diy Top @Kew Drive

[X6GT 3]

Hi KS Toh, would you happen to know where one can go make those engraved slate/stone kind of number plaque for your house number outside?

I was quoted about $65 from a UK seller, just for the numbers "41" engraved on normal slate. Very ex imho..!

I am sure there must be local companies doing for a lot cheaper... Do you know any? Thanks..

[Ks Toh 74]

Hi KS Toh, would you happen to know where one can go make those engraved slate/stone kind of number plaque for your house number outside?

I was quoted about $65 from a UK seller, just for the numbers "41" engraved on normal slate. Very ex imho..!

I am sure there must be local companies doing for a lot cheaper... Do you know any? Thanks..

Sorry for the late reply. I am sure there must be some place in Singapore where they do this. I went to check my house number and it was on a plastic or metal plate, not engraved onto stone. I did a google search and there are several companies. One is this: http://www.themakerstore.com/laser-engraving-service.html

Even if the overseas supplier is cheaper, I think shipping costs back may be dear.

[X6GT 3]

Oh, no problem. I have not been checking much of Renotalk either due to my schedule!

Thanks, I did try to google before (engrave in stone) also but to no avail. And the prices on the website you suggested...erm. I have a very good rapport with Queensway shop that does very cheap those kinda same things.

I'm also sure that there must be some place in Sg! But thanks for your suggestion...

The Ebay one with shipping is around S$80. Still pretty steep hor?? Like, hello, it's just a piece of stone.

Haizz.. ok, if I find later a local one, I will update you! Just in case you want to make also

[Ks Toh 74]

Thanks, I did try to google before (engrave in stone) also but to no avail. And the prices on the website you suggested...erm. I have a very good rapport with Queensway shop that does very cheap those kinda same things.

I'm also sure that there must be some place in Sg! But thanks for your suggestion...

There are many stone engravers in Singapore for resting places, so I am sure there will be people who are doing for house numbers, monuments etc.

[Ks Toh 74]

FIre Extinguishers

The other day, I received a frantic message from my sister on my family whatsapp group chat. Her neighbour's flat three floors directly below was on fire!

After the fire, her whole house was covered with soot, and the very strong smell just would not go away.

Anyway, this led me into thinking I should have a fire extinguisher at home, just in case. I think most of us do not have one at home. So I did some research.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

Many years ago, at my old place, I bought one of those small fire extinguishers and mounted it on the wall next to the cooking area. The size is that of an insecticide spray. The capacity is only around 600g. This are for one-time throw away use only. There is an expiry date (i think a few years) and past the date, there is no way to tell if the spray still works in an emergency. When I was a very small boy, I found one of these long expired extinguishers, hit it and I remembered the whole study being filled with white foam!

Anyway, I found one of these and decided to put it in my car boot. Although past expiry date, I think it can still be used. It feels heavy and I am assuming that it behaves like an insecticide spray: heavy when full and light when empty. But I could be wrong!

It is quite difficult to find such small extinguishers these days. They may be more suitable for cars. I saw them on sale at Autobacs but it was rather expensive. Almost $50 if I remember correctly. I tried to take a photo but the staff stopped me.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

The usual fire extinguishers I see are those hanging on the wall. The size ranges from 1 kg to 12 kg, with 2 kg being the most common that I see inside my office. So I checked the prices:

Office supplier: 1 kg $60+ 2 kg $90+

Hardware store: 1 kg $55 2 kg $60

I thought the $60 2 kg model from my neighbourhood hardware store was value for money. So, I bought two. One for my yard kitchen, and one for my roof terrace. I mounted the first one near my washing machine and dryer.

I am told that fire extinguishers need to be serviced every year. But when I asked my office admin what they do during servicing, she told me the vendor just comes and check the reading on the valve. If it is still in the green zone, he will just place a new sticker "checked ok!". I don't know if this is true or not. Anyway, the 2 kg extinguisher has this valve for me to check. I think as long as it is in the green zone, it should be ok.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

Just read another news report on a fire that broke out in a Tampines HDB flat. I am not sure but I think there are no fire extinguishers or hoses on every floor in a HDB block? So I think it is a good idea to keep a small fire extinguisher at home.

https://youtu.be/Jx0QW88Dhj0

For smaller flats, you can consider this 1 kg extinguisher at $48 from Autobacs. I secretly took this picture for anyone interested. They also sell a smaller (and expensive) 600g canister but the girl stopped me from taking a photo.

P.S. I happened to go to Selfix and I discovered that the fire extinguishers are cheapest here! Too bad I did not know about this earlier.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

DIY Sub-Irrigation System for Indoor Plants

Plants are great indoors. Apart from making the place look nice, it has been claimed that some plants can help clean the air and beat the haze. No idea true or not. I guess all plants can help to clean the air to a certain extent.

However, most people encounter the following problems with indoor plants:

1. Difficulty in deciding when to water and how much to water

2. Troublesome to deal with the excess water that flows out from the pot

The solution is the sub-irrigation system, sometimes called the self-watering or self-draining pot. You can purchase them from most nurseries.

The water is totally contained within the pot. It does not drain out. There is a indicator that tells you the water level. If the indicator falls below the "min" mark, you just add water to bring it to somewhere between "min" and "max".

You can buy such systems from most nurseries. This is the Lechuza AIO Cubico Cottage 30 (White) Pot which I purchased previously, planted with a Philodendron 'Imperial Green' (Common Name: Luck Pair Plant).

However, these systems are not cheap. This pot alone cost about $180. Furthermore, they come in standard shape, size and colour. You may want something different.

Edited May 25, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

So I tried to DIY one pot of Philodendron Imperial Gold at the grand total of $34.65.

Philodendron Imperial Gold

With this success, I set out to DIY a bigger pot this time documenting all the steps. All materials are available from the Far East Flora nurseries at Thomson, Queensway or Bedok: http://www.fareastfloragarden.com/retail-outlets/

Edited May 13, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

First you need to choose an indoor plant. In this case, my wife chose a Water Alocasia as she wanted the plant in the study and it should grow upwards instead of sideways. We bought this at $15 from Pioneer Landscape @Jalan Lekar.

Next you need to find a pot with no drainage holes (or the hole can be plugged). My wife chose this $39 pot from Far East Flora @Bedok. You also need to buy a water level indicator that is suitable for the pot. The bottom of the indicator must touch the bottom of the pot and the entire glass section at the top must be above soil level. These are sold at around $1.50 to $5 at Far East, depending on size. I bought this big one at $5. (Ignore the black strip of drainage cell I used to prop up the water level indicator for photo taking)

Edited May 16, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

Next, we need to create a water reservoir at the bottom of the pot. The nurseries normally recommend pouring a layer of Hydroton pebbles sufficient to cover the water intake holes at the bottom end of the water level indicator. These are basically lightweight super-heated expanded clay pebbles that you normally find strewn at the top of flower pots and trays. Far East sold to me a bag of these at $8.90 but when I looked at the bag at home, it says LECA for Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate. Apparently, it is similar to Hydroton except that LECA pebbles are irregularly shaped whereas Hydroton pebbles are generally round.

However, as the Hydroton (or LECA) does not hold up the water level indicator very well, I decided to improvise and use a sheet of drainage cell instead. I have a few sheets of these left over from my pond. You can find them at most nurseries. $6.20 per piece.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

I cut the drainage cell to size and placed it at the bottom of the pot. Then I placed the water level indicator to one corner of the pot, using one of the holes in the drainage cell to hold the device up. I added some water and confirmed that the water level indicator was working.

Next, you need to add a layer of cloth or some material. This is to hold the soil and prevent it from dropping to the bottom of the pot, clogging the intake of the water level indicator. I found some filter wool and decided to use it instead.

[Ks Toh 74]

Instead of filter wool, you can also use green netting which you can buy from the hardware shop (or take from some disused table tennis nets). But I find the holes too big, so you may need to use a few layers.

After that, you need to transfer the plant into the new pot. I normally use a small shovel to loosen the earth around the plant, then transfer the whole plant with earth to the new pot.

Since the new pot is bigger, you need to top up the soil. One bag cost about $5.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Ks Toh

[Ks Toh 74]

You can add a layer of Hydroton or LECA to the surface.

And this is the end result. We will only know if this works in a few months' time

By the way, if you spent $600 in combined receipts within 6 months, you can apply for a free Gardening Club card which gives you 10% off regular priced items.

[back to Table of Contents]

Edited May 20, 2015 by Ks Toh