What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Howard Wright]

Hi Terry

That is clever!

Cheers

Howard

[Malcolm Parker]

This morning I took the engine out of the Ulster to fix what I assumed was a loose flywheel.   With the engine out on the garage floor ready to take the clutch apart I realised that the rivets holding the splined boss onto the centre plate were quite loose, allowing the boss to move.  The flywheel does not appear to be loose but I will check it whilst the engine is out.   I also need to fit a longer starting handle shaft so I can crank the engine without the handle catching the radiator cowl.   I noticed the difference working in my new garage with the ultra bright LED strip lighting.   The whole engine removal was done without any blaspheming, there were no  nuts or washers dropped into places never to be seen again, all quite boring!

[Hugh Barnes]

I also have just embarked on an upgrade to LED batten lights from flourescent tube. My what a remarkable difference. Finally, as Malcom suggests, I can see what I am doing (not that I'm an better at it, the mistakes are just more clearly illuminated)

This is what I chose as the nearest store is only a few minutes away...

https://www.toolstation.com/integral-led...ten/p57915

[Parazine]

Just a word of caution on these LED batten fittings, I have three over the "workshop" end of the garage, they are about 5 years old and one of the drivers failed this year. I was able to source a replacement driver, it wasn't cheap but done just to prove I could fix it!
I have four more battens in another garage, three of these have dodgy drivers in them causing intermittent flashing on and off, which recovers when they cool down.

Root cause: cheap Chinese electronics. The Chinese probably assume we use 230V mains......

[Jeff Taylor]

I'm a big fan of Integral LED - I have their LED light bulbs fitted throughout the house. At the time of buying they were recommended by Which?

I notice the Integral LED battens Hugh links to at Toolstation state that they're fitted with a Philips CertaDrive driver so hopefully of a better quality than some others.

[Tony Griffiths]

As one gets older, much brighter lights are needed and so, as my tubes have failed, they've been replaced with battons. I now have five of the former and seven of the latter. I always write the start date on such things- the long-life record being a tube unit made in East Germany in 1974 - at the time the cheapest available by a considerable margin. In addition, I also have short strip lights over each bench - and that really does make a difference.

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[John Mason]

I don’t know the reasons why but to a partially sighted person. Led lighting and energy efficient bulbs are the worst things out. Believe it’s because blue light makes it harder on the eyes where as yellow light make it easier to see. That’s why yellow is used on the edge of steps etc. Unfortunately incandescent and halogen household bulbs are nigh on impossible to find these days.

John Mason.

[Chris KC]

I don’t know the reasons why but to a partially sighted person. Led lighting and energy efficient bulbs are the worst things out.  Believe it’s because blue light makes it harder on the eyes where as yellow light make it easier to see. That’s why yellow is used on the edge of steps etc. Unfortunately incandescent and halogen household bulbs are nigh on impossible to find these days.

John Mason.

I wasn't going to contribute to this discussion but you've tipped me over the edge John! LED's flicker (or at least some do) and I find them a dreadful strain on my eyesight. I have a soft LED batten light in my workshop and I have no issues with that, but certain household bulbs reduce movement to something like stop motion animation and that's pretty awful. I have the same trouble with car lights, when you scan the road quickly the scene breaks down into a shower of images which is most confusing and hardly what you want when trying to read an emergency situation. I was followed down the A1 last week by a lorry whose lights were picked up by the cat's eyes hundreds of yards ahead, creating hundreds of points of light as I scanned the road. I'm sure it's not just me?

[Jeff Taylor]

John,

Incandescent light bulbs can be found here among other online suppliers. I believe halogen household bulbs were banned from sale a few years back. If buying LED household bulbs you need to choose ideally Warm 2700k or Warm White 3000k rather than Cool White 4000k or Daylight 5000k which are both in the blue spectrum.

https://www.lampco.co.uk/collections/incandescent-gls

[austin]

The white LEDs are awful, especially in cars at night. I have bought a pair of night driving glasses that are basically just yellow tinted. Makes the glare slightly less painful.

And to stop this going off topic, took my youngest to football & cricket in the Ulster on Sunday. October cricket is not usual! Just so happened that the cricket match was in Waldron, (Sussex) which also had a steam / car / bike thing in the village so got to have a beer and mooch about.