Totaly random tips and tricks.

Never take your horse's temperature, unless the thermometer's clipped to its tail with a clothespin and a length of string...

Trans_Maro wrote: Dawn or any dishsoap is cheaper than "car guy soap" of any flavour and works just as well.

Dawn dish soap works extremely well at de-fleaing dogs and cats as it is safe for the pets you want to keep and not so safe for the pests on them. And it's cheap.

Trans_Maro wrote: Dawn or any dishsoap is cheaper than "car guy soap" of any flavour and works just as well.

Add a little borax to it (seriously) and it works better than any pumice based soap on the planet.

When you need to spot a reference location for h/c registers, outlets, t-stats etc through the floor, a cut off coat hanger in a drill works wonders, typically 15" length. Cut the boring end at 30-45 degrees w/ nippers. It won't snag and run carpet like a twist drill will. Drills easily through linoleum, hardwood flooring and subfloor. Easy to spot from basement or crawl space. Solid welding wire will work too and available in 1/16". Should work equally well drilling through walls. Small hole is easy to patch after you have your reference.

Keith Tanner wrote: If you can't get a pilot bearing out of a crankshaft using a puller, pack it with grease. Find a bolt that fits snugly into the bore of the bearing and smack it with a hammer.

Crayons also work. Pack in bits of crayon until the bearing pops out, then pull out a neat multicolored round crayon. It generally makes less of a mess then grease.

JoeyM wrote:

SVreX wrote: A small rolling shop cart (used well) can make even a slop like me reasonably well organized. I mean those little carts (plastic or metal) on wheels with 4" tall retaining lip around the table top.

photos? Do you mean a cart like this?

Yes.

I swear- they are FAR more useful than they look.

If you pull the cardboard tube out of the middle of the toilet paper, you can smash the roll flat, and it will fit in a backpack easier.

In reply to SVreX:

Yup, we use those at work.

Toolbox stays put, tools for the job go into the cart.

Cart goes to work bay, detritus from the job goes on the cart along with the tools.

Bay stays clean, toolbox stays organised, cleanup is easy.

Shawn

If you put a book of Mormon in the microwave, it will not help your popcorn cook more evenly.

There was logic that went into that. Sound logic.

For racecars, write the torque spec for fasteners next to them in paint pen. That way you don't need to look in the manual when doing trackside repairs.

An NHL hockey puck will fit exactly in the hole left in the intake elbow of a Caprice's LT-1 after you delete the "Home Base" baffle.

CGLockRacer wrote: For racecars, write the torque spec for fasteners next to them in paint pen. That way you don't need to look in the manual when doing trackside repairs.

See also: duct tape on the fender with tire pressures.

I write notes to myself on the windshield of project cars with a paint pen, including corner weights, alignment settings, work to do, etc.

It washes off when I'm done with it.

Trans_Maro wrote: Dawn or any dishsoap is cheaper than "car guy soap" of any flavour and works just as well.

One note of caution, Dawn will strip wax off, it's fairly harsh. So use it sparingly.

Rufledt wrote: If you put a book of Mormon in the microwave, it will not help your popcorn cook more evenly. There was logic that went into that. Sound logic.

I don't understand why you tried this, but it makes me happy.

Tom_Spangler wrote:

Trans_Maro wrote: Dawn or any dishsoap is cheaper than "car guy soap" of any flavour and works just as well.

One note of caution, Dawn will strip wax off, it's fairly harsh. So use it sparingly.

You wax your hands?

Apexcarver wrote: Got cats? do the math, regular garbage bags are cheaper than pan liners.

Got cats? Instead of overpaying for a litterbox. Get a huge Rubbermaid tote on sale for real cheap I got mine for 5$. Even if you pay regular price it is still way cheaper than a litter box..

If you want to cheap out even more. Buy a cheap knockoff.

Then Cut a hole large enough in the skinny end for the cat to get in. About 4" from the bottom of the Tote..

Also, if you don't want litter to get tracked around the house. Place the opening of the tote opening about 6" from the wall, even better if it is in a corner. The cat can't jump out of the box, It will have to slowly leave which leaves litter stuck to the feet in a confined area.

Got cats pt 3.....

Keep your E36 M3 from getting scratched for cheap. Huge scratching post/jungle gym type things are expensive..

Instead of wasting money. Build the cat equivalent of a LOCOST.

Go to the woods or river, lake or ocean shore. Find some suitable drift wood or dead fall. Give them a good blast with a pressure washer to get rid of any pests.

Then go to LOWDEPOT buy a plywood base and some screws of varying size and length depending on the wood you found.

Screw the wood you found in some way you think would be appealing to your cats. If you need tips. Look at how the pet store scratching post/jungle gym type thing is laid out..

If you want to get really elaborate, go to carpet store and dumpster dive; or buy some remnants. Then glue the remnants to it.

I built my 7 ft carpeted version for under 10$.

SVreX wrote: I write notes to myself on the windshield of project cars with a paint pen, including corner weights, alignment settings, work to do, etc. It washes off when I'm done with it.

We put notes on the steering wheel if there's something that needs to be known. Best one from last week: "no crank pulley, do not drive"

If you want to make it easier to get the juice out of limes (especially when they're getting a bit firm), throw them in the microwave for a few seconds. I imagine this works with other citrus as well.

If you brick your windows based computer. AKA It won't work.

You can recover your files pictures, and everything else..

Do this.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvsJ6OtSgTY

You can also do this from a USB drive, or stick. In the event you have no CD/DVD drive..

Again, if you want to describe something and someone else has posted it on the web. Copy and paste it!!!

While you are at it. Try out Linux!!! This isn't 10 years ago. You don't have to be a expert to use Linux anymore!!

Got an old computer that you are going to toss. Don't!!! I had a 13 year old computer that I used until 6 months ago with Ubuntu-Linux installed. It was faster than my friends Vista installed computer. And it did more!!

drsmooth wrote: If you brick your windows based computer. AKA It won't work. You can recover your files pictures, and everything else.. Do this.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvsJ6OtSgTY You can also do this from a USB drive, or stick. In the event you have no CD/DVD drive..

Yup. That saved my butt back in 2011
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/recovering-data-from-a-locked-hard-drive/33960/page1/

...and since then I've recommended to other GRMers as a data recovery method
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/hard-drive-data-recovery-services/66785/page1/

Trans_Maro wrote:

Tom_Spangler wrote:

Trans_Maro wrote: Dawn or any dishsoap is cheaper than "car guy soap" of any flavour and works just as well.

One note of caution, Dawn will strip wax off, it's fairly harsh. So use it sparingly.

You wax your hands?

I meant for washing cars. I took "car guy soap" to mean the dedicated "car washing" liquid soaps they sell at Autozone, etc.

JoeyM wrote:

Rufledt wrote: If you put a book of Mormon in the microwave, it will not help your popcorn cook more evenly. There was logic that went into that. Sound logic.

I don't understand why you tried this, but it makes me happy.

then let me elaborate! In college, my dorm building's microwave sucked. It always burned the center of the bag, while leaving a lot of kernels unpopped. My dad (an appliance repairman) suggested putting a paper plate on the bottom upside down under the popcorn. This would lift the bag up off the bottom of the microwave a half inch. I don't remember why he said that might help, something about waves being focused or whatever. He's usually right about appliance related stuff, and I was sleep deprived and hungry from crappy college food, so I just believed him.

Anyhoo, next time I needed popcorn, I didn't have a paper plate, but since I was in college, I had lots of paper stacks (books). I'm not going to put a text book in the microwave, those things cost a bloody fortune, and I'm not stacking GRM mags in there, because that would almost be sacrilegious. I had a book of mormon I got when some Mormons were handing them out with cookies. I wanted the cookie, I took the book. Their plan was brilliant. The cookie was a solid 7 out of 10 on the chocolate-chip-cookie goodness scale. I put that book in there, and after a couple minutes the popcorn wasn't popping at all. I opened it up, the popcorn was cold, and the book was hot enough that when I touched it, some of the plastic-y cover stuck to my fingers like green, non flaming napalm.

Moral of the story: don't put the book of mormon in the microwave, it won't help your popcorn cook more evenly.

Rufledt wrote:

JoeyM wrote:

Rufledt wrote: If you put a book of Mormon in the microwave, it will not help your popcorn cook more evenly. There was logic that went into that. Sound logic.

I don't understand why you tried this, but it makes me happy.

then let me elaborate! In college, my dorm building's microwave sucked. It always burned the center of the bag, while leaving a lot of kernels unpopped. My dad (an appliance repairman) suggested putting a paper plate on the bottom upside down under the popcorn. This would lift the bag up off the bottom of the microwave a half inch. I don't remember why he said that might help, something about waves being focused or whatever. He's usually right about appliance related stuff, and I was sleep deprived and hungry from crappy college food, so I just believed him. Anyhoo, next time I needed popcorn, I didn't have a paper plate, but since I was in college, I had lots of paper stacks (books). I'm not going to put a text book in the microwave, those things cost a bloody fortune, and I'm not stacking GRM mags in there, because that would almost be sacrilegious. I had a book of mormon I got when some Mormons were handing them out with cookies. I wanted the cookie, I took the book. Their plan was brilliant. The cookie was a solid 7 out of 10 on the chocolate-chip-cookie goodness scale. I put that book in there, and after a couple minutes the popcorn wasn't popping at all. I opened it up, the popcorn was cold, and the book was hot enough that when I touched it, some of the plastic-y cover stuck to my fingers like green, non flaming napalm. Moral of the story: don't put the book of mormon in the microwave, it won't help your popcorn cook more evenly.

I regret that I can only +1 this one time

Apparently, a blood donor sticker on the mailbox will keep the Jehovah's Witness from banging on your door every Saturday morning...