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Mr. Crow posted:Anyone got any recommendations for good/reliable but also inexpensive cordless power drills? Harbor Freight serves the niche in between "rental" and "regular user" for tools. You might be better off borrowing one from someone. That's as free as a favor.
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Feb 24, 2013 23:38
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Mr. Crow posted:Anyone got any recommendations for good/reliable but also inexpensive cordless power drills? Ryobi or black and decker are the well known decent cheap brands. Craftsman has probably fallen into that categoty too now. If I were buying a cheap drill for someone it would be this because it's fairly new, lithium, and has great reviews for $40. Because it's reasonably new that battery should be supported for some time. There is an 18V version for for $60. The downside is that I don't see any other tools using that battery right now. http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-LDX112C-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion/dp/B004443WVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361750329&sr=8-1&keywords=lithium+drill Porter cable (and rigid) is a step above ryobi/black and decker but still a notch less than dewalt/milwaukee/maikita/bosch. There are a few other tools using this battery if you want to expand your collection including a multi-tool and reciprocating saw. http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-...orter+cable+12v Kit: http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-...orter+cable+12v Personally I don't do harbor freight for almost anything and cordless especially. They're probably NiCad's which are an environmental disaster when you have to throw it out after a few months. asdf32 fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Feb 25, 2013 |
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Feb 25, 2013 01:10
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Honestly it's just something I want for around an apartment. Think I'll go with the $60 version of that black & decker, just so it should handle everything I could possibly need it for around an apartment and will handle any heavier duty projects I rarely need.
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Feb 25, 2013 01:36
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asdf32 posted:Personally I don't do harbor freight for almost anything and cordless especially. They're probably NiCad's which are an environmental disaster when you have to throw it out after a few months. All the larger hardware stores accept these (free) for recycling. Along with your CFLs and other garbage no-nos.
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Feb 25, 2013 01:39
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I need to add some lighting to my garage attic that I'm constructing. I have a switched outlet nearby, what would be ideal if there was some of those clamping shop lights that also had an outlet in them so I could daisy chain 2-3 of them together. Anyone know of something like that? I could actually wire some lights up there but I use it so infrequently I don't feel like spending that much time on it to be honest.
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Feb 25, 2013 13:56
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House built in 1949, plaster walls. After going through several batteries and finally consulting the internet, I've figured out that stud finders are mostly useless in my house (or at least my cheap one is). When I get home I'm gonna try the "magnet tied to a string" method, but if that doesn't work (it didn't work with weak magnets; I'm bringing a bigger one home) what else can I do? I've tried knocking - I don't have ears/experience enough to tell the difference. The stretch of wall I need to figure out is only about 5 feet wide: there's a corner at the left edge, a window at the right edge, and an outlet in between. Is there any point on a wall where you can point and say "there definitely has to be a stud here, because _____", and then I just measure out 16" intervals from there? Alternative methods: - peel off baseboard, look for studs. Dumb question, but what if the baseboards were added after the house was built? Won't I just peel one off and see more plaster wall? - Drill a shitload of holes, keep drilling til I hit resistance and hope it's the middle of the stud. Not an option I'm looking forward to.
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Feb 26, 2013 00:35
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jackpot posted:House built in 1949, plaster walls. After going through several batteries and finally consulting the internet, I've figured out that stud finders are mostly useless in my house (or at least my cheap one is). I'm surprised to hear this. I use a cheapo for my 1920s house. Not that is exact but it gets me within a couple inches. What are you trying to hang/attach? If it is less than 300lbs use Snaptoggles and forget finding the studs. If you really really want the studs, start in the corner then come 16" and drill 1/32" holes to see if you find it within a couple inches. Thought given its a 1950s house, if the wall is non load bearing jump out to 24" from the corner. edit:vvvv Yep bookshelves will do fine with toggles. They are overkill. Don't need studs for that. EvilMayo fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Feb 26, 2013 |
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Feb 26, 2013 00:46
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:I'm surprised to hear this. I use a cheapo for my 1920s house. Not that is exact but it gets me within a couple inches. I'm no expert, having just bought a 1929 house, but I had some luck with the stud finder. One stupid thing I was doing was that I didn't know it calibrated every time you hit the button. So I was pressing it in the air and then putting it on the wall instead of putting it on the wall and then pressing the button (which lets it get a reference point). Also, for the task of hanging up a picture or whatever I don't think it matters whether you get a lath or the stud itself - the laths are pretty solid. For the magnet consider this: http://www.amazon.com/CH-Hanson-030...net+stud+finder
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Feb 26, 2013 01:21
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:I'm surprised to hear this. I use a cheapo for my 1920s house. Not that is exact but it gets me within a couple inches. XmasGiftFromWife posted:What are you trying to hang/attach? If it is less than 300lbs use Snaptoggles and forget finding the studs.
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Feb 26, 2013 01:23
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jackpot posted:It's all over the place. One minute I'll get a reading and think I'm fine, the next minute I go over it again and get nothing, but it beeps three inches away. Those things will probably do you just fine. poo poo, even the cheap plastic ones will support quite a bit more weight than you might expect.
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Feb 26, 2013 01:39
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dreesemonkey posted:I need to add some lighting to my garage attic that I'm constructing. I have a switched outlet nearby, what would be ideal if there was some of those clamping shop lights that also had an outlet in them so I could daisy chain 2-3 of them together. Anyone know of something like that? I've seen tons of hanging shop lights on cords that had outlets in the handles. You wouldn't want to daisy chain them together though. Extension cords aren't allowed for permanent use.
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Feb 26, 2013 03:50
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jackpot posted:House built in 1949, plaster walls. After going through several batteries and finally consulting the internet, I've figured out that stud finders are mostly useless in my house (or at least my cheap one is). When I get home I'm gonna try the "magnet tied to a string" method, but if that doesn't work (it didn't work with weak magnets; I'm bringing a bigger one home) what else can I do? I've tried knocking - I don't have ears/experience enough to tell the difference. The stretch of wall I need to figure out is only about 5 feet wide: there's a corner at the left edge, a window at the right edge, and an outlet in between. Is there any point on a wall where you can point and say "there definitely has to be a stud here, because _____", and then I just measure out 16" intervals from there?
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Feb 26, 2013 10:37
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So, I'd like to learn about home building. When my parents built their home they did most of the work themselves and I would like to be able to do the same. Are there books I should start with? Should I find a residential construction crew and work as a laborer on the weekends? Any advice would be appreciated.
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Feb 26, 2013 14:37
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Orange_Lazarus posted:So, I'd like to learn about home building. When my parents built their home they did most of the work themselves and I would like to be able to do the same. Are there books I should start with? Should I find a residential construction crew and work as a laborer on the weekends? Building my garage with no experience outside of Ikea shelves was a pretty good primer on framing, siding, roofing, electrical, door install, trenching etc. Finishing my basement and moving my under-slab drain lines was a pretty good primer for everything else. I don't think there is really any residential job I haven't done now including gas work, except foundations of course. Both of these jobs included a whole lot of youtube'ing DIYs and DIY forum lurking / posting to ensure I was doing it right, and passed all inspections.
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Feb 26, 2013 15:27
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The magnet worked. It's one of those strong .5" cube suckers, I tied it to a string and dangled it slowly across the wall. Sure enough, it hugged all the right places, and at different heights along the wall. But...NoSpoon posted:Also in NZ I wouldn't ever count on a consistent distance between studs.
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Feb 26, 2013 17:10
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jackpot posted:I'm seeing the distance between stud A and B is 14", while B to C is the usual 16". Weird. Are there corners, doors, or windows involved in those distances?
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Feb 26, 2013 17:38
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 Is this tree going to die? We had some 40mph winds in Austin and it tore this side of the tree off. The tree is otherwise healthy (aside from a bit of rot in the heartwood as you can see in the picture, likely from an old cut) and just started growing new leaves last week. What can I do to protect/seal the wound?
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Feb 26, 2013 18:08
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It will most likely survive and heal over. Trees need only a tiny amount of intact cambium to make it through. There's a chance a fungal attack could get to it but I'd wager it'll be fine. Some people paint things on tree wounds but my reading has informed that it's counterproductive: you want the wound to breathe and naturally scab over; painting anything on will seal in moisture and promote rot
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Feb 26, 2013 18:35
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Tai-Pan posted:
Hard to tell from the picture but it looks like there may already be a fungal infection at the top of the split. Those fungi will infect any and all wood around them. Unless you want to be cutting the tree down in a few years I would remove anything infected and see if there is a treatment that can be applied.
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Feb 26, 2013 19:07
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Are there corners, doors, or windows involved in those distances?
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Feb 26, 2013 19:28
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Tai-Pan posted:Is this tree going to die?
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Feb 27, 2013 00:50
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This is a total crapshoot of a question, and I'm hoping there are theatre production goons reading this , because I honestly can't seem to find an appropriate forum for this question. My work has a Harlequin rubber dance floor (Marley) down, and my genius students decided to help keep spike tape down by putting packing tape over it. Now I have multiple sticky spots that need to be cleaned off. I'm really apprehensive of using solvents, because we do a lot of modern dance, and therefore lots of bare skin in constant contact with the floor. I tried soft scrub, a little bit of acetone (since it evaporates) and even a fair ammount of water and elbow grease, but its not helping, so I've just gaffed over the trouble spots for tonight's rehearsal. Any ideas?
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Feb 27, 2013 04:13
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What about Goo Gone? It's good for getting off adhesives.
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Feb 27, 2013 04:18
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kid sinister posted:What about Goo Gone? It's good for getting off adhesives. Again, I'm apprehensive about using solvents because of skin contact. Marley can be porous, and solvents can not only be a skin irritant, but it can also damage the floor. It's rare to see a modern dance piece where a dancer doesn't have their face on the ground, and I really don't want to subject my dancers to that. It can also end up creating a slick spot, and one wrong turn in a point shoe could lead to a badly sprained or broken ankle. Dancers are notoriously prone to injury, and I really don't want it to be my fault. Ed: I don't want to come off as a dick, I appreciate the community, but blind speculation isn't as useful to me as input from someone who's actually got experience with this type of floor. Marley is normally only cleaned with hot water, or at most a 20:1 water/alcohol solution. Dancers are pretty touchy about this stuff, as their safety is in direct correlation to their ability to make a living. legendaryRev fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Feb 27, 2013 |
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Feb 27, 2013 04:29
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I've had good success with WD-40 followed by a spray-down with something like Simple Green.
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Feb 27, 2013 04:42
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PainterofCrap posted:I've had good success with WD-40 followed by a spray-down with something like Simple Green. Specifically on Marley? WD40 can end up being really slick, since it is a lubricant. Does the Simple Green cut it sufficiently? I'd just hate to have to spend an entire morning buffing the floor with paper towels by hand to get it off.
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Feb 27, 2013 05:02
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legendaryRev posted:Specifically on Marley? WD40 can end up being really slick, since it is a lubricant. Does the Simple Green cut it sufficiently? I'd just hate to have to spend an entire morning buffing the floor with paper towels by hand to get it off. MSDS for Simple Green - http://www.simplegreen.com/pdfs/MSDS_EN-US_SimpleGreenAllPurposeCleaner.pdf MSDS for WD-40 - http://www.wd40company.com/files/pdf/msds-wd494716385.pdf Simple Green is not expected to cause skin irritation and WD-40 can cause mild irritation with prolonged or repeated contact. I think that's your best bet as Goo Gone looks like it's much worse than those two combined. Or spend an entire morning buffing the floor with paper towels by hand.
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Feb 27, 2013 06:15
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pseudonordic posted:MSDS for Simple Green - http://www.simplegreen.com/pdfs/MSDS_EN-US_SimpleGreenAllPurposeCleaner.pdf Thanks(I guess!). Here's to hoping I won't have to do all the scrubbing by hand. That really would suck, as I already have fixed too many mistakes from this last show. I know that simple green is ok with pretty much every dance company that I deal with, I just don't want to make a poo poo situation worse.
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Feb 27, 2013 06:26
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legendaryRev posted:Again, I'm apprehensive about using solvents because of skin contact. Marley can be porous, and solvents can not only be a skin irritant, but it can also damage the floor. It's rare to see a modern dance piece where a dancer doesn't have their face on the ground, and I really don't want to subject my dancers to that. It can also end up creating a slick spot, and one wrong turn in a point shoe could lead to a badly sprained or broken ankle. Dancers are notoriously prone to injury, and I really don't want it to be my fault. I'm surprised you used acetone when only 20:1 alcohol is considered ok. Acetone is a far nastier solvent than alcohol, if you are worried about damaging the floor material. It will eat all kinds of plastics and things. Another trick you might try with adhesives is chilling it to make it less sticky, and then scraping/chipping it off. You could try this dry ice, or an upside down canned air. Also whatever you do, it would be best if you could try it on a small sample spot of material. Do you have any scrap piece of that to try it on, or maybe some inconspicuous corner to try if you think there is a risk of discoloring or other kind of damage to whatever the hell marley is.
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Feb 27, 2013 06:27
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peepsalot posted:I don't know anything about what a marley floor is, but there are solvents based on orange oil(such as De-Solv-It) which are considered fairly safe on most surfaces and including skin. However this would still have the risk of leaving an oily film, which I would normally say to try to wipe that up with rubbing alcohol, but that 20:1 ratio you mentioned is pretty weak. Yeah, I literally used acetone on a square bit of tacky substance 2 inches square out of a 40' by 30' area, and then covered it in gaff tape after the result was unacceptable. Gaff does wonders for hiding the bad stuff, but it isn't a permanent fix. I used acetone since it evaporates so quickly, and is a major component in nail polish remover, which I found is a common solvent that most women are exposed to on a daily basis.
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Feb 27, 2013 07:21
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Try mayonnaise (serious post)
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Feb 27, 2013 07:34
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Have you considered contacting the manufacturer of the floors for advice? This is probably not the first time it's happened to one of their floors; of all your potential resources, they're by far most likely to know exactly what will and won't damage their product.
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Feb 27, 2013 07:48
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legendaryRev posted:Now I have multiple sticky spots that need to be cleaned off. Clean it off with naptha then wash the floor with soap and warm water, there is no easy or magic substance that will dissolve adhesive and is not in some way a possible irritant.
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Feb 27, 2013 07:52
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Splizwarf posted:Have you considered contacting the manufacturer of the floors for advice? This is probably not the first time it's happened to one of their floors; of all your potential resources, they're by far most likely to know exactly what will and won't damage their product. yes, I am now on day 3 waiting for a response from them. Probably going to go ahead and try mayonnaise next.
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Feb 27, 2013 07:58
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legendaryRev posted:yes, I am now on day 3 waiting for a response from them. Probably going to go ahead and try mayonnaise next. Marley is just a brand name for bare vinyl flooring. It doesn't really absorb anything unless you let it sit for quite a while. Mineral spirits/goo gone/acetone/whatever will dissolve your glue. Hit it with a steam mop afterwards, and you're set. In fact, just a steam mop may work for you, if you're super concerned.
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Feb 27, 2013 12:26
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I have a composting toilet with a resistive heating element/pad that works like the defroster in a car's rear windshield. It's no longer heating and I've found a small break in one of the grid wires. The sheet has a clear plastic layer over the wires. I'm assuming I should remove this clear plastic layer before repairing. Would it be best to sand it off? Solvent? Also, would it be best to solder it back together or use the conductive paint sold in auto parts stores?
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Feb 27, 2013 21:06
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legendaryRev posted:This is a total crapshoot of a question, and I'm hoping there are theatre production goons reading this , because I honestly can't seem to find an appropriate forum for this question. My work has a Harlequin rubber dance floor (Marley) down, and my genius students decided to help keep spike tape down by putting packing tape over it. Now I have multiple sticky spots that need to be cleaned off. I'm really apprehensive of using solvents, because we do a lot of modern dance, and therefore lots of bare skin in constant contact with the floor. I tried soft scrub, a little bit of acetone (since it evaporates) and even a fair ammount of water and elbow grease, but its not helping, so I've just gaffed over the trouble spots for tonight's rehearsal. Any ideas? Maybe a mixture of water/lemon juice/vinegar/dish soap. Let it soak for a few minutes and then pour baking soda on top and scrub.
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Feb 27, 2013 23:04
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Dumb quick question. I'm trying to wire our house with cat6 and I've run into a few obstacles. In particular, I've got a room where I can't access the inside of the walls (well, not easily). This room backs up to a closet off the garage. I could easily run cable through the wall, into the closet, and from there, to the attic. Will breaching that wall cause me any problems (from insulated interior to semi-insulated garage closet)? Do I just need to take exta care to seal up any gaps, and if so, what should I use? I can either install a new work box or a wire grommet and seal around it, depending on what would be advisable.
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Feb 28, 2013 02:06
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snickles posted:Dumb quick question. I'm trying to wire our house with cat6 and I've run into a few obstacles. In particular, I've got a room where I can't access the inside of the walls (well, not easily). This room backs up to a closet off the garage. I could easily run cable through the wall, into the closet, and from there, to the attic. Will breaching that wall cause me any problems (from insulated interior to semi-insulated garage closet)? Do I just need to take exta care to seal up any gaps, and if so, what should I use? Place a box so it looks pretty. Just seal up either side of the wall with caulk and you will be fine. Make sure there are not any other cables running in that wall you might hit (ex. power or water to a water heater.)
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Feb 28, 2013 02:22
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dwoloz posted:I have a composting toilet with a resistive heating element/pad that works like the defroster in a car's rear windshield. It's no longer heating and I've found a small break in one of the grid wires. The sheet has a clear plastic layer over the wires. I'm assuming I should remove this clear plastic layer before repairing. Would it be best to sand it off? Solvent? Also, would it be best to solder it back together or use the conductive paint sold in auto parts stores? I've always just sanded it to bare wire if the enamel was thin enough (like on motor windings) or scraped with a sharp utility knife for thicker insulation. I've also had luck just burning it off and cleaning it up with some sandpaper.
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Feb 28, 2013 17:05
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