davidgillon: Illo of Oracle in her manual chair in long white dress with short red hair and glasses (wheelchair)
[personal profile] davidgillon

Having bought a set of hex keys (thanks to [personal profile] kaberett for the Gorilla Grip recommendation) I finally took the eBay chair apart and put it back together to suit me (well, as much as a chair two inches too narrow can be made to). Hopefully it'll no longer wheelie if I breathe in too sharply, and both the brakes now grip the tyres, rather than just one and a bit.

Took the upholstery off too, and gave it a bit of a clean. The back definitely seems to have been meant for a chair with a back twice as high, and there was so much dirt and leaf litter in the velcro I think they must have been using it on a farm! I've left the side skirts off for the moment, they were being forced outwards by the cushion I'm using, so weren't really working and I think the extra bulk at the back was making the upholstery fit worse - both they and the back had padded sleeves to go over the uprights, and you could only use one at a time, so the other ended up folded under.

The front castors still need either replacing, or a new set of tyres, but hopefully I should be able to use it now without it wheelie-ing every time I try to go up a kerb cut or wheel up a slope. Which does not help!

And hopefully Sods Law means Wheelchair Services will promptly ring me to say the new custom-built titanium chair is ready to pick up ;)

Date: 2016-06-21 10:57 pm (UTC)
cloudsinvenice: "everyone's mental health is a bit shit right now, so be gentle" (Default)
From: [personal profile] cloudsinvenice
Here's hoping!

It's nice to realise that wheelchairs can be taken apart - I remember back when we used to rent one from Shopmobility, we were always having to call in with them to get the footrests or whatever adjusted. It's partly that I was still growing for the first few years I used a chair, but for some models they had (and this is going back to the late 90s/early 2000s) I remember there was a specific tool required. The one I have these days seems more amenable to being taken apart...

Date: 2016-06-22 12:31 am (UTC)
capri0mni: A black Skull & Crossbones with the Online Disability Pride Flag as a background (12-2)
From: [personal profile] capri0mni
This is why I want a real, working sonic screwdriver -- forget "reversing the polarity of the neutron flow," or erasing the mind-programming of an alien baddie, or whatever --

I want a "Universal remote" for loosening and tightening the screws holding my wheelchair together!

Date: 2016-06-22 12:40 pm (UTC)
capri0mni: A black Skull & Crossbones with the Online Disability Pride Flag as a background (Default)
From: [personal profile] capri0mni
Having the right tools for the right job is awesome!

Date: 2016-06-22 01:17 am (UTC)
cloudsinvenice: "everyone's mental health is a bit shit right now, so be gentle" (Default)
From: [personal profile] cloudsinvenice
That's the sort of thing I don't get - I'm used to products not being made with the consumer's/end user's ease in mind, but it seems odd that they don't even do things in a way that would improve things on their end...

Date: 2016-06-25 09:56 am (UTC)
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
From: [personal profile] kaberett
ADJUSTABLE SPANNERS ARE A LIFESAVER.

Date: 2016-06-25 09:57 am (UTC)
kaberett: Trans symbol with Swiss Army knife tools at other positions around the central circle. (Default)
From: [personal profile] kaberett
HURRAH for getting it set up a bit better, and fingers crossed for the new thing. xx

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davidgillon: A pair of crutches, hanging from coat hooks, reflected in a mirror (Default)
David Gillon

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