A Close Call

Odds

Odds

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After enjoying a well earned soak in the tub last night, i was ready to watch Dune; a film i've been looking forward to since i read the books as a teenager. (Along time ago.)
Herself was out at some 'do' and i had the house all to myself. Munchies and a beer were ready.
Nothing was left to chance...
...until i tried to open the bathroom door and ended up with the (temporary) handle in my hand, and no way out other than a second storey window. :eek:

I used a small doorknob, screwed in place through the door and after several days of use it'd worked loose. It kept my new handle nice while i worked to sand down the wood but now i was left with a knotty problem.
All i had was a pair of scissors and a desperate set of fingers that tried to grip while i worked the scissors into the gap and gently pulled.

No dice.

I tried again from the bottom and got a small splinter in my index finger.
I said a word.
Sat and collected myself for another try, this time from the top - and to my huge relief the door budged and swung open.:D

It's just as well: my only options were to open the window and call for help.
If anyone heard, i couldn't face the toe-curling embarrassment.
Or wait for herself to come back and miss my chance to watch the movie til another day.
No way. I'd waited far too long for this and wasn't gonna let a bloody door stand in my way!
And it was well worth it. Can't wait for part two to come out.

Put the old handle back on the door this morning though.:cool:
 
OddsBodkin said:
After enjoying a well earned soak in the tub last night, i was ready to watch Dune; a film i've been looking forward to since i read the books as a teenager. (Along time ago.)
Herself was out at some 'do' and i had the house all to myself. Munchies and a beer were ready.
Nothing was left to chance...
...until i tried to open the bathroom door and ended up with the (temporary) handle in my hand, and no way out other than a second storey window. :eek:

I used a small doorknob, screwed in place through the door and after several days of use it'd worked loose. It kept my new handle nice while i worked to sand down the wood but now i was left with a knotty problem.
All i had was a pair of scissors and a desperate set of fingers that tried to grip while i worked the scissors into the gap and gently pulled.

No dice.

I tried again from the bottom and got a small splinter in my index finger.
I said a word.
Sat and collected myself for another try, this time from the top - and to my huge relief the door budged and swung open.:D

It's just as well: my only options were to open the window and call for help.
If anyone heard, i couldn't face the toe-curling embarrassment.
Or wait for herself to come back and miss my chance to watch the movie til another day.
No way. I'd waited far too long for this and wasn't gonna let a bloody door stand in my way!
And it was well worth it. Can't wait for part two to come out.

Put the old handle back on the door this morning though.:cool:
Click to expand...

My wife did similar about 30 odd years ago. I phoned her to say I was working late so she took both our kids aged about 4 and 6 in the bathroom to bath them. She shut the door and the bar between the inner and outer handles slid across out of the inner handle so she couldn't open the door. They were all stuck in there naked and shivering until I came home around 8.00!
 
Mottie said:
My wife did similar about 30 odd years ago. I phoned her to say I was working late so she took both our kids aged about 4 and 6 in the bathroom to bath them. She shut the door and the bar between the inner and outer handles slid across out of the inner handle so she couldn't open the door. They were all stuck in there naked and shivering until I came home around 8.00!
Click to expand...

Similar thing happened in college last year to a teacher and a class full of students. Class had come to an end and when they tried to open the door the handle simply turned bu wouldn't turn the square bar to operate the latch. They tried to alert students walking past but because the rooms are quite sound proofed they didn't understand what the class were trying to say to them. After about 10 minutes one of the outside students had the brain wave of coming down 3 flights of stairs to summon help. I go up, armed with my tool bag and realised straight away what may have happened. Simply turned the outside handle and released them all. Corrected the door handle before I went back down though.
Another time one of the music students was doing some practicing in one of the individual practice rooms. So he wouldn't be disturbed he turned the thumb screw on the inside. Unfortunately the builders hadn't set the lock correctly and he couldn't undo it to get out. Smart cookie simply phoned his teacher two doors down and explained what had happened. Teacher comes along, opens the door, goes into the room with the student so he could explain/show him what he had done. Result? Now we have two people locked in the room. Luckily teacher had my number and called me. I was greeted by two red faces peering through the glass at me as I approached. That episode resulted in me checking and changing almost every lock in the building. Think it was almost 200 locks that needed checking.
 
Unless the door is of quality manufacture (most internal doors are just a thin veneer on a cardboard honeycomb), you should be able to kick your way through it in an emergency. The same goes for plasterboard walls.
 
College doors are fire rated and any glass is heat resistant toughened.
At least they are in our college.
 
conny said:
College doors are fire rated and any glass is heat resistant toughened.
At least they are in our college.
Click to expand...
Think the original subject (and my 'emergency' suggestion about 'non-quality doors') related to domestic premises.
 
Jackrae said:
Unless the door is of quality manufacture (most internal doors are just a thin veneer on a cardboard honeycomb), you should be able to kick your way through it in an emergency. The same goes for plasterboard walls.
Click to expand...

Our doors are solid wood construction and not for kicking in under any circumstances.
It would be difficult wearing steel toecaps and impossible in bare feet.
And after all the hard work i've put in to removing varnish/paint then going through the grades of sandpaper required to get a fine finish before finishing off with a light coat of varnish to protect the wood, i'd still shimmy down a drainpipe rather than break it down.
 
OddsBodkin said:
After enjoying a well earned soak in the tub last night, i was ready to watch Dune; a film i've been looking forward to since i read the books as a teenager. (Along time ago.)
Herself was out at some 'do' and i had the house all to myself. Munchies and a beer were ready.
Nothing was left to chance...
...until i tried to open the bathroom door and ended up with the (temporary) handle in my hand, and no way out other than a second storey window. :eek:

I used a small doorknob, screwed in place through the door and after several days of use it'd worked loose. It kept my new handle nice while i worked to sand down the wood but now i was left with a knotty problem.
All i had was a pair of scissors and a desperate set of fingers that tried to grip while i worked the scissors into the gap and gently pulled.

No dice.

I tried again from the bottom and got a small splinter in my index finger.
I said a word.
Sat and collected myself for another try, this time from the top - and to my huge relief the door budged and swung open.:D

It's just as well: my only options were to open the window and call for help.
If anyone heard, i couldn't face the toe-curling embarrassment.
Or wait for herself to come back and miss my chance to watch the movie til another day.
No way. I'd waited far too long for this and wasn't gonna let a bloody door stand in my way!
And it was well worth it. Can't wait for part two to come out.

Put the old handle back on the door this morning though.:cool:
Click to expand...
 
30+ years ago I was making some built in furniture from faced block board and using a plane. Afternoon set up to finish off, wife goes out shopping with her mate. Five minutes in I get a splinter the size of a tree trunk jammed into my arm between wrist and elbow. I can press the splinter to get the end out but not grip it whilst pressing due to the location. Tried the neighbours, all out. Tried a district nurse friend who has now joined the shopping trip. Ended up going into work and getting nurse to remove it and give me a tetanus jab.

Get back home and the wife walks in 5 minutes later and says “oh you haven’t done much”.

The air was blue! :mad:
 
I worked on a church in Hornchurch a few years back.

I popped out to what I can describe as a glass fronted entrance front porch. 6ftsq ish. Like a fish bowl if you happened to get stuck between the doors. That's exactly what I did.... no way out for me unless a passer by let me out. Eventually one did .... most people just walked by looking and thinking I was a nutter.
 
MynameisBod said:
I worked on a church in Hornchurch a few years back.

I popped out to what I can describe as a glass fronted entrance front porch. 6ftsq ish. Like a fish bowl if you happened to get stuck between the doors. That's exactly what I did.... no way out for me unless a passer by let me out. Eventually one did .... most people just walked by looking and thinking I was a nutter.
Click to expand...

Maybe they considered your plight a tribute act to David Blaine?
A piece of performative art to illustrate our disconnection in modern society.
 
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