Mr Fix It and his Rusty Monkey Wrench

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About a month ago while the family was out shopping with money we didn't have, we looked to the Heavens and saw a WALL of nasty, angry looking clouds rapidly approaching.  We quickly hustled home but in the last 200 yards it started pouring and storming.  No big deal really but when we entered the flat we found that we had left the balcony door open and the bedroom window slightly open with the storm shutters partially open.  This created a very strong cross wind that knocked the storm shutter off of the track.  I quickly attempted a fix but was shut down by L Mama.  So we proceeded to close the door and windows and watched the storm.  We went to bed and in the morning emailed the landlord people, in perfectly google translated German, that we needed our shutters fixed.  If you look below at the first picture you can see how they were stuck in a non private way.

After a week we finally got a response and it was that they had commissioned the company "Roll-Tech" to do the repairs.  They stated that Roll-Tech would contact us.  We waited and waited.  No contact was made.  So I emailed Roll-Tech directly and the landlord again.  No response.  Something had to be done.  Someone needed to stand up and fix the dang thing.  I asked L Rizzy if he had it in him... he giggled, drooled a bit, then made his pooping face.  So after I changed him I asked L Mama if I could give it another crack.  Someone needed to be Mr Fix It in this apartment and unfortunately that responsibility fell onto me.

It was not a terribly difficult problem- there were 20 or so horizontal beams from the shutter that had come off the track in the middle.  They needed to be pulled back onto the track.  However, to do this the horizontal length needed to be reduced (by pushing on the middle, thus bowing them out) and then the left lateral end pulled back into the track.  So I had L Mama slightly push on the middle but every time I got the beams back into position I could not get my fingers out.  It was painful people.  In addition, while I might not be using my hands at this point in time, at some point in the future they will be pretty important to our livelihood.  I needed a tool.  I needed something strong, but thin.  Malleable but still rigid.  I tried a fork.  No dice.  I searched the flat for tools.  I checked out my 6V drill.  It certainly wouldn't help in this case but it felt great to have all that "power" in my hands.  Then L Mama had a moment of inspiration- what about a hanger?  Perfect idea... I selected the ideal hanger from our collection and molded it into the necessary shape using my grizzled, powerful hands.  We got to work and slowly but surely we reduced the defect and the shutter worked properly again.  L Rizzy smiled in approval and proceeded to roll over in sheer excitement.  I sent an email to the landlords that they need not bother with the repair company.  Mr Fix It lives at Inselstrasse 6.  To date, nary a reply.

This is how the shutters were stuck- with the Sun beating down on the bed at 630 am every morning 

No safety belts here kiddos, and no rusty monkey wrench

Back working correctly!

The tool of tools

Quotiferication:

"A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop."
- Robert Hughes