# Neat household MacGyver tricks you've learned



## PhotonWrangler (Aug 8, 2009)

This is kind of the opposite of the _Things I've learned the hard way_ thread. Have you learned of any neat little triccks where you've used household materials for uncommon applications?

I've just learned a trick that helped me out with a cracked fingernail that was getting close to splitting all the way down. You can use the material from a teabag as a patch, covering it with acrylic fingernail strengthener to form a conformal patch that halts the splitting.

What neat little tricks have you learned along the way?


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## Big_Ed (Aug 8, 2009)

If you have cookies that are not soft anymore, just put a piece of bread in the cookie jar or bag that the cookies are in. The moisture in the bread will be absorbed by the cookies. Overnight, your cookies will be soft again.

Not a MacGyver trick, but that's one from my mom.


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## LukeA (Aug 8, 2009)

Hobby store extruded aluminum airfoil-shape strut material makes an excellent border for 1/2in glass tiles, especially if you also use stainless switchplates.

NOTHING can beat a cool-white LED flashlight laid on the floor for spotting pieces of broken glass to clean up.


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## Norm (Aug 8, 2009)

LukeA said:


> NOTHING can beat a cool-white LED flashlight laid on the floor for spotting pieces of broken glass to clean up.


Or droped pills.
Norm


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## Flying Turtle (Aug 8, 2009)

LukeA said:


> NOTHING can beat a cool-white LED flashlight laid on the floor for spotting pieces of broken glass to clean up.



Or for spotting a dropped contact lens.

Geoff


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## russthetoolman (Aug 9, 2009)

My dad invented an A/C circuit tester for tracing down which circuit breaker was on a circuit so it could be shut off to work on it safely.




Lifetime warranty, Craftsman screwdriver!!

Here is my memory... He is on the ladder at the ceiling junction, I am at the panel flicking breakers and we are yelling back and forth, ' OFF!!'
"NO, try again!!" his reply. He finally just used the screwdriver to short it out in the junction, thus popping the breaker and us not having to yell back and forth anymore.
Disclaimer: this was 25 years ago, the quality of said screwdriver was obviously far superior in dielectric qualities than stuff today.

So is this a MacGvyer trick I use, Not on your life!! My dad was a superhero, I am only human, I could get hurt 
Russ


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 9, 2009)

I've used a pair of headphones to locate a live video cable in a bundle of similar looking coaxial cables. The combination of horizontal and vertical sync pulses produces a very unique sound in the headphones that's like nothing else. Once you've trained your ears for this, you can 'hear' the presence of video.


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 22, 2009)

Now this is what I'm talking about. Lifehacker has a story about 10 unusual uses for household objects I especially like the last one about removing dents with a hair dryer and a can of dust remover spray. :thumbsup:


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## Coop (Aug 24, 2009)

Is there anything that can't be fixed using ductape, zip-ties, a can of WD-40 and a SAK (or a combination of those items)?


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 24, 2009)

Coop said:


> Is there anything that can't be fixed using ductape, zip-ties, a can of WD-40 and a SAK (or a combination of those items)?



Yep! You only need two things in your repair kit - WD-40 and duct tape.

If it doesn't move but it's supposed to, apply WD-40. If it moves but it's not supposed to, use duct tape. :laughing:


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## orbital (Aug 24, 2009)

Coop said:


> Is there anything that can't be fixed using ductape, zip-ties, a can of WD-40 and a SAK (or a combination of those items)?



+

I'v use Gorilla Duct Tape to fix a ripped a pair of shorts from the inside,...its stayed 'fixed' though many washings.
_*Strong stuff!!*_


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## ponygt65 (Aug 26, 2009)

When I was a 'kid' I accidentally took my 'old' used razor and not a new one on a trip. We were at a camp ground and the twin blades got clogged pretty good, so I took a Q-tip, pulled off the cotton, flattened the cardboard tip and used it to clean out the razor.


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 26, 2009)

I've used binder clips to fasten holiday lights to an awning. They go up really fast and come down just as easily.


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## Sgt. LED (Aug 26, 2009)

Super glue works better than any band-aid.


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## Coop (Aug 27, 2009)

+1 on the superglue


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## LukeA (Aug 28, 2009)

Royal Purple will remove rust if you soak parts in it long enough.


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## Flying Turtle (Aug 28, 2009)

I've got this plastic cable tie (maybe 20" x 3/8") that I use to unclog the shower drain. It snakes down into the drain easily and won't damage the plastic pipe.

Geoff


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## iapyx (Aug 29, 2009)

A way to keep eggs fresh outside the fridge:

turn them upside down every day.
Heard this years ago from in program about sailing around the world.

Garlic smell:
To get rid of the garlic smell on your hands you can use a metal soap. 
(I think a piece of metal will do the job too)

Snails in the garden:
beer 
Put some beer in a small box (tupperware or alike) and place it in the garden.
Snails like the smell of beer and will crawl into the box and drown.
Nasty sight, but effective

Flies in your kitchen:
Bowl of water with some vinegar and a drop of soap


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## LukeA (Aug 29, 2009)

iapyx said:


> Garlic smell:
> To get rid of the garlic smell on your hands you can use a metal soap.
> (I think a piece of metal will do the job too)



A piece of stainless steel, rubbed on the hands while you wash them, removes all kinds of smells, like garlic and onion.


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## smokinbasser (Aug 29, 2009)

That piece of stainless steel? one of the SS serving spoons in you silverware tray, works great


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## iapyx (Aug 29, 2009)

smokinbasser said:


> That piece of stainless steel? one of the SS serving spoons in you silverware tray, works great


 

Or a stainless steel flashlight.


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## tiktok 22 (Aug 29, 2009)

Toothpaste works well to remove fish smell after a day on the lake. Just use like soap.


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## Beamhead (Aug 29, 2009)

Coop said:


> Is there anything that can't be fixed using ductape,.....


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 29, 2009)

Beamhead said:


>


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## Beamhead (Aug 29, 2009)

PhotonWrangler said:


> Now this is what I'm talking about. Lifehacker has a story about 10 unusual uses for household objects I especially like the last one about removing dents with a hair dryer and a can of dust remover spray. :thumbsup:


I am going to try the dry ice dent/ding removal trick later today and will report the results.


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## Monocrom (Sep 13, 2009)

Sick & tired of your legislated, wimpy, low-flow toilet?

Here's an easy fix, and it's legal too. Just get yourself a plastic basin that is square and deep, the type used for soaking feet, and fill it up nearly to the brim with warm water. Now just pour it into your low-flow toilet.

Now your toilet works the way it's supposed to. The way it would be working if a bunch of [email protected]$$ law-makers didn't waste time passing Feel-Good legislation.

A low-flow toilet is fine for little old ladies and children. But sometimes, it just doesn't get the job done when a real man uses it. Cause some of us work hard for a living, and we get hungry. And a cup of soup and half a sandwich at a trendy, over-priced, boutique cafe just ain't going to satisfy a real man.


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## Flying Turtle (Sep 13, 2009)

Yesterday I heard a folky song on the radio from a lady who has extolling the virtues of "bailing twine" and how no one should be without some at all times. Good advice. My late father would have understood. He used little bits of string for everything.

Geoff


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## EngrPaul (Sep 13, 2009)

To remove wallpaper or border, use one part fabric softener to 10 parts water and put it in a spray bottle. Peel away some of the top coat, spray, wait a few minutes, then it comes right off. 

My wife spent more than 2 days removing a border and there was a lot of damage to fix. 

I picked up this tip from the internet, and did a similar sized room in about an hour.


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## DimmerD (Sep 13, 2009)

It wasn't in the house but I will still share. Went fishing and it was raining bad, so we stayed in the camp. After 3 hours of hard rain my friend said the bilge pump wasn't automatic on the boat and we needed to check it. Sure enough the boat was full of water. The wires to the bulge pump were submerged and he couldn't get the pump started, so I started to bail with a bucket. I wasn't getting anywhere quickly and my friend started to panic. I grabbed a chunk of styrofoam from a broken ice chest and broke it in two. I told him to jam the wire connections from the battery to the pump into the chunks of styrofoam. As soon as he did they floated to the top of the water and the pump started immediately! He actually called me MacGyver after that.


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## Bruceter (Sep 13, 2009)

Beamhead said:


>



Remember, if the ladies don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Bruceter


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## LukeA (Sep 13, 2009)

Monocrom said:


> Sick & tired of your legislated, wimpy, low-flow toilet?
> 
> Here's an easy fix, and it's legal too. Just get yourself a plastic basin that is square and deep, the type used for soaking feet, and fill it up nearly to the brim with warm water. Now just pour it into your low-flow toilet.
> 
> ...



You need try a Niagara Flapperless toilet.


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## Flashfirstask?later (Sep 13, 2009)

PhotonWrangler said:


> This is kind of the opposite of the _Things I've learned the hard way_ thread. Have you learned of any neat little tricks where you've used household materials for uncommon applications?


How about making a HDTV antenna that can pull in much more channels then any local store brought rabbet ears and such. It resembles antennas like a db4 antenna. 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1061184/hdtv_coat_hanger_antenna_babblin5_review/ which is a review (and easier to follow) of this one


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## PhotonWrangler (May 25, 2016)

Maybe you already know this one but I've just discovered it - 

I grind my coffee at the supermarket and keep it in it's little paper bag. It doesn't seem to take long foro it to go stale, and keeping it in the fridge doesn't help much because of the condensation that forms. The paper is just too porous to the air.

So I've recently discovered that if I put the paper bag of coffee inside a plastic bag and wrap it up tightly, it lasts far longer. A very simple trick that I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't realize much earlier!


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## ironhorse (May 25, 2016)

The bottom of a ceramic coffe mug or the edge of a side car or truck window will sharpen a dull knife.


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## PhotonWrangler (Jun 11, 2016)

I recently purchased a screen printing kit; This kit includes a Diazo photo emulsion system for reproducing pictures, logos, etc.

It needed an exposure lamp. The manual suggested a 2250w incandescent photoflood bulb or an unfiltered UVA blacklight fluorescent lamp. I had neither on hand so I looked up the Diazo emulsion requirements, and it's peak wavelength sensitivity seems to be in the blue-violet range.

I thought about taking one of my Philips "alien head" remote phosphor LED bulbs and removing the plastic lenses, but the LEDs are arranged in different planes so they wouldn't shine in the same direction, and the reflector that I have isn't deep enough to correct the beam pattern. Then I remembered that I have a couple of Utilitech remote phosphor bulbs where the blue LEDs are all arranged in the same plane. Not only that, the phosphor lenses are very easy to remove via two tiny philips screws.

So I pulled the lenses off of a 75w equivalent LED bulb, set it up as my exposure lamp and it worked well. I now have an inexpensive, rugged, low-wattage "Diazo Blue" exposure lamp for my screen printing setup.


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## PhotonWrangler (Oct 27, 2016)

Saw this one on another forum tonight - 

If you're having trouble opening a jar lid and you don't have one of those gripper pads handy, use the bottom of a mouse pad. It's essentially the same material.


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## raggie33 (Oct 28, 2016)

if you take the mcmuffin part of a egg mcmuffin and place one on each ear you will look silly


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## Monocrom (Oct 30, 2016)

PhotonWrangler said:


> Saw this one on another forum tonight -
> 
> If you're having trouble opening a jar lid and you don't have one of those gripper pads handy, use the bottom of a mouse pad. It's essentially the same material.




My mouse pad has a wrist pad built in. I use the triangle end of a kitchen bottle-opener. The end you use to punch holes into large fruit punch cans for large gatherings. _*Very carefully*_ place the tip up underneath the lid. Now very slowly pry back and forth. Both towards and away from you. Do it several times, until just a bit of air slips in and thus breaks the vacuum seal. Now just twist the jar off with zero resistance. If you do it too hard, the tip is going to slip and the momentum will send the sharp tip most likely into your chest. Not deeply, but it'll likely hurt. Thankfully, Mono's got a gentle touch.


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## Poppy (Oct 30, 2016)

how to peel a bunch of cloves of garlic.

cut the tips off of both ends
throw the cloves into a covered pot,
Shake them really hard for twenty strikes or so.

For the most part, all of the skins will be separated from the cloves.


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## bykfixer (Oct 31, 2016)

I've never had a one eyed bandit aiming a bazooka at me while I used chewing gum, a pipe wrench and duct tape to take him out but I have learned how to use a few ordinary items to make life better. 

Got gutter nails that keep working loose.
Rubber cement. Fills the gap, glues them and remains flexible year round. 

Best yard fertilizer money can't buy. 50/50 ground up tree leaves and grass clippings. Either composted or spread as is any time of year, as often as desired. 

Got tree roots trying to enter your sewer: pour bleach in the bath drain a couple of times a month. Do it last thing in your day so it can set in the outgoing pipe overnight.

Golf shoes make great lawn aerators. Wear them while using your push mower. 

Mirrors multiply candle or flashlight output in lights out events.

Magnifying glass and newspaper can start a charcoal grill. Stack 3 loosely balled up pages in a metal coffee can at a slight angle with newspaper protruding out, then your coals over the paper. Use magnifier to light newspaper. Only works on sunny days though. But a bic lighter will light newspaper any time. 

Tuna can covered with foil and filled with soaked wood chips makes a great burger/steak/chicken smoker. Poke holes in foil and set onto coals or burner. More/larger holes smokes faster. Less/smaller holes smokes slower. 

That's all I got for now.


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## Poppy (Nov 1, 2016)

bykfixer said:


> Got gutter nails that keep working loose.
> Rubber cement. Fills the gap, glues them and remains flexible year round.
> 
> Got tree roots trying to enter your sewer: pour bleach in the bath drain a couple of times a month. Do it last thing in your day so it can set in the outgoing pipe overnight.


*
I have replaced those nails with screws in the past, but I'd be interested in trying the rubber cement trick.

I've used copper sulfate granules for roots.


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## bykfixer (Nov 5, 2016)

The cheap hobby type of rubber cement works.Yeah I used copper sulfate too.


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## orbital (May 5, 2021)

+


EDIT:

ordered some _*carbon fiber cloth *_ for homemade card holder. 

carbon fiber cloth = faraday cage


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## Poppy (May 6, 2021)

Not so much a McGyver trick, but I found that using our carpet shampooer much better, quicker, and easier for cleaning our tile floors, than pushing dirty water around with a mop, and then re-doing it with a clean wet sponge.

With the shampooer, - wet, scrub, and vacuum it up in one easy pass.

At my sister's house, we bought a Hoover PowerDash for tile, or hardwood floors. Works great!


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## bykfixer (May 7, 2021)

- I wanted an over the seat hard hat hanger for my work vehicle but they were $35. For that? It's 4 wires bent into a U shape, are you kidding me? A wire coat hanger later and I now have 4 hard hat hangers, two holding helmets and two holding other stuff. 
- Also for those with dogs in the home or who have clogged vacuum hoes issues, a coat hanger straightened out with a hook shaped end makes a great hose clearer. When that paper clip you know you should have picked up but decided to suck it up instead gets cross ways in the hose the hook on the end plucks it out. 
- I'm trying to remember why I duct taped a toothbrush to the end of a coat hanger but whatever it was that did the trick too. 
- Coat hanger drain cleaner for when hair stops the P trap. 
- Old used toothbrushes are also wonderful tools. All kinds of uses for those things. 
- If you end up cleaning gutters at neighbors house an old spatula will shovel the muddy goo out nicely. Just put duct tape across the slats of the spatula if it has them. Need to reach out father so you don't have to keep climbing the ladder? Duct tape a coat hanger to that sucker. 

A few years back my work sent me to a class for manager training. It was the sort of class for would-be bosses and (in my view) politicians who put on dog and pony shows for their company. I went to add the course certificate to my resume'. Anyway one excersize was to stand in front of a crowd and describe an object assigned to you as you approached the podium for one minute without saying "um" or "you know". The crowd was issued a bunch of pennies to toss at a metal bucket each time the speaker said either. Sometimes the sound of pennies hitting the bucket was deafening. But this one fellow from Pakistan had grasped the English language very well yet did not know some words yet like "um" and "you know" so his speech was noticeably quiet. When it was my turn the instructor said "your object is the coat hanger". Near the end the crowd tossed pennies at the bucket when I said "and you know what else it can be used for? Um, hanging a coat on." At lunch that day people were asking me what else I had ever used a coat hanger for. lol


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## PhotonWrangler (May 7, 2021)

I used a straightened coat hanger in place of a short length of coaxial cable once. It didn't work perfectly but it got the job done.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 7, 2021)

I built an antenna out of coat hangers and some house wire, a board with screws and a piece of house wire. I bent a coat hanger to hold my 20v weedeater on the side of my shelf in the garage. You can double up coat hanger wire to hold more weight if needed. I also use leftover bread ties for wall wart cables and USB adapters and other cables. If you don't mind green you can buy rolls of garden ties and cut off what length you need to tie things up with. I've get shelves made of shoe box lids that slide on plastic paper in/out holders stacked up 10 units high that I store stuff in like USB cables and adapters and audio cables and so on. You can also use plastic desk supply trays that hold pencils and other items on these shelves. I even clipped a cable on the bottom edge of a 6 foot table that has a USB LED light module in it with a switch that I can reach under my table and turn it on to see things I store back under the table itself. The light is powered by a 2600mah single cell power bank that I recharge about once every year or two when needed.


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## Poppy (Nov 7, 2021)

I've used a fishing weight, some mason's line, and a coat hanger, to fish a variety of wires/cables through a wall.

Poke a hole in the top of the wall, and another in the bottom, or where you want a connection.
Connect a weight to the mason's line and drop it in the top hole.
Use a coat hanger bent into a hook, and fish for the mason's line, and pull it through the bottom hole.
Attach the wire you are trying to snake through the wall to the mason's line, and pull it in either direction, top-down, or bottom-up.


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## bykfixer (Nov 7, 2021)

So to the folks whose communities still use those thin plastic bags at the grocery store etc, yarn.
Yup, fold one into a long strip and cut the strip like you would an Italian sausage or similar. When unfolded you have strips of MacGeyver style plastic yarn.

Here's a lighter cover the Mrs made about 5 years ago.





Can be used as "fishing line" like a masons line.
You post above Poppy reminded me of that.


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## uk_caver (Nov 7, 2021)

I recently had an outside drain which had its trap almost completely blocked with sediment. Water would slowly seep through, but not with nearly enough flow to clear anything away.
Fortunately, I had a ~2.5m length of plastic drainpipe. Pushing it down into the drain made a sufficiently good seal that pouring a couple of buckets of water into the pipe while standing on a stepladder created enough pressure to get things moving, then enough flow to wash the sediment away.
I was surprised that the pipe itself made a sufficient seal. I'd been planning to use some duct-tape-covered padding, but gave the bare pipe a try, and that worked fine.


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## SCEMan (Nov 7, 2021)

Years ago I ran PVC sprinkler pipe under a patio cement slab to a circular block planter I built in the middle of the slab to run wires for accent lighting. Couldn't figure out how to fish the wiring to the planter from the wall outlet due to bends in the pipe. I ended up making a masking tape ball just smaller than the pipe diameter, tied with fishing line and connected to the wiring. I placed the "ball" in the pipe, then attached my Shop Vac to the planter side pipe with masking tape (for an air tight seal) and "sucked" everything through in seconds. Problem solved!


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## pumps (Nov 7, 2021)

russthetoolman said:


> My dad invented an A/C circuit tester for tracing down which circuit breaker was on a circuit so it could be shut off to work on it safely.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





russthetoolman said:


> My dad invented an A/C circuit tester for tracing down which circuit breaker was on a circuit so it could be shut off to work on it safely.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Whe working as an electrician we would make things to easily find a breaker . A plastic electrical box with a piece of appliance cord coming out of it, alligator clips for a quick clip on, toggle light switch and switch cover on front of the box. Clip on , throw the switch tripping the breaker. Also one with a plug coming from the box. Plug into an outlet, throw switch, breaker trips.


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## bykfixer (Nov 7, 2021)

SCEMan said:


> Years ago I ran PVC sprinkler pipe under a patio cement slab to a circular block planter I built in the middle of the slab to run wires for accent lighting. Couldn't figure out how to fish the wiring to the planter from the wall outlet due to bends in the pipe. I ended up making a masking tape ball just smaller than the pipe diameter, tied with fishing line and connected to the wiring. I placed the "ball" in the pipe, then attached my Shop Vac to the planter side pipe with masking tape (for an air tight seal) and "sucked" everything through in seconds. Problem solved!


Folks who install traffic signals, lights on bridges etc do that. They tie string to the tape ball and later pull wires back through. They can have as much as 400 feet between the access points such as junction boxes. Some use ait compressors to blow a ball through but in a pinch the shop vac works too. 

Years ago my dad had a driveway paved with concrete. He let the contractor spread the dirt dug to place the concrete at ground level. Being his back yard was pretty flat that meant his garage became lower than much of the yard that was built up with dirt from the driveway. 

I found a section of chain link fence top rail, dug a trench the length of the pipe so it would lay flat in the trench. I used a sledge hammer to push the pipe under the driveway about a foot at a time. The I'd pull it out, knock out the dirt and repeat. It took a few afternoons but when done I had a 3" conduit under the driveway to drain the runoff from the garage to the street. If pushed too much at a time the pipe would get stuck so I'd hit it a few times then pulled it back out.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Nov 7, 2021)

Shop vacs preform well at extracting hornets and wasps from locations where chemical sprays are ineffective. Just place the inlet pipe close to the hive exit. It doesn't actually suck them out. They just get pi$$ed and try to attack the nozzle. Bye bye bee. Then it's a quick ride to the hard plastic diverter and into the water waiting at the bottom of the vac.


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## uk_caver (Nov 7, 2021)

For individual wasps/hornets in a room, a rolled-up newspaper or equivalent can be made more effective by having a layer of inside-out sellotape/scotch tape wrapped around the end - start off with tape sticking to the paper, then twist and wrap the tape around in a spiral, sticky-side out, so it sticks to the previous layer (easier with wider tape).
Even partial hits will likely trap the target, and it avoids the problem of a good hit still leaving doubt about whether it was a kill or a stun when the target drops down behind furniture, etc.


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## pumps (Nov 7, 2021)

If you have a snake in a place that you don't want it to be and can't get it out use a CO2 extinguisher to stun it. It will chill it and also deprive it of oxygen. Also I've heard that you can chill beer with it.


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## Poppy (Nov 17, 2021)

Yesterday I did some laundry, and I noticed that the dryer's lint trap didn't go all the way in place. I pulled out my Niteye MSC20 and looked into the receiver. As suspected there was a pile of lint crammed in there. The long narrow snoot of the vacuum cleaner didn't reach, so I MacGyvered it with some cardboard from a pizza box, and duct-tape, to make the snoot longer.


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## bykfixer (Nov 17, 2021)

That post had card board and duct tape, so yes that was a silver medal MacGeyver trick. Now had you incorparated chewing gum in there? Gold!


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## Poppy (Dec 2, 2021)

uk_caver said:


> For individual wasps/hornets in a room, a rolled-up newspaper or equivalent can be made more effective by having a layer of inside-out sellotape/scotch tape wrapped around the end - start off with tape sticking to the paper, then twist and wrap the tape around in a spiral, sticky-side out, so it sticks to the previous layer (easier with wider tape).
> Even partial hits will likely trap the target, and it avoids the problem of a good hit still leaving doubt about whether it was a kill or a stun when the target drops down behind furniture, etc.


Windex:

Ever try to kill that pesky fly without a fly swatter?

Spray him with Windex, when he lands, or even while he is flying around. He doesn't fly as well when his wings are wet. Smack... got him.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Dec 3, 2021)

Used four razor blades, some electrical tape, an in line fuse, and a couple sets of insulated alligator clips (connected by wires) to jumpstart an 18 volt tool battery that wouldn’t charge with another.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 3, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> That post had card board and duct tape, so yes that was a silver medal MacGeyver trick. Now had you incorparated chewing gum in there? Gold!


Also Red Green approved.


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## Poppy (Dec 9, 2021)

My daughter learned that if you smear your halloween pumpkin with vaseline the squirrels won't chew it up on you.


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## bykfixer (Dec 9, 2021)

My brother told me cayane pepper stops squirrels from eating bird food. 
Ha, maybe squirrels at his house. At my house squirrels munch away, shake their heads rapidly a few times and eat some more.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 9, 2021)

bykfixer said:


> My brother told me cayane pepper stops squirrels from eating bird food.
> Ha, maybe squirrels at his house. At my house squirrels munch away, shake their heads rapidly a few times and eat some more.


Does the pepper stop the birds from eating it also?


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## bykfixer (Dec 9, 2021)

What stops the birds from eating it is the squirrels ate it all.…bud-dum-shpeeeee


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## uk_caver (Dec 9, 2021)

PhotonWrangler said:


> Does the pepper stop the birds from eating it also?


The active ingredient (capsaicin) is an irritant for mammals, but not for birds.


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## knucklegary (Dec 9, 2021)

uk_caver said:


> The active ingredient (capsaicin) is an irritant for mammals, but not for birds.


Come to think about it.. I've never seen a robin sneeze, but man can they do a number on my windshield after eating those wild red berries


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## PhotonWrangler (Jan 1, 2022)

I carry a rat-tail teasing comb with me. It comes in handy sometimes in unexpected ways.


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## bykfixer (May 28, 2022)

Back in the covid period, at the office I work out of sometimes a door hinge was squeaking badly.
Back then hand sanitizer was pretty scarce so I carried a small spritz bottle of peroxide.

There was no WD 40 or other lubes around. Spritz peroxide into the crevices and the squeak stopped. The other day I visited the office and the squeak was still gone.

So hydrogen peroxide for squeaky doors.
In my home I purposely leave squeaky hinges squeaky because if a burglar opens the door during the night "squeeeeeeeeek"…… that sets off two burglar alarms. One is the parrot who goes "squeeeek, phee-ew-ett", the other the conjure who loudly goes "squawk squawk" which prompts the parrot to holler "shut up bird"…


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## knucklegary (May 28, 2022)

PhotonWrangler said:


> I carry a rat-tail teasing comb with me. It comes in handy sometimes in unexpected ways.
> 
> View attachment 21850


When not using his comb to secure cabinet doors, Photon is wrangling his pompadour (-;


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## Chauncey Gardiner (May 28, 2022)

"Well, ya know. WD40 is not actually a lubricant. It's a solvent." 
- Cliff Clavin


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## knucklegary (May 28, 2022)

^ that's why they sell the stuff in 55 gal drums.
Cliff Calvin knows what he's talking about!


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## bykfixer (May 28, 2022)

And peroxide is a first aid product but it stops door hinges from squeaking.


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## PhotonWrangler (May 28, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> And peroxide is a first aid product but it stops door hinges from squeaking.


Hydrogen peroxide works wonders for me as an antiseptic and wound cleaner.


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## PhotonWrangler (May 28, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> In my home I purposely leave squeaky hinges squeaky because if a burglar opens the door during the night "squeeeeeeeeek"…… that sets off two burglar alarms. One is the parrot who goes "squeeeek, phee-ew-ett", the other the conjure who loudly goes "squawk squawk" which prompts the parrot to holler "shut up bird"…


Lol, an alarm system with built-in redundancy.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 28, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> And peroxide is a first aid product but it stops door hinges from squeaking.


That may be but it also encourages rust.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (May 28, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> In my home I purposely leave squeaky hinges squeaky because if a burglar opens the door during the night "squeeeeeeeeek"…… that sets off two burglar alarms. One is the parrot who goes "squeeeek, phee-ew-ett", the other the conjure who loudly goes "squawk squawk" which prompts the parrot to holler "shut up bird"…


 
My go-to guy for welding, Chris, wired an outdoor water fountain to a motion sensor. He figured the prowler wouldn't realize the fountain starting to trickle was his presence being detected. This would give Chris the opportunity to arm himself and get the drop on the prowler. 

I'd go with a siren and lights, but I think Chris had some anger issues he wanted to exercise.


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## thermal guy (May 28, 2022)

I just own Great Danes for security 😁


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## PhotonWrangler (May 28, 2022)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> My go-to guy for welding, Chris, wired an outdoor water fountain to a motion sensor. He figured the prowler wouldn't realize the fountain starting to trickle was his presence being detected. This would give Chris the opportunity to arm himself and get the drop on the prowler.


That's an interesting approach. I'm assuming he receives some sort of signal inside when the fountain starts up?


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## Chauncey Gardiner (May 28, 2022)

PhotonWrangler said:


> That's an interesting approach. I'm assuming he receives some sort of signal inside when the fountain starts up?


 
The fountain was located outside and next to his bedroom window. He was a light sleeper, so the fountain would wake him up when it cycled on.


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## flashflood (May 28, 2022)

A plant sprayer, 91% rubbing alcohol, and Bic lighter make a nice flamethrower. It's particularly useful when you get a fast-moving fly inside. I've found that the flame is short-lived enough that it won't damage paint, but YMMV and definitely not recommended near drapes.


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## raggie33 (May 28, 2022)

mine is while cooking and say waiting for wate rto boil or noodles to cook i clean the kithcen always staying busy.


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## KITROBASKIN (May 29, 2022)

Member flashflood: That is intriguing. Can you provide additional details? Spray pattern, sweeping movement or stationary blast, duration of stream?

I used to use 91% isopropyl to start wood stove fires (yeah, don't do this at home) but our place of work was throwing out expired hand sanitizer at the beginning of the COVID lockdown and turns out it is outstanding for even old, opened hand sanitizer to quickly get a fire going on a cold winter morning. Flame movement is slow compared to the alcohol. Just remember to not spray it on an already lit fire (just in case), and if you get sanitizer on your hand while applying, do not use those fingers to light the match...


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## Poppy (May 29, 2022)

Chance we are in the Atlantic Flyway of the Canada goose. You are in the Pacific Flyway. At any rate, they can be a PIA. We have a large detention pond within our development, and some of the neighbors whose property backs up to it have found that they are as welcome as rats.

They also put motion detectors on their lawn sprinkler systems, to deter the flying rats.


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## Poppy (May 29, 2022)

flashflood said:


> A plant sprayer, 91% rubbing alcohol, and Bic lighter make a nice flamethrower. It's particularly useful when you get a fast-moving fly inside. I've found that the flame is short-lived enough that it won't damage paint, but YMMV and definitely not recommended near drapes.


Much safer! Use windex!

Flys don't fly well with wet wings. You can spray them and they'll drop to the floor, or window sill, where you can crush them before their little wings dry off.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Jun 2, 2022)

Poppy said:


> Much safer! Use windex!
> 
> Flys don't fly well with wet wings. You can spray them and they'll drop to the floor, or window sill, where you can crush them before their little wings dry off.


 
Hairspray. 

Drops mic and walks off stage. 😎


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## bykfixer (Jun 3, 2022)

Look,
This Megeyver has pockets full of duct tape, chewing gum, tools to build a rocket launcher, some playing cards and a tooth brush. No room for Windex, rubbing alcohol or hairspray.

However, one of the best flyswatters man concocted is the baseball cap. Especially the vented back trucker version. And if I'm awake, there's one on my head or nearby. "Hold still liitle housefly"………"sher-pwack!!!!" done.


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## Glenn7 (Jun 3, 2022)

Sprinkle bicarb soda on superglue = Instant! rock solid dry, file/sand off ruff stuff.
Sprinkle that on your tea bag nail fix, post 1.


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## orbital (Dec 2, 2022)

+

If you make your own cables for things, there is a way to not have to buy a big crimper or the hammer type.
Purchased just the die set and put them in my bench vice to crank down on & get a vault solid crimp.

Got some 4awg pure copper lugs (came w/ shrink tubing) and carefully put them loosely into the vice w/ the dies..
Once everything was sorted & holding in place, insert your welding cable or whatever your using and *crank down on it all the way.*

Also soldered into the neck for the best possible anchoring/connection,, maybe a bit of overkill, but its' really good. Then shrink tube.
Made a couple cables about an hour ago,, worked perfect.

I find making cables very satisfying


** dies used were labeled (25) for 4awg cable & lug

these::: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098R455L4/?tag=cpf0b6-20


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