So very amusing…
February 11, 2005, 2:42 AM
It’s interesting what my friend Katie and I ended up doing after work this evening. We ended up going to her house, and worked on getting the treadmill that she recently bought working correctly. It’s one of those push-it-yourself models, and the belt wasn’t moving very well. It seems that the belt was not properly lubricated, after I took a test walk on it. It took me considerable effort to get it moving, and then once it started, it practically flung me right off.
So I got on the floor with this silicone oil that came with the treadmill and went to work. I put “a few drops” on the surface beneath the belt as the directions specified. Still no luck, after a test run.
So I tried a plan B, which was to put some more drops of oil on there. In squeezing the bottle, the dropper thing came off the end. I guess you weren’t supposed to squeeze like that. No problem, though. I got some oil where it was supposed to go, and we gave it another test run. No go. Still wasn’t running smoothly.
Meanwhile, Katie’s laughing her head off, watching me practically fly off the back of the treadmill whenever it unexpectedly started.
My next plan was to use a Q-tip to spread the silicon oil. So Katie showed me where they were, and we did that. It bombed. It was a good idea, but wasn’t effective.
So I went in for the kill. Since the thing that makes you squeeze it in neat little drops had popped off, I just straight up poured a small puddle of the oil under the belt. Then I took my hand, and rubbed it all around under there. After washing my hands, I gave it a test run. Beautiful. I walked. I ran. I operated it with me on there as long as I needed, not only to make sure the oil spread around a bit, but also to make sure that it wasn’t going to jam up.
It’s amazing what we end up fixing sometimes. Like how I ended up fixing Katie’s hair with a comb later on that evening, after her mother noticed it was sticking up.
Still, I was pleased with my work on the treadmill.
Web site: Treadmill buying guide
Song: Still don't have one
Quote: "Okay... hold this, hold this, and hold this." - Me when I'm trying to fix something. I'll tell the person I'm with what I need them to hold for me.
Categories: Katie