Hob covers

A couple of years after buying our R20 from new one of the hinges on the glass hob cover broke. A very talented friend amazed me by repairing it with a plate and some tiny set-screws. But last year the other hinge broke. After much effort we sourced a replacement but I wasn't too happy when it came to fitting it this - the original GRP screw holes were a bit too tight, probably because it was awkward to get to and new holes might be difficult to squeeze in.

So the replacement cover has sat under the spare bed for a few months. This last week's project has been to build a better one. We decided on a piece of 6mm MDF cut to exactly 400mm by 450 (but 405*450, my original measurement would have been better). B&Q do sa so much better job of doing this than I ever could! The MDF was then drilled and 8mm dowels inserted where the feet need to go - the front ones on the corner, the back ones further in to stop it moving forward or sliding round the corners. The dowels didn't provide enough height offset and anyway softer rubber feet would be less prone to journey rattle. So we bought a cheap pack of 4 rubber walking pole ends which are 40mm long and ideal - packed the dowels out with a bit of tape, and the feet slip on nicely. Cover with a bit of Blue Peter's favourite sticky-backed plastic and job's a good-un.

What, what's that funny bit on the wall above the cover?

There's two of 'em! Well we need to put the cover somewhere safe when cooking but it's a bit big and, unlike the original it doesn't have hinges to hinge it up out of the way. So a couple of strong (but tiny) neodymium magnets attached by the same sticky-back plastic and a couple of simple iron washers under the plastic on the board mean that it will hold in place nicely.

The angles in the van make the patches not quite as square as we'd like - work in progress

Choosing the washer sizes appropriately means we get nice snappy fit without it being too strong to risk pulling the magnets or washers off the wall/board.

Looks like the board will be rattle-free when down and will 'hinge' up nicely when cooking. Maybe we'll cover the underside in a more heat reflective plastic if this gets marked but it seems a decent workable solution.

Anyone want to but a new replacement hinged glass hob-cover cheap?