Metric weights and measures

General Chat Chat / Discussions
1

I know I am probably one of the few people who still complain about things metric, but after all these years, it still drives me insane. :rage: I loathe it.

I was in B & Q today, looking for something that should have been very simple to buy. All I wanted was some 2" nails, but with a big head, not those silly little skinny heads that are no thicker than the nail.
Could I find any? Could I 'eck.
Everything was prepacked, hundreds of packets to search through, and with labels that meant absolutely nothing to me. In the end I had to go and find an assistant.

Nice young lady came to help, and I explained what I wanted, but being so young, she didn’t seem to know what a 2" nail was! All the labels were in mm’s, so I asked her how many mm’s in 2" - she hadn’t a clue! Likewise, I couldn’t convert it either.

In the end she offred me some of those nails with a sort of screw thread, but I said no, as I needed to be able to pull them out easily with my claw hammer.
Then she found some which were roughly the right lenth, but with those peculiar narrow heads, so that was no good either, as I’d never get my claw hammer to grip it. I was trying to explain I wanted something with a head nearly as big as roofing tack, but on a nail, and 2" long. No such thing.

Eventually I compromised and got a packet which will just have to do. I asked the chap at the check out how many nails in their small packets, and his reply was to put them on his scales and reply - " 125 gms."
What flaming use is that? I didn’t want to know how much they weigh, I wanted to know approx how many in their packets so’s I knew I had enough for the job. Telling me what they weigh is no help whatsoever! :rage:

Then I stopped at another shop to get some of those tiny dental brushes for in between the teeth.
I know the colour I always get, but they had sold out.
There was an array of other colours, but I didn’t know which one was nearest to my usual because they were in 0.4 mm, 0.45mm, 0.5 etc.
Well I have no doubt the clever men on here know what that means, but buggered if I did. I can’t get it into my head which way the numbers go - is 0.4 thicker or thinner than 0.5? Which way does it go? Again I had to ask an assistant.

I know I should know these things, but I have never mastered it, and probably never will now.
Same as when trying to understand the dilution rate on fertilisers all in 0.5 ml = 1.25 of a litre.

Oh somebody, PLEASE bring back English measurements for old fogeys like me . . . . . .

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2

I still work in inches, metric is a mystery to me too. Bring imperial measures back I say.

Nothing is simple anymore

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3

I’m so glad it’s not just me, Queenie.
Trouble is, most of these very young assistants don’t know what you’re talking about.

When we left the common market, we should have gone back to English things.

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4

With you all the way there….when I need to I can,using my fingers or hands estimate a length of say 2 feet or 3 inches ask me to estimate a measure of a metre or 3 centimetres and I am bloody lost…yesterday I found a loose screw in the oven door of our cooker, would a proper screwdriver fit it? Nahhh! I had to find a spline screw head …:face_with_raised_eyebrow: don’t ask…Bring back groats, furlongs and 12 pennies to the shilling I say…

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5

. . . . oh I do luvs ya, Vlad. :rofl:

6

Yes, I know I’m an old phart but I have used metric since I was around my early teens so I do believe it is simpler. That was in school physics. Imperial units were still use and and I have no problem with the conversions. But why would I need to measure our butter by the 500g ?

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7

You would have luvved me today, I had to go out and visit my building society, so dressed up, Chinos, crisp long sleeved white shirt, waistcoat, Panama hat, Top Gun dark glasses.:sunglasses:.I looked the dogs bollocks…admiring looks from all concerned, some odd smiles … :smirk: it was only then I realised I was carrying all my documents in a Lidl carrier bag….street cred straight out the window. :frowning:

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8

Well you could move to the US. Everything is in inches and each here. No grams or cms.

But then you’d have to get used to miles, dollars, Fahrenheit and driving on the proper side of the road.

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9

50mm= 1 inch so you wanted 2 inch nails. That would be in mm….?

10

Huh. We want a photo please. . :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

11

You sure! :grinning:

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12

As well as sizing buying nails and screws is a nightmare anyway . You always have to buy a packet even if you only really need two .

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13

I should have, :rofl:

14

Well the missus told me so, so it must be true…:grin:

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15

Ain’t that the truth!

16

That’s all very well, Primus, but then what about the wretched inter-dental tooth thingy’s!
0.4, 0.6 etc. doesn’t mean a darn thing.

Depending on my frame of mind, I can even find the 24 hr clock irritating. I get a letter for an appointment at something like 16.40, and I have to work out the hours from Noon to see what it really means is twenty to 5.

And wasn’t it easier when we could put 5 gallons in the car, instead of so many litres?
I just put the amount in by pounds spent instead of quantity of liquid nowadays.

And another thing while I’m having a rant. The other day I saw a Rose I liked, but couldn’t work out how high it grew because the label said 0.6 of a metre! I wanted to know in inches.
On that occasion I rang a friend who always knows the answer.

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17

Never contradict She Who Must Be Obeyed :grinning:

18

And quite right, too, Sir. :wink:

19

In the good old days you could go to an IRONMONGERS and get two screw and ask for four candles and get fork handles a proper shop (with apologies to the Two Ronnies)

20

We only went half metric anyway. I mean, if someone asked you how far the next garage was for example, how many people would honestly say . . . 3 km up the road on your left?
We’d all tell 'em in miles - wouldn’t we? :smiley: