curve of the seam), then I set the sewing machine to a narrow zigzag and sew the length of the paperclip, so that the right edge of the zig falls on one side of the paperclip, and the left edge of the zag on the other side, the thread going back and forth over the paperclip to hold it in place. I go slowly, because I don't want to break the needle by missing and hitting the paperclip. At the ends, I make the stitch length shorter -- more stitches per inch -- and backstitch some, so that it's tacked good and proper to the seam allowance at the ends.

When you turn it right side out, the paperclip will be lying right against the seam on the inside of the mask. Then you can form it to fit your nose and cheekbones. It seems to be holding up going through the laundry okay, which was my major concern.

[sonia]

Thank you for the detailed instructions! I think I can do that. I basically did the same thing by hand with my twist-ties. I'll have to see how that holds up in the wash, too.

[suncat]

Good going on fixing the stove! I use an electric stove now, but grew up with a gas stove. Even so, I had no idea about doing what you describe. Good analysis, and good job.

I have been making masks now with a design similar to the NY Times pleated pattern. I hadn't used my inherited machine in a long time (inherited from my mother-in-law, meaning it was purchased around maybe 1980), and had to reacquaint myself with it. Also realized I do need to test tension and stitching if I change thread or fabric. I'd always been lazy about that. But after testing and adjusting it worked beautifully. But you know what your own machine will and won't do. Good luck on the pattern you're using.

Just to share, here's my stove story. The electric range in the kitchen now is one we purchased a few years ago. The previous electric range was in this house when I moved in, likely had been here since the early '80s at least, when I know the kitchen was remodeled by my in-laws. One day I started the oven pre-heating. Normally, I'd set the oven, set a timer to remind me to come back, and go do something else in the house. For some reason, this time I instead took my book to the kitchen and sat there next to the stove to wait for temperature. Imagine my surprise when a bright light suddenly shows from inside the oven (through that dark glass in the door). I carefully opened the oven door and there was a dazzling flare of sparks. Turned the oven off! Got the husband to come look. Turned the oven back on just for a moment so he could see. He did some looking on the internet, and found the problem: a break in the electrical heating coil that is inside the oven chamber. Given the age, we didn't figure on repair. Went to the store that very day and bought a new one -- husband had already been considering what to get, as minor age issues had been cropping up. We were happy that the local store had one of the models he liked, and we've been using that since.

[sonia]

Whew, that's an electric stove failure mode I didn't know about! I'm glad you witnessed it and replaced the stove.

Yeah, it would probably help if I fussed with the tension. And also oiled the whole machine. I get overwhelmed, though. I will keep it in mind for next time. I feel like I *should* be able to whip out pleated masks or shaped masks, including alterations for nose wires, but it's not happening right now.

Hooray for auto-repair-skills

[jesse_the_k]

big friendly-looking phillips screw holding down the burner.

Heee heee hee -- spoken like a true fixer.

I'll just drop this link:

https://www.instagram.com/butchhairquarantine/

Re: Hooray for auto-repair-skills

[sonia]

Well, I figured there would be more safeguards if unscrewing it would cause a gas leak... Perhaps that's over-optimistic, but it worked out this time.

Yeah, lotta grumpy short-haired people right now! Thanks for the link!