Saving things from landfill – A Repair Cafe Example

Getting the Moorabbin Repair Revolution started.

Saving our wallets, saving our planet—One Repair at a Time.

Got something that’s broken or just not working right? We are getting going with a Repair Cafe that might help.  Member Mic had just such a challenge come his way.

Fixing a defective automatic jar opener…

I was given this machine from my brother, to help me in the kitchen. My hands are quite useless and painful.
When he demonstrated how it works, it didn’t!
I took it home anyway, to see if I could fix it.

Read on for the details:-

Disassembly

First push this pin out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you can lift off the inner clamp assembly and then access the first six screws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the two middle screws out first, then push the clamp from both ends to close it. This gives access to the screws at the ends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s 1 here…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

….and 3 here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you can separate the outer clamp from the top housing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the six screws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure you turn the assembly over before lifting the top section off, exposing the internal gears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lift the green button off, lift the the top gear off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the tiny pinion gear and motor shaft are accessible.

pic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It turned out that the tiny pinion gear had become loose on the shaft and had disengaged from contacting the first driven gear. 

No damage was evident on any of the gears.

 

 

 

I found the gear was loose on the shaft. That’s why it wasn’t working.

I slid the gear off the shaft and used a small course file to roughen the shaft surface. 

The gear now fits tighter, gripping the roughened motor shaft enough to call it good.

Reassembly was straightforward and it was easy to tell which screws went where.

As I took it apart I realised what a marvel of engineering it truely is, running off 2 AA batteries yet able to open a jar that I might not be able to. 

 

This genius tool is now home in my kitchen drawer in working condition.

It’s a great help for me and a little help for the planet for not going to landfill.

 

That’s the idea of our Repair Cafe, to save things from going to landfill, and to help the community and the planet.

Whether you are a master “fix-it” person or just someone who loves to lend a hand, we have a place for you:

• Volunteers & Repairers: Are you handy with electronics, woodworking, sewing, or mechanical repairs? Share your skills and mentor others!

• General Members: Come along to learn how to maintain your own items and support our local sustainability efforts.