Rotary washing line disaster help please...

ChocClare

It was very windy here today, with the result that my washing line blew over, landing my jacket squarely in the pond :mad:.

The pole has snapped off completely just above the point where it goes into the ground. The rotary washing-line part is completely undamaged.

The pole is in two sections: the upper part - which is fine - and the lower part, which slots into the upper bit with one of those push-in knobs where you turn the thing round until it pops out of a corresponding hole in the upper bit (this technical description is obviously exactly as descibed in the manual:rotfl:)

So what I'm saying here is that I have a perfectly perfect upper part of my rotary washing line and pole. All it needs is about - I don't know, 18 inches of tubing that will slot into the spike that goes into the ground at one end and into the pole that holds the airer bit at the other.

I've googled and found spares for the spikey bit, but not for the pole. Does anyone have a) any idea where I can get a similar pole or b) what I could use instead? It's obviously got to be something strong, and ideally I guess if anyone knows a spare parts place that I haven't found, that would be the best thing.

Sorry if you think this isn't OS by the way (but surely make do and mend is the epitome of OS?) - all suggestions very gratefully received.

seasalt_2

What's the pole made of Clare? Could the two broken bits be welded together? That's probably what OH would do. Only if you know someone who can weld though. Local garage?

Pitlanepiglet

Our rotary line sits in a piece of scaffolding pole - would that work?

Gigervamp

Check out a plumbers merchants or B&Q for some piping.

Swampmonster

You see them on Freecycle a fair bit?

ChocClare

Thanks guys, I had thought of maybe a scaffolding pole, if we can find one the right diameter. I walked round Homebase this morning looking for substitute ideas, but there wasn't anything TBH. I can't believe they don't do spares - when I went online there was a chap who'd lost TWO through this lower bit snapping.

It's aluminium, I guess, so I'm not sure if it would weld, or whether the welding joint would be strong enough. I had even thought of getting a fencing pole and sitting it on that.

I'm sure DH will come up with something - I wanted an answer because he was so narky about it when he got home yesterday "oh, ANOTHER job for me *sigh*", as if I had purposely destroyed the thing :mad:, so it would have been nice just to fix it so I could say, there you are, fuss about nothing :rotfl: