Handyman tips

[Tortuga]

This thread is primarily to share handyman tips and ideas..

 

A couple of months ago one of the drinking fountains at the Assembly Hall plugged up, I was trying to snake the drain line but was having a hard time getting the snake past the first turn. I wanted to see how the drain line was installed but it was inside of a wall. I found a access plate on the wall several feet away and it was just barely large enough for me to hold my phone inside the hole and video the drinking fountain drain line coupling configuration. Once I knew where the drain line went, it was easier to get the snake in the right place to clear the line.

 

I was worried about holding my phone inside the wall, if I dropped it I would not be able to retrieve it. If only I had something better to grip it..

 

Fast forward to today...

 

While browsing a newly opened Dollar Store, I found a 24" telescoping cell phone selfie stick. Perfect! It has just been added to my tool box of odd tools.

 

I plan to use it in the near future to video my attic before I climb up there. It will also be handy to video hard to access areas in the garage and workshop.

[tekmantwo]

Good idea. Any kind of remote camera is a good thing. 

 

 

Back when I still worked for a living I used a camera quite often for this type of thing. It was before I  had a cell phone, well before they put decent cameras on phones.

Reach cam into tight spot,  flash, check display...when I  got back to the shop I had photo evidence of what I had been doing all day.

 

Nowadays I use the phone camera display to look up onto the rare shelves that I  can't see into...

 

 

[Precision]

Such ingenuity !  I'll bet your tool boxes are full of one of a kind gadgets and tools for special request honey dew projects.   

 

Seattle's PD's finest  yanked a drunk lady off the plane last Saturday , kicking and screaming the whole way.  You should have seen the camera phones pop out to record . Those recording for a future R-rated episode of America's funniest videos were asked to politely turn off their phones. Poor lady...everyone applauded.  

[Omoyeme]

I found a wonderful way to super clean those greasy filters attached under the kitchen microwave.  (I initially was going to replace them but  I looked online and they costs between $5 and $40.00.)  I'm learning how to "be my own handyman".   So, I took them out and submerge both filters in boiling hot water for up to 10 minutes with a small cup of baking soda and a squirt of dishwashing liquid. (The baking soda acts as a solvent).  I couldn't believe my eyes as the grease was dissolved from both filters in less than 10 minutes--looking brand new!  However, this process only works on soft metal or aluminum filters.

 

I also cleaned off old rust formed in my bathroom sink using coca-cola.  (The cola contains phosphoric acid which is a solvent.) Using the cola and crushed aluminum foil, I wiped off the rust within just a few minutes.  One more handy tip: distilled vinegar and water works wonders in the home (kitchen, bathroom, windows.)  It'll save you money as opposed to buying chemical cleaners--which can be a health hazard. 

[pnutts]

1st tip. Don't get a turtle nor a hare to fix anything for you. One takes too long need a new what ever as old one disintegrated due to extreme age and the other too fast to do a good job. no foundation

 

 

Dawn dish soap cuts grease along with hot water. They even use it on birds and animals who get oiled during oil spills.

A little Dawn in a bucket of water cleans windows very well. You do have to wash window with it for it to work - no turtles allowed.

I know of brothers who clean windows professionally who use Dawn this way.

[Tortuga]

8 minutes ago, pnutts said:

1st tip. Don't get a turtle nor a hare to fix anything for you. One takes too long need a new what ever as old one disintegrated due to extreme age and the other too fast to do a good job. no foundation

 

 

Dawn dish soap cuts grease along with hot water. They even use it on birds and animals who get oiled during oil spills.

A little Dawn in a bucket of water cleans windows very well. You do have to wash window with it for it to work - no turtles allowed.

I know of brothers who clean windows professionally who use Dawn this way.

Did that tip just dawn on you?

[pnutts]

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Did that tip just dawn on you?

Yup. It bubbled all over me. Suds Suds more suds.Too much Dawn. Darn

[Old]

4 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Did that tip just dawn on you?

This sounds like "Dawn's early slight" to me!