Meet the Fixers! Chuck Barsony

Next up, we'd like to introduce you to Chuck Barsony, the self-proclaimed Jack of All Trades, Master of None! We think he's being modest. Chuck is a Professor of Architecture at Loyalist College who has been teaching his students the importance of good design for over 20 years. Long before 'sustainability' was the buzz term it is now, Chuck has been preaching the principles of green design and producing graduates who carry it forward.

Loyalist Professor and Jack of All Trades, Chuck Barsony

Come on by between 12-4 PM tomorrow and get some help from Chuck for small mechanical repairs, carpentry and to hear his tips and tricks on the usual household repair dilemmas.

Chuck, what inspired you to volunteer at the Repair Café?
I really enjoy solving a problem, particularly when it involves fixing something. It's not quite as satisfying as actually building something, but it's pretty close.

If you had to give one piece of repair advice, what would it be?
Never start a project or repair when you have little or no knowledge of how to do it. "Winging it" invariably means that you will do more damage than good, and might end up hurting yourself in the end. And ALWAYS take it slow when attempting a repair.

Share your favourite repair story with us!
A LONG time ago my brothers and I shared a 1976 Austin Marina. It had an electronic fuel pump that was prone to icing up in the winter. I was on a ski trip up to Hidden Valley in Huntsville with a bunch of friends and when we went to start the car for the return trip home, the engine would spin but not start. I just KNEW that it was the same problem. 

So there I was, crawling around on my back, on a frozen parking lot with a feeble flashlight. I tore apart the fuel pump (having done it a few times before) and when I popped the fuel lines to take it out, I prepared myself to clamp off the line to prevent the rush of gasoline. Strange thing though, nothing happened. I forgot to check the fuel gauge! The tank was DRY! Smart move on my part. 

We were able to scrounge some gas at the lodge, and we were off back to town. Lesson learned: I ALWAYS fill up the tank when I go somewhere now. 

Click on the video below to learn more about Chuck and the program he teaches at Loyalist 

Meet the Fixers! Forest Holley-Hime

We'd like to introduce you to one of our handy and handsome bike mechanics, Forest Holley-Hime. He's coming all the way from the Big Smoke to help you pump up the tires and grease the chain to get you back in the saddle.

Forest demonstrating his handy umbrella holding skills

Forest grew up in Prince Edward County and Belleville and at the tender age of only 33, is a veteran in the bike world with 20 years in the biz. He got his start at the Bloomfield Bicycle Company at 13 where he learned to wrench on bikes and tackle the trails.

He's now the manager of Bateman's Bicycle Company in Toronto (owned by Belleville native Rob Bateman) where he spends his days on the sales floor making dreams come true, in the back shop cursing seized seat posts and wonky frames, and encouraging bike love in the hearts and minds of the shop's many loyal customers. If you're ever in Toronto, stop by and say hello to the Bateman boys, they'd love to see you (913 Bathurst St. Toronto, in the Annex).

So Forest, tell us why you want to volunteer at the Repair Café?
A little knowledge goes a long way. I'm a firm believer that if you teach people the basics of bike repair, they'll be more likely to get on, and stay on, their bike. At the end of the day, that's good for everyone. 

If you had to give one piece of bike repair advice, what would it be?
Listen to your bike. She'll tell you when there's something wrong. 

What's the craziest repair you've ever done?
The great ant infestation of 2013. I was taking off an old handlebar for a customer at the shop and it just started bleeding ants. I'm talking hundreds of ants just pouring out of the stem of this bike. Turns out, the guy had stored the bike upside down in his backyard. Don't do that. Please. 

Want to see a Café in action?

This video showcases a Repair Café in Holland. Check it out to see what goes on at a Café, how they operate and what they're trying to achieve. We couldn't have said it better ourselves!

A Repair Café you say? What's that!?

For many of us in North America, we have the world at our fingertips and can solve nearly any problem by opening our pocketbook. We can easily meet our needs and satisfy our desires by heading to the nearest big box store at a moment’s notice. While this has led to very comfortable lives, it has also resulted in us losing touch with how the world works and how things are produced.

When a chair breaks, we’re encouraged to buy a new one. A ripped sweater is simply an excuse to go to the mall. And we seem to go through electronics faster than they can even break. Version 5.1 just came out after all. 

Repair Cafés started in Netherlands about eight years ago to change this culture. They are part of a wider movement to help us see value in the products we throw away, and think about the resources we waste, the skills we are losing as we move to an automated society, and of the community we too often take for granted.

                                                       Fixing in action at the Repair Café at Sheridan College, April 2014
                                                       Photo credit: Chris Coutts

Those are the same goals for the Quinte Repair Café, goals that have been replicated in similar Repair Cafés in Toronto, Calgary, and Peterborough so far this year. By repairing our old items, we give them new life, develop our own skills in the process and really come to appreciate what goes into the production of our everyday items. As an added bonus, we’re doing it in a community setting and getting to know people from the area!

So how can you repair everything from toasters, cell phones, lamps, sweaters, quilts, jewelry and much more? By coming out to the inaugural Quinte Repair Café at the Core in Downtown Belleville on Saturday October 25th from 12-4PM! You bring the stuff and we’ll match you with a repair specialist (we call them “fixers”!). If it can’t be fixed, we will point you in the right direction for where to get parts and what the next steps are.

This page will be updated a couple times every week over the next six weeks to show what can be repaired, what has been done in other communities, and what we can all do together. We are looking forward to fixing as many broken products in the Quinte Region as we can.