In message , TheOldFellow
writes
On Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:40:55 GMT
"The Medway Handyman" wrote:

Asked to sort out a blocked downpipe on a hotel today. Cast iron pipe
coming down from roof into a hopper, then a smaller diameter pipe down to
the ground.

Piggin plastic drinks bottle had somehow entered the top pipe at roof level
& become jammed in the hopper. Top of the bottle was inside the top pipe,
bottom wouldn't go any further into the lower pipe.

Spent half an hour prodding, hacking, pulling to no avail. Finally managed
to get a piece of string around the neck & attacked the bottle with a hot
air paint stripper gun. After a few mins it started to buckle & shrink the
point where I could pull it out.

I was going to leave the hot air gun off the van since I don't use it much
:-)



This why we need manned space-flight. Show me a robot that would think
of that.

Talking of manned space flight, how about a gas and air mix beneath the
bottle, ignite it and blow the bottle out of the top of the pipe?
Assuming it was open at the top.



R.


--
Bill