Gravesham Repair Café

We've made a one minute video to give an idea of what it's like at a Repair Café. On arrival, visitors are greeted at the Reception desk to be allocated a suitable repairer for their item. In this video you'll also see our 'sister' groups.  Crafty Yarns are a group who focus on sewing while the ladies at another table use empty crisp packets to make blankets for those in need.   Naturally we had our usual fare of items to repair: another record player, a toaster, a fan, a lawn mower, a clock, a fan heater, clothing repairs...    And if you have children in tow, we can usually find something to keep them occupied.  

"Star of the show" this session was the 1959 record player.  The turntable didn't turn at all and instead of moving freely the pickup arm behaved as if it had arthritis.  Luckily the valve amplifier part was still working as attested by a scratching noise when the pickup needle was touched. This was a challenge requiring a team effort.  After a lengthy battle with the seized mounting bolts access to the turntable mechanism was granted.  It became clear that the electric motor barely turned and required lubrication.  Having done just that it was then discovered that the rubber jockey wheel was slipping due to a weak spring and shiny friction surface.  A new spring was fitted and the friction surfaces roughed up with sandpaper and de-greased with alcohol. Every other part of the mechanism was cleaned and oiled.  The final step was reassembly and testing with a little help from The Everly Brothers. Of course that wasn't all that happened today.  Gard...

We've been running our Repair Cafés for two years and over that time we've steadily gained more and more visitors needing something repaired. After our first year we began running a second Café each month by adding a Vigo venue to our existing Gravesend one. Both venues have plenty of space and we would welcome additional volunteers willing to attempt repairs because there are times when our visitors have to wait for attention. If you are interested in at least considering helping us feel free of visit any of our events to see what it's like and ask questions.  Alternatively, get in touch by email.  GraveshamRepairCafe@gmail.com We are especially looking for someone confident in tackling the repair of modern digital tech like mobile phones and laptops.