The TBS Blog

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Have you got mortar stains or encrusted cement to remove? Are you concerned about the environment? TBS have got the answer for you.

CEMSTRIP, from Everbuild, is  a new type of cement, concrete and mortar stain remover. It is non-hazardous in transport, storage and use. It’s also fully biodegradable, unlike many traditional cement removers, which are based on hydrochloric adic and are lethal to bio-organisms if tipped down the drain.

Cemstrip will also remove salts and efflorescence from the surface of brick or stone. It is a very effective general cleaner for removing ingrained dirt, grease and stains from paths and patios.

Cemstrip is ideal for removing fresh or semi-cured cement from paths, patios and walls. Use it for removing cement from hand tools like trowels, or from mixer paddles and even cement mixers.

TBS stocks Cemstrip in a 5 litre bottle or a 1 litre spray. It is a highly concentrated formula that can be diluted by up to 10 times with water to suit a variety of applications.

NOTE: Cemstrip is unsuitable for use on marble, travertine or granite, or on coloured, cement-based pavers.

Well, the Dutch have a sense of humour.

Here you can see a clip of some pretty nifty forklift driving.

Enjoy!

TBS are offering a great Special Offer price on the three garden tools pictured here.

Ideal for getting the bedding plants in for some summer colour (the risk of frost should soon be over), and getting your hedges and shrubs looking tidy.

Spear & Jackson Elements Hand Trowel only £3.00 + VAT

Spear & Jackson Elements Weed Fork only £3.00 + VAT

CK Maxima Long Reach Hedge Shears 24″ only £18.50 + VAT

Contact our Sales team at any TBS branch. But hurry! This offer must end 31st May.

Click image to enlarge

OK, you knowledgeable lot: how many of these old tools can you identify?  PLEASE REPLY IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE.

It seems there is quite a demand for bygone hand tools – see, for example, this website. According to Ian Fraser, who sells hundreds of antique tools each year here, “they are mainly bought to be restored and used.  Tools such as billhooks and draw knives can be expensive to buy new and often the older tools have blades which can be more easily resharpened.”

In fact, one valuable bygone tool was the portable scythe anvil (see photo below), which could be carried in a rucksack and hammered into the ground so that when your scythe or billhook became blunt or bent, you could sharpen or straighten it out right where you were.

The portable scythe anvil

If you have any interesting bits of bygone wisdom about tools, please reply, so we can all learn.

For the history buffs among you – and those who are fascinated by old, quality tools, here are a couple of links.

This working museum of woodworking is in Jefferson, Iowa. And this one offers some interesting links, including a free guide to honing and sharpening tools.

We might all have a moan about Health & Safety now and again, but some parts of it are really vital. Just ask a retired tradesman whose lungs are half full of MDF dust if he’d do things differently next time around!

Dust and fumes are a health risk in any number of trade and DIY situations. Particular care should be taken with the following:

• soldering  
• welding
  
• using adhesives
  
• sawing certain materials
  
• grinding metal  

TBS takes these things seriously. We stock a range of masks and respirators to protect your lungs and nasal passages.

Vitrex cup masks  general purpose face masks for average levels of dust, only £1.36 for a pack of 5

Vitrex sand and loft masks  a denser weave for sawdust and higher density dust, like in your loft or from sanding surfaces, only £1.91 each

Vitrex power tool and MDF masks  Debate rages over whether MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) dust causes cancer. What is certain is that the dust particles have an unusual shape, which causes them to stick to the lungs. These masks are heavy duty weave and give you the right protection. Only £2.30 each.

If you’re dealing with FUMES, you need to be extra careful. Thinners, adhesives, some solders, and the fumes from welding require a full mask for proper protection. TBS stocks the Vitrex Twin Filter Respirator, specifically designed to protect you from fumes. Only £34.26 for peace of mind.And we sell replacement filters too, a pack of 4 for only £12.36.

Here is a link to a web page full of information about fumes and how to guard yourself against them.

Click to enlarge

I guess someone was told to use pliers and a screwdriver to repair this tap…? Ingenious, my dear Watson! The toothpaste suggests this is in Germany, by the way.

Crime figures for burglary continue to be frightening. Any home owner needs the assurance that exterior doors are as secure as they can be.

Enter the Euro Profile Cylinder Lock, an affordable “key” to peace of mind. TBS stocks a number of these, in different sizes and finishes.

For starters, these beauties are made of hardened steel, so no one’s going to rush to drill them out!

Then they’re designed to be anti-pick and anti-bump. Lock Bumping is a technique used by criminals to get a specially modified key to ‘trick’ the lock tumblers into accepting it. It involves “nudging” or bumping the pins inside the lock.

Euro Profile locks resist this technique. How they do it is quite complicated (this gives an idea), but the net result for you is that intruders can’t bypass your security.

This page gives you more information about the TQ Range of Euro Profile Cylinder Locks that we stock. They come in nickel pearl or plated brass finish.  If you specifically require a lock for a fire door, we hold this model.

A euro cylinder is shaped like an enlarged key hole. The cylinder lock fits through your door, passing through a lock case which is mortised into either a wooden, metal or UPVC door. When using door handles with these types of locks and cylinders, you must ensure that they too have the oval or euro cut out on the back plate to allow the lock barrel to pass through.

So why not do a health check on your door security before the winter weather really bites, and if you feel you need more protection, treat your home to some Euro Profile Locks!

What on earth? Have they misunderstood the term “draw water” for “drawer water”?