How well known is it the general population of STWers?

I keep being accused of using it in a strange way, but I’ve found it as a verb on dictionary sites, and it’s a common usage in my circles.

as in “to Repair”, but I think with more tinkering and faffing about, than just fixing a thing.

Thoughts?

“put right” I’d say is my translation – buggering about is allowed but it’s towards an end

<edit> I’d never actually say it out loud, obvz

Fettle = minor tweaks rather than a full rebuild.

To me, fettle means to fix, repair, adjust or tinker. It can also be used to describe someone feeling well – they’re in fine fettle.

Fettling? Pretty much common usage as far as I’m concerned. I’ve never used it and then had someone ask what I meant. I use it to mean repairing, tuning, tweaking, tinkering.

Tinkering and faffing about, than just fixing a thing is more pootling than fettling.

The original meaning, still used as a technical term in the casting industry, is the initial tidying up of a cast part. This could be separating off the waste material from the mould fill holes, getting rid of excess mould sand/grit, and cleaning off flash, the line of escaping material at the mould joins. Usually involved using lump hammers, grinders, flappy wheel sanders and the like, and was done while the work was hot, at or close to the cast site. So noisy messy, sometimes dangerous job.

So noisy messy, sometimes dangerous job

…removing pedals for the first time in 2 yrs… Yeah that works.

Agreed with all of the above. I think of it as a northern word though, so maybe the confusion is when using it with them daft southerners ?

So noisy messy, sometimes dangerous job

Thats a question of scale – castings for jewellery are still fettled, but not with a lump hammer. But its the tidy and trim rather than the main manufacture, so in maintenance terms its adjustment rather than assembly or repair.

A friend of mine insisted on using the word “furtle” in place of “fettle”. I believe furtle has a very different and somewhat unsavoury meaning.

Fettle’s definitely a verb though and any one who thinks different is stupid

As above, and I’d add ‘making shiny’ into possible meanings.
I just read it as making something as good as it can be.

Fettle to me is to make a small adjustment to something to get it to fit or work properly.

Agreed with all of the above. I think of it as a northern word though, so maybe the confusion is when using it with them daft southerners ?

I never thought of it as a northern word, you’d have to be daft to think that.

It covers minor repairs – gear indexing, changing brake pads, truing wheels and the like.

fet·tler

noun

:one that fettles: as
a chiefly Brit :a repairman or maintenance man (as on a railway)
b :a pottery worker who smooths greenware with a knife, felt, emery, and a wet sponge
c :a worker who sands or cuts excess glaze from tile

Fettle is also mood, as in ‘fine fettle’.

Fettle is also mood, as in ‘fine fettle’.

But thats a metaphor and its a description of health rather than mood really – you’d describe someone as in fine fettle if they were in good health. But ‘fine fettle’ is the fine finishing of an object and the metaphor refers to that.

The term fettle is used to mean overall mood, or temper: ‘how’s your fettle?’; ‘what kind of fettle are you in?’. It’s just another, different, definition – not a metaphor, although there are similarities with the definition of ‘finish’. It’s not really up for debate, it’s a fact that many people use the term ‘fettle’ in place of the term ‘mood’. It’s not used, in my experience, in place of the term ‘health’; your experience may differ, of course.

I think in that use its all-encompassing health, including mental state of mind, general state of affairs. Its a very holistic term I think.

Agreed with all of the above. I think of it as a northern word though, so maybe the confusion is when using it with them daft southerners ?

Nah, it’s not a northern word, there are just less folk with dirt under their finger nails down south so fewer who need to use the word.

Fettling requires dirty fingernails.

Those of us who grew up under the yoke of Tyne-Tees television in the 70s might remember the comedy* programme “What Fettle”.

*1970s comedy, discretion advised.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB5hThZHNyE[/video]

Fettling implies more than just dirty fingernails. I had work as a fettler for a summer, tidying up iron castings for large electric motors:cleaning, removing sprues, grinding seams. It was a sweaty and unsafe job. Now the site is a bloody shopping centre.

Used all the time on aircraft shop floor. Deepest darkest Ayrshire.

fettling is just bolloxing about, not actually fixing stuff.

I to have been known to fettle things (often whilst in fine fettle).

Ì thought it was just a Northern slang word too, mildly surprised that it’s not.