Workshop guide / 01
Photograph the clues.
Measure the fit.
A useful request doesn’t need studio photography or a CAD drawing. It needs context, square-on views and a few dimensions that describe where the part touches the original object.
Take these six photographs.
More pixels won’t rescue the wrong angle. Work through this list in daylight and keep the broken fragments.
- 01
The whole object
Show the appliance, drawer, blind or tool. This explains what the anonymous little piece actually does.
- 02
The place it fits
Photograph the slot, shaft, hole or matching surface before removing anything else.
- 03
Front and back
Put the part on plain paper. Keep the camera square to it, not at a dramatic angle.
- 04
Both sides
Turn it over. Clips, ribs and screw recesses often hide underneath.
- 05
A ruler shot
Put a metric ruler in the same flat plane as the part. Start the ruler at zero, not at the end of the plastic.
- 06
The label
Include the manufacturer, model number and any moulded numbers, even when they look irrelevant.
Measurements that decide the fit
Measure contact points before decoration.
Diameter, centre-to-centre spacing and distance from the nearest edge.
Outside diameter, length and whether one side is flat or splined.
Opening width, material thickness, depth and the distance between retaining teeth.
Outside diameter and the distance between thread peaks. Don’t force a guess.
Printable checklist
Write it down in millimetres.
Object and model:
What the part does:
Overall width × height × depth:
Hole or shaft diameter:
Hole spacing, centre to centre:
Indoor, outdoor, hot or wet:
Quantity needed:
Common mistake
Don’t photograph it in your fingers.
A hand gives a vague sense of scale and hides edges. Put the part on white paper, add a ruler, and photograph straight down. Then include one separate photograph of it in your hand if that helps show orientation.