Kitchen Garden Forum

Grrrh !! Husband out and I decided to take advantage of the mild weather to recoat our fences. Got all geared up in my dirty clothes, brush and newly bought cans at the ready. And guess what? Can't open the bl**dy tins. Just don't have the strength in my wrists to snap the plastic lids and prise them off. Even went out into the street to try and find a man to help me and all I could see was one pregnant mum and a truanting schoolboy. How do women living alone cope when they don't have the physical strength to do some of these fundamental things? It's so frustrating.

I don't think that it's a woman thing, paint tins are just b----y difficult to open. I've mangled a few tins in my time with screwdrivers until I discovered a simple lever tool in B&Q for a few pence that did the job easily. Probably any decent paint shop would have one.

John

PS A good tip for when you put the lid firmly back on the tin after using some of the paint is to invert the tin a couple of times, it goes a long way to stopping a surface skin forming inside.

Dear Primrose, when John says to invert the paint tin a couple of times, he means to tip it upside down.
Eagerly waiting your appropriate reply.

Well I do get frustrated at being weedy sometimes but there are plenty of female bruisers around too!
Just use your superior intellect Primrose - something along the lines of (to your DH) 'I was going to do that painting today but then I remembered that you are SO much better at it than me!'

oooooo Jenny...that's a typical female line to take..and it works

My Governor found that my best screwdriver opens tins of paint a treat...its when she stirs the paint up with it I get upset.

Dear OH, Well, I'd better not adopt the same principle my mother onced used. My father hated heights so my mother always went up the ladders to paint the gutterings. My father was not averse to standing below and adopting a typical Foreman's pose, calling up to her in a very loud voice in front of all the neighbours "You've missed a bit here" or "You've haven't done that bit very well". In the end she got so hacked off by this that she lost her rag and threw the whole tin of paint down at him. The big white stain still remains on the crazy paving drive 30 years later !!

Dear Primrose, sounds as if i had better keep my helpful comments to myself.

Another lovely story by the way Primrose, i see it runs in the family then.

I remember when I was a child my mum used to do all the decorating around the house. My dad kept the brews coming. Every hour, on the hour.

On the lottie, myself (and Grock sometimes too) stand there with a hammer, a bit of wood and a few nails. One of the men always comes out with

"Ya don't wanna do it like that yer daft cow, this is how you do that job...."

and they proceed to do the job for you. Works every time

I also find it hard getting the lids off things as I can't grip much now. It's frustrating having to ask someone to take the lid off something. I too, have been known to accost strange men in the street to ask them to take the lid off my gherkins

Lizzie, i bet you don't have any trouble getting the screw tops of your secret stash of gin.

No I don't Herby. I have the gin intraveinously. I look like Father Jack in drag

You do put yourself down sometimes Lizzie.

lizzie wrote:..... I too, have been known to accost strange men in the street to ask them to take the lid off my gherkins

You call them gherkins do you Lizzie?

Cheeky bugger

Sorry, I thought it was gerkins.

Oooops, got confused

Was on another forum talking about rubber ducks