On November 1st—All Saints' Day here in Portugal—we received a large stand mixer that would no longer open. A real challenge for the Repair Café. Daniel and Gerard immediately got to work, and it soon became clear that the "open" knob had been twisted, and loose parts rattled around in the bottom when shaken. Opening it was very difficult due to 12 Phillips-head screws, as well as two small screws with internal triangular heads.

Daniel was caught in the middle of one of these screws, and with considerable force, he managed to loosen it with a regular, small, straight-head screwdriver. The loose, broken parts were removed, and the broken bushing where the knob rotated was reinforced with wire. The hinge worked again, and the mixer was usable again. This is an example of a product that is deliberately difficult to repair. The owner, however, was delighted with a functioning appliance again.

This first Saturday in May, a deLonghi coffee machine was already ready for us. In addition, the lady with the standing table lamp would return. A heavy downpour broke out halfway through. Nevertheless, the owners of the coffee machine and the standing table lamp were very happy.

The table lamp turned out to be the only thing left from the estate of her father, who died last year. She can now continue to use it and remember him at the same time!