Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

Boots are good as long as you make sure nothing else is in 'em before you put them on. I've dumped out a few scorpions.

 

That's what she said!

 

When closing a paint can put a rag over the lid and hammer the lid on from closest to you to away from you. That way the rag contains most of the splashes, and they will be aimed away from you.

 

Ever try to remember how long you have had a certain item? Sure you can look up the paperwork to find the purchase date if you can remember where you put the paperwork. Years ago I started putting the purchase date on items with a sharpie. The refrigerator in the kitchen has the purchase date and the date when I had to work on it written on the back. My air compressor is labelled with the date it got hooked up. Sometimes I look at an item and think it doesn't seem that long ago I bought it. Just start putting the date on things and you will see how long they actually last.

 

When I lone something out like shocks, tie rod ends, headers I only give one for setup the other one I tape a name on so I know who I let use it .

 

When my wife decides that a bath towel is too decrepit for the house, I re-home it for garage and shop duty. A lot of you are probably with me so far. But I really find them most handy when I'm putting something back together with little fasteners. (Set screws on the end of an allen wrench, for example.) A light-colored towel makes a nice catch-all. If I'm fixing a carb or a gauge on the bench...... a towel under the item takes the bounce out of any little pip that you might drop. If I'm working in the 'engine room'....... a towel laid or draped has lots of canyons and valleys to catch nuts, washers, screws....... even sockets.
I discovered this particular utility when installing various vintage shift knobs that had set screws for mounting. I'm tellin' ya, a black finished set screw dropped in a black interior, that sucker is going to bounce into a black hole, gone forever, fuggedaboudit. But a towel draped all the way around the shifter base? Ho boy! I got'cha you little sneak.

 

Thanks for all the tips guys....much appreciated!

 

If this isn't allowed, please delete!

I found a cheaper way to ship parts via ups and usps. It's called www.Pirateship.com.
I recently used it for the 1st time. It saved me about 30% of the normal shipping fee.

https://www.pirateship.com/rates?ut...avXViUt1opSHmhC33SMEj4ilx8pWSil8aAjKMEALw_wcB

 

What's the catch???

 

I wondered the same thing. I didn't find a catch.
Weigh the pkg, put in the measurements, L,W,H. Put in the address. It gives options for who to ship through. You pick the shipper, print the shipping label, drop off at the shipper. I had the shipper give me a drop off receipt with the tracking numbers. The pkg arrived without any issues. I saved $.

 

I might have missed it but...
I'm going to rebuild the drum brakes on my van..
I always use needle nose vice locking grips or regular needlenose but almost lost an eye when it slipped..is there a better way??

 

You get two for the price of one when you use 200, 250 or 300 watt incodessant light bulbs. They light and heat the garage up really well.

 

A large Phillips screw driver makes putting on brake springs easy. The Phillips stays the same diameter sothespring hook doesn't get caught.

 

There are special brake spring pliers. They do the job really well. Some are multi purpose with other handy drum brake related tools built in.

 

^^^ I like the one that twists the little coil springs on the brake shoes nails. ^^^

 

I started doing this lately..



When you reach for the electrical tape there's already a handy cutting blade with it to make nice clean cut ends.

Mart.

 

You can even get them at HF for very little money https://www.harborfreight.com/drum-...518&adsetid=117789286518&product=63640&store=

 

Perfect.i was doubtful of the quality of them

 

Overall I think the quality of HF tools is better than it used to be. They do stand by the warranty or have for me. If you are not a pro it seems with the price to me. That said there is some crap.

 

Make sure your wife is gone for a few hours before cleaning engine parts

 

I hesitated to post, but what the hell! I made (?) an absolute killer trouble light. Was at Costco, saw two screw in LED type lights that fit in the top of a garage, about a foot around with three big LED rectangles that adjust. Took an old cage type light, stripped the cage and screwed in one of these lights. Damm thing almost blinded me. Put a hook on it for hanging. Yeah, its a little big but each rectangle adjusts and it can lay or hang and its not nearly as fragile as a lightbulb. The other one is in the top of my garage and gives as much light as one of my 8' fluorescents. $29 for two. No more moving the light just to see something way back.

 

Good idea. I was just swearing up a storm at my drop light last night, damn thing wouldn't stay in place!

 

We don't have a dishwasher but I have been questioned about scratches in the bathtub. Be sure to use septic friendly cleaners.

 

Get one of these. It easily takes springs off and reinstalls them. Best brake tool I ever bought.

 

There should be one of these in every toolbox

 

Here's the images---ugly i know, but look at the light it throws. Those wings adjust up/down.

 

sanitary!

 

When I walked into what would be my shop for the next 20 years , in 1979, I noticed how dark that turn of the century shop was! It has an eight foot bench made out of bridge Timbers and a huge Wilton vice, so that is where I put my tool box. But still it was dark! So, I bolted a 1/2 inch pipe flange to the back of that bench , behind my vise and drilled a hole in the bench. I ran an electrical cord up through it. Then I added an approximately a 3 foot piece of 1/2 inch pipe, then an elbow, snug but not tight. I then put about an 18 inch piece of pipe in that elbow, tight! I added an elbow to that pipe, tight. In that elbow I put a street elbow in snug. Then another 18 inch piece of pipe, running the electrical cord through all of this! I then added a light to the end of the last piece of pipe! I obviously don’t have it or pictures anymore, but that was the neatest light , ever! It had range and would stay put where ever I put it! It was just over my head , so I wouldn’t bump into it! I had an incandescent bulb in mine, but now I would use an LED. Also I made sure the burrs were removed from the inside of all pipe and fitting. It was one of those simple things that worked great!






Bones

 

Solar panels get ditched because they're "inefficient" (that's what the salesman tells you), but they still work and can usually be had for free. I had a corner which was always dark, so I stuck a couple of these panels on the roof, and then connected them to a couple of 4' LED light fittings. These light fittings are usually mains powered, but the little 240VAC to 35VDC power supply often craps itself, so you are left with a 35VDC LED light fitting. Electricians don't repair these, but throw them away , so dead ones can be had for free too (my kind of price).
The solar panels put out a nominal 38Volts, so I connected them up, and it works like this- sun comes up, lights go on. Sun goes down, lights go off.
You can also power 12volt lights off the panels by using a 3 terminal 12volt regulator like a LM338.