# Sticky  Things that make you say "Hmmmm." Quick fixes



## clovis

Got to thinking about another poster's question about a leaky van. 

This thread is about solving problems and funny things that happened.

I once was helping a girlfriend sell a car. It had been hit with a car mirror on the outside. Didn't dent the car, but left a black mark, probably from the plastic of the mirror, all the way down the side of the body.

I grabbed some car wax, and worked for hours trying to get the black mark off the car, with little success. I think I was making about 1 inch an hour, and my fingers hurt from pushing so hard.

A neighbor came out, and said...."You need to use Colgate, and proceeded to give me a tube.

"Huh????" I replied, puzzled.

The Colgate, applied to a rag, took the 6 foot back mark out within an hour. Seems that the grit in the toothpaste is just enough grit to work wonders, without scratching the paint.

Anyone else got a story to tell???
Clove


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## foxtrapper

Toothpaste works real well on dulled plastic lenses as well.

An oily rag wiping down old faded paint sure makes it look nice for a few weeks.

Peanut butter makes a mediocre plastic trim restorer. 

Milk of magnesia makes a good anti-sieze agent.

Aluminum foil makes a dandy chrome polish.

The yellow 3-M trim adhesive is gasoline proof.


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## Up North

Dental Floss works well for stitching up minor repairs to leatherwork on saddles, bridles,etc. 
Also if you have to do emergency surgery on a farm critter, dental floss works as a suture material.


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## Junkmanme

turpentine is a very good "cutting oil" used when drilling steel.


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## Jim S.

Nail files. Those emery board nail files women use to polish off the rough edges are great for a million jobs, and disposable. Clean contacts, clean up plugs, polish spade terminals, etc. They are rough on one side and fine on the other.

Another cheap thing to keep on hand is a set of torch reamers. It's a kit of various size serrated wires to clean out the orifices in gas torch sets. Even if you don't have a gas torch, you can use them to clean orifices in carbs, etc. A set is about $2 at the parts store. Worth it!


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## ColumbiaSC.

This is great stuff but they should be posted up in the "Jury rigged tools when you don't have the right one". Any more cool ideas like these are needed!


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## ColumbiaSC.

OH OH OH have you ever used WD-40 as a air freshener? Guilty here!


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## tinknal

If you need a very small amount of lubricant, you can get it along side your nose.


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## crafty2002

Columbia said:


> OH OH OH have you ever used WD-40 as a air freshener? Guilty here!


Most people hate the smell of it but I think it smells good.
Believe it or not, It is an excellent lubricant for old worn out human joints. I use it from time to time for my shoulder and elboe also. Just spray it on and rub it in and it helps the pain a lot. 

An ice cube will freeze bumble gum so it will crumble from your childrens hair, carpet, and clothes.

For wore out screw holes for door hindges, dip wooden tooth picks into any type of glue a stick them into the holes until the hole is full. As you do it they will stop going in so break them off, turn around and drive the other end in.
( I said any type, but don't use the real fast set such as crazy glue or you wont get the hole filled in time.) Let the glue dry a few minutes and rehang the door.
That goes for any screw that has wooked a larger hole in wood.

If anyone has an older car or truck that still has points, a match book cover will set them in a pinch when you don't have a feeler gauge.

I'll think of some more and come back.

God Bless Dennis

PS. If you have a lenght of conduit sticking out the basement door, move the dam thing before you trip on it and bust your knee up the way I did today like a stupid jackass.  


Dummy I be.


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## Tweetybird

To make an inexpensive plant hanger or bird feeder hanger, take a section of conduit and using one of those benders, bend it so it forms a 90 degree angle. Then drill a hole through one of the ends and put an eye throgh the hole and fasten with a nut (get the bolt eyes, not the screw ones). Then using a bracket, fasten the other end to the balcony, railing on the deck, or wall, then hang your plant or bird feeders. This makes an L shaped thing where the bar on the L sticks out and the feeder is hung from it. The plant or bird feeder is easy to tend as all you do is swing the arm over the deck, tend to it and then swing it out again. I have them set up with thistle seed feeders, suet feeders and humming bird feeders. I have all kinds of birds coming near my house so I can see them and these things cost only a couple of bucks each. It also is a great use for scrap conduit.


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## ColumbiaSC.

I was repairing/painting dormers on an older house years ago for a very picky lady, I have a word for her but i will not say it!
She told me to 'be sure not to drip any white paint on her black shingles or else'! This was in the South Carolina summer sun,, and I was working pretty fast to finish up the job,, well don't you just know it,, drips happen!!! Black shingles white paint = no $$$.
So I sent one of my helpers to go buy a small can of black paint, dripped it on the white drips! The old lady loved the work and NEVER knew the difference! I know this is kinda on the shady side but there was NO shade on that roof! So if you have to paint up there,,, match the roof color with some cheap paint just in case!


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## Up North

If you have nuts and bolts seized by rust on farm machinery(and do not have WD-40 at hand), pour Coca-Cola on bolts and nuts, let sit a few minutes, repeat, then tap on wrench handle with a hammer to free the nut. The acid in the Coca-Cola combined with the jarring action of tapping on wrench handle will break the bond formed by rust and allow you to remove nut.


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## CacheCraven

The interior dome light on my pickup kept staying on, & would drain the battery. and also the "door ajar" light would sometimes come on. Dealership guy indicated this was a very complex and expensive fix. (Of course, GRRRRR!!) A mechanic at the dealership pulled me aside & told me to spray the switch in the door with WD-40. It worked!! Where would I be without duct tape & WD-40???
Lisa in Arkansas


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## beowoulf90

Do you have steps/stairs that you need traction on. Does the neighbor down the street have an old tread mill they are trying to give away. If you answered yes to these questions, then we have a solution for you. 

First go to the neighbor and pick up the tread mill. Once you have it home spin the rubberized tread till you find the joint, cut the tread at the joint. Remove the tread and cut it to the size you need for your steps/stairs. If wood tack it down, if other material you will have to glue it down somehow.

Here is a side benefit, on most of the tread mills they use long rollers remove them and make your own rollers for those long boards you are trying to cut on your table saw. 

Check the rest of the tread mill, some are aluminum and some are steel. scrap out what you can and get paid for it. 

Sounds like a "Get Rich Quick" scheme.
So please send me $20 everytime you use this scheme...LOL

Just kidding..

Mike


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## Ozarka

A fairly common commodity from electrical supply houses is called 'linerless rubber tape" which is just that, self fusing, extremely stretchable, waterproof rubber tape. I use it on weatherproofing electrical splices (what it's made for, duhh) but it has also been pressed into service (pun intended) to seal leaks in low pressure water pipes, clamp stuff while gluing, patch leaks in rusty car panels. The first non electrical use was to seal a leak in a 60 psi water line, which was black poly. All I had was some of this tape and a band clamp and It held for 2 years, until I got a round tuitt and replaced the line. The most useful size is 1-1/2 inch wide, the 3/4 in. stuff is too narrow and the 2" tape, @ $25 a roll is a bit much to pay for and only use 2 feet per year.


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## crafty2002

This is sort of an extention to beowoulf90 's but for slippery stairs that really need attention before someone falls, I have found that most of them weren't built right to start with. They have the tread nosing downhill which causes you to loose your footing. 
They can be raised up at the bottom and set on something solid such as bricks and maybe even need to add another step at the bottom. 

But a easy quick fix for grip on steps like this is a quart of porch paint and a bag of play sand. 
Paint them with a heavy coat and sprinkle the sand on each step as soon as you have finished painting it. 
The sand gets embeded in the paint and gives a good grip. Especially good when you have a heavy frost and come out of the house not thinking.


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## jefferson

you can catch fish with wd40 too.


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## 65284

When the lights on my stock trailer don't want to work a good shot of WD40 on both the plug and recepticle end and a little manual manipulation almost always results in a fix.


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## clovis

Here is another story directly related to my original post:

This past weekend, I rented a mini-van for business use. I removed a dolly from the inside of the van, and leaned it against the door. 

My 6 YO daughter jumped in the van, and immediately pushed the power door buttons, closing the doors, and leaving a HUGE SCRATCH on the door.

The only thing that ran thru my head was that after paying for the damages, I was going to be out at least $600....fully expecting Alamo to inflate the paint costs.

I immediately grabbed Colgate toothpaste and a rag.....and the scratch came right out!!!!!

Clove


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## hintonlady

My DH had a fuel filter line break on his combine in the middle of a corn field. He panicked because we were far from the shop. My solution was to take a chunk of a shelled corn cob and jam it in the hole. Worked like a charm.

Another time we had trouble with a semi funky/corroded trailer light hook up. We were in a rush and had no time to repair. The lights would flicker. I don't know why but I told him to spit in it and wiggle it around. The spit made the connection and the lights lasted the whole trip. Got a good laugh out of that.

When we were putting up drywall we had trouble making perfect cuts for electric boxes. I got a grease pen, greased the outline of the boxes and pressed the drywall against it. They left a perfect impression on the drywall to cut out. The covers will hide remaining grease marks we can't wipe up perfectly.

I get to tease my DH because I am like the farm McGyuver. I am just oddball enough to see something different when everyone else is scratching their heads.


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## RosewoodfarmVA

Columbia said:


> I was repairing/painting dormers on an older house years ago for a very picky lady, I have a word for her but i will not say it!
> She told me to 'be sure not to drip any white paint on her black shingles or else'! This was in the South Carolina summer sun,, and I was working pretty fast to finish up the job,, well don't you just know it,, drips happen!!! Black shingles white paint = no $$$.
> So I sent one of my helpers to go buy a small can of black paint, dripped it on the white drips! The old lady loved the work and NEVER knew the difference! I know this is kinda on the shady side but there was NO shade on that roof! So if you have to paint up there,,, match the roof color with some cheap paint just in case!



I've done that too! Except in my case it was a 12/12 pitch roof and I was working off a rope. The paint can, which I emptied halfway before going up there, accidentally tipped over and left a long run down the roof! I got some black paint, painted it, then scraped some grit off the other shingles and sprinkled that on top....you couldn't tell the difference! 

My solution to the problem was to put the gallon can of paint inside a 5 gallon bucket, so that any spills would land in the bucket. By the end of that job I think I had about a half gallon of paint in the bottom of that bucket!


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## Gideon

To take off badly corroded nuts I have oiled them first and then started them turning. Sometimes I tighten them first a bit. Working them loose till they get hard then tightening again. Eventually most will come off this way--even exhaust bolt nuts. On Ford exhaust pipe flanges off the manifold I just break the bolts/studs, drill them out, and use bolts from then on. You never have to worry about stripping or them freezing up again.


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## the kid

for gum in hair , on hands ,,,,,,even cloth but there it might have a oil mark 
try any oil ,, keep working the oil into the gum rubing and working it 
just when you think you made a real mess ,, it turns to a liquid 
for rusted nuts and bolts try heating with a torch 
the kid


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## PyroDon

never underestimate soft wood for plugging holes in everything from water tanks to transmission pans. I always keep a few ceder shingles around just incase. tap them into the hole and they will swell enough to plug the leak . 
If the nut wont come loose tighten it and break the bolt its often easier and cheaper .


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## ColumbiaSC.

RosewoodfarmVA said:


> I've done that too! Except in my case it was a 12/12 pitch roof and I was working off a rope. The paint can, which I emptied halfway before going up there, accidentally tipped over and left a long run down the roof! I got some black paint, painted it, then scraped some grit off the other shingles and sprinkled that on top....you couldn't tell the difference!
> 
> My solution to the problem was to put the gallon can of paint inside a 5 gallon bucket, so that any spills would land in the bucket. By the end of that job I think I had about a half gallon of paint in the bottom of that bucket!


I do the same thing 'bucket in a bucket' when I have to touch up wood work/molding in a house, it is a life saver!


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## Rocky Fields

Hey.

Some people claim that toothpaste is good for polishing jewelry.

I drop real small rusty screws and metal parts that I can't easily hold and wirebrush into a small container of white vinegar. I check it every couple hours until the rust is gone and then I rinse them with cold water and dry. If you leave your stuff in there real long, the vinegar may eat away small screw threads or become too polluted to keep working and may leave a sludgy film that will wipe off.

I tried Coke and it shines pennies real nice, but doesn't work nearly as good as white vinegar.

RF


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## PyroDon

may not be a quick fix but its a making due .
the starter went out on my AC WD and I looked at the price of replacing it.
even used they want nearly $100 for a WD starter, you can pick up a starter for a C for around $30 .
It takes just a few minutes to change out the starter drive and drill one 3/8" hole in a C starter to make it work in the WD .

Also if you have a tractor with an old zeneth updraft carb you can easily cut a new gasket out of a frozen pizza or corn flake box


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## seagullplayer

I have used white out for lock tight a time of two, the little brush makes it pretty easy to apply.


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## Darren

Sometimes when the flexible brake line going to a caliper deteriorates on the inside, it won't allow the pressure to release from the piston when you let off the brake. I had this happen on a trip once. I broke the metal end of the brake line off the caliper and mashed it flat against the frame with a hammer. You need to wail on it to make sure the broke end won't leak. Went 400 miles with brakes on three wheels. Bought a new line the next day and replaced the old one.


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## WayneR

Fingernail polish will also sub for locktite.

Tooth paste may be too abrasive in some applications. Rubbing compound,
buffing compounds applied by hand. For plastics, liquid makeup, aka Novus polish.


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## jimisod

Tie wraps are the best tool EVER invented. I once snapped a screw off a distributer cap. I used 6 or 8 tie wraps to hld it inplace when I drove the truck to the mechanic. Of this I actually have pictures.

JB Weld is another material that can keep you working. I once created a new bottom for a rusted out oil pan that lasted 50,000 miles.


I think those were both the same Ford F150.


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## Joel_BC

Gideon said:


> To take off badly corroded nuts I have oiled them first and then started them turning. Sometimes I tighten them first a bit. Working them loose till they get hard then tightening again. Eventually most will come off this way--even exhaust bolt nuts.


Okay, so there's this method, and on this thread people also have mentioned the wonders of Coca Cola and white vinegar for loosening rusted bolts.

Some people say, though, that with largish bols/nuts that are corroded together that applying oxy-acetylene heat to the nut - enough to get it glowing cherry red, at least - is a good way. The idea is, it will expand the nut (which gets the heat first, before very much heat has transfered to the bolt). Then they say you can loosen (unscrew) the nut with a socket wrench.

Has anyone here tried that method? How would you compare it with the use of vinegar, Coke, or penetrating oil?


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## Ross

We use torches to heat a nut to get it off. Not sure how much it really expands.... the socket still fits!  Probably some physics to describe whats happening better but it works if you get it hot enough fast enough.


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## KIT.S

Need to dry something? Hairspray works great: I got stuck in a big mud puddle in Alaska and the cracked distributor cap got wet. I took it off, and the only thing in the car was hairspray. Soaked the inside thoroughly with the hairspray, and the motor started right up.
Kit


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## John Carter

Ordinary dish soap (liquid) works great to remove car grease from your hands and is a lot cheaper that the goop ya buy.


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## clovis

53convert said:


> Ordinary dish soap (liquid) works great to remove car grease from your hands and is a lot cheaper that the goop ya buy.


I've found that Dawn works the best of all the dish soaps. I'm still a big fan of Goop though.


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## The Tinker

We had an old Volvo wagon that used to have real issues with radiator leaks. During one repair or another I busted the old bottom radiator hose in the middle. It's a formed hose (has the bends built into from the manufacturer) and getting a new one was pricey and time consuming since it had to come from Volvo to fit. A regular flexible line didn't work, so I cut the ends off the old hose and discarded the busted middle. I found a piece of PVC that had the same outside diameter as the inside of the hose ends, heated it up via the exhaust of my truck and molded it to fit the into the track where the old hose had gone. I clamped the old ends onto the molded PVC then put the whole contraption on the car. Ran it like that for about 2 years before it gave up the ghost. 60$ hose replaced for about 3$ worth of PVC and hose clamps.


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## StanInPa

File folders and phone book covers make good gasket material.


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## cmcon=7

I went buy tire slime for a golf cart tire @$10/16oz I decided to make my own then I got a better idea google it, there were a number of recipes, mine is 1/2 cup sifted grits
8 0z latex caulk ($1 a tube) and 6OZ water or winter windshield wash, put it all in an old slime bottle (or make one out of a dish soap bottle) and use as normal.
It works!


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## cmcon=7

the tires are still holding, and they had side wall leaks too.
I made another batch but used sifted saw dust instead of grits.


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## tinknal

cmcon=7 said:


> the tires are still holding, and they had side wall leaks too.
> I made another batch but used sifted saw dust instead of grits.


Very interesting. I wonder if cornmeal would work?


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## The Tinker

Up North said:


> Dental Floss works well for stitching up minor repairs to leatherwork on saddles, bridles,etc.
> Also if you have to do emergency surgery on a farm critter, dental floss works as a suture material.


I always carry floss in my backpack and all my cars. It's supper stuff for all kinds of things. We teach our Boy Scouts to make snares with it, fish with it, or use it for bait (if it's scented).




Junkmanme said:


> turpentine is a very good "cutting oil" used when drilling steel.


I know it's not technically mechanical, but turpentine is also good at taking the sting out of light burns (1st and 2nd degree), and is good on cuts and scratches, without the sting of alcohol. 

Another conduit tip: I gather the scrap stuff from construction sites and use it for all kinds of things. I flatten it out and use it as flat stock, bend it and use it for temporary plumbing repairs, emergency splints, etc. I don't care how short it is, if it's conduit, I grab it.



clovis said:


> I've found that Dawn works the best of all the dish soaps. I'm still a big fan of Goop though.


We're big Dawn fans. It's great as a dog shampoo, grease remover, we use a few drops of it along with a little bleach as a teat dip and in our milk/cheese cloths until we have time to do a whole load. Keeps them from getting that "old milk" rank. Oh... it works pretty well as dish washing detergent too.

I use the white vinegar trick with all my small, rusted parts. Works like a charm and is a lot less damaging to small threads than more corrosive acids or electrolysis. 

To keep files like new, never spray them with oil. Instead, use the file on a piece of sidewalk chalk or welder's soap stones. This stuff will fall out with use, and keeps filings from filling the furrows on files. (Alliteration free of charge!) 

A bit of masking tape on a drill bit works as a depth gauge. Also, placing a paper or plastic cup, or a plastic lid, against the ceiling when drilling a hole upwards keeps the debris from falling into the eyes.

Oh... and as to using toothpaste to fix dingy headlights (can't remember who posted that): it works really well if you mix it with a little WD40 to make a thin buffing compound.

Thanks for all the tips ya'll have posted. As the guy who all the city friends call when something breaks, I'm sure I'll use most of them.:thecheat:


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## allen6634

Junkmanme said:


> turpentine is a very good "cutting oil" used when drilling steel.


i like to use it to free a stuck motor


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## allen6634

Joel_BC said:


> Okay, so there's this method, and on this thread people also have mentioned the wonders of Coca Cola and white vinegar for loosening rusted bolts.
> 
> Some people say, though, that with largish bols/nuts that are corroded together that applying oxy-acetylene heat to the nut - enough to get it glowing cherry red, at least - is a good way. The idea is, it will expand the nut (which gets the heat first, before very much heat has transfered to the bolt). Then they say you can loosen (unscrew) the nut with a socket wrench.
> 
> Has anyone here tried that method? How would you compare it with the use of vinegar, Coke, or penetrating oil?


i have used the oxy -acctylene with reat sucess (retired mechanic) but now that i have to buy my own torch and gasses i use p.b. blaster i sray it on let it set over night or longer. never whent in th kitchen yet for pentrating oil lol


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## sapphira

INGENUITY - I love it ! I have gotten some great ideas here and not afraid to come up with stuff as needed. Had a bubble on edge of kitchen breakfast bar top. The one clamp I had too small. SOOOooo - figured out the empty caulking gun would work -
http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx13/kerocollect/th_ingenuity.jpg

Sorry - I could not get the larger picture to respond to getting the "properties".


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## Village_Idiot

Mayonnaise can remove some water marks on furniture. Do not use the Lite Mayo, use the full fat version. Spread it on thick over the place where your kid left their glass sweating, leave it for several hours, then wipe it off. I've had hit and miss results with this, but I always try it. It's most effective just after a recent occurance.

PB Blast - I second the comment made by allen6634. I try this product first on rusty stubborn bolts/nuts before dragging out my torch stuff. Keep a can of this on hand for sure.

Toothpaste - we've used this before to patch smalll holes in drywall, Not something that i would normally do, but only in a pinch.


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## joebill

When I was dating, back in 1965, I used to put a drop of 3 in one oil behind each ear. The scent made the ladies think that I was handy around the house and could fix things. Caught one, too, and still got her.....Joe


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## clovis

I found out today that oven cleaner can be an excellent paint remover.

I bought a large amount of tools at an estate sale, The previous owner had spay painted them with two colors of green spray paint. Unfortunately, he had been more than generous with the rattle can.

After hearing about using oven cleaner as a degreaser and paint remover, I used it today, and the paint came off those tools easily after spaying them and letting them sit for a few hours!


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## Pat32rf

Diesel oil makes a good penetrating oil for stuck bolts as well. It will creep into anyplace.


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## JeepHammer

I've remodeled several older houses for rentals.
I hired an old time 'Handy Man' looking for some money on the side to supplement his social security,
And according to him, to get some time away from his wife!

House settles over time, door hangs stupid in the frame,
Wide gap at one end, rubbing the frame on the other,
And hard to impossible to latch...

His solution was simple,
He would cut out pieces from a cereal box, space the hinge with the gap out moving the door over to fill the gap,
The other end automatically corrected itself.
Three hinges? Use half the number of shims in the middle hinge it took to correct the gap.

Cost: Time and a cereal box.
Tools: screwdriver and razor knife.

------

Rusted screws rotted to door frame wood, taking material out when you remove the screw.
Repair, Longer screw to reach good wood,
OR,
Use a drill to remove what's left of rotten wood,
Glue on a golf 'T' driven into the hole...
I
Wood repair that takes about 2 hours for the wood glue to dry while you shim up the door.

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Dry crack in hardwood trim,
You are NEVER going to match the finish on 50 year old hardwood trim,
SO,
Carefully remove the piece, and SLOWLY finish splitting it through.
Simply glue, clamp or tape the two halves up until they dry,
Reinstall.

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Wood trim painted to the walls, trying to pull the plaster off when you remove it?
Score the seperation line with a razor knife, use a stright edge for a guide if you have to,
Go back over it tapping the razor knife with a small mallet to cut through 50 years or more of paint.

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Want to get crap/stains off brick or stone?
This is particularly effective for fire place surrounds,
A $15 'Bucket Blaster' from Ebay and silica blasting sand from the local concrete supplier.
The white silica sand works best.

Drop cloth and tape off EVERYTHING you don't want sand in/on, hook up an air compressor and go to it.
Wear a dust mask and goggles!

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From my own shop,
Front wheel drive vehicles have 'Half Shafts', the axle shafts that have CV Joints at each end and drive the wheels.

Getting the wheel bearings out is easy, but many manufacturers loose their minds when it comes to pulling those shafts out of the transmissions.

Some want you to drop the entire front sub frame out from under the vehicle, engine & transmission still mounted in the sub frame so you can get to the half shaft,
Others have elaborate (& expensive) tools for that one simple process.

Take about 4' of 1/8" steel cable with vinyl coating & two small cable clamps,
Make a loop,
Pinch one end of the loop, slip on a 5/8" nut, so you have a figure 8 shape,
Slip the loop end through the wheel bearing hole in the spindle, around the half shaft all the way to the transmission,
Slide the nut up so the loop captures the inside of the transmission side CV joint,
Then use a common slide hammer to pop out the Half shaft.

The first time I tried this, the half shaft landed in my lap!
The same vehicle took an entire day to change half shafts in the first time around,
The second time it took about a minute each to get them out.

Since nearly everyone has a front wheel drive, econo-box vehicle of some kind,
And this loop of cable works on all brands,
It's been a real time/aggrivation saver in the shop, and cost about $5 to make!
(Beats the $99 to $300 for the manufacturers tools for each brand and sometimes model!)

-----

Ever need to work something down perfectly flat?
Thermostat housing, front timing cover, oil pump floor plate, ect?

Go to the glass shop, get a piece of plat window 'Take Out' from a broken window they have replaced, the thicker the better.
Have them cut it at least a foot wide and 16" long.

Tape a piece of emery cloth sheet, or use 'Spray Tack' to hold the emery cloth in place,
And work down your work piece.
Plate glass is perfectly flat, and when laid on a rug or in a box of sand so its supported, it will not flex.

Use EMERY CLOTH sheets, not sand paper!
If you want an extemely fine finish, use water or light machine oil on the emery cloth since emery cloth is designed to work wet, and wet you get a much finer finish.

If you want an aboute precision fit (well under 0.001"), use a VERY fine grit 'Lapping Compound' from gun smith suppliers, machine shop suppliers.
The lapping compound has a precise grit size, and a 'Grease' binder base, giving EXACT control of your lapping cutting.

Sometimes running a file over something is good enough,
Most times you get MUCH better results by lapping.

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Got a small engine you want to get a couple more seasons out of?
The valve seats and valve guides have seen better days?

'Knurling' valve guides is nothing more than 'Threading' with a dull tap,
Instead of cutting, the knurling tool mashes the soft guide material, some of it raises up closing up tolerances so the hole is smaller than the valve stem again.

You use a precision 'Reamer' to knock the spots down that are too high,
And the valve stem fits again.

Take your valves to the machine shop, have them measure your stems,
Order knurling tool and reamer,
Or if you have a micrometer or digital caliper, do it yourself and order on line.

For the valve seats, use a little Lapping Compound or even 'Tooth Polish' or paint 'Rubbing Compound' in the seats,
You will need to turn the valve stem (I use a drill motor on LOW speed)
And push up/closed on the valve while spinning the stem.

The referbished guide will center the valve so you get a concentric cut while lapping.
STOP WHEN YOU HAVE A SHINY RING IN THE SEAT AND VALVE.
Don't cut anymore than you have to!
You can do this successfully by hand spinning the valve, there is a cheap suction cup tool with wooden handle made to do this very thing with.

------

If you have a small 'Briggs' type engine, there is a gasket/diaphram in the carb that will need replaced from time to time.
These carbs are VERY simple, anyone with a screwdriver can do this saving a repair bill at the shop.

These little Briggs type engines also will get hard to start,
And that's often the magneto pick up coil gone bad.
Often times its just under the tin cover, and its where the spark plug wire comes from.
Again, super simple to replace and inexpensive...

I keep a couple of carb gasket sets, and a couple of mags on the shelf, since its 17 miles to town and there are about two types, one for smaller engines in the 3.5 HP range,
And the bigger type for larger riding mowers...


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## Drizler

Fiix cracks and divots in black top driveways with the bag or tub of blacktop turds. They say to use a board and park a car on the stuff to compress over a hole you filled . Worse , cracks fill with that flexi filler in a tube, nonsense. Just use the tar turds on everything. All you need is a small 1/4 to 1/2" steel plate the size of your hand, a propane torch and 2 or 3 lb hammer. When you are done it looks perfect and a few weeks later you won't see it at all even if you know where to look.
My drive has a spot where i have jacked up countless cars and trucks in the last 18 years. Lots and lots of side by side half moons from jack trolly wheels on hot days. Take the much needed bottle of beer, hammer tar turds and steel plate and get comfy. Then pile the turds on the holes and divots. Get it nice and warm with the torch then set the plate on it and hammer away. Just rap it don't kill it. For whatever reason the turds don't stick to the plate as easily as the hammer which is why the plate. Just rinse and repeat till you have a solid flat surface. Once its packed down you don't even need the plate. just hammer it down . In a week you wont be able to see the repair even knowing where it is. 
For cracks just line up the tar turds and do the same. Those cracks just seem to go away and become nearly invisible. A little heat and the plate may or not be needed. If you screw it up just pile more on . By the time you do your whenever sealing job the driveway will look like it was laid last week. 
When I went after mine I must have had a couple hundred pairs of side by side divots from jackin cars on hot days. It took a whole bag of tar turds 4 or 5 sessions and beer as needed to make the thing look like new again.


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## Kelly Craig

Been there, done that. A cutomer had a bad scuff on the front and I just buffed it out with toothpaste, showing him how he didn't even need me. He was tickled.



clovis said:


> . . . .Anyone else got a story to tell???
> Clove . . . .


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## Kelly Craig

I painted a friend's house. The paint job was thirty years old and there were a lot of cracks in the cedar boards used for siding. 

The end result of a paint job is not just about spending the money on good paint, it, also, is about preparation, before the paint. 

I used foam backer rod for large gaps, then applied high quality (e.g., elastomeric) caulking. The rod comes in various widths, splits easily with a sharp knife or razor, and is critical to filling large gaps successfully. In the end, I used two cases of caulk before I even started priming and painting.

Using that much caulk guarantees you're going to have sore fingers. To avoid that, I'd cut the fingers off gloves, wet them and use them as protection. That helped a lot. However, an age old problem has to be overcome too. That is, not having large smooth spots show up on where the caulk is on highly textured surfaces.

ON A WHIM, I grabbed a couple of my one inch chip brushes. The kind you get from Harbor Freight and that are everything but quality and quite disposable. I cut it down to about three quarters of an inch long and used it to apply the caulk.

I kept a cottage cheese tub with about one half inch of water in the bottom with me to clean the brush when it started gumming up.

The shorter bristles were stiff enough to push the caulk into cracks, BUT still followed the texture of the wood around the caulked areas. 

In the end, I wore down two or three brushes, but my fingers were just fine and there were none of the telltale caulk marks from swiping a finger down the caulked spot.


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## Kelly Craig

PAINTING 

You are told to not paint straight from that gallon bucket. This is good advice for several reasons:

1) You aren't lugging a heavy can of paint around.
2) If you trip, the disaster will not be as big, or as expensive.
3) You don't contaminate the remainder of the paint.
4) You don't fill the rim with paint, which hardens and makes it tough to get the lid back on. 

To up your game, you need a second bucket. Only fill it about 1/4 the way full. 

Now, rather that drowning your QUALITY brush (a Wooster or Purdy) in the paint, just dip the bottom third of the brush in the paint. 

As you draw your brush out of the can, slap the bristles against the inside of the bucket (both sides). This will knock excess paint off the brush and you will not have to drag it across the lip of the can. Because you DID buy a good 3-1/2" brush, it will hold the paint just fine.

NOW, regarding applying the paint, when applying it to an edge near a door or some other edge, vibrate your hand. This helps flow the paint off the brush on to rough (e.g., textured) surfaces.

IF you are going to stop for a short while, say twenty minutes, wrap your brush in a grocery bag, to keep it from drying. If longer, wash it out with warm, soapy water, THEN, put it back in its case, so it will keep its shape, as it dries.

Caring for your brushes will make them last your life time, unless you are a pro and use them every day.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

clovis said:


> Got to thinking about another poster's question about a leaky van.
> 
> This thread is about solving problems and funny things that happened.
> 
> I once was helping a girlfriend sell a car. It had been hit with a car mirror on the outside. Didn't dent the car, but left a black mark, probably from the plastic of the mirror, all the way down the side of the body.
> 
> I grabbed some car wax, and worked for hours trying to get the black mark off the car, with little success. I think I was making about 1 inch an hour, and my fingers hurt from pushing so hard.
> 
> A neighbor came out, and said...."You need to use Colgate, and proceeded to give me a tube.
> 
> "Huh????" I replied, puzzled.
> 
> The Colgate, applied to a rag, took the 6 foot back mark out within an hour. Seems that the grit in the toothpaste is just enough grit to work wonders, without scratching the paint.
> 
> Anyone else got a story to tell???
> Clove


buffing compound would have been the product for the job it has a micro abrasive , the tooth past can also have micro abrasives and why it worked


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## Kelly Craig

I'd go with a polishing compound in many cases, because I've found buffing compounds to be overly aggressive when dealing with a highly polished surface. 

SIDE NOTE: I wrote an Instructable on making your own buffing and polishing compounds on the cheap. It's posted on the Instrucables web site at:

D I Y, Inexpensive Buff Compounds [Plasic, Epoxy, Wood]



GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> buffing compound would have been the product for the job it has a micro abrasive , the tooth past can also have micro abrasives and why it worked


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