Smart Shop tips!

[Gem99ultra]

Pepsodent Toothpaste - Old Commercial with a jingle - YouTube. That's where the yellow went!

Maybe it's just me... but I"ve tried a half dozen "magic formulas" to clean yellowed headlight lenses; none were cheap either. None worked well! And I refuse to pay some oil-changing operation $25 each to clean mine - especially when they just wipe WD40 over it. That's gone inside of a day. My solution was to simply replace mine with new assemblies with better bulbs. Simpler and it works.

 

[workinonit]

I made a couple mini squares from standard speed squares, to use in wood or metal working shops. I made one from plastic and one from aluminum and both work really well. I found myself reaching for one much more than I expected, so I made another aluminum one to keep on my bench in the barn. I use the cheapest speed squares I could find, in the $2 range. Most of the better brands have more slots for options, and those slots make them unusable for this. I attached pics of the new square with a red line indicating where I'll cut it with a hack saw. Then a pic of it cut. And finally the mini square. I clean up the fresh cut edge with a file, as well as any burrs on the other edges. This last one took me a total of 2 minutes to cut and file. By looking at it, you wouldn't think it makes much difference to have a standard or mini size, but that smaller size can be used easier in tight areas and also fits in a large pocket.

I think you can buy those that size already. I know I have a small one that I know I didn't cut.

 

[Frankenkubota]

WD-40 cleans all that gooey adhesive that they stick labels on with.

To save sandblasting the widow in a sand blast cabinet stretch some black widow screening over the inside of the window, attach with duct tape.

Duct tape will also protect glass from sand blasting, like on a window frame or such.
That same tape does a fair job for when paint stripping also, but aluminum foil tape is the best.
Aviation uses foil tape on plexiglass when they paint strip aircraft.

Another recent discovery.
Fine auto body rubbing compound does a super job of cleaning up baked on gunk on stove tops and oven doors.

And vise versa. I buffed out my car just prior to the big house building project, you wouldn't know it now.

It was so bad i used the compound you buy to clean the surface of your electric range. Then work your way back to regular compound.

Works good!

 

[Frankenkubota]

p

Maybe it's just me... but I"ve tried a half dozen "magic formulas" to clean yellowed headlight lenses; none were cheap either. None worked well! And I refuse to pay some oil-changing operation $25 each to clean mine - especially when they just wipe WD40 over it. That's gone inside of a day. My solution was to simply replace mine with new assemblies with better bulbs. Simpler and it works.

I bought a product at autozone or somewhere for polishing your headlight lenses, like a kit. BMW dealer wanted $150 each.

It took a LONG time but in the end, almost perfect. Do one completely then look at the difference.

You could probably cobble something together yourself, it was 90% rubbing and 10% compound.

 

[neverfailyou]

My solution to lost and wandering tape measures.

Frequent visits to harbor freight whenever they had coupon for free tape measures (not the best quality but good enough for most work and at the right price) I ended up with a toolbox drawer full of tapes (pre-COVID. No more free coupons that I’ve seen). Now when I start a project I grab a tape from the drawer. Multiple projects... multiple tapes.
As the projects get finished, sometimes the tapes make it back to the drawer, sometimes not. When the drawer is empty, it’s time to clean up the shop and find all the lost tapes.

It’s easier done than this write up.

 

[fried1765]

Maybe it's just me... but I"ve tried a half dozen "magic formulas" to clean yellowed headlight lenses; none were cheap either. None worked well! And I refuse to pay some oil-changing operation $25 each to clean mine - especially when they just wipe WD40 over it. That's gone inside of a day. My solution was to simply replace mine with new assemblies with better bulbs. Simpler and it works.

3M rubbing compound works great.......looks like new, and cheap fix!

 

[bigtiller]

This is interesting! Any before/after pictures? Are you saying to grind the teeth to a V?

Sorry, no pics. Yes, sharpen just like a pocket knife.

 

[Rebeldad1]

"To save sandblasting the widow in a sand blast cabinet stretch some black widow screening over the inside of the window, attach with duct tape."

used to build sandblast cabinets for the local hotrodders. They needed cabinets that could hold a door or trunk lid.
The BEST fix for protecting the glass was a roll of Mylar. Held up great and never replaced a glass again.

 

[GeneV]

Take a worn out reciprocating saw blade and grind/file the teeth off so it is sharp like a knife.
Chuck it up in your saw and use it for cutting down large boxes and Styrofoam packing.
It doesn't leave a mess on the floor like a blade with teeth does.

Gonna have to try that, thx.

 

[hslogger]

I had a great visionary experience the other day while trying to squirt some foam sealant in spots that the supplied tube wouldn't allow me to reach. I went to my container that holds all kinds of spare straws, tubes, etc and found one that came close to match the one I needed to extend.
I fired up the hair dryer and heated it enough that I was able to force the factory one into it. Held it for a minute, and Voila. Extended snout and something to shout about.