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Death Pants posted:well the hits just keep on coming. While doing laundry tonight my electric dryer decided it no longer wanted to dry the clothes but rather just tumble them around for an hour or so. When I asked the dryer if it was still under warranty it laughed and then threw a sock at me. As happy as I was to have the missing sock back, I'm still upset that it no longer wants to do it's job. Sounds like a problem with the heater unit. A quick Google search has linked to this website, which seems to be pretty thorough.
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Jan 19, 2008 17:41
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Deacon of Delicious posted:I need suggestions for getting around not having a router. I'll have a rectangular hole in a piece of wood, and I need to make recessions on two of the sides for a mounting plate. The recessions need to be about 2"x1/2"x1/3". I don't have a router and I don't know anyone who does, and all I need are these two little recessions. The only thing I can think of is carefully using a sanding block or a file. Anyone have any ideas? How about using a chisel? If you don't have a chisel and don't care what it looks like, use a screwdriver like a chisel?
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Jan 19, 2008 18:07
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Deacon of Delicious posted:Sorry, I could have been clearer. Here's a crappy MSPaint to illustrate: Sans router, your best bet would be hammer and chisel--the way they did these things before power tools. Just make sure to take out small chunks at a time and constantly measure to make sure you're not going any deeper than you want. The best idea is to draw out the area you want to chisel away and "cut" your pencil lines with the chisel by holding it 90 degrees and going straight down with the flat side of the chisel to the "finished" part of the box. Then just hold your chisel at a shallow angle and start carving away. It's going to take time and patience and a lot of sanding, but it will work. Though a good chisel set can easily cost you as much as a cheaper router. Edit: ^^^^  NEVER use a screwdriver as a chisel or prying device. They aren't manufactured for that kind of stress and can easily snap or shatter causing you to stab yourself with a jagged piece of metal or send jagged bits of metal flying into the eyes of those around you! Seriously, never use a tool in a fashion for which it wasn't designed. That's just stupid.
monkeybounce fucked around with this message at 18:18 on Jan 19, 2008 |
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Jan 19, 2008 18:15
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ail posted:I'm working on my bathroom. There's no secret really. Just make sure you have a good measuring tape. Not some dollar store tape that is probably measured incorrectly and is going to bind and kink up on you everytime you pull it out thus causing your measurements to suffer. For the chair rail that you're putting up, the best thing you can probably get yourself at this point is a good quality laser level. Not one of the crappy ones you see on TV or in Walmart. Measure up to where you want the chair rail and let the laser do the leveling for you. It's the least infuriating way to get things done, in my opinion.
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Jan 19, 2008 18:27
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monkeybounce posted:Sans router, your best bet would be hammer and chisel--the way they did these things before power tools. Just make sure to take out small chunks at a time and constantly measure to make sure you're not going any deeper than you want. I was thinking about using a chisel, but I'm working with MDF. I need to buy some files anyway, I might use them on a piece of scrap I've got laying around and see how that works. It will be nice one day when I'm no longer in an apartment and can have all the loud power tools I want.
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Jan 19, 2008 19:26
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Deacon of Delicious posted:I was thinking about using a chisel, but I'm working with MDF. I need to buy some files anyway, I might use them on a piece of scrap I've got laying around and see how that works. It will be nice one day when I'm no longer in an apartment and can have all the loud power tools I want. What about a dremel? Could that possibly work? EDIT: http://www.mytoolstore.com/dremel/router.html They aren't horribly loud.
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Jan 19, 2008 20:58
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^^^^^ The only problem I could foresee with a Dremel would be gumming of the blades/stones/wires/whatever bit you're using from the glue that makes up the MDF. That said, however, a Dremel would probably work out pretty drat good well. Just make sure to have some extra [ insert head of choice ] because they will gum up as the glue melts from the friction. Also, please make sure to wear a respirator (those cheap rear end paper/surgical masks don't do poo poo) as the particulate matter from MDF plays hell on your lungs. As for files, they might work, but you're going to have quite the difficulty actually getting the right shapes you want. And sorry if I'm doing the whole annoying safety lesson stuff. 
monkeybounce fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Jan 20, 2008 |
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Jan 20, 2008 01:55
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^^^^^ This man speaks the truth. Wear safety glasses and a respirator when working around dust. Your lungs will thank you later by not getting cancer.
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Jan 20, 2008 02:29
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monkeybounce posted:^^^^ Except these.
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Jan 20, 2008 04:11
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Bad Angus! Bad!
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I'm looking for a source of a thin but moderately rigid plastic that could be cut with an x-acto knife. I want to make some stencils larger than the standard size for overhead projector transparencies, but ideally from the same material. Alternatively, a cheap source of large paperboard (I've been using the faces of food boxes) would do the trick, though I'd prefer the plastic.
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Jan 20, 2008 07:25
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Is there some reason the paint on my walls is so easily chipped - and why it is revealing the original coat despite a layer of primer, a layer of paint, then two more coats of paint (in a slightly lighter shade)? Admittedly I didn't get premium paint, but the cheaper stuff from Lowe's. Is this the cause? I've had to do small touchups because the blue paint has been knicked by something or other and suddenly there's a large white dot in a sea of blue. It's a California house, so we have that weird spatter texture/design on the sheetrock. I cleaned the walls, sanded the walls a bit (although because of the bumps only the 'top' was sanded at all), coated it with primer, painted a dark blue, then a lighter blue twice. ail fucked around with this message at 11:22 on Jan 20, 2008 |
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Jan 20, 2008 11:19
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ail posted:Is there some reason the paint on my walls is so easily chipped - and why it is revealing the original coat despite a layer of primer, a layer of paint, then two more coats of paint (in a slightly lighter shade)?Is this the cause? I've had to do small touchups because the blue paint has been knicked by something or other and suddenly there's a large white dot in a sea of blue. Admittedly I didn't get premium paint, but the cheaper stuff from Lowe's. This is probably 95% of your problem. I'm assuming the paint you got was a little thinner and more watery? It probably doesn't have a good ratio of bonding agents to volume which will cuase it to fail. The cheap paint isn't that much cheaper. You also mention that you cleaned your walls. With what did you clean them? Anything that can leave a bit of a residue--including standard soap and water--can cause paint to fail. What you really want to clean your walls with before painting is TSP. It's a heavy duty degreaser and it will make sure there's nothing on your walls that will cause the paint to fail.
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Jan 21, 2008 02:47
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monkeybounce posted:You also mention that you cleaned your walls. With what did you clean them? TSP. Shits and a biscuit though about the paint. Makes me feel like i wasted a lot of time (and in end, money).
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Jan 21, 2008 04:51
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So I wanted to try and make a shelfing unit for my DVD's and computer games, but I can't decide what to make it out of. The most obvious answer, of course, is wood, but I want the shelf to be lighter than that. So I figured why not try PVC piping? I know it sounds weird, but I don't see much of a problem with it, but I've never done this kind of stuff before, so what do you guys say? Can you recommend a material that's light and easy to work with for a starter, that's also cheap? Thanks. Boyz Scout fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Jan 21, 2008 |
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Jan 21, 2008 05:55
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ail posted:TSP. That's why the cheap stuff isn't really that much cheaper. And I don't work for the company or anything, but KILZ is the only primer you should ever use. It's about 25-30 bucks a gallon, but that poo poo is wonderful and will even give a bit more life force to the cheap paint--but don't use cheap paint, regardless. Hoga posted:So I wanted to try and make a shelfing unit for my DVD's and computer games, but I can't decide what to make it out of. The biggest issue with PVC piping is that it's designed to be inside of walls and under cabinets so it's going to look like poo poo sitting in the middle of your living room. There's no good way to paint/finish it, so it's really going to look cheap and tacky. It will also scratch easily and have all sorts of embossed logos/measurements/etc. And it doesn't sound weird. I made all of my living room tables/shelves out of galvanized pipe. It's industrial, yet sleek. But it would be heavier than what you want. That said, copper tubing would probably look pretty sleek and sexy. It's really no more difficult to work with than PVC if you use epoxy or something instead of soldering the joints. I believe there's also a compound called 'liquid solder' for copper pipes, but I've never used it so I can't testify to it's durability/usability. Basically, what you're going to want is a bunch of 90 degree elbows, straight pieces, and T joins. It all depends on how big/how many shelves you want. Get a copper cutter (it's a little cutting wheel that you tighten as you turn to cut the pipe) and then have at it. You won't have to worry about cleaning or sweating the joins if you don't solder (and if you do want to solder, then make sure to read up on it and try it out on some scrap pieces as you can really make some ugly mistakes) so it should be easier than iKea furniture once you get your design figured out. And just to throw it in there, it's shelving. monkeybounce fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Jan 21, 2008 |
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Jan 21, 2008 06:32
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woops, double post. Sorry folks.
monkeybounce fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Jan 21, 2008 |
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Jan 21, 2008 06:40
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Blowupologist posted:Sounds like a problem with the heater unit. A quick Google search has linked to this website, which seems to be pretty thorough. hey thanks man. Turns out it was the heating coil, probably one of the easiest things to install in the thing. Ordered a replacement, thanks again
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Jan 21, 2008 06:43
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monkeybounce posted:And just to throw it in there, it's shelving. Thanks a ton  How much do you figure the copper piping is gonna set me back? I'm working on a budget unfortunately. We're also looking at about 3 or 4 shelves each about 54" high,14" deep, and 24" long a piece.
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Jan 21, 2008 06:57
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My futon has broken. There is a long board connecting the two ends of the futon, (I picture it like a letter H, but with a long "-") and it has split at one of the joints, where the screw connects the end piece and this long board. Does anyone know how I can fix this? I was thinking wood glue to glue the board back together, then splint the main board with two pieces of wood or use metal brackets to re-secure the end piece to the main board.
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Jan 21, 2008 21:03
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BulimicGoat posted:My futon has broken. There is a long board connecting the two ends of the futon, (I picture it like a letter H, but with a long "-") and it has split at one of the joints, where the screw connects the end piece and this long board. Does anyone know how I can fix this? I was thinking wood glue to glue the board back together, then splint the main board with two pieces of wood or use metal brackets to re-secure the end piece to the main board. A picture would be really helpful here, but generally I prefer to replace broken pieces with fresh bits of wood. Depending on the shape you should be able to find something at a hardware store, and then cut/drill it to meet your requirements.
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Jan 22, 2008 01:22
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How do I hang this huge rear end Chinese Wall scroll? My parents sent me a huge rear end chinese wall scroll that a friend of the family gave to them. They couldn't really hang it anywhere and I happen to have a nice blank wall in my home that should work well. When I look online it seems like most of these scrolls just hang vertically. Well this one spans approximately 11 feet or so. So I have no idea how to hang this loving thing. One side has a neat little piece of wood that is attached to the scroll, the other side has a much smaller piece of wood. I'm in the process of trying to find a good example picture online but so far I'm only finding the vertical ones. Here's what I'm dealing with: Wall in question:  Scroll:  In all of its wrinkled horse gayness:  Any ideas? Medikit fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Jan 22, 2008 |
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Jan 22, 2008 02:51
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Medikit posted:How do I hang this huge rear end Chinese Wall scroll? My idea: find or make a slightly larger canvas mounting base for it; paint canvas appropriate color, mount scroll to that. The scroll on a plain white wall seems bland. Mounting the canvas wouldn't be any difficulty, although i'm not sure how to mount the scroll to the canvas well enough to prevent any looseness or sagging.
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Jan 22, 2008 02:56
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ail posted:My idea: find or make a slightly larger canvas mounting base for it; paint canvas appropriate color, mount scroll to that. The scroll on a plain white wall seems bland. Mounting the canvas wouldn't be any difficulty, although i'm not sure how to mount the scroll to the canvas well enough to prevent any looseness or sagging. That's good advice. I'm not thinking long term at the moment as I will be moving in a year and a half, though I might try that in the future should I use this thing again. At the moment I'm just trying to find an effective way to get it up there without double sided taping the entire thing.
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Jan 22, 2008 03:01
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I definitely agree that some kind of support is needed here, as just attaching it to the wall won't really do much. I think some kind of mounting bracket would look really good, especially if you used it to hold the scroll a few inches away from the wall. That would establish a nice 3-D effect, and depending on how the brackets worked out they could complement the scroll nicely. Does the wood stick out of the edges of the scroll at all? According to The Internet they weren't supposed to be hung at all, and your best bet is some kind of frame. I still think brackets holding the artwork away from the wall would look cool.
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Jan 22, 2008 03:21
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Blowupologist posted:
That explains a lot. I updated my original post because I messed up the pictures. It shows the scroll rolled up. I can definitely grab the wood. Perhaps a bracket can hold the wood on one side and then on the other I could have a catch of some sort and wrap the end of the scroll around it since it extends beyond the wall. One problem with this is that the left wall is concrete.
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Jan 22, 2008 03:48
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Medikit posted:That explains a lot. I updated my original post because I messed up the pictures. It shows the scroll rolled up. I can definitely grab the wood. Perhaps a bracket can hold the wood on one side and then on the other I could have a catch of some sort and wrap the end of the scroll around it since it extends beyond the wall. That sounds doable. Or you might want to look at two brackets, since the method used to hold the first end would probably work just as well on the second. quote:One problem with this is that the left wall is concrete. Not a horrible problem. A hammer drill, concrete bits, and some anchor bolts will make this less of a problem. Or you could liquid-nails the bracket directly to the wall, seeing as how this isn't exactly a heavy item. If you're renting I would not recommend glue.
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Jan 22, 2008 04:35
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Hoga posted:Thanks a ton Unfortunately, it's going to be pretty expensive. You're talking at least about 24' of pipe per shelf. (Each one of those measurements X 4). With those dimensions, I would estimate easily 100 bucks a shelf. But I am confused about the layout of your shelves. Why would they need to be 14" deep for DVDs? A standard dvd case is about 7.5" X 5.25 so at maximum you would need them to be 5.5 deep. And if you made a 54" tall shelf, you would be able to fit 6 shelves with a 7th top shelf comfortably.
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Jan 22, 2008 19:03
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monkeybounce posted:Unfortunately, it's going to be pretty expensive. You're talking at least about 24' of pipe per shelf. (Each one of those measurements X 4). With those dimensions, I would estimate easily 100 bucks a shelf. Jesus didn't mean 14"  So we're looking at $300-$400 then? Well I'd have to wait a bit longer, but it's definitely doable. Thanks a ton for your help, though.
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Jan 22, 2008 19:59
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Hoga posted:Jesus didn't mean 14" PVC is cheap enough that you could at least give it a shot with a small project. You should also consider looking at various material offerings from places like https://www.mcmaster.com, as you might find something you like there.
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Jan 22, 2008 20:32
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Seems like this forum is mostly artsy/crafty stuff and home improvement, but I found this awesome video this weekend and figured I'd post it. I wanted to change the air filter in my car, since it hadn't been done in a while and I've been taking a more active interest in my gas mileage. I went to Napa and bought a new one, and realized I didn't really know how/where it was supposed to go. There was nothing in the manual except the part number for the filter, so I turned to my old friend google. The first six howto links I found essentially just said: 1. Remove old filter 2. Clean airbox 3. Put new filter in Eventually I came across this video: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-change-your-air-filter which has a rather clever method of doing things and gives a nicely detailed step-by-step. It's in the Queen's English, but all you need to know is that bonnet = hood and everything else translates pretty easily. Anyhow, this is probably pretty basic stuff for anyone with the gumption to even bother trying it on their own, but I never would have thought of using compressed air to clean it out. It worked like a charm.
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Jan 23, 2008 01:57
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Zenaida posted:Anyhow, this is probably pretty basic stuff for anyone with the gumption to even bother trying it on their own, but I never would have thought of using compressed air to clean it out. It worked like a charm. Sure, it's a pretty basic job, but it's the same place all us shadetree mechanics started from. If you don't mind translating Limey -> Yankee, pick up a Haynes manual for your model year, it'll walk you through step by step (with pictures!) everything from changing the oil to rebuilding the engine, along with neat tips like blowing out the filter, using rope to hang the brake calipers while you work on them, and using a 50˘ pipe in place of $95 factory tool. At $16 they're a steal. That's pretty much how I learned to work on cars. You'll save a lot of money by doing even the simple things yourself, with less than $30 worth of tools. As a bonus, chicks dig guys who can take care of basic stuff on their cars. And if you're in college, you can make bank off other students who can't afford a real mechanic and can't fix stuff themselves.
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Jan 23, 2008 05:10
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I want to run an electrical cord into a watertight plastic container. I have used silicone sealant for this in the past, but it just doesn't bond with plastics as well as it would with glass, and an accidental tug can break it loose. What are some other cheap methods of sealing the spot where the cord passes through? Also, the cord is not perfectly round, but shaped like a flattened oval. code:
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Jan 23, 2008 15:54
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Hot glue?
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Jan 23, 2008 16:03
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gross posted:I want to run an electrical cord into a watertight plastic container. I have used silicone sealant for this in the past, but it just doesn't bond with plastics as well as it would with glass, and an accidental tug can break it loose. What are some other cheap methods of sealing the spot where the cord passes through? The problem might be that the plastic is too smooth. Regardless of what method you use to seal the cord, rough up the plastic a bit with some coarse sand paper and then wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. That will clean up the area and give it something to adhere to. I could see epoxy working well in this situation. Run the cord through the plastic, and then fill the gap with epoxy. Once the epoxy cures it should form a very solid, very waterproof plug.
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Jan 23, 2008 16:27
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Thanks, I might try one of those after another run around the hardware store. I've actually been meaning to pick up both for other reasons, so it wouldn't hurt. It just seems like there should be some common part for things like that, but I haven't found it yet. Like a tiny plastic bulkhead fitting with a soft gasket that can be tightened down around the cord. If I find a way to rig something from other parts, I'll be sure to share it.
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Jan 23, 2008 16:57
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gross posted:Thanks, I might try one of those after another run around the hardware store. I've actually been meaning to pick up both for other reasons, so it wouldn't hurt. I've recommended it before, but if anyplace has it https://www.mcmaster.com would. I don't work for them.
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Jan 23, 2008 17:14
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gross posted:It just seems like there should be some common part for things like that, but I haven't found it yet. Like a tiny plastic bulkhead fitting with a soft gasket that can be tightened down around the cord. If I find a way to rig something from other parts, I'll be sure to share it. There is such a part - a cable gland. In this case an 'IP rated cable gland' is what you should be searching for, I'll not try to recommend any suppliers since I'm in the UK, but now that you have a name for the part you should be able to track one down.
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Jan 23, 2008 18:56
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PurDunamis posted:cable gland Perfect. That's almost exactly what I pictured, but my web searches were turning up entirely different things. Thank you very much.
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Jan 23, 2008 21:51
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poeticoddity posted:I'm looking for a source of a thin but moderately rigid plastic that could be cut with an x-acto knife. I want to make some stencils larger than the standard size for overhead projector transparencies, but ideally from the same material. Sheet styrene, from a big hobby shop - one of those places that sells radio controlled planes/ cars, etc... Comes in many different thicknesses, from really thin (like 0.010 in) to pretty thick (like 0.050 in), opaque white.
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Jan 24, 2008 00:22
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What is the thread size of the end of a painter's pole? I'm guessing 3/4"... do they even follow the same standard for threaded things?
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Jan 24, 2008 02:56
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