GARAGE TIPS and TRICKS - POST 'em!
- Thread starter e-tek
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tcianci
Well-known member
I like to keep a roll of scrap carpet around for use as padding on body panels when storing them.
Used pool noodles also make great pads for floor jack handles and work stands. New ones can be had for next to nothing at the end of summer at most any department store.
Take the diffuser off of your fluorescent light and use the reflection of the tubes on wet primer to sight the straightenss of a body panel that you're repairing.
If you don't have the ability to roll a bead on the end of a tube to form a retaining shoulder to work with a hose clamp, make a small ring of 12 or 14 gauge copper wire, so that it exactly fits the circumference of the tube and soft solder it in place (works on copper, steel and brass tubes).
When disassembling stuff on your car, make a mental note as to whether or not gaskets or fasteners had any sealer or other compound on them so you can be sure to duplicate the same thing when assembling.
There are more tips but I need a tip for remembering the tips I forgot!
Used pool noodles also make great pads for floor jack handles and work stands. New ones can be had for next to nothing at the end of summer at most any department store.
Take the diffuser off of your fluorescent light and use the reflection of the tubes on wet primer to sight the straightenss of a body panel that you're repairing.
If you don't have the ability to roll a bead on the end of a tube to form a retaining shoulder to work with a hose clamp, make a small ring of 12 or 14 gauge copper wire, so that it exactly fits the circumference of the tube and soft solder it in place (works on copper, steel and brass tubes).
When disassembling stuff on your car, make a mental note as to whether or not gaskets or fasteners had any sealer or other compound on them so you can be sure to duplicate the same thing when assembling.
There are more tips but I need a tip for remembering the tips I forgot!
Last edited:
wafrederick
Well-known member
Keep a boot off an old junk plug wire on hand,use it as a spark starter before running them in with the spark plug socket.Vacuum hose does the same thing also.Keep rolls of duct tape on hand,tape up the intake openings up so nuts,bolts and small tools don't fall inside the intake.
PCO6
Well-known member
Seeing Paullie's avatar (post #125) reminds me of something I have done for as long as I can remember. I keep a stack of disposable plastic drink glasses in a storage cabinet (the type you can get from a grocery store for about $1.50 for 25 glasses). They are handy to sort and store nuts, bolts, brackets, etc. in when you are disassembling something. When done, they can be restacked and put back in the cabinet, taking up very little space.
Dara
Well-known member
a little trick i find works good if you get metal in your eye
is use a strong magnet like a angle magnet you'd use for welding
an rub it gently on you eye lid over the area the steel is in your eye
an itll pull it out..if its well up in your eye lid you'll have to move the magnet around to get it out...hasnt failed me yet though
an for the safety glasses brigade i do use safety glass but ya can still get the odd stray that gets around them
is use a strong magnet like a angle magnet you'd use for welding
an rub it gently on you eye lid over the area the steel is in your eye
an itll pull it out..if its well up in your eye lid you'll have to move the magnet around to get it out...hasnt failed me yet though
an for the safety glasses brigade i do use safety glass but ya can still get the odd stray that gets around them
mrbreezeet1
Banned
0h yeah, i've done the boot off an old junk plug wire for years, used to get some nice long ones sometimes. Also get a section of 3/8 fuel line about 8" long, does the same thing.
Once you get it broken in, it's better yet. Get it straight, and the end's opened up a little.
richfinn
Well-known member
If your trying to install a bolt in a tricky area using a socket and extension push some blue paper shop towel into the socket and the push the bolt into the socket, this will hold the fastener tight whilst you get everything lined up.
mdbeck1
Well-known member
Another one of this type.... If you are drilling a hole get a disposable clear plastic cup. Hold the cup to the wall and drill through the base then through the wall. Most of the dust and trash ends up in the cup and can be easily dropped in the trash.
mdbeck1
Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent1320
Spent bullet casings make for great gasket punches. They come in a ton of sizes. If you don't shoot, ask someone who does for a handful of various calibers. A cheap nylon cutting board from walmart or the dollar store also makes a good backing for punching and cutting gaskets and other materials.
...
Agent1320... Thanks for the idea. I needed to find a way to cut some wads for my black powder 44. Sounds like a good idea.
1. The primer won't really hurt you if it doesn't have any powder in the case BUT don't point it at anything important. It will throw a fast hot flame out and scare the bejesus out of you. I dropped 20-30 primers on the ground the other day when I was reloading. I picked most of them up but every time the office chair rolled over one it went off... sounds like a blackcat and made me jump. I finally stopped and swept the floor.
2. If you pop the primer out and then drill out the primer pocket you can have a hole to push out the little circular pieces of the gasket.
3. For those of you that reload rifle and pistol shells... get a 1/4-20 tap and the appropriate size drill bit. The next time you get a case stuck pull the depriming pin out, pull the die out of the press, put the die in the vice, drill and tap the primer pocket 1/4-20 then find a large nut (larger than the case) add a washer for that 1/4-20 bolt, drop in a bolt and tighten. If the nut is high enough it will pull the casing right out of the die. If I said that badly go look at the directions for a "stuck case puller".
Originally Posted by Agent1320
Spent bullet casings make for great gasket punches. They come in a ton of sizes. If you don't shoot, ask someone who does for a handful of various calibers. A cheap nylon cutting board from walmart or the dollar store also makes a good backing for punching and cutting gaskets and other materials.
...
Please make sure it has a spent primer in the casing, not one that somebody pulled apart because of a FTF or other malfunction.
Agent1320... Thanks for the idea. I needed to find a way to cut some wads for my black powder 44. Sounds like a good idea.
1. The primer won't really hurt you if it doesn't have any powder in the case BUT don't point it at anything important. It will throw a fast hot flame out and scare the bejesus out of you. I dropped 20-30 primers on the ground the other day when I was reloading. I picked most of them up but every time the office chair rolled over one it went off... sounds like a blackcat and made me jump. I finally stopped and swept the floor.
2. If you pop the primer out and then drill out the primer pocket you can have a hole to push out the little circular pieces of the gasket.
3. For those of you that reload rifle and pistol shells... get a 1/4-20 tap and the appropriate size drill bit. The next time you get a case stuck pull the depriming pin out, pull the die out of the press, put the die in the vice, drill and tap the primer pocket 1/4-20 then find a large nut (larger than the case) add a washer for that 1/4-20 bolt, drop in a bolt and tighten. If the nut is high enough it will pull the casing right out of the die. If I said that badly go look at the directions for a "stuck case puller".
mdbeck1
Well-known member
I had a couple pieces of PVC pipe left over (1-1/2" or 2".. can't remember). I cut a couple 6" pieces, drilled two holes through them, and mounted them to the leg of my workbench with drywall screws (inside layer of the pipe only). It's just the right size to hold the chuck of my drill when I'm working at the bench.
mdbeck1
Well-known member
I don't have a lathe and occasionally need to get a metal bar/shaft into a hole that's a little too small. You can put the metal bar/shaft into the freezer for an hour or so and it will shrink a couple of 0.001". It will then be press fitted.
mdbeck1
Well-known member
If you are doing the same thing with a wood dowel.... put the dowel in the microwave or the oven. The dowel will shrink just a little bit.
SWells
Well-known member
X2...they are great for floor insulation in the winter too.
jdieter
Well-known member
Being an old fart and pushing the edge of "Old Timers" disease, when I have something to remember, like pulling a carb outta the carb cleaner, shutting off the lawn sprinkler, etc. I move my wedding ring to a different finger where it fits loose enough to irritate but not fall off.
kald
Well-known member
Thats a great idea!. I have been using a wet dry vac with hose laying by the drill bit while drilling in concrete with a hammer drill.
aka Larry
Well-known member
Once you use the above technique to to remove those retaining screws, do yourself a favor and throw them in the trash!
The wheel and lug nuts do a really good job of the hold the brake disc against the hub w/o using those PITA retaining screws.
CARS
Well-known member
a little trick i find works good if you get metal in your eye
is use a strong magnet like a angle magnet you'd use for welding
an rub it gently on you eye lid over the area the steel is in your eye
an itll pull it out..if its well up in your eye lid you'll have to move the magnet around to get it out...hasnt failed me yet though
an for the safety glasses brigade i do use safety glass but ya can still get the odd stray that gets around them
I would assume you are using a clean, new one? My magnets look like Chewbacca!
Cryptic1911
Well-known member
That works, but incase you didn't know, there is actually a proper tool for that.. impact screwdrivers. They have a thick handle that you smack with a hammer, and the head / shaft rotates as the head compresses when you hit it
aka Larry
Well-known member
\
Yeah, I know, I have one. I use it ONCE to remove the factory screws before I toss them in the trash!
I don't like reusing ANY bolts that have seen the business end of an impact screwdriver. And, I'd bet that screw is only there to help align the disc during assembly. If you can spare the 5 seconds to make sure it's lined up before torquing the lugs, then it's probably not necessary.
SWT Racing
Well-known member
That is brilliant!
While we're on the subject, I had a small sample of case lube that a friend gave me. I only reload 45ACP, but decided to give it a try. The difference in effort is quite nice! I went from 150-200 rounds/hour to 300. After looking at the container of lube, I noticed the ingredients were Lanolin and Isopropanol. I decided to mix up my own. I used an old 4oz. Armor All pump spray bottle and filled it with Isopropyl Alcohol and a single pump of some Lanolin hand cream my wife had. Shake up the bottle and voila!
Just put your cases in a big ziplock bag, give them a spray, seal the bag, and shake them around. Open up the bag and let the Isopropanol evaporate, and your cases are lubed. I've done this on the last 2000 rounds or so, and it seems to work great!
Duramax963
Member
- Joined
- May 15, 2012
- Messages
- 13
Great tips.
mdbeck1
Well-known member
I'm going to presume that you do this on the resize and deprime only. ...and after that you clean them up (run them in a tumbler?). Lubricants have a bad habit of making a primer go bad and/or mess the powder up.
on another note... if you reload...
That little allen screw on the top nut on the resizing die retainer nut... If it doesn't keep the nut in place when you pull the die out of your single stage loader take it out... insert a couple pieces of #4 or #8 birdshot and reinstall. It will hold it in the right place then and you won't have to reset the die every time you take it out.
JobeFabrications
Active member
Just a little trick I use when cutting short peices on my cold saw.
I put a large magnet on the stand frame to keep the little buggers from falling on the floor or flying off somewhere. Also you can use compressed air to blow off the magnets, just have eye protection on!
I put a large magnet on the stand frame to keep the little buggers from falling on the floor or flying off somewhere. Also you can use compressed air to blow off the magnets, just have eye protection on!
aka Larry
Well-known member
Last year I decided to build myself a small 4'x7' utility trailer. I have a horizontal band saw I used to cut the members to length, and I got tired of having to manually add oil to lubricate the blade.
I used some flat stock, small plastic bottle, ice maker tubing, small valve, and a hose clamp and made my "auto blade oiler". The valve makes it adjustable so it just adds a few drops of oil on the blade every few seconds. It actually works very well.
I used some flat stock, small plastic bottle, ice maker tubing, small valve, and a hose clamp and made my "auto blade oiler". The valve makes it adjustable so it just adds a few drops of oil on the blade every few seconds. It actually works very well.
Just a little trick I use when cutting short peices on my cold saw.
I put a large magnet on the stand frame to keep the little buggers from falling on the floor or flying off somewhere. Also you can use compressed air to blow off the magnets, just have eye protection on!
Wrap your magnet in a zip lock bag, and you wont have to blow it off with comressed air!
Dan in Pasadena
Well-known member
Smarty pants! Great little tip
mdbeck1
Well-known member
...and I was going to suggest putting it in a plastic walmart type bag. Then you can just unwrap the magnet once in a while and throw it away.
If you have a nut with a washer that needs to go upside down in a blind spot...super glue the washer to the nut. If you can't get it on, put the nut in a wrench/socket/whatever with some Vaseline.
If you have a screw that is starting to cam out, put some valve grinding compound on the screwdriver tip.
Pretty common, I know, but may help some of the newer mechanics out there.
If you have a screw that is starting to cam out, put some valve grinding compound on the screwdriver tip.
Pretty common, I know, but may help some of the newer mechanics out there.
mdbeck1
Well-known member
As a kid I had to put trim on a '59 El Camino. I could just barely reach the bolt with my finger and couldn't get the nut to stay still. I tried everything in the book. Finally in desperation I put some spray type glue on the end of my finger and "glued" the nut on my finger. I reached in and turned 90 degrees and it was on. Pulled my finger toward the back and got a socket on it.
mdbeck1
Well-known member
When your masking tape starts tearing instead of coming off of the roll correctly stick it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. It will heat the glue up a little bit and let you use it.
y20dth
Well-known member
(steel) wheel rusted to the hub?
Loosen the studs/nut a couple of mm's, lower the car back on its wheels, and (slowly) drive the car back and forth while turning the steering wheel.
The wheel wil usually "pop off" it's rusted seat, while the nuts/bols keep it on.
Loosen the studs/nut a couple of mm's, lower the car back on its wheels, and (slowly) drive the car back and forth while turning the steering wheel.
The wheel wil usually "pop off" it's rusted seat, while the nuts/bols keep it on.
Galaxieman
Member
- Joined
- May 20, 2012
- Messages
- 8
Or, put it back on its wheels with the wheel nuts loosened and rock it side to side. Works great...
IONH
Well-known member
I had never heard of doing that. So the valve grinding compound I'm guessing would increase the friction between the screw driver bit and the screw?
JonBoehman
Well-known member
You can also use comet on the tip of a screwdriver to keep them from slipping also.
djkeev
Well-known member
There IS a reason for those screws / stud clips being on the drum or disc.
If the ******* kid at cheapo auto repair fails to tighten the wheel nuts, the wheel comes off while driving, the brake unit stays together preventing the brake pistons from popping entirely out when you panic hit the brakes.
Think about it........ No piston in the hole = zero braking ability on that axle.
Dave
KMinAF
Well-known member
I was once told they were put there to hold the drum in place while the car was going down the assembly line. Your post makes more sense though.
Yeah, it can help big time.