# DIY Tips and Tricks!



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i saw a commercial for ProCaulk today. it's a square(ish) rubber 'tool' for smoothing caulk as you do tubs, etc. i thought to myself, "self, you already DO that!" what i've always done is cut out that same shape more or less from an old plastic milk jug! they have various thicknesses on a jug so you can make it as 'stiff' as is comfortable for you. 

i also use the jugs as guitar picks! free, various mm thick and always disposable. i use thick from the bottom for my bass picks, and thin from the side for my 12 string. they're better than a lot of purchased i've used only to have them crack in half during a heavy jam on stage. they NEVER break!

anyone else have any diy tools/tricks they'd like to share here?

DM


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## iMisspell (Jun 2, 2007)

Humm.... i use napkins as my coffie filters 

Toss them picks out (well maybe keep acouple for the 12 string) for the bass and 6 use your fingers !
Its been awhile but if you grow and then trim your nails to the right lengh (with your teeth of course) they work great, so much more control, easyer to mute... atleast for me.


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

For latex based caulking, the best shaping tool is what is at the end of your arm: Your fingers (to wipe it down)...


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Bread wadded up and jammed in a copper pipe to prevent water from getting at the joint while soldering. Works great.


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## cambruzzi (Dec 30, 2008)

So has anyone used this thing? Is it a total gimmick?


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i imagine it'd work just fine, kinda pricey though. cut it out of a milk carton.....

DM


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## skymaster (Jun 6, 2007)

Mouse; white,rye or whole wheat? :laughing:


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

multi-grain

DM


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## skymaster (Jun 6, 2007)

Man; dont dem little par tickles kinda mess up da aero ater?:whistling2::wink:


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## gone_fishing (Jan 5, 2008)

I had to drill out holes for electrical wiring today...to get the 1 1/4" depth I cut a piece of 2x4 and nailed it to another. I just use it as my quick guide.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Here's a DIY'er tip:

When replacing a light fixture, DON'T disconnect the old fixture at the wire nut connecting the old fixture to the house wiring. The house wiring may have baked insulation from being cooked inside the electrical box and handling that wiring may cause the insulation to break off. Instead, cut the wiring of the old fixture close to the fixture and connect to the old fixture's wires.

Also, when assembling any metal parts where lubricating the parts would be an advantage, but you're reluctant to use a lubricant because dust would stick to it and possibly interfere with the operation of the machinery, remember that glycerine has the lubricating properties of a light oil but evaporates completely without leaving a residue. You can buy glycerine at any pharmacy.

The best way to avoid brush strokes when painting with a brush is to thin your paint. Adding thinner both allows the paint to self level faster and increases the drying time of the paint so that it has more time to self level. Thinning the paint results in it drying to a smaller film thickness, so you need to compensate for thinning by applying an additional coat.

Before painting with any brush, clean it with the thinner of the paint you'll be using. If you'll be using a latex paint, wash the brush out with water. That will allow water to be absorbed by capillary pressure high up into the brush's bristles. This prevents the paint that gets high up in the bristles from drying out while you're painting so that when you do wash the brush out, ALL of the paint comes out easily and quickly. It also prevents "hard heel" syndrome in brushes cause by paint drying high up in the bristles.

Removing a stubborn hinge pin from a door hinge is best done by gripping the head of the hinge pin with a small pair of locking pliers and twisting the hinge pin back and forth in the knuckle while pulling on it.

To prevent faucet knobs from sticking to the top of the faucet stems, apply some antiseize compound to the knob or stem top before screwing the knob on.

You can clean mildewed silicon by mixing bleach and talcum powder (aka: magnesium silicate) to make a paste. Trowel the paste onto the mildewed silicone, cover with Saran Wrap so the bleach doesn't dry out, and leave it for a couple of days like that.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Nestor_Kelebay said:


> Here's a DIY'er tip:
> 
> When replacing a light fixture, DON'T disconnect the old fixture at the wire nut connecting the old fixture to the house wiring. The house wiring may have baked insulation from being cooked inside the electrical box and handling that wiring may cause the insulation to break off. Instead, cut the wiring of the old fixture close to the fixture and connect to the old fixture's wires.


Sorry to be a funsucker on this thread but...
That may be a DIYer tip, but it sure itsn't a good idea. :huh:

This method adds an unnecessary connection and involves using pigtail wiring from the previous fixture to connect to the new fixture's pigtail wiring. It also puts faith in the connection made by the person that installed the last fixture, and the pigtail size of the old may be smaller than that of the new. I have never seen a professional electrician do that on any sort of retrofit electrical work, and I'd never consider doing that myself. Hardened insulation on household wiring will strip off enough to facilitate proper installation of the new fixture's pigtail in a wire nut.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

OK, KCTermite, here's one to replace it:

HOW TO MAKE A TEST TUBE DISAPPEAR:

Immerse a test tube in corn oil. It will become completely invisible when it's immersed in corn oil.

That's cuz the refractive index of corn oil is 1.470 to 1.474 

http://www.corn.org/CornOil.pdf (page 15)

and the refractive index of Pyrex glass (which test tubes are made of) is 1.473
http://www.valleydesign.com/pr16.htm

So, if you immerse a test tube in corn oil, it will become invisible because almost no light will reflect or refract at the oil/Pyrex interface(s). Thus, light travelling through the corn oil will behave almost exactly the same way whether it goes through a test tube not. That means, the test tube will become invisible.

You gotta know about refractive indices to get your DIY'er arm badge in Invisibility.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Just today I was on a jobsite trying to figure out how to make a test tube disappear. :huh:

Nestor, take your medicine! :laughing:


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## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

Never set your cordless drill down on the battery. It's much safer to lay it on its side....on the floor. If you place it on a counter top sitting on its battery, you can VERY EASILY knock it over and where it stops, nobody knows!
Ask me how I know....:icon_redface:


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

angus242 said:


> Never set your cordless drill down on the battery. It's much safer to lay it on its side....on the floor. If you place it on a counter top sitting on its battery, you can VERY EASILY knock it over and where it stops, nobody knows!
> Ask me how I know....:icon_redface:


I'm picturing broken floor tiles and scratched cabinets, or perhaps a throbbing foot.

Along the same lines, don't hold your face too close to the drill battery while drilling. When the bit grabs and the drill starts spinning at 600 rpm's, it is about like getting hit in the face by a gorilla. This one took a few stitches after I peeled myself off the floor and figured out who and where I was.


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## angus242 (May 1, 2008)

thekctermite said:


> I'm picturing broken floor tiles and scratched cabinets, or perhaps a throbbing foot.


Actually, I got lucky. The drill took a header and landed directly on the bit and stuck in the subfloor for a moment...before the bit snapped in two. I say the subfloor but I was lucky. I was installing a base cabinet next to the dishwasher, where the subfloor hadn't been finished. The rest of the floor was freshly stained oak! Good thing I was relocating the dishwasher!!

You sure are scarred up, aren't you


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

thekctermite said:


> Just today I was on a jobsite trying to figure out how to make a test tube disappear. :huh:


:laughing:


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## rjordan392 (Apr 28, 2005)

Sometimes, a box of childrens crayons will have a good match when theres a need for filling nail holes before staining or painting. I have done this when a commercial match was difficult to find.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i've done that too rjordan, but i had to blend them to the right color on a piece of cardboard with a bic lighter. =o)
if it works, it works!

DM


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

thekctermite said:


> Just today I was on a jobsite trying to figure out how to make a test tube disappear.


OK, OK, OK, OK.

I'll concede that making a Pyrex test tube disappear is not one of the more common challenges facing DIY'ers. That much I'll grant you.

So, here's a DIY tip that's likely to be more useful to more people more often

The stains of mammal urine will fluoresce under ultraviolet light.

Cleaning contractors use black lights made specifically for this purpose in order to pinpoint the location of urine stains.

http://www.baneclene.com/catalog/ultra_violet_light.html

http://www.spectroline.com/agriculture_pest_control.html

http://dstore.com.au/pets/Urine-Off-Black-Light/1086562.html

I've read a number of reasons, all different, as to why urine stains are fluorescent, and I don't know which one is correct.

The hair of rodents (like mice and rats) also fluoresces under UV light.

So, not only will the black light tell you where the odor is originating, it will also indicate whether the cleaner you're using to remove the urine stain is working or not.


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## cambruzzi (Dec 30, 2008)

i can think of another way to make a test tube dissapear and its not in corn oil.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

good post nestor, but 104 bucks??? wowzers! still, for a professional, it's a great investment. for me though, i have a cigarette lighter that has a blacklite led bulb that does the same thing. only cost me a buck and it's refillable too! lol

DM


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

cambruzzi said:


> i can think of another way to make a test tube dissapear and its not in corn oil.


Amen brother. :whistling2:


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

well, i'm lost..... i must be too old.

DM


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## Mike in Arkansas (Dec 29, 2008)

DangerMouse said:


> well, i'm lost..... i must be too old.
> 
> DM


I don't get it either?????


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

maybe leave it around a kleptomaniac chemist???

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

If you're using a utility knife a lot for the job you are doing, carry two of them in your pockets. If/when you set one down somewhere and lose it, you'll still have the other one handy.




> Immerse a test tube in corn oil. It will become completely invisible when it's immersed in corn oil.


Thanks Nestor, I'm always looking for ideas like that for my school-age daycare kids. They'll really like this one. 

You have to admit though, cambruzzi & thekctermite's one-line comments are pretty funny.


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## Shamus (Apr 27, 2008)

My Grandad spent his career as a cabinet maker. I can remember many years ago his words of advice when he watched me hit my thumb when starting a nail. I think I was all of 7 or 8 yrs old.

He said, "Hold the hammer handle with both hands" and chuckled. It took me a few minutes to realize he was pulling my chain but for a while there, it made perfect sence.

A while ago I ran across this list from Poplar Mechanic's, the 100 Skills every man should know. Thought I'd share.

Happy New Year everyone!
*Automotive*

*1.* Handle a blowout
*2.* Drive in snow
*3.* Check trouble codes
*4.* Replace fan belt
*5.* Wax a car
*6.* Conquer an off-road obstacle
*7.* Use a stick welder
*8.* Hitch up a trailer
*9.* Jump start a car 


*Handling Emergencies*

*10.* Perform the Heimlich
*11.* Reverse hypothermia
*12.* Perform hands-only CPR
*13.* Escape a sinking car 


*Home*

*14.* Carve a turkey
*15.* Use a sewing machine
*16.* Put out a fire
*17.* Home brew beer
*18.* Remove bloodstains from fabric
*19.* Move heavy stuff 
*20.* Grow food 
*21.* Read an electric meter
*22.* Shovel the right way
*23.* Solder wire 
*24.* Tape drywall 
*25.* Split firewood
*26.* Replace a faucet washer
*27.* Mix concrete 
*28.* Paint a straight line
*29.* Use a French knife
*30.* Prune bushes and small trees
*31.* Iron a shirt
*32.* Fix a toilet tank flapper
*33.* Change a single-pole switch
*34.* Fell a tree
*35.* Replace a broken windowpane
*36.* Set up a ladder, safely 
*37.* Fix a faucet cartridge
*38.* Sweat copper tubing
*39.* Change a diaper
*40.* Grill with charcoal
*41.* Sew a button on a shirt
*42.* Fold a flag 


*Medical Myths*

*43.* Treat frostbite
*44.* Treat a burn
*45.* Help a seizure victim
*46.* Treat a snakebite
*47.* Remove a tick 


*Military Know-How*

*48.* Shine shoes
*49.* Make a drum-tight bed
*50.* Drop and give the perfect pushup 


*Outdoors*

*51.* Run rapids in a canoe
*52.* Hang food in the wild
*53.* Skipper a boat
*54.* Shoot straight
*55.* Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
*56.* Escape a rip current 


*Primitive Skills*

*57.* Build a fire in the wilderness
*58.* Build a shelter
*59.* Find potable water 


*Surviving Extremes*

*60.* Floods
*61.* Tornados
*62.* Cold
*63.* Heat
*64.* Lightning 


*Teach Your Kids*

*65.* Cast a line 
*66.* Lend a hand
*67.* Change a tire
*68. *Throw a spiral
*69.* Fly a stunt kite
*70.* Drive a stick shift
*71. *Parallel park
*72.* Tie a bowline
*73.* Tie a necktie
*74.* Whittle
*75.* Ride a bike 


*Technology*

*76.* Install a graphics card
*77.* Take the perfect portrait
*78.* Calibrate HDTV settings
*79.* Shoot a home movie
*80.* Ditch your hard drive 


*Master Key Workshop Tools*

*81.* Drill driver 
*82.* Grease gun
*83.* Coolant hydrometer 
*84.* Socket wrench
*85.* Test light
*86.* Brick trowel
*87.* Framing hammer 
*88.* Wood chisel 
*89.* Spade bit 
*90.* Circular saw 
*91.* Sledge hammer
*92. *Hacksaw
*93.* Torque wrench 
*94.* Air wrench
*95.* Infrared thermometer 
*96.* Sand blaster
*97.* Crosscut saw 
*98.* Hand plane
*99. *Multimeter
*100.* Feeler gauges


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Shamus said:


> A while ago I ran across this list from Poplar Mechanic's, the 100 Skills every man should know. Thought I'd share.


Oh, man. I read through that whole list twice and making a Pyrex test tube disappear wasn't on it.  Also, their Master Key Workshop Tools doesn't even include a vaccuum cleaner or broom and dustpan so the Master Craftsman can't even clean up after him/herself. That's depressing.

So, I thought I'd cheer everyone up with a DIY tip, and this one explains the mystery of:

How does a toilet flush?

A toilet is nothing more than a glorified siphon. (for the rest of this post I'll refer to the liquid being siphoned as water, even though any liquid may be siphoned)

To get a siphon hose flowing you simply immerse the inlet end and suck on the outlet end until the siphon hose is full of water. As long as the elevation of the outlet end is below that of the inlet end and the siphon tube is full of water, then the laws of physics take over and water will continue to flow through the siphon tube.

A toilet bowl works exactly the same way, except that you don't suck on the outlet end cuz it might not be hygenic. Instead, the toilet tank is designed to add enough water to the toilet bowl fast enough that the overflow into the discharge channel of the bowl fills that discharge channel completely with water. Once that happens, then exactly the same laws of physics take over and that full discharge channel siphons the water (and everything in that water) out of the bowl. It doesn't matter how that discharge channel came to be full of water, all that matters is that it is full of water and as such, will act as a siphon tube to siphon the water out of the bowl. You have Sir Isaac Newton's word on it.

This is where I fly off on a tangent.
Some toilet bowls are molded in such a way that you can see the shape of the discharge channel inside the toilet bowl. People often presume that the discharge channel is molded this way so that it forms a "trap" like the p-trap under a sink. That's not true. The toilet bowl itself serves the purpose of a p-trap, and as long as there is sufficient water in your toilet bowl, it's THAT bowl water that prevents sewer gas from coming into your house through the toilet.

No, the discharge channel in a toilet bowl is made intentionally tortuous to SLOW DOWN THE FLOW OF WATER through it so that the water overflowing into it from the bowl can fill it completely for a successful flush.

You can use this knowledge to diagnose an improperly flushing toilet. Just pour a 5 gallon pail of water into the problem toilet as fast as possible without spilling water all over the floor. If the toilet then flushes properly, then the poor flushing is due to the fact that not enough water is flowing into the bowl fast enough so that the overflow into the discharge channel isn't filling it completely. That means the problem is UPSTREAM of the toilet bowl. It could be that the flapper in the tank isn't opening wide open, or that the water jets at the bottom of the bowl or under the rim of the bowl are plugged.

If the toilet still doesn't flush properly when you pour the 5 gallons in fast, then you know the problem is in the bowl or DOWNSTREAM of the bowl.

Toilets are simple as mud, but most DIY'er don't understand how the flushing action actually works. Now you do.

PS:
Gma2rjc: You said:


> You have to admit though, cambruzzi & thekctermite's one-line comments are pretty funny.


You can decide for yourself what's funny. The title of the thread was DIY Tips and Tricks, and I suggested it as a Trick (which it is). It was obviously never meant to be a serious DIY'er tip, but I resent being ridiculed over it as if it was. I thought it was a neat trick and posted it, and now I'm sorry I did. I do NOT want to have to watch every thing I say in here for fear of being ridiculed over it. Now one would.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i'm still lost on the whole test tube thing....
owell, when yer kid buys you a gross of pencils and you leave them all around your shop just to be sure one is in reach, why does the wife come in and pick them all up, bundle them, and then hide them in the nether reaches of space, never to be seen again? who knows? but that's why i hang a mini-sharpie on a string around my neck while i work.

DM


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

on another note, i got sick of trying to repair cheap dustpans that split, cracked or simply broke in half while using, so i made my own. 
also got tired of trying to carry in armloads of firewood, so with my (wife's) handy-dandy sewing machine, an old broom handle and some old jeans, *presto* a firewood carrier!

DM


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## 4just1don (Jun 13, 2008)

PSSSSST! dangermouse- I THINK they mean sticking it where the sun dont shine,,,,dont think they were meant for that area...just a figure of speech,,like sticking your foot up somebodys__you know!!


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Nestor, you posted an unsafe electrical tip and I pointed it out. You then took the thread way off track from productive (with some DIY humor and do's and don'ts mixed in) to unproductive with a pointless and unrelated post about making test tubes disappear in corn oil. If you're sensitive and can't take a little criticism for such an odd post...And subsequent odd posts...Then don't post them. Stick to the topic. Discuss things like patching drywall, tools, safety, or framing methods...You know...DIY-related topics, not science class topics.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

DangerMouse said:


> also got tired of trying to carry in armloads of firewood, so with my (wife's) handy-dandy sewing machine, an old broom handle and some old jeans, *presto* a firewood carrier!


I really like the firewood carrier DM. Very creative, and probably as good or better than you could buy at the store! :thumbsup:


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## jamiedolan (Sep 2, 2008)

Nestor_Kelebay said:


> How does a toilet flush?
> 
> A toilet is nothing more than a glorified siphon. (for the rest of this post I'll refer to the liquid being siphoned as water, even though any liquid may be siphoned)
> 
> Toilets are simple as mud, but most DIY'er don't understand how the flushing action actually works. Now you do.



Nice Post, FYI; there is a bunch of info and review on toilets on the terry love plumbing site. I spent a few hours reading it one night and found it quite interesting. He found one toilet that is low water and almost never clogs. I don't remember why exactly that model was special, but it had to do with how it caused the siphon to form I think.

Anyway from a practical DIY standpoint, I would love to have a toilet that doesn't clog.

Jamie


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## DIYtestdummy (Jan 16, 2008)

Nestor_Kelebay said:


> I've read a number of reasons, all different, as to why urine stains are fluorescent, and I don't know which one is correct.
> 
> The hair of rodents (like mice and rats) also fluoresces under UV light.


Light bounces off everything. The way our eyes work, we need a little "help" to see certain things. Without getting too deep into medical/scientific theory, facts, and data arguments, Proteins will "fluoresce" because the concentration of phosphorus. Rodents, like rats and mice, spend their days whizzing and pooping and wallowing in it. Someone told me that mice only quit stinkin' when they're dead...

There are many other uses for UV lights. The show clubs don't have them to make the G-strings glow in the dark...


DM - I have the same problem with my pens and pencils "DISAPPEARING," along with other items I strategically place for projects. Wives are too efficient in this respect. It sucks, 'cause her memory is getting as bad as mine - "I know I put it away, but I don't remember where!!!"


Here's one I haven't seen yet - If your screwdriver or drill driver bit won't hold screws, rub it with a magnet.

If you insist on standing on stacked 5 gallon buckets instead of getting a ladder, put the heaviest on top. (OSHA will actually allow 2 with this method - what?)

If a 30 minute task takes you 2-3 hours, get a helper and a 6-pack...make sure the 6-pack is still there for the finish!

If all else fails, read the directions in the native language the product was made in. 

Buy "Made in the USA." Seems to make life easier.

Make friends with the mom's and pop's and the knowledgeable people at the "good stores" so you spend a lot less time at the return counters in the big box stores.

Cut 3 times - it's still too short.

Fudge in 60% on top of your budget for each DIY project. The rest is to celebrate a job well...done? I hope?

:thumbup:


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## micromind (Mar 9, 2008)

If you need to kill power to a receptacle and there's no panel schedule, first turn everything sensitive to power failure off. Like computers and such. Then get a drop light and a long extension cord. Plug the cord and light into the receptacle in question. Walk over to the panel, and turn breakers off, one by one. It'll be obvious when you get the right one.

If the 6/32 screw that holds a receptacle to a plastic box strips out, a sheetrock screw works wonders. Use a long small one, a big one will split the box. 

When squaring up a 90 degree corner, like a planter box or something like it, use the 3-4-5 rule. Measure 3' along one side, and make a mark. Measure 4' along the other side, and mark it. A true 90 will measure 5' diagonally between the marks. 

A basic rule-of-thumb with single phase motors. At 120 volts, the breaker size is HP X 20. At 240 volts, it's HP X 10. Example, a 1-1/2 HP motor operated at 120 volts should be on a 30 amp breaker. At 240 volts, a 15 will do. (Note, this is for actual HP of induction motors, not advertised HP such as a 6 HP air compressor, runs on standard house current; or a 3.5 HP vacuum.)

Rob


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

PS:
Gma2rjc: You said:



> Quote:
> You have to admit though, cambruzzi & thekctermite's one-line comments are pretty funny.
> You can decide for yourself what's funny. The title of the thread was DIY Tips and Tricks, and I suggested it as a Trick (which it is). It was obviously never meant to be a serious DIY'er tip, but I resent being ridiculed over it as if it was. I thought it was a neat trick and posted it, and now I'm sorry I did. I do NOT want to have to watch every thing I say in here for fear of being ridiculed over it. Now one would.
> __________________


Nestor - I wasn't trying to ridicule you, but if that's the way it came across, then I am truly sorry. Your posts are always interesting and informative and I wasn't kidding when I wrote about showing my daycare kids the disappearing test tube trick. I didn't realize it bothers you to have someone kid-around with you, so I'll try to be more careful next time. 

Tip: If you have a screw loose and it won't stay in the wood, put a wooden match (without the end that burns) in the hole and and the screw will then go in tight. A toothpick works well for smaller holes.

If you're doing a job that requires you to change the blades on your utility knife a lot, a small bottle with a childproof cap makes a good container to keep used razor blades in so you don't have to throw them in the trash loose where someone could get cut. The cap won't come off if it gets bumped or dropped.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i can't let this thread go without a big cheer for ceramic magnets! open up old HDD cases and grab those magnets, they're handy as heck! i used one on a bandana to hold roofing screws, then nails by the handful. i have them mounted on the inside of the woodbox door too, they hold the hatchet, poker, handles for the manual wood splitter, etc. they also keep the door closed! and the lightbox above the dining room windows..... and the not so secret hiding place..... http://www.diychatroom.com/showthread.php?t=29495 bottom of page 1
and they play a part in my 'magic' boxes.....

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

That's really clever DM....:thumbsup:


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

thekctermite said:


> I really like the firewood carrier DM. Very creative, and probably as good or better than you could buy at the store! :thumbsup:


tnkx kc... i've never seen anything at stores for carrying logs. but never much looked either.
and yeah, i'm not dense... i kinda figured out the whole disappearing test tube thing right off, but just didn't understand what it had to do with anything, and why it got said. but hey, i've said some silly things here too, so no biggie.

how about some good drywalling tips? like the do one side of a corner, then the other side the next day tip? or how about some tape/mud tricks? lots of people here have problems with lifting/bubbling tape. (ok, so _I_ do)

DM


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

a few more:
1: when wiring up in my attic, i'm running furring 12" above the height of the blown insulation. 
2: the sharpie around my neck string lables EVERY wire into and out of every switch/junction/outlet box. line in/load out, switch1/switch2, etc. makes my job lots easier!
3: i got all 22" outlet boxes to make stuffing excess wires easier.
4: any other wiring tips from you electric pros?

DM


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

I too, am a ceramic magnet fan - I glue them on the bottoms of dust pans.

I use my Brother label maker to label all my wires at every possible location - where it leaves a box, where it enters a wall/ceiling, where it exits the wall/ceiling, where it enters a box, and what each wire does once it gets in the box.

I use my sharpie for leaving myself notes. My right work glove says 'THINK' and my left glove says 'DON'T BE STUPID'. My electrical pliers say 'TEST BEFORE YOU CUT'. My hammer says 'Don't pry on good wood'.

When using a rotary tool to cut out a opening in the ceiling you can make a quick and easy dust shield with a piece of disposable storage ware - I think mine's a 2 quart. And I've even seen them tricked out with portals for shop vacs.

I use the little half aprons waitstaff use at chain restaurants (heck mine evens says, Applebys). Here's the trick:wink::wink: I wear it backwards over my hind-parts - the stuff I keep in it is just as accessible and it doesn't ever get in my way when I'm working.

I use zip ties to put hangers on anything that will stand still. I make them big enough to hang over a door knob - inside most doors in my house you can find a utility knife, tape measure, flash light, dust pan, you name it - I hang it. 

But without a doubt my favorite DIY 'trick' that I have learned is to use screws with a star drive - what I spend on _fancy_ screws I make up with never *ever* stripping a screw and not having to junk phillips bits after every 10th screw. Sure I may be screwing (get it?:thumbup:it was worth reading all my ranting, wasn't it?) the next person who owns the house. But the efficiency outweighs my fear of Karma.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

Leah Frances said:


> I use my sharpie for leaving myself notes. My right work glove says 'THINK' and my left glove says 'DON'T BE STUPID'. My electrical pliers say 'TEST BEFORE YOU CUT'. My hammer says 'Don't pry on good wood'.


I might have to try that! Very creative and kinda humorous!


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Ok, you should love this one. :yes:

I write on my work pants *too*. Notes, measurements, or lists go on the front left thigh, as needed. For some reason I like circling and labeling especially interesting or noteworthy stains - some favorites: ceiling fan oil and spray foam insulation.

But most important, I write on the waist band and the cuffs '*WP*' and all along the back of one of the legs I write *WORK PANTS*. Why do I do this? Because I can easily identify those pants I shouldn't wear out in public. No matter how hard you try, you cannot explain to someone at the grocery store why you have an upside down list of electrical parts written on your leg.:whistling2:


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

Leah Frances said:


> Sure I may be screwing the next person who owns the house.


nah, they'll just go buy the bit and have fun.
good tips and funny too!, nice job Leah!

to pass position of outlets on drywall easily, i just smear any number of products on the cover and set the piece in place, remove it and there's where it goes! in a pinch, *blushing* i've used petroleum jelly, lipstick, elmers glue, and yes, i've even used spit......

to patch a big hole in drywall once at the bottom of the stairs in a home remodel/repair i took on. (sloppy furniture moving) i took 2x4s and made them longer than the hole by about 6 inches. then i screwed them place to give me a firm screwing for the cut patch. strong and unseen when i was done.

DM


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

I used to have a firewood carrier like Dangermouse, but it got lost in one of our moves. It really worked well.

But that was years ago and I'm older and lazier. Now I have a different solution to bring wood in from the garage. Every piece of luggage made now has wheels so you can find these for next to nothing at yard sales or thrift stores. Just find a heavy duty one and keep the handle down low.

Edited to add: Speaking of labeling wiring: I label any removable power cords, USB cords, phone chargers, etc. That way years from now, when I find them floating around I know if I should keep them or not.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Working on a ladder or in a confined space driving small nails or driving small screws and have a hard time getting to the box of them, or into your toolbelt, or even into your shirt pocket?

Simply drop a magnet into your shirt pocket, and touch a small handful of those pesky fasteners to the outside of your pocket. The magnet will hold them right there, out in the open, for you to easily and comfortably reach no matter what contorted position you may get into.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Need to find the center of a wide opening or a long piece of wood? Well, if you are as bad at math as I am, it's a risk to depend upon your dubious skills.

Since your eye can judge the approximate center... pull a measurement from one side to somewhere close to the center. Make a mark on an even inch reading.

Now turn the tape around and do the same thing from the other side... mark very same inch reading you used for the other side.

You now see, right in front of you, two marks. Simply divide that easy, short distance in half.

No, it makes no difference if your original marks both fell short of the true center... or if they both went a little past it. Divide the distance between them by 2, and you'll have the center.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

You probably already know that flattening (dulling) the point of a finishing nail with your hammer will help to keep it from splitting the wood it's going into.

But did you know that if you do that flattening with the head of the nail resting where you will soon be nailing the flattened point, you increase the chances of your wood surviving the nail job?

This is because you pre-crush the wood fibers in that local area, and you also create a small recess that the head of the nail will nestle right down into as you set it.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

If you paint directly out of a gallon bucket of paint, (or even pour from it), you know the aggravation of the way the rim fills up with paint that you just can't seem to get out.

Simply go around that recessed rim and punch a series of holes all around it with a large nail when you first open it (before you pour any paint). Later, the excess paint you manage to get in the rim will drain back down into the bucket through those holes. And when you put the lid back on, you still have just as good a seal as when you first opened it. This is because the lid seals around the _*edges*_ of that rim, not down in the bottom of the groove.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Carry a needle with you. When you smash your finger (and we all do it), bite the bullet, and lance the side of the blood blister with the needle. Most of the pain you usually feel for days from that sort of hammer abuse will never occur.

Sure, play a match over it first to get it sterile.

And while we are here with needles and matches.... That smashed fingernail can be saved. Just get the needle good and hot on the tip with the match and "spin" it into the darkest part of of the nail injury. Right on top, like a drill. Do it quick and there is almost no pain. You just penetrate the nail. And you will be rewarded with a very relieving tiny squirt of blood when you have gone far enough.

You may want to protect your fingers that will be holding the hot needle.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

The head of a burnt match (let it cool) is the perfect tool to remove an irritating foreign object from a coworker's eye. Somehow (I don't pretend to know how) it acts like a magnet, and the speck of dust or whatever is drawn right to it as you touch the match head to it.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Hate the dust that falls from a small wall drilling job? And it always seems to fall right where it is the hardest to clean up.

Simply grab a square-sided waste paper basket, dampen a cloth, and drape the cloth over the edge of the basket.

Hold the basket with one hand, under the drill, cloth side against the wall.

While you are drilling with the other hand, very slowly begin sliding the basket down the wall. The cloth will start rolling over into the basket, and with it, all the drilling mess.

Result, a clean job with no clean up other than to perhaps wipe the wall a little.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Save the tip you cut off a caulking tube. It is a good plug to turn around and seal up the end of the same tube.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Want a nice, shiny edge to a concrete pour? Wrap the form boards with Visqueene, stapling it tight on the outside. Your concrete pour will come out looking like glass.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Willie T said:


> The head of a burnt match (let it cool) is the perfect tool to remove an irritating foreign object from a coworker's eye. Somehow (I don't pretend to know how) it acts like a magnet, and the speck of dust or whatever is drawn right to it as you touch the match head to it.


It's the capillary action of the carbon - any dry fibrous object will do the same: q-tips, kleenex, handkerchief. It works by pulling the liquid off the eye and drawing the foreign object with it.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Very little ruins a saw blade as quickly as being over heated. But we all sometimes tend to make that saw blade groan from unintentional abuse. Binding the cut is a typical one. Try never to let the song of the blade become deep with strain. But if you do... let the saw keep running free for eight to ten seconds while you just hang it at your side.

This will do three good things.

One, it will give your motor a chance to cool down due to the air being pulled through the housing.
Two, it will likewise cool off the blade so it may hold its metal temper longer.
And three, it will bring a blade that might have begun to warp from the heat back into a true, flat plane again.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

yup, just like an itty-bitty sponge... 

hey willie, you hijacking this thread? lol j/k keep it up!

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I'm embarrassed. I'll quit for now.:icon_redface:


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

oh no! keep going! a couple of those i certainly will use!
the nail head trick and shiny concrete are great tips!
DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Ok, maybe one more. Never write on drywall with anything but a pencil. Not even a ballpoint pen. It is guaranteed that it will, sooner or later, bleed through the paint if you don't use a blocker like Kilz on it.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i've sat and flattened whole boxes of finishing nails on a stone before a job, but i never thought to turn it around and tap it first...
those little heads will still crack hardwood when they go in.
good one.

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

You know how your table saw tends to rust? Well most of this can be stopped by doing nothing more than keeping it covered with a big, fat terry cloth towel. Not a sheet... a TOWEL... and a good one.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> i've sat and flattened whole boxes of finishing nails on a stone before a job, but i never thought to turn it around and tap it first...
> those little heads will still crack hardwood when they go in.
> good one.
> 
> DM


Well, sometimes the wood may not be hard enough to get a good flattening on the nail head, so you may have to resort to the hardness of stone somewhere, but it is still good to give the wood a tap with the head.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

hmmm... i guess a tap with my nailset would accomplish the same thing, and be easier than holding onto a small nail.
the main thing is the hole, right?

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

> That smashed fingernail can be saved. Just get the needle good and hot on the tip with the match and "spin" it into the darkest part of of the nail injury. Right on top, like a drill. Do it quick and there is almost no pain. You just penetrate the nail. And you will be rewarded with a very relieving tiny squirt of blood when you have gone far enough.


Okay, someone has to say it......OUCH! It sounds more painful than childbirth, but you're right, it would be better than losing a nail. Good tips! 

I'm buying 10 steel thimbles to put in the finger tips of my work gloves so I never smash a fingernail again. :hammer:


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Occasionally scrub off the nail driving surface of your hammer on a rough concrete block. Over time, it tends to get slick, and slips off the nail heads a lot easier. Roughening the head surface helps.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

gma2rjc said:


> Okay, someone has to say it......OUCH! It sounds more painful than childbirth, but you're right, it would be better than losing a nail. Good tips!
> 
> I'm buying 10 steel thimbles to put in the finger tips of my work gloves so I never smash a fingernail again. :hammer:


I know this will send chills up and down your spine, but you don't really drill through the nail, you actually "melt" the nail. But done quick (preferably by someone else), you hardly feel much more than a little sting.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

When you grab a nail, and find it has the head on the wrong end, don't throw it away. Save all those nails, because they are for the other wall behind you.

Sorry............. Gettin' punchy with all this typing.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Ever string a line between two nails? Kinda hard to get at least one of the knots undone when you're finished, eh?

Well, just be sure the nails are tilted away from each other a little bit... then you...

Flip a loop back over itself for the first nail... you do this all the time, and know how easy that one is to slip off. No problem.

But on the other nail at the other end, the end you're going to pull real tight, it can be a bear to get the string back off... especially if you really need to leave the nail in place.

Here's the trick:
Make a loop. (And here is the secret) Stick a finger in the loop and twist it 5 or 6 times, Slip the twisted loop over the nail. 

With one hand, pull the main part of the string tight from the direction of the original (base) nail. And at the same time, pulling in the opposite direction on the loose end with the other hand, (toward the base nail) take up all the slack.

Now... jerk the hand you took up the slack with back past the nail, and pull it snug. See how all the twists bunch up against the nail, and hold this end of the string solid and tight?

When you want to retreive the string, simply pull the loose end of the twisted end sharply back toward the base nail direction, and Presto! The string loosens completely.

The other end? Well you have to take that off the way you always have. So I hope you made that one an easy knot to undo... if you don't just pull the nail and slide it off. :thumbup:


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Got a hole in your drywall that needs patching? Remember the unsightly “bump” you left last time you tried this? Well, here’s the way around that embarrassing hassle.

· Cut the hole out to a nice, clean square or rectangle.
· Screw in a couple of pieces of “backer” wood across the inside of the hole. (1 x 3 works nicely) You just make them about 4” longer than the hole edges, and screw through the drywall to hold them against the inside of the hole. This is what you will screw your patch to. Sink the screws in a little deeper than you normally do for regular drywall faces. And screw within an inch to an inch and a half of the edge of the hole... no farther out.
· Cut a square or rectangle piece of drywall 2” bigger (in both directions) than the hole.
· Lay the piece face down on a square edged working surface.
· Scribe a cut all around the edges, 2-1/8” (heavy) in from the outside. These cuts will each go all the way to the ends of the piece.
· Now slide the piece over, past the edge of the work surface so one of the cuts is right over the edge.
· Bump the overhang with your hand till it breaks.
· Let the broken piece hang over the edge, and starting at one top corner, peel the rock off the face paper... leaving the face paper intact.
· Rotate the direction of the piece, and do this same “peeling” technique to the three remaining edges.
· Now “dry fit” the patch in the hole and carefully cut the face paper of the wall around the perimeter of the full patch. This means your scribed cut will be 2” bigger than the hole.
· Take the patch back out, and peel that 2” strip of face paper off the wall, all the way around the hole. (You may have to use the point of your utility knife a little here.)
· Mix some mud a little wetter than usual, and *generously* cover all the exposed rock around the hole.
· Put the patch back in the hole, and hold it in place with a couple of screws.
· With a wet sponge, slightly moisten the loose paper edges of the patch... just slightly, you don’t want it soppy.
· Now, wipe the paper edges of the patch with a small, wet D/W knife, just like you would real drywall tape, squeezing out all the excess mud from the edges.
· Fill the screw holes......... and you’re done with the bed coat. The rest of your finishing comes a little later just like normal drywall work.

What you will find with this technique is that there will be no problems trying to hide the normally taped edges of the patch. The paper edges of the patch imbed into the space where you removed that 2” ring around the hole, leaving a completely flush surface.

FREE "EXTRA" HINT:
You can get a little neater job if you clip off about a half inch, diagonally, from the four corners of the patch paper face before you do your wall scribing. That way, you do not have to contend with any pointy corners that seem to sometimes like to curl up.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Too ham-fisted to strip the ends off small wires without cutting some of the strands?

Simply hit the end of the wire, where you want it to separate, with the flame of a match. While the insulation is still hot, grab it with a pair of gloves, and just slide it right off.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

ooh... good one. and much better elaboration on my way too short drywall fix. lol
keep it up!

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Doing some measuring and marking on painted walls? No matter how small you make that pencil tic, it still sticks out like a sore thumb.

Just put a small strip of that blue painter's tape on the wall first, and restrict your marking to the tape.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Need a bunch of small clamps, but can't bear the thought of paying three or four bucks apiece?

Try this:
Cut off a bunch of rings from a length of PVC pipe. Then cut each ring open on one side. You now have ready-made clamps at about a nickel each.

If you need to open them wider than you can do with your fingers, they can be drilled as shown, and opened wider with removable dowels.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Throw your spray cans of paint into a sink full of hot water for about ten or fifteen minutes. They will both mix and spray better warm.

Dry them off prior to using. :huh:


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I feel almost foolish posting this one, but there may still be SOMEONE who doesn't know about it.

Wrap some tape around your hand, sticky side out, and squeeze new paint rollers, all up and down to remove the hundreds of tiny loose hairs that might otherwise get onto your painted walls.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

#77

now that's a fersure keeper....

DM


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

#79

i always whack them a few times too before using the tape to finish up. gets the deep stuff loosened.

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I have paint rollers that are as much as three years old, and I still use them everyday. The trick is the "easy clean" method of preserving them.

Hold the frame over the edge of a wall or something so this method doesn't get you soaked......... and, instead, soak the roller with a hose.

Now, using the high pressure nozzle on your garden hose, start the roller to spinning. You do this by directing the stream at the outside perimeter of the roller. This will sling off all the watered down paint.

True, you will have to stop and do the roller-soaking thing several times before you're slinging clear water. But when you finally are, get the roller spinning just as fast as you can by just barely letting the fast stream of water touch the roller surface, then.... move the stream away, and let the roller spin to a stop.

The centrifugal force will have partially dried the roller, and it will have left the nap of the roller standing up like it was new.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> #77
> 
> now that's a fersure keeper....
> 
> DM


I built a small airplane. There were hundreds of small joints that had to be epoxied, and the couple of hundred of these clamps that I made saved me a bundle.


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## SandyK (Dec 31, 2008)

> For latex based caulking, the best shaping tool is what is at the end of your arm: Your fingers (to wipe it down)...


A _wet _finger. :yes:


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## cobracdn (Jan 27, 2009)

If you experience a sharp pain in your eye, while you sip your morning coffee...... take the spoon out of the cup:wacko:
Cheers


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I read an article in Popular Mechanics covering products "as seen on TV". One of those was that little rubber caulk spreader. You know, the small, square, blue one.

They actually had all very good reviews about it. I was surprised. But I still don't see it worth $19.95 + S&H........ But wait! If you order now, they'll send you not one, but two of those beauties. The price is looking better. You could line caulk with BOTH hands.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i was just thinking that the rubberized magnets they send you as fake credit cards would probably be ideal! and they scissor up easily. 
i'll try it next time i caulk anything and let you know.... 
sometimes the milk carton doesn't seem to have just the right thickness and is a bit stiffer. 

keep it up, my friend! i'm loving this thread!

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Notice how they are excited to tell you about the free second item and then in a lower tone they speed through the line, "just pay shipping and handling". So it's $19.99 + S&H + S&H. At that price you can order one for all your friends and neighbors :laughing:.


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## RippySkippy (Feb 9, 2007)

Willie T said:


> ...The trick is the "easy clean" method of preserving them....


To build on this just a bit...

Take a cheep roller frame like this:








and remove the axle. Replace the axle with a the same size threaded rod that's about a foot longer than the roller frame.

From the bottom up you'll have this configuration...

lock nut | plastic end of roller frame | lock nut | - - - -> roller frame - - - -> | lock nut | plastic end of roller frame | lock nut | - - - -> threaded rod - - - ->

_TIP: to speed up threading the nuts up the rod...chuck the rod in a drill, hold the nut with an end wrench...and SLOWLY start the drill...the nut will zip right up the rod._

Tighten the nuts just enough to keep the roller frame from spinning loosely on the threaded rod.

Chuck the exposed threaded rod in a 3/8" drill. Hold the roller in a 5 gallon bucket and let the drill spin until most of the paint comes out. The bucket is just a convent way to catch the spun paint, you could use a garbage can etc.

Thoroughly wet the roller (another 5 gallon bucket with water works well) repeat spin. Do this a couple of times and the roller will be perfectly clean. The centrifugal force keeps the roller nap puffed up and just like new. The last spin will leave the roller nearly dry...

It's the only way I now clean roller covers....


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

here's an addon to that, take an old roller, (we have about 10) cut it here and flatten the 90 angle. use the wingnuts and lock the roller on. 
lock it to yer drill, hit the 5 gallon buckets and wear yer raincoat!

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Anyone here do crown molding? Sorry! Didn't mean to scare anyone or give them a headache. But it's really not that hard, at all... once you understand a few basic concepts about the cuts.

But, that's another story....... and of course, you already suspect that I have a pretty clearly written explanation of it all that I may post one day. :whistling2:

Right now, I'm just passing on a small tip I got over on the Contractor's Forum. I haven't tried it, myself. But I did see a very good video one of the guys made, showing how he did it.

It involves an adaptation to the "coping" method.

Instead of coping off the backcut, he used an angle grinder with a 36 grit sanding wheel to quickly smooth out all the underside of the miter, very cleanly, even with the profile line.

If you do crown, you know what I mean. If you don't... consider learning how. It's a very rewarding thing to look up at a crown molding job you did yourself.


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## RippySkippy (Feb 9, 2007)

While were on the topic of paint...which for all practical purposes I generally hate.

When cleaning your good brushes...add a cap full of Downy (no detergent) to your cleaning water. It really helps to remove the paint from the brush...and leaves the bristles clean and smooth...when the paint is all gone one final rinse with clear water and your done.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Someone already touched on this, but I want to stress it.

Clean your latex brushes with water... that's fine, soap and whatever.

But never clean your good oil brushes with anything but the paint solvent used for your paint.

When I was a younger man (Yes, I really CAN remember back that far) I was a helper, and one of my jobs was cleaning brushes for all the painters on the job. Early on, I made the mistake of cleaning one guy's prize Purdy oil brush with soap and water. Needless to say, I all but ruined the brush for oil from then on, and it took months for that guy to forgive me.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Hair conditioner is great for brushes. You can even find 'Brush Conditioner' at beauty supply stores.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Actually, the best way to clean a paint brush has more to do with BEFORE you paint than AFTER you paint.

Dip the brush in water or paint thinner and shake it out gently BEFORE painting with it. (you don't want to shake all the water or paint thinner out of the brush, just enough so that your paint isn't thinned too much when you start to paint)

If you're like most of the unwashed masses, you typically take a dry brush and immediately start painting with it. And, all the while you're painting, the paint inside the brush will be drying at the top (high up in the bristles) where it's exposed to air. By the time you go to clean the brush, don't be surprised if that the brush has come down with "flaring bristles and hard heel" syndrome cuz of the dried up paint high up in the bristles which simply won't wash out, or won't wash out nearly as easily as the wet paint lower down in the bristles.

By dipping the brush in water or paint thinner first, then capillary pressure draws those thinners high up into the bristles so that any paint that gets up there doesn't dry out, but stays wet for much longer. (Eventually the water or mineral spirits high up in the bristles will dry out too, so it's a good idea to place a few drops of water or mineral spirits high up in the bristles to replace the stuff that evaporates every hour or so.)

THEN, when you go to wash out your brush, the paint in it will wash out quickly and completely because nothing has dried up inside the bristles.

Doing that one simple task before painting saves an awful lot of time cleaning the brush after painting, and it keeps your brushes in good condition.


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Those big, cool, expensive, plastic climbing yard toys (Little Tikes for example) fade in the sun in less than a few years. Give them a coat or two of car wax with UV protection and they won't fade (at least not nearly as fast) and this is suppose to work on plastic yard/deck furniture too.


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## cobracdn (Jan 27, 2009)

I for years, have used DL Hand cleaner as a brush conditioner. It non abrasive & water soluble. After we clean out our brushes at the end of the day, we spin them dry and apply a modest amount of hand cleaner to the bristles. Working it through the brush as one would with conditioner through your hair. We return the brush back into it's jacket for the night. Next morning the brush is ready for action. This helps the bristles keep their original shape, still allowing your material up into the brush which helps keep the shape while your working with it and allowing it to hold more material. Trouble with priming your brushes with water or thinners is it limits the amount of material your brush will hold, and it will lead to drips down the handle if you have any inverted work like ceiling borders or cown.. etc. Come clean up time, the brush will wash out in half the time and will come completely clean as the bristles were coated with the handcleaner. My average brush lasts 4 years by the way using this method. Works "purdy" well  

Cheers


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## hankscorpio (Feb 10, 2009)

If you need to wear the over the shoe style Rubber Boots put plastic bags over your shoes......makes taking the boots off much easier


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

gma2rjc said:


> Those big, cool, expensive, plastic climbing yard toys (Little Tikes for example) fade in the sun in less than a few years. Give them a coat or two of car wax with UV protection and they won't fade (at least not nearly as fast) and this is suppose to work on plastic yard/deck furniture too.


303 Protectant (at Walmart in the Automotive/RV section) is specially made for just this kind of job.


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## cocobolo (Dec 16, 2008)

And if you happen to be wealthy enough to own some REALLY high quality sign lettering brushes made from squirrel hair or red sable, store them when not being used thusly.
Take a piece of wax paper large enough to cover the bristles more than twice, fold in 1/2. Put some lard, yes lard on the bristles of the brush and wrap up in the wax paper. 
High quality brushes stored like this will remain in excellent condition for decades. I still have some dating back to the early 1970's, just like new.
Obviously you must clean them first. Just use any of the good cleaning tricks aforementioned.


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

When your fishing cable through blind walls tie two pieces of rope (or the center of one really long piece of rope) to the fish tape. That way, when you pull your wire through you still have another rope to pull your next wire.

- pull rope up;
- tape wire to end of rope, tape second piece of rope to wire;
- pull wire down - un-tape wire tape ropes together;
- pull rope back up;
- Repeat as needed.

I can't believe it took me so long to figure that out.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Got a good piece of wood to cut with a skill saw, and you don't want the usual "tear-out" on the top surface?

Just afix a piece of masonite or other thin hardboard to your saw plate with double sided tape... cover it all almost to the edges of the plate.

Then lower your saw blade slowly through the hardwood to just the depth you intend to cut the good wood. Stop there.

Now, go saw your good piece of wood and you'll have almost zero "tear-out".


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

If you have a problem with the water evaporating from the trap in a seldom-used drain, causing the room to smell bad, pour some water in the drain and add a few drops of mineral oil (baby oil). The oil will spread out and create a film over the water. The water won't evaporate as quickly.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

wow, those last two were pretty good.... =o)
i use a variation of the saw trick on my table saw, but clamped and safe, of course.
willie, you rock dude....

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I didn't think that one up, Mouse. It comes from a guy named Tom Walter.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

that's ok, most of these tips are passalongs! makes them no less helpful!

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Yep, I didn't think mine up either. I got it from the Thompson's Remodeling AM radio show this past weekend.


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## cocobolo (Dec 16, 2008)

I have one that you may not have heard on the radio, or that uncle Jake didn't tell you. It is geared more to construction than just as a little tip.
When you are crowning your floor joists prior to installation, you will typically mark the top side. Next time you are doing so, try to estimate the amount of crown in each board. Put a mark of your choice to indicate this. Then when you go to lay the boards in place, put the boards with the least crown at the ends of the room in question, with the highest crowns in the middle.
Boards at the end of a room are more closely tied to the walls, whereas the middle boards do not enjoy this extra support.
One minor benefit of doing this....the plywood goes on more smoothly.
If you have sighted down a set of joists, you have seen the ups and downs going the length of the room. If you shoot for this system, the whole floor seems to be much flatter.


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## lucky8926 (Feb 19, 2009)

Willie T said:


> Need a bunch of small clamps, but can't bear the thought of paying three or four bucks apiece?
> 
> Try this:
> Cut off a bunch of rings from a length of PVC pipe. Then cut each ring open on one side. You now have ready-made clamps at about a nickel each.
> ...


Now this is just awesome!!!!!:thumbup:


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Need to drill some pilot holes for smaller nails? Can't find any drill bits the right size?

Don't worry about it.

Chuck up one of the nails you're using in your drill, point first, and simply cut off the head with side-cutter pliers. Makes a perfect, nail-size drill bit.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

here's one for any animal lovers out there that have to deal with their beloved dog or cat biting and chewing themselves raw. cortisone shots are expensive, they don't like to take pills, the baths don't do squat.... what to do????
simple, safe and cheap! take 2 cups of water, 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, and add "20 mule team borax" (laundry section at local supermarket) until the mixture won't dissolve any more borax. then bathe, shampoo, rinse the animal as usual, BUT, rub this mixture on the body afterwards, avoiding the face (eyes) then do NOT rinse the animal, do NOT towel dry. let the mixture air dry on your pet. you should see almost immediate results.
at most the next day...

they will thank you for it, believe me....

DM


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

to save some big $$$s when buying roofing shingles for small jobs or even large sometimes, here's a trick. call around to building suppliers and ask them about the 'discontinued bundles they keep in that shed out back'.... i get all my shingles this way for the smaller jobs i do here. and the best part is i usually pay around $2 to $5 a bundle!! i've seen them have 30 and 40 bundles of the same type before too, so you may luck out and find enough for a whole house roof! the managers are usually happy to see them go too!!!!! 
*happy hunting*

DM


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

and along those same lines, for windows, it pays to call building suppliers and ask for mis-measured or 'orphaned' windows they may have laying around out back. here are two 36"x54" i just got for $70 each by calling around.... brand new, double hung, low-e, built in J-channel, screens, nailing fins, etc. 
when you're building it yourself, YOU do the rough-ins, so i think i can make these work nicely..... gotta love it when a simple phone call or two can save you hundreds of $$$!! i have two more lined up at another shop too....$50.00 each. but a bit smaller. Po)

DM


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

not necessarily a tip, but a cute trick i pulled on the kids...
get a round pencil and a glass-topped table. set pencil on table and tell the kids you can make the wood static! run a finger away from yourself a couple times under the glass, and on the third or fourth time, the pencil will follow your finger away from you! the kids loved it! then they tried to do it themselves.... and tried.... and tried.... while i silently chuckled to myself.....
cause while they were watching my hand, i rounded my lips a bit and silently blew the pencil across the table, making sure to follow IT with my hand... hehehehe

*enjoy!!*

DM


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## djrussell (Jun 23, 2009)

from this thread....
http://www.diychatroom.com/f7/toilet-problem-47296/

if you've got a toilet that's partially clogged, plunging is difficult as water will just rush by the clog. flush a few wadded up tissues or toilet paper to complete the clog. it's then much easier to plunge.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

never heard that one before, but it makes sense!
here's another... while framing, i'm doing a lot of toenailing of the studs. to keep them from moving while i'm hammering, i simply use a scrap block with a couple of nails to hammer ALMOST (leave a half inch or so of the nail exposed) all the way down on one side of the stud to keep it from moving, set the nails in tight, then pull the block and move it to the next spot it's needed.
loads of good tips here, people! keep it up!

DM


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## Brandon19 (Aug 19, 2009)

Willie T said:


> When you grab a nail, and find it has the head on the wrong end, don't throw it away. Save all those nails, because they are for the other wall behind you.
> 
> Sorry............. Gettin' punchy with all this typing.


Haha, I just laughed out loud.... at work!


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

This may be a "repeat". If so, I apologize.

Need to do some soldering on a water pipe, but you just can't seem to get the water shut off completely? It insists on dripping just enough to keep the pipe cool. What an aggravation!

Plain old white bread shoved several inches into the pipe with a dowel will stop the leak long enough for you to complete the solder joint. And the bread will soon disolve, causing no problems. I don't use the crust, but I suppose that might be OK.


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## djrussell (Jun 23, 2009)

i had heard that tip previously. it seems someone is trying to capitalize it. on my last trip to lowes/HD i saw "plumber's bread" for about $8 a pack. i'll stick to regular bread for $0.89 thank you.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Doing some laminate work and need to join two edges perfectly? For instance, a 45 corner cut where both sides and the diagonal have to fit, all at the same time, with no room for error because the back edge does not overhang?

Well, first 'dry-fit' your back edges till they align just right. Let each side run all the way up into the corner, overlapping one another.

Now, mark the 45 line on the top piece with a pencil line. Slide that piece off, and brush some contact cement across the end of the bottom and along the underside of where you marked for the 45.

Set it aside to dry.

Leaving the second piece lying in place, do the same thing with it... except put the contact cement on the face of the laminate.

When all is dried, put your 'no-contact' spacer strips down on top of the bottom piece *so the contact cement cannot make contact*. (I usually use a clean, round extension cord, looped back and forth, and back and forth for this purpose.)

Fit the top piece back into place over the bottom piece where it was earlier. Make sure all your back edges are up tight against their original walls.

Start sliding the spacers out to let the top piece lower itself down on top of the bottom piece. Tap it firmly into place with a rubber mallet or use a hard roller. Basically, just get the corner glued together.

Now you are ready to put some 3/4" pieces of lumber under the "L" shape you've created so you can slide it out a foot or so.

Mark a pencil line on the 45, then clamp a straight edge back far enough on one side of the line to be able to run a straight-bit router down directly splitting the pencil line. Cut through both pieces at the same time.

This will create matching edges for your 45 corner.

Use some LT to separate the two pieces and clean off the surfaces. Dry-fit again, and you should find you have a perfectly matching corner.


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## xxPaulCPxx (Dec 2, 2006)

*Setting heat mat with glue*

Here is my tip:

Setting down electric radiant heat mat with hot melt glue? Here's you you can get it nearly FLAT to the surface.

Buy two silicone baking mats (it goes under cookies and other doughs in metal baking pans). Silicone is high temp resistant, and also a non-stick surface.

Layout your radiant heat mat on the ground as normal. Overtop that, lay down a generous amount of hot melt glue, especial to the areas sticking up. Roll up the silicone baking mat into a 2" tube, and press the electric mat and glue down together onto your surface. Count to 20 and pull the silicone mat up, it will have a bunch of glue stuck to it. Set it aside for a moment. Repeat in another area with the other mat, set it aside. By now the glue will have cooled enough on the first mat so that it slide right off.

Flat mat, clean work tools, no burnt hands. After I did mine, I only had to pour a 1/4" layer of Self Leveling Compound, and nothing was peaking obove the surface!


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

gma2rjc said:


> If you have a problem with the water evaporating from the trap in a seldom-used drain, causing the room to smell bad, pour some water in the drain and add a few drops of mineral oil (baby oil). The oil will spread out and create a film over the water. The water won't evaporate as quickly.


You can use corn oil instead of mineral oil for this but you have to remove the hidden test tubes first.


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## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

thekctermite said:


> Sorry to be a funsucker on this thread but...
> That may be a DIYer tip, but it sure itsn't a good idea. :huh:
> 
> This method adds an unnecessary connection and involves using pigtail wiring from the previous fixture to connect to the new fixture's pigtail wiring. It also puts faith in the connection made by the person that installed the last fixture, and the pigtail size of the old may be smaller than that of the new. I have never seen a professional electrician do that on any sort of retrofit electrical work, and I'd never consider doing that myself. Hardened insulation on household wiring will strip off enough to facilitate proper installation of the new fixture's pigtail in a wire nut.


 
And you are only allowed to make a certain number of connections in a box, before adding an extension.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

While putting in my 14' 2"x12" floor joists, (by myself) I found it to be much easier to slip the boards into the hangers by tapping the tops out a bit to allow easy sliding.
Tap them back to the wood when done!

DM


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## Proby (Jul 17, 2010)

Willie T said:


> Doing some measuring and marking on painted walls? No matter how small you make that pencil tic, it still sticks out like a sore thumb.
> 
> Just put a small strip of that blue painter's tape on the wall first, and restrict your marking to the tape.


Excellent tip, I do this often. 

Also, I use the 1 1/2" tape because it's the same thickness of the stud so when I have to mark studs out I just put the tape over it so I can see the full dimension of the stud. This helps when drilling into a stud for things like lag bolts (handing a flat panel TV for example). Using the tape to mark out the exact thickness of the stud lets you see where the meat is.


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## Proby (Jul 17, 2010)

fireguy said:


> And you are only allowed to make a certain number of connections in a box, before adding an extension.


Can you cite that code article please?


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## Tizzer (Jul 24, 2010)

DangerMouse said:


> While putting in my 14' 2"x12" floor joists, (by myself) I found it to be much easier to slip the boards into the hangers by tapping the tops out a bit to allow easy sliding.
> Tap them back to the wood when done!
> 
> DM


When I was the one putting on the hangers, I'd use a guage the same thickness as the joist and still leave around a 1/16th or 1/8th gap. It helps when you're rolling joists by yourself. Beat em back tight when you're putting in the side nails.

This may be an oldie but, whether it be a whollered(sp?)out door hinge screw hole or door latch where the screw just won't hold any more.
Take the screw out and beat a golf tee in the hole with some wood glue on it. Saw it flush and put the screw back in.
Another one about finding dead center. Hold one end of the tape at the edge and pivot the other end to any whole number...... say 6". Half of 6 is three, mark the 3" and it's dead center.
It's actually easier to do than explain.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Tizzer said:


> When I was the one putting on the hangers, I'd use a guage the same thickness as the joist and still leave around a 1/16th or 1/8th gap. It helps when you're rolling joists by yourself. Beat em back tight when you're putting in the side nails.
> 
> This may be an oldie but, whether it be a whollered(sp?)out door hinge screw hole or door latch where the screw just won't hold any more.
> Take the screw out and beat a golf tee in the hole with some wood glue on it. Saw it flush and put the screw back in.
> ...


Hold the same 6" on the opposite edge and mark the 2" and the 4" for thirds........ or use any division points you choose such as marking every inch for sixths, or each half inch for 12ths.

(Yeah, both that trick and the golf "T" one have been mentioned here somewhere. Sorry.)


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## xxPaulCPxx (Dec 2, 2006)

I don't golf - but I cook. Bamboo skewers and toothpicks are also acceptable substitutes.


Seriously, who has golf tees sitting around the house?


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

To fasten wood or even cabinets to a concrete or block wall without using concrete screws. Drill a hole through the wood or cabinet back and the concrete or block just about 1/16 larger than the size of the drywall screw or deck screw you wish to use as the fastener. Cut off a length of romex (12) about 1/2 inch longer than the screw, separate the three wires. Insert one strand of the romex with the insulation left on the wire into the hole you drilled leaving about 1/2 inch sticking out of the hole. Bend the wire against the wood or cabinet back and screw the screw in. Break the wire off and there you go.


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## xxPaulCPxx (Dec 2, 2006)

You might want to replace ROMEX with INSULATED WIRE, which would include both a single strand of a romex encased wire or a single strand of THHN wire.

The way you wrote your post, it sounds like you want to stick a whole piece of 12/2 ROMEX into a 3/16" hole for a 1/8" screw!


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

jiju1943 said:


> To fasten wood or even cabinets to a concrete or block wall without using concrete screws. Drill a hole through the wood or cabinet back and the concrete or block just about 1/16 larger than the size of the drywall screw or deck screw you wish to use as the fastener. Cut off a length of romex (12) about 1/2 inch longer than the screw,* separate the three wires. Insert one strand of the romex with the insulation left on the wire into the hole* you drilled leaving about 1/2 inch sticking out of the hole. Bend the wire against the wood or cabinet back and screw the screw in. Break the wire off and there you go.


I think he covered that.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

xxPaulCPxx said:


> You might want to replace ROMEX with INSULATED WIRE, which would include both a single strand of a romex encased wire or a single strand of THHN wire.
> 
> The way you wrote your post, it sounds like you want to stick a whole piece of 12/2 ROMEX into a 3/16" hole for a 1/8" screw!


Sorry buddy, I am not really good at explaining things sometimes, ole timers you know.


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## liquidvw (Jun 8, 2009)

love this thread. :thumbsup:

These are probably known by everyone but I thought I would share.

If you ever have a wood screw that just won't bite in the wood anymore, then remove the screw and take a piece of wood that is tapered and tap it into the hole. When it won't go anymore, cut it off with a utility knife. Now you have good wood for your screw to bite into. I've used this on door hardware many times.

Speaking of doors, if you have a door that wont stay opened or closed then remove one of the hinge pins. Put it a vise with about 50% of the pin above the jaws. Tap it slightly with a hammer. This will put a little curve in it. Now re install it in the hinge. The door should now stay opened or closed. 

I needed to install several ceiling fans but wasn't sure how to get them in the center of the room. I used some fishing line and 4 small finish nails. Tie the fishing line to one nail and tap it into the corner of the ceiling. Then drag the line to the opposite corner. tap another nail there and tie the fishing line tight. Repeat for the other 2 corners. What you made is a X on the ceiling. Where the 2 lines intersect is the center.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

If you're an airhead like me that puts down his drywall tools and forgets them so they rust, maybe you want to do what I did and spray clear varnish on the blades. It seems to be working, (no rust) and the varnish doesn't seem to bother my work.

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Skin So Soft from Avon takes Great Stuff foam off of skin. You have to rub it in, but it works pretty well.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

As hard as that stuff is to get off your skin, you should make that post it's own Sticky thread! LOL

DM


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

gma2rjc said:


> Skin So Soft from Avon takes Great Stuff foam off of skin. You have to rub it in, but it works pretty well.


So does a belt sander, but I bet the Avon stuff is much less painful.....

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Yep, and it smells prettier too. Not that you guys want your hands to smell pretty. :no: But a little soap and warm water takes care of that.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

Works as a Mosquito repellent as well.


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## xxPaulCPxx (Dec 2, 2006)

*Getting oil stains out of clothes*

My tip for getting oils out of clothes:

Murphys Oil Soap: Pour it on the oil stain and rub it in, treat it like a stain remover. Pulls it out e very time.


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## Evil Scotsman (Nov 4, 2009)

skymaster said:


> Mouse; white,rye or whole wheat? :laughing:


White WITHOUT the crust


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## Evil Scotsman (Nov 4, 2009)

gma2rjc said:


> PS:
> If you're doing a job that requires you to change the blades on your utility knife a lot, a small bottle with a childproof cap makes a good container to keep used razor blades in so you don't have to throw them in the trash loose where someone could get cut. The cap won't come off if it gets bumped or dropped.


:thumbup:


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## Evil Scotsman (Nov 4, 2009)

Upgraded the CB panel, but now don't know which breaker covers what? PLUS 60's house nothing is logical. My son and I went to each room and outlet, put a piece a blue tape on the wall near each and threw breakers until it went out. Then were able to walk around the house and list each one and label the CB panel. A little time consuming but is working like a charm.


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## clayman (Oct 29, 2010)

Buy tape measures which have both inch and metric measurements.

I work for a furniture manufacturer that transitioned to metric several years ago. They found that it could days if not weeks for a completely untrained person to accurately read in inches down to 1/32" accuracy. It takes about 30 minutes for someone to learn how to read with 1mm accuracy (just a hair over 1/32"). So, if you have someone helping who had dubious tape skills, have them use the metric scale.

I personally use metric almost all of the time because it's easier to read and to make complex calculations. If I have a board I want to split into 4 equal pieces, it's a lot easier to do that math in my head when it's 1218mm with a 4mm kerf then 47 7/8" with a 3/16" kerf.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

clayman said:


> Buy tape measures which have both inch and metric measurements.


I've been using both types of measurement for about 30 years and own tapes that are Metric *OR* English. Rarely use the combination ones. Too confusing and prone to error.

Google "Gimli airplane" to see what happens when the conversion fails.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

jlhaslip said:


> I've been using both types of measurement for about 30 years and own tapes that are Metric *OR* English. Rarely use the combination ones. Too confusing and prone to error.
> 
> Google "Gimli airplane" to see what happens when the conversion fails.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider


Wow, that was one heck of a read jl, they were really blessed to have a pilot who knew how to glide.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

You know those "pads" you can buy to put underneath furniture to let it slide easily? You can make them yourself.... from a plastic milk jug! Just snip this shape, (or more ends for a rounder bottom, like a flower), fold at red lines and duct tape them to the legs and slide away. 

DM


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## gma2rjc (Nov 21, 2008)

Does it matter what kind of milk jug it is - from 2%, skim or whole milk?

:laughing:... just giving you a hard time DM. Great tip.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

300,000 comedians out of a job.......

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

While we're on the subject of plastic..... For years I have been using cardboard paper core tubes to stuff my tool cords into. It keeps them neat and untangled. But the cardboard eventually tears up. So I tried PVC tubes. Too stiff.

The other day it finally hit me to begin using the plastic caulking tubes in vogue today. I can cut two 4" tubes out of one empty caulking tube (on the chop saw) and they are both resilient and flexible.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

I'm not a real fan of foam paint brushes...... except for applying polyurethane!
THEN they're pretty good.... and you can throw them away when done.
But... why buy them? I found one of my good brushes ruined, so I yanked out the bristle 'block' and cut out a square of foam from some ½" scrap, and glued it in the hole/slot. If/when it's served it's purpose, I'll let the varnish dry on it, yank it out and glue in another piece of scrap for the next time. Before I found my ruined brush, I just taped the scraps of foam on a flat, thin scrap of wood, but I like this a little better.

DM


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Willie T said:


> While we're on the subject of plastic..... For years I have been using cardboard paper core tubes to stuff my tool cords into. It keeps them neat and untangled. But the cardboard eventually tears up. So I tried PVC tubes. Too stiff.
> 
> The other day it finally hit me to begin using the plastic caulking tubes in vogue today. I can cut two 4" tubes out of one empty caulking tube (on the chop saw) and they are both resilient and flexible.


We drink a lot of sugar-free Kool-Aid. The packets come in a nice plastic tube that not only is a handy container, but is a nice plastic for cutting up into temporary tools - like for mixing epoxy.


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## screwy (Mar 12, 2011)

If you have a tube of caulking that has hardened up at the plastic nozzle, don't throw it out. Take a utility knife and cut from the tip of the nozzle to the tube so that the nozzle can be split apart, think of an aligators mouth. Remove the hardened caulking, close the nozzle and tape up with electrical tape and your good to go. 

It's a good idea to warm up you caulking before use. NOT A MICROWAVE EITHER. Top of you furnace or hotwater tank works well.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

We have no little ones to worry about, and I can't stand how hard those darn snap-on spray paint can lids are to open. When I FINALLY pry the lid from the can, I take my snips and clip the inner ring. THEN it's easy to pop on and off.

DM


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Small screws, washers, and nuts. Tiny little suckers that are a pain to handle.

When pouring them out on the workbench, make sure there is a 12"x12" piece of cardboard down first. This makes it SO much easier to just pick up and pour the little items back into the jar.

Did you drop one or two on the floor? Turn out the lights and use a flashlight lying flat on the floor to shine a beam across the surface. Anything there will cast a relatively large shadow and almost shout, "Here I am".

In addition, sweeping a magnet across the floor helps too.

Of course you are using left over baby food jars to store all those little things in, aren't you? And you know about screwing the lid onto the bottom side of an overhead cabinet so that it stays right there while you twist the jar off it with only one hand. Goes back on just as easily. And super easy to see what's inside.


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## jules4 (Jul 7, 2010)

I love baby food jars! In fact all wide mouthed glass jars with metal screw-top lids are awesome!!


My tip for today: When painting a deep skylight well, start at the top and work DOWN.
(This tip is of particular relevance for those with long hair).


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

jules4 said:


> My tip for today: When painting a deep skylight well, start at the top and work DOWN.
> (This tip is of particular relevance for those with long hair).


Yer funny.... The guys are going to love you over in paint...

When I screw lids up for the jars, I always use TWO screws so it never comes loose and is always able to be released one-handed.

DM


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## jules4 (Jul 7, 2010)

DangerMouse said:


> Yer funny.... The guys are going to love you over in paint...


What's really funny is I managed to get my hair stuck to a skylight well twice yesterday - thankfully it was just latex paint (I hate shampooing with Varsol).


> When I screw lids up for the jars, I always use TWO screws so it never comes loose and is always able to be released one-handed.


Oh yeah, well I always use THREE screws so that it doesn't come loose, can be released one-handed AND the lid doesn't bend. :w00t:


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## Rob1975 (Apr 30, 2011)

screwy said:


> If you have a tube of caulking that has hardened up at the plastic nozzle, don't throw it out. Take a utility knife and cut from the tip of the nozzle to the tube so that the nozzle can be split apart, think of an aligators mouth. Remove the hardened caulking, close the nozzle and tape up with electrical tape and your good to go.
> 
> It's a good idea to warm up you caulking before use. NOT A MICROWAVE EITHER. Top of you furnace or hotwater tank works well.


Another, less invasive way, is to grab a 3" all purpose coarse thread screw and screw into the hardened caulk or adhesive. Once all of the way in, squeeze the trigger until there is some pressure on the tube. Slowly pull the screw out. If the clog gives resistance, squeeze the trigger a bit more. Once the main clog is out, run the screw back and forth in the tip of the tube until all chunks have been evacuated.


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## Cmudr1 (Jan 15, 2009)

I have 2 tips that are hard to believe but I have used and have seen others able to do them as well.

Trying to find a water line or underground stream or even gas line out in a yard/field. Take an old Metal clothes hanger and cut in half then straighten out each end and form an L shape. Hold one in each hand fairly loosely but not dropping and point out at about a 45 degree angle in front you both ways. Walk towards the possible area and you should feel them slightly pulling into each other. When you reach the point the 2 cross it should be almost dead on to where the line is. Still remember to always dig safely and have your utilities located :thumbsup:

Need to find approximate center on a long wall or pipe (20+ feet). While standing back, point to each end and close your eyes and relax. Move your hands in to each other and when they touch open your eyes and you should be pointing to almost center, even if your standing off to one side. 

We spent about half a day once just trying these out with a crew of about 8, we were within a few inches of center almost everytime. Was very handy when rigging 40' sticks of pipe lol


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## shumakerscott (Jan 11, 2008)

gma2rjc said:


> If you have a problem with the water evaporating from the trap in a seldom-used drain, causing the room to smell bad, pour some water in the drain and add a few drops of mineral oil (baby oil). The oil will spread out and create a film over the water. The water won't evaporate as quickly.


I use vegetable oil or anti-freeze. I fill the trap completely. Works great. dorf dude...


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

Sorry if this is a duplicate. I can't count the number of times I've tried to guide a screw through something into unseen threads ..... Often over my head, stretching and balancing at the same time 

I cut two pieces of plastic off the blister pack. Punched a hole smaller than the screw. Put the screw through ( an outlet concealer in this pic) and snapped the plastic on each screw. It held the screw in place so I didn't have to try and hold the cover, screw, and screw driver.


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## Doorman54 (Feb 22, 2012)

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but the tip I have seems to fit here the best!!

Old interior doors......we've all probably replaced them....such fun!!

Currently I'm doing a complete renovation (I'll get something up in Project Showcase soon, I promise) mixed with moving out of my old house AND livid in the "new" one!!

We all know storage/renovations/budget woes are tops on the list!!

Reusing interior doors for shelving is fast and free.....two words we all love!! 











Closet door and s butcher block slab....quick work bench!











Interior door (complete with hinges and side jamb!). I screw thru hinge into stud if possible and a few spots thru stop molding also. You can barely see that I used the head jamb to support the corner. 











Same as above with a brace on one end and some electrical wire (orange is the best!!) supporting the other end. 


As you can see it's not hard, barely costs a nickel and it's instant gratification!!


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## Doorman54 (Feb 22, 2012)

I missed another one!!











Couple bi-folds doors and a 2x4. 
Gotta have the shelves above the washer/dryer!


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## iminaquagmire (Jul 10, 2010)

Great stuff foam is expensive and despite always looking for things to foam after I finish using it for its initial task, I always ended up wasting almost entire cans of the stuff most of the time because the plastic straw becomes useless once used. Rather than buy their expensive gun and solvent, I use 14-2 romex sheath to replace the straws once used. Once done using the foam, just leave the romex sheath on the can. The next time you need it, just bend, twist, and pull the sheath off and replace. I've had luck doing this up to about 2 months after first using the can. 

Great stuff foam is also useful for patching smaller holes in drywall. 2" is about the max size hole for this. Just foam in the hole, building it up around the edges and onto itself until the hole is filled. Once dried, cut it flush to the wall and brush off any fuzzies and you're ready for a skim coat of drywall mud.

If you're trying to nail into a corner or some other awkward place where you either can't or don't want to use your fingers to hold the nail while hammering, Push the nail through some thin cardboard and use that to hold the nail. It'll keep your fingers out of the way and when you're done, just pull the cardboard off the nail and hammer it home.

When taping off something for painting, paint over the edges of the tape after placed with the color that's underneath the tape and let dry. This seals the edges of the tape for the next color and what bleeds underneath matches the color that's there already.


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## venscrusher (Mar 4, 2012)

For DIY, there are a lot of things I do not understand, I hope a lot of learning to master.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

For those of you that are determined to check for moisture coming through the concrete floor by taping the square foot of plastic down, try this if your original test does not produce any visible moisture.

Put down a layer of dry ice about 4ft. x 4 ft. and cover with insulation for a several hours. Remove the ice and then tape your sq. ft. of plastic down approximately centered on that larger area. If the area is wet don't tape.

If the area stays wet for awhile but eventually dries as the area warms the question has been answered so don't bother with the plastic. Test over.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

*Cleaning Grease From Formica Counter*

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

For those that would like to learn to use an eye splice, I've found this animated vid to be better instruction than human instruction. 

Anyone that was in school in the 40s and 50s can recall this voice of the commentator. :thumbsup: Even we old folks that's lost a large percent of our hearing can understand what he says.

http://www.animatedknots.com/splice...ge=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

SeniorSitizen said:


> For those that would like to learn to use an eye splice, I've found this animated vid to be better instruction than human instruction.
> 
> Anyone that was in school in the 40s and 50s can recall this voice of the commentator. :thumbsup: Even we old folks that's lost a large percent of our hearing can understand what he says.
> 
> http://www.animatedknots.com/splice...ge=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com


That is a pretty neat knot. I give up though, who was it, I thought is was Gene Autry at first but this fellow has an English accent.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

BigJim said:


> That is a pretty neat knot. I give up though, who was it, I thought is was Gene Autry at first but this fellow has an English accent.


I give up too. Never knew who it was but it seems the same voice was heard during the previews and news shorts at the movies.


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