Using the Wrong Tool for the Job

I used a binder clip as the drag spring for the breaker interlock for my generator. The interlock plate itself is a "T" brace from the hardware store I bought for $5. Does the same thing as a "custom" interlock for a Square D panel that costs $200!

I had to change the brake light bulb on my car. To get at it you have to remove the housing, by taking out a couple of screws in the boot (US trunk): then "JUST" slide the cluster forwards:-

The cluster is very convex just to the right of the centre, and, I spent a long time hitting it with the heel of my hand, but although I loosened it: I couldn't get it to move further. These housings are notorious for cracking when using a screwdriver to shift them, so, I created a spudger using an 8 mm screwdriver and several layers of insulating tape:-

I couldn't believe how easy it was to unstick the housing by just twisting it in the end:-

I know this is trivial, but I just wish someone had told me how to do it before I wasted ½ an hour or so.

Not really a tool as such, but, a tennis ball and bit of drain pipe make a great door stop:-

Sigh …

Sigh

Scythe

As one ages,nails get thicker and bri0ttle.

I use hedge clippers on mine,it is much cheaper than going to a farrier like I used to do.

I am thinking about upgrading to electric hedge clippers,as it is getting harder and harder to close the blades.

Vernier calipers as an adjustable spanner!

They can also inflict very accurate injuries.

I use this all the time. Take one tomahawk or small axe head, weld it to the end of a crowbar and away you go. Not only does it help square up holes but it sorts out any roots in the way. With it a hole 5" square can be neatly excised into the ground.

One proviso, keep feet well back, no second chances here.

I don't know if this is really the wrong tool for the job because it works.

Whenever I encounter a wasp nest around my house, I get the ShopVac out with a long extension tube. I very carefully vacuum the wasps off of their nest, into the vacuum cleaner. They typically don't try to get away, as they don't know what the tube from the vacuum is. When I'm finished, I don't turn the vacuum off until I have a can of wasp killer and a cap for the vacuum in hand (a cap off a spray paint can fits mine). I remove the hose, turn the motor off, spray in some wasp killer, then put the cap on. A couple hours later I can dump out the dead wasps.

A little soapy water in the bottom pf the shop vac will instantly kill them.It blocks their breathing.Spraying bug killer into the nozzle is dangerous because the propellant is Propane.A small spark can eliminate the wasps and you.

Soapy water works very well to kill them. They suffocate because it blocks the water-repellent chitin and penetrates the orifices they breath through.

You can also spray soapy water directly on their nest, they will drop off quickly.

I have vacuumed them the same way and put soapy water in the vac before I start. If you do not want them to build in the same spot, spray it with WD40.They don't like the slick surface it leaves behind. It lasts for years under an overhang.

I have also taken down a large nest after killing all of the wasps. I picked up the dead wasps and super glued them to the nest. I then glued the nest and wasps to my shop door at eye level when opened. This discourages thieves from entering.

I have an airplane and an old lawn tractor to move it in and out of my hangar. It has wheel weights, but I wanted more weight to get better traction. My plan was to fill the tires with water.

I couldn't find the appropriate fittings to attach a garden hose to the valve stems on the tires, however, I do have a swimming pool! I had a hand operated bicycle tire pump, so I put the pump and tires in the pool and pumped them up! Worked great, except I ended up with black tire marks on the bottom of the pool. It gave guests something to talk about.

When I finished, I disassembled the pump and heated it in my wife's oven to dry it. Perhaps using the oven for this purpose was the real wrong tool for the job.

If you want to keep people from swimming in your pool when you are away on vacation,drop a plastic wrapped Baby Ruth candy bar in the pool.

Works better than a Keep Out sign.

After becoming frustrated trying to find the gasket leak on my refrigerator,I found an easy way.Place a small latex tube around the drain pipe under the refrigerator and brush a small amount of kiddie bubble soap around the seal area.Then blow on the tube,to pressurize the interior of the refrigerator.Bubbles will appear on all the leaks.

Dish detergent will work,but the bubbles disappear quickly, so add a little glycerin to the mix to make the bubbles last longer.

This method may become standard for appliance techs in the future,but using an aquarium pump instead of lung air.Who wants a strange person's breath in their refrigerator?

By the way,a hint from an appliance tech:The number one reason for a gasket failure is sticky residue,particularly on the bottom where spills occur,on the gaskets sealing area and the gasket.That causes the gasket to slightly stick to the case.Eventually,it will damage the seal.Keep those area clean.

Something else that will give visitors something to talk about is if you throw a Baby Ruth in the water the night before.

It also keeps neighbor's kids out of the pool when you are away.

What do farmers use to put water/calcium in their tractor tires?

Here it is:

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Adaptor-Liquid-Fill-Tires/dp/B01N311XNI/ref=asc_df_B01N311XNI?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79989588513680&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=82264&hvtargid=pla-4583589117331683&psc=1

I bought one of these years ago foo my tractors, and I decided to put antifreeze into my garden tractor tires. I made an adapter for my pump up sprayer, filled it with 1 gallon of antifreeze and removed the valve core. Put the valve stem at the top, and added the antifreeze to the tires, both rear tires. I then topped it off with water with the adapter. The tires were tubeless 15 inch . about 10 Years later, I had a flat and when I removed the tire, the rim was still like new inside. The anti rust additives prevented corrosion and rust inside of the tire, something I had not anticipated.

That little 16hp B&S single cylinder tractor, made by MTD, before they had their own brand was tough. It can pull a 4 ft wide grader blade down my dirt road with a full blade. I had to fill the front tires also to keep the front end on the ground. Also added front end weights when needed.

I really abuse this machine, but it takes a lick'n and keeps on going.

I still have it. It was new in 1984.I rebuilt the motor once, and replaced the battery with an automotive battery that lasted many years.

I replaced the front axles with boat trailer axles that I cut down to the proper length, put Bearing Buddies on them so I could lube them. I did this about 5 years ago and don't expect any trouble from them.

It has a 52 inch belly mower that will cut anything. It is coupled to the motor via a gearbox and PTO shaft. so the belts always stay aligned. It has hydraulic lift front and rear, hydraulic drive transmission and had a non standard rear lift, which I modified to a cat0 standard 3point lift. It is not as fast as my Grasshopper commercial mower, and I save it for the rough cuts, almost like a small bush hog mower.

They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Best Universal Grit Grime and Effluent Remover.

If soap won't wash it and scrubbing won't shift it then b****r it.

I recently laid some large porcelain tiles in the garden. It's the first time I've done it, and, I was really stupid: I didn't clean the tiles as soon as I'd laid them. So now I have about 240 square feet of tiles covered with lumps splashes and stains of cement based tile adhesive.

Even the stiffest nylon brush I can find won't touch it. I've had some success with the thicker lumps with a heat gun and a hard plastic "chisel" and mallet. And the "stains" come off using one of the proprietary cement and grout clean up liquids.

The thinner splashes/thicker stains are proving really difficult: I've tried a wire brush on one of the spare pieces of tile and it does remove the surface texture, so I daren't go that way. Although it might be a last resort.

You know all those old America On Line CDs that used to arrive every week in the post; CD component catalogues, and, PC magazine software giveaways that we all keep in a drawer somewhere in case we can find a use for them. I took a stack just over an inch thick; bolted them together; cut them in half; lined up the two halves and extended the bolt holes through the second half and re-bolted them.

I'm just using it like a scrubbing brush and slowly cleaning up the mess.

It's very hard work so if anyone has any better suggestions I'd be happy to hear them. I wondered if freezer spray would work?

I have had success with floor polisher pads.

I don’t have a floor polisher, but got the pads cheap enough to cut them up for the jobs I find for them.

They are not as abrasive as sandpaper, but can be used with a polishing attachment for a drill once cut to size.

Using the Wrong Capacitor for the Job.

I have one of those PIR activated flood lights next to the front door.

After a few years it started intermittently activating, with no movement outside. It gradually got worse until it just kept coming on all the time.

Chat GPT said that the most common cause was an unstable power supply. So I cut open the box:-

I didn't even try to work out which one of those aluminium electrolytics had dried out: I just replaced them all with multilayer ceramics. It now works perfectly.

It would probably been cheaper to replace them with higher spec'd Aluminium electrolytics or Tantalums (but beware you need to over rate the voltage about 2.5x in switching PSUs), but now I have a small stock of 22µf 25V and 50V MLCCs for future PSU problems.

Use dental floss to make a centrifugal tooth paste tube emptier:-

This'll get you out of trouble for a two or three days, if you've forgotten to buy tooth paste.

Amusingly I inadvertently made a Crocodile Dundee style phone call when using it: higher frequency and not as loud of course.

When we were kids we used to make a bull roarer using our wooden ruler and a string. I am now going to try yours.

I keep a USB-rechargeable bicycle tail light on my key ring to quickly stop bleeding, reduce pain, and speed healing of cuts, bruises and insect bites. Just 20 minutes per area per day is usually sufficient.

The brighter the better, so I use a COB style tail light that is visible over a mile, which also gives much more uniform illumination compared to LED style.
Red wavelengths of 632 or 660 nm are optimal for healing effects. These also make a great night light because red wavelengths do not disturb your sleep /wake cycle and they don't attract as many insects as white light

The small Testor's paint bottles sit for a long time around here,and when you try to shake them,it does not move very much in the bottle.I drop a few BBs in the bottle when I first open it ,and they will agitate the paint when you shake it.You can hear the BB's striking the paint and bottle and the "mud" at the bottom and you will know when it is properly mixed.

Works for me.

If the wrong tool works, is it wrong?

take the tv remote below from the 70’s….

I'm not even going to show the remote to adjust the TV antenna for better reception when the wind blew it out of adjustment… because, you guys are pretty smart to figure it out…

I still have a Cornell/Dubilier Ham 2 antennae rotator.It is built like a tank and has never slipped off of position.Still using it since 1972.The mast got blown down once,and the antennae array looked like a pretzel,but the rotor was not hurt.

The don't build 'em like they used to.

The channel selector on an old analog,non remote tv broke,and I used an oven knob to replace it.350 F was channel2, 450f was channel 4,etc.

I have a nephew, he’s 43 now… and now that technology moved on we don’t use him much anymore… but he still works…

I recall it was pretty entertaining…. Yelling out ‘through’ the window… ‘ turn it south,… more, more, more, wait… go back,… no the other way… keep going, keep going…after making about a 720 degree rotation.., he realized I was messing with him.

If you recycle aluminum cans,the best way I have found to compact them is to line them up behind your truck or car tires and back over them.Flat as a pancake!

Does using an EV for a long road trip in sub zero temperature qualify as the wrong tool or is it just the driver?

I was new to the shop and I noticed a key brazed to the end of a long rod hanging on the wall,next to the door.

I was curious but didn't ask about it.

After a couple of months,a maintenance guy came in in a hurry, a look of panic on his face,grabbed the key and ran out the door.

A few minutes later,he came in, all sweaty ,leaned on the wall, wiped his forehead with his sleeve and breathed a sigh of relief.."Whew!"Just in time.

He left and I asked another shop employee what was that was all about,and what was the key for.

Oh!He said.You shove that key up an elephants A$$ to unlock his trunk!

I had been had!!.

It took a while but they were very patient.

Bubble liquid or soapy water may work fine here or on any pressurized system such as an air compressor, rim leaks on tires, etc.

Just submerging the whole wheel in ordinary water reveals slow punctures/leaks in tyres.

_{I wouldn't recommend that for the fridge}.

I've done that too, but sometimes it just isn't possible.

Bit tricky with HiTek's fridge.

lol, good tip to mentioned that.

For a couple of years, I’ve use my water pick to clean the build up on the rinse attachment on my Norelco shaver and on the shaver itself.

Surprising how much build up occurs. On the shaver as well and the auto flush that the shaver gets stored in.

so, I would say, the water pic, is not the wrong tool, but a multi-tool

We have quite hard water and the aerator on the sink faucet acquires a coating of lime (or whatever) that stops the proper functioning of the aerator. What works on that is a several-hour soak in toilet bowl cleaner. What I use is about 10% HCl acid.

I have a place in the country with its own well, the grain is pretty high.

It’s really hard on the coffee makes, my wife bough what’s basically a still to distill the water, never had a problem since.

I'd be so tempted to put that still to another use.

Back when I did foolish things… (like I quit) I made a Ram jet engine with fixture for testing. It ran on propane… well I had frozen unburned propane coming out of the exhaust…

so I wanted to get a fuel that would not freeze, well, being raised on a farm… with 700 acres of corn… hummm.

I've been using a file. I found one that is metal with grit adhered to it and holes in the curved end. Made in Korea, but otherwise no brand on it. Seems to be holding up OK. Otherwise get a heavy duty course grit that is fairly wide. The "emery boards" I was familiar with are too limber. Got it at a discount store locally.

Why apwere you holding out… I wish you’d have said that sooner.

Not holding out, just slipped my mind.

Here is another little bit of information that may be handy for anyone cleaning carbs, jets, the like: Orifice cleaners are rather expensive, but music wire is cheap.

I ordered some music wire a long time ago, and it came in a plastic tube and each wire was about 18" long. It was an assortment ranging from 1.6mm to 3mm.

I cut all sizes to a length that would fit into a small Tabasco bottle. Easily dispensed through the tiny opening. Applied several bands of silicon on bottom and sides of bottle so it could survive a drop or riding around in a tool box.

It only required about 6 inches of each for the bottle, so I still have plenty left.

I will try to find a link for that music wire.

Almost forgot: This is TOUGH wire and hard to cut, event the smallest size, and they will leave a bent smeared end where the cut was made. Must sand this off to get it back to square end.

Use a cutoff wheel on a Dremel to cut that wire without a bend, and carefully use the side of that cutoff wheel to square the end of the cut.

AMAZON HAS IT!

104 Pcs 40 cm 304 Stainless Steel Spring Wire 12 Different Straight Full Hard Spring Steel Wire,0.3mm-0.6mm,0.8mm,1mm,1.2mm,1.4mm,1.6mm,1.8mm,2mm,3mm for Drift Punches Various Shaft DIY Craft Model

Note: I discovered that the chisel shaped end after cutting(before squaring up the end) will drill though a hard blockage easily. Simply twist it in your hand while applying pressure.