Random Cool Tricks

And I thought I was bad riding the crane up and down the shop in an office chair.

 

I'll have a picture to post when I find my phone, but one of the coolest tricks I've found has been the ability to hold things and unscrew parts. Dad used to really annoy Mom when she couldn't open a jar. He'd just leave it on the counter and rest his hand on top of it. Wouldn't say a word, which is one of the things I remember most about him. After maybe a minute, while she is really starting to get angry, he'd know that the heat of his hand had expanded the cap enough that it would twist right off.

I deal with things that are a little more determined. 100+ year old rifle barrels and lamp burner caps. The only difference seems to be that one is brass and can be crushed. The technique is the same. How to hold a round, polished surface against turning. The trick isn't in how tight you squeeze, although that helps. It's about how good your grip is.



And the best, absolutely stickiest substance I've ever found is good old pine rosin. Wounded pines will produce nice round nodules of rosin. (the stuff that becomes the gemstone amber after millions of years.) You just pop these off the tree, and melt a little into your favorite holding device (wood, leather, steel) and clamp it onto what you'd like to hold. And it WILL hold.

Smells nice too. I filled a small pill bottle in less than five minutes on a walk this afternoon. About a decade worth of hold.

My latest success with this trick. 100 year old lamp burners that I've been heating and quenching and soaking in PB Blaster for two weeks. Both came off with little effort. All I needed was a non-slip grip on both round surfaces.

 

I like it, but just like my tennis racket bags you can't carry it without giving away the weight difference to anyone who has carried a racket or violin.

 

The latest evolution of my car interior kit. Makes me a lot of hours, because I usually have everything I need right there on one rail.

 

Cordless dish washer.

 

Lol,,, I haven’t heard the story of Cold Water in quite a while.

 

Ok. That was amazing!

 

Yep , that's how I do my drip edges over brick and transitions in siding ,, and around the roof edges before the shingles and underlayment's go down .

 

Domom® Contour Gauge Duplicator
This thing looks cool. Ima order one.

 

I've used similar ones before and they'll get you close enough most times where just a little extra trimming will get you a good fit . And when working with wood,,, always remember ,,, " A little bit of caulk , and a little bit of paint , will make a carpenter what he ain't ."

 

There are auto body contour gauges that are much longer if you need that. I think mine is 18" long. I just realized I could copy the shape of a lantern and make a stencil.

An alternative to the way I had been doing it, using paper on the sliding glass door to trace the shadow of objects. It does limit me to actual size.

 

THIS is why I don't downhill ski anymore. I generally collided with other skiers. Cross-country skis are safer, until you fall in a
thicket and can't release your bindings.

 

Better than jumping from an OV10, but the ride would be chilly.