Re: [BlindHandyMan] talking thermometer or other solution.
Dan, I am pretty sure the thermometer does not have those features. I had looked into it pretty carefully a couple of years ago and rejected it for those reasons. I am more interested in knowing the temperature reading than some statement of doneness and to the best of my knowledge the programming is not possible without sight. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 9:53 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] talking thermometer or other solution. I don't have this thermometer, and don't know if a blind person can program it. If it has a button to announce the current temperature, that helps a lot, but I don't know that either. Possibly I will just have to purchase one and see what happens. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Dice HD radio
Hello group, Does anyone have any idea if the Dice radio is a particularly sensitive receiver? come to that, any information on quality FM receivers for fringe reception locations? Thanks. Dale Leavens [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] old refrigerator
probably to have some sense that there is Freon to be recovered. - Original Message - From: Lenny McHugh To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2010 11:16 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] old refrigerator I have no idea. Hope to be able to ask tomorrow. Most recycle places that I know of strip down the product and salvage everything that they can. It does not make sense why it must be in working order. -- From: Betsy Whitney, Dolphin Press braill...@haw.rr.com Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2010 11:12 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] old refrigerator Hi Lenny, Any idea what they do with them that would make them require that they be working? Just curious, Betsy At 03:57 PM 9/7/2010, you wrote: Well, the old refrigerator that I am recycling through the ppl program almost totally let me down. They are picking it up tomorrow morning. There was a message on my answering machine that it must be plugged in and running. It was running when it was moved outside so I plugged it in tonight and nothing. Here it tripped the gfci outlet. after resetting it did not work just kept tripping the outlet. Just for kicks I plugged it into an outlet from inside not gfci. This time the light came on but nothing else. After toying for a few minutes my son-in-law said hit it. I picked up one end and dropped on the porch and it started running. Plugged it back into the gfci and it it still works. I suspect that a relay was stuck tripping the gfci but not enough to short out the unprotected line. Anyway it is working so I will get my $35 and free removal tomorrow morning. It reminds me of an old Burroughs field engineer who hit the computer main console and it started working, his comment was that they do not pay me to hit it but for knowing where to hit it. --- Please visit my home page, it is motivational, educational, inspirational with a touch of humor. There is also a very extensive resource list for the blind. http://www.LennyMcHugh.comhttp://www.LennyMcHugh.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] my Oreck Update!
It is a verb!! The act of ecstasy! - Original Message - From: Max Robinson To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, September 06, 2010 1:13 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] my Oreck Update! Sounds like a contraction of ecstasy and exercise. Someone who gets very intense pleasure from exercising is in a state of ecstasize. Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: m...@maxsmusicplace.com Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to. funwithtransistors-subscr...@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, funwithtubes-subscr...@yahoogroups.com - Original Message - From: Claudia cdelreal1...@sbcglobal.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 10:56 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] my Oreck Update! Ecstasize? Is that even a word? Hahahaha! It depends on what I'm making; I've been known to ecstasize! I've gotten to be a good cook over the years, and I do enjoy it. I'll volunteer, as long as you do the clean-up! Claudia - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 8:32 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] my Oreck Update! Excited to vacuum eh? Would you ever be welcome here! I don't suppose you ecstacise over cooking too by any chance? Dale Leavens - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 11:32 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] my Oreck Update! Hi All, It was the switch that had malfunctioned on my upright vac, and I finally took it in today. The gentleman fixed it, in like two minutes! i left the vac there, for a tuneup, so I'll get it back in about 7 to 10 days! I ended up purchasing a new oreck upright vac, that's quieter for about $200. I left happy with my purchase and am excited to vacuum again. Claudia Windows Messenger: cdelreal1...@sbcglobal.net Skype: claudiadr10 __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5421 (20100903) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5423 (20100904) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5425 (20100905) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat!
Turned on the furnace this morning. It was nearly 90 degrees a couple of days ago! - Original Message - From: Max Robinson To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 1:09 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat! We didn't just break the low temperature record this morning, we shattered it into smithereens. The record was 48 and the low was 43. I don't like the hot weather nor do I like the coldest of winter. That's why fall and spring are my two favorite times of the year. Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: m...@maxsmusicplace.com Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to. funwithtransistors-subscr...@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, funwithtubes-subscr...@yahoogroups.com - Original Message - From: Bob Kennedy inthes...@att.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 5:53 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat! I hesitate to sound like I'm complaining as it is only in the 50s here in the sunny and hot South. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 9:33 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat! It's 44F here this evening! Who turned off the heat! Didn't get up to 50 all day. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat!
And where would that be? - Original Message - From: Alan Paganelli To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 12:09 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat! Here by us we had 111 and 74 degrees yesterday. Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 6:33 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat! It's 44F here this evening! Who turned off the heat! Didn't get up to 50 all day. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] my Oreck Update!
Excited to vacuum eh? Would you ever be welcome here! I don't suppose you ecstacise over cooking too by any chance? Dale Leavens - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 11:32 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] my Oreck Update! Hi All, It was the switch that had malfunctioned on my upright vac, and I finally took it in today. The gentleman fixed it, in like two minutes! i left the vac there, for a tuneup, so I'll get it back in about 7 to 10 days! I ended up purchasing a new oreck upright vac, that's quieter for about $200. I left happy with my purchase and am excited to vacuum again. Claudia Windows Messenger: cdelreal1...@sbcglobal.net Skype: claudiadr10 __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5421 (20100903) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Re: a very simple task? Sweeping your flors?
Not clear why it is preferable to sweep over vacuum unless there is debris too formidable for the vacuum however having said that, the strategy for sweeping would be similar to for vacuuming. You work out a pattern which will cover the entire area, say beginning in one corner and moving along the wall maybe sweeping toward the center of the room, then returning that few feet further into the room ultimately until you have more or less crossed the room gathering the dust and dirt to the final corner. Now bend over and sweep the debris gently into the dust pan. Thing to remember about sweeping is that the broom will tend to raise light dust into the air, eventually it will resettle. A push broom may work better, covering a wider area and you tend not to wave it about as one does a corn broom so you are less likely to raise clouds of dust. I have a couple in the yard however I find they don't tend to get as much of the smaller debris as does the corn broom. Harder to get into the corners and such as well. I have never much liked mopping much. A damp mop will do very well with picking up light dust but a dry mop tends to raise dust it doesn't catch. When it comes to washing a floor I feel I really need to get right down onto it and scrub and rinse and wipe more or less dry to do a good job, a mob I really dislike. Loads of folk are perfectly happy washing floors with a wet mop and ringer though. Dale Leavens - Original Message - From: Lenny McHugh To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 9:24 AM Subject: Re: a very simple task? Sweeping your flors?Re: [BlindHandyMan] porch ligh I can not give you advice on sweeping however, it is most definitely on topic. you are seeking help on doing a task as a blind individual. moderator -- From: Blake Hardin blakehardin5...@gmail.com Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 7:37 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: a very simple task? Sweeping your flors?Re: [BlindHandyMan] porch ligh Hi all, we have hardwood flors in our house and most of the time i just vacume it and it works out fine but sometimes i think it would be better swept. The problem is how do you guys go about doing this in a large room? Do you use a dust pan and sweep the stuff just towards it around that are in grid paterns? Problem i seem to miss te dust pan hhahaha. I know this isn't exactly a blind handy man question but i thought maybe it would pass. Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Who turned off the heat!
It's 44F here this evening! Who turned off the heat! Didn't get up to 50 all day. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] porch light
You are probably right unless it is some sort of florescent bulb. Some of them are special in order that they can strike in sub-zero temperatures. The lamp bulb does not do the sensing. - Original Message - From: Brice Mijares To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 10:28 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] porch light The light bulb on our front porch went out. Question; being that it has some kind of censor that turns the light on once it gets dark and turns off in the morning when it gets light, is it a special light bulb? My wife thinks so, but I don't think so. I think it'll takes any light bulb providing it fits in the fixture. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] porch light
Really? A photo cell with switching mechanism built right onto the bulb? Wouldn't the light from the bulb convince the sensor it was always daytime? - Original Message - From: Mike Moore To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 5:04 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] porch light Hi, Sometimes the lamp unit has a photocell, which switches on/off at dawn/dusk. However some bulbs also have this unit at the bottom of the bulb. You will know if the bulb has it built in, as the bulb is bulkier than normal. If replacing the bulb doesn't work, perhaps the photocell has blown. I fitted a photocell unit to a metal haylide lamp; the photocell and relay cost only around £8 and the cell itself can be fitted by drilling a hole with the holesaw. The cell has a plastic nut and rubber washers to seal. Regards, Mike - Original Message - From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 4:13 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] porch light You're right. - Original Message - From: Brice Mijares To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 10:28 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] porch light The light bulb on our front porch went out. Question; being that it has some kind of censor that turns the light on once it gets dark and turns off in the morning when it gets light, is it a special light bulb? My wife thinks so, but I don't think so. I think it'll takes any light bulb providing it fits in the fixture. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] anyone know if the Dice radio is available in Canada?
Subject is the question. There don't seem to be many digital FM broadcasters in Canada either. Any information appreciated, google isn't helping me. Thanks. Dale Leavens [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] advice putting up a fence
I measured 6 feet down from the top then wrapped masking tape around the post marking that distance. Once I had the string at the right height, and you may want to use a hoe or shovel to knock down any high points on the ground) it is then just a matter of setting the posts with the tape height to the string. They will be in a straight line provided you don't deflect the string with your post. You may even wish to use a stake a little thicker than the posts allowing half an inch or so each side just to keep yourself from deflecting the string as you go. Be careful, a come-along will easily put a lot of stress on the fencing and may deflect the posts. - Original Message - From: Kevin Doucet To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 5:18 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] advice putting up a fence masonry string and marking the posts with tape to know the depth to sink it is a good idea. At 07:06 PM 9/1/2010, you wrote: What I did was to drive stakes into the ground at the corners then loop a good strong string, masonry string is excellent for the purpose around the posts so that there are two parallel strings between which I could mark and dig my holes. This also allowed me to determine the height since the ground isn't nice and level but you probably want the top of the fence to be level for appearance. You can then decide on height and I marked each steel post with tape at the desired height so I would know exactly how deep to sink them. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] advice putting up a fence
I don't think I know what welded wire is, I do have some experience with chain link though. If you are sinking your posts more than about a foot you would be well advised to have the utilities checked. Usually the gas, water and electricity, phone and cable will make a pretty straight line from the street or lane to the meters or house locations but you cannot be certain. When I lived in Chatham the telephone people came with one of those earth cutting chainsaw like devices and cut a line along the side of my house and across the back yard diagonally to supply a neighbour who's house backed onto one corner of my property. I never would have guessed there would have been a line there, I don't know how deep it went. Up here they don't charge to mark out the utilities, they spray paint to show where the utilities lay. My fence is a 6 foot one but the posts aren't a lot taller. I bored 4 foot holes and filled them with cement and embedded the posts into them. It is about 18 years and the fence stands straight still. At the same time my neighbour had one installed, they dug the holes with a power auger, set in wood 4 by 4 posts. It has been leaning for several years now and was pulled down this spring. We have to worry about frost getting down and shifting things up here though. A lot of people now are driving those stakes into the ground with the steel frames to grab wood posts and they work well enough but they do move. One neighbour behind me had a couple of sections of his pushed down by a drunk one night a couple of years ago the stakes broke off or bent but they were fairly easily replaced and the fence again erected. I don't know of any really good way of sinking steel posts reliably into the ground and keeping them even height without mounting them into something like cement. you would need to get them pretty deep I would think if they are to remain secure. What I did was to drive stakes into the ground at the corners then loop a good strong string, masonry string is excellent for the purpose around the posts so that there are two parallel strings between which I could mark and dig my holes. This also allowed me to determine the height since the ground isn't nice and level but you probably want the top of the fence to be level for appearance. You can then decide on height and I marked each steel post with tape at the desired height so I would know exactly how deep to sink them. Hope this gives you some useful ideas. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Kevin Doucet To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 4:25 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] advice putting up a fence Hi group, I am looking in to getting a dog. This dog will be for in doors but I want a fenced area for the pet to run and for us to play out in the air. I have an area walled up on two sides, one side the house brick wall and the other side a wood wall of a room addition. I am thinking about having the gate on the wooden wall running along the same plane as the wall, then running the fence at a ninety degree angle to the gate, perpendicular to the brick wall and joining an end fence running perpendicular to the wood wall of the room addition and boxing off the end joining the brick wall to the other ninety degree fence. This will give about a 25 by 50 foot area. As this will not be a big dog, not more than about 30 LBS. this should be enough area, don't you agree? I looked at some mettle fencing, I think it was called welded wire, which looks like it would do the job nicely. Also looked at some mettle fence posts and some wire clamps to attach the fence to the posts. I also have an idea of what to get for the gate and it's fasteners. Now, my concerns are what is involved in putting up the fence? Do I need to have the ground checked by some one to see about water or electrical lines I may puncture with the posts? What tools will I need and what methods do I need to familiarize my self with before starting this project? Thanks for any help you can give. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] home owner insurance
The mortgage people will cover their risk no fear. The insurance will be enough to recover any outstanding mortgage and little more. - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 8:52 AM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] home owner insurance Dan, As an addendum on your comments the insurance the mortgage company may get could only cover the structure and not the contents. It is also, mose likely, not going to be replacement cost either. Should a major disaster strike Jennifer could still be liable for the difference between what the insurance company will pay and the mortgage is still owing. Cy, The Anasazi From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dan Rossi Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 6:48 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] home owner insurance Jennifer, Is money a motivator for your husband? I believe you have a mortgage on your home. Mortgage companies won't allow you to go without insurance. Thus, if you can't get your own insurance, the mortgage company will sell you insurance and you won't be happy with how much they will charge you either. So, you are either going to have to spend some money on repairs, or you are going to spend money on very expensive insurance. Sorry to be a downer. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu mailto:dr25%40andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Cooking with Gloves - Was: Using Gas Grill!
I never used a glove until one of my daughters gave me one last summer I think it was. I haven't yet found a decent double spatula so that hasn't yet been an option. The glove though really has worked well and occasionally I have thought it would be good to have two particularly when bringing in the racks loaded with hot meet from the smoker. I don't do a lot of oven cooking, mostly leave that to Janet and she insists on using a towel for lifting things out, a fire hazard in my view. When I do use the oven I am very careful and really would prefer some of those longer forearm covering gloves, I do occasionally brush something hot with a forearm. I prefer to keep the heat even so don't like to turn off or down the gas and that isn't really an option over charcoal. As for locating things on the grill, it isn't really all that difficult to do with a fork, a spatula or a glove. Even with a glove I generally probe first with the spatula or fork out of habit I suppose. Each to his own of course. - Original Message - From: Alan Paganelli To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 10:30 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Cooking with Gloves - Was: Using Gas Grill! Their not cheap at 20 bucks each and that's not for a set either. Consumer Reports they do what they say they do but it could give some folks a false sense of security. The amount of time they can protect you is limited and variable depending on the conditions. I use mine for taking things out of the oven or toaster oven or microwave. On the grill, if it's to hot for me to put my hands over it, I just turn off the burners. Once the source is quelled, you can use your fingers to touch the meat and see what's going on.. Example: last night I had 5 really nice pork chops on the grill. Two of them were almost twice as thick as the remaining three. I suppose that's because they came from two separate packages. I store them in Ziploc freezer bags. My wife insists I cook to close to the forward edge. I do but that way I don't have to put my hands directly over the heat. She was going to turn the chops over for me as I was doing something else and put the two larger chops over the burners. When I went to check to see if they were finished, I didn't know she had moved the two chops and got a surprise when I touched the cast-iron cooking surface. I did it real quick and did not get burned. She said oh sorry! I forgot to tell you I moved the two chops. I picked up my double spatchula and flipped them over to check things out. They all were done and I took them off the grill with the double spatchula. It's just a matter of what your use to using. Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Spiro sp...@iamspiro.com To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 12:16 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Cooking with Gloves - Was: Using Gas Grill! try your Walmart or Kmart for ovglove, they're kevlar (spelling) On Mon, 30 Aug 2010, Brice Mijares wrote: I'd use silicone gloves with individual fingers if I \could find a pair, but so far, I've only found the mitten type. This way, the gloves could be washed in soapy water. - Original Message - From: Bill Gallik billgal...@centurytel.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 7:00 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Cooking with Gloves - Was: Using Gas Grill! Bryce writes: Have a pair of gloves with at least leather finger tips on them if you plan to cook anything in foil. this way you can use your hands to turn what ever in the foil. That, Mr. Bryce, is a great idea!!! How comes I never thunk of that!?!?!? Holland's Person, Bill E-Mail: billgal...@centurytel.net - The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese! __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5409 (20100830) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives
[BlindHandyMan] DaisyWorm for the iPhone
Good evening, Does anyone know if DaisyWorm for the iPhone or iPod has the capability of speeding up playback? While at it, what about the Olympus DM4? I am one of those who likes to go a little faster than many readers. Thanks. Dale Leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Using Gas Grill!
I was given one of those big thick gloves with silicone coating which I like to use for handling hot stuff on the grill. Sometimes just as a backing to hold burgers while I slide a spatula under, helps keep the big thick burgers I make from falling apart when flipping. It is also useful to turn an entire row of wieners or those good hot sausages in a single motion. I never concern myself with flare-up, I rather like the singe flavour and am glad to see the fat burning off. We like good thick cut pork chops, sirloin or t-bone steak. I haven't done kabobs for a very long time now but often think of it. Mine has a warming rack about 5 inches above the main grill surface, I like to toast buns on it or to make garlicky or cheese bread to go with what ever else is cooking. Often we wrap potatoes in foil and roast them too, starting them before the meet. You can't hardly get it wrong, the potatoes will take a lot of cooking and still taste fine. I generally start my barbecue with the lid closed but I don't leave the gas run long if it doesn't start nearly immediately. I shut the gas off, wait a moment and start again. Even a slight breeze can keep the gas from igniting. Although this grill continues to start readily it is usually the starter which fails first. My last one quit working within a year. I kept loosing those little igniter lighters so for seven or ten years I started it with my plumbers torch. Drove Janet crazy! There isn't really any difference between a barbecue and a gas range. Keeping the propane bottles full is a pain, you might consider direct connection to natural gas if you have gas to your home. I have two gas bottles and keep one spare full all of the time because it isn't always convenient to get a ride to a filling station. This time I also bought a barbecue with a side burner. Don't use it often but occasionally the electricity fails here and Janet is a lot easier to get along with if she gets her tea in the morning. She is not confident with gas or maybe she just likes me to think that so she isn't expected to use it. She certainly did use it in England and that was a primitive range. Dale Leavens - Original Message - From: Brice Mijares To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 8:45 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Using Gas Grill! One more item I forgot to mention. Have a pair of glove with at least leather finger tips on them if you plan to cook anything in foil. this way you can use your hands to turn what ever in the foil. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Using Gas Grill!
The thermometer on the face of my grill reads 650 degreesF when it runs off the scale. I find that even with long handled tools the hairs of my forearms tend to smoke. If something flares up while in there it gets pretty hot in a hurry. Gloves are a good idea blind or sighted. - Original Message - From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 11:25 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Using Gas Grill! I don't like using a gas grill, but do use it with a glove that is made for heat. It allows me to locate the food that I am cooking. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 6:25 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Using Gas Grill! Hi, The honey I, being both totally blind, want to know how easy or difficult it is to use a gas outdoor grill? We're both pretty confident cookds, but something just scares me about the whole gas thing! I guess I'd like to know how doable it is? Thanks. Claudia Windows Messenger: cdelreal1...@sbcglobal.net Skype: claudiadr10 __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5408 (20100830) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] home owner insurance
Of course it doesn't matter if it is your fault or not, if they won't issue a policy they just won't. Water and fire and of course theft are the big issues with insurance. Roof needs to be satisfactory, heating and electrical and plumbing. Holes in the ceilings and walls shouldn't matter much except that they speak to the rest of the maintenance and home owner attitude. Same is true for the yard although they may be concerned about risk for personal injury. Your water damage history will be a problem regardless of why it happened, if the insurers are satisfied that the problem is fixed all should be fine but, there is this principle that some dwellings are just bad luck. I once knew a woman who was refused automobile insurance because her car had been hit four times in one year. She wasn't even in it on any of the occasions but the insurers more or less said that if her car was among hundreds in a parking lot it would be the one hit and that wasn't a risk they would accept. Probably the thing to do is get a list of required improvements from the agent and work to that. Another important question you need to answer is how and why is that damage happening. How old are the kids, are they disciplined enough to direct in getting the yard cleaned up? Are you able to direct that work? Appearance can make a big impression even if it isn't related to the performance of the building. Remember too, insurance is to restore what is lost. If the building is damaged it will obviously be replaced to a better standard than the loss. In other words if it burns down and insurance rebuilds it you can profit substantially by reselling something you otherwise couldn't have given away. Insurance companies are very aware of some of the baser human motivations. Just a few reflections. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Jennifer Jackson To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 6:30 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] home owner insurance Hey Everyone, I have myself in a difficult spot and I do not know how to ask what I need without giving some of the back ground. It will not help me to get advice that does not take in the full picture. My home owner's insurance is about to be canceled. Essentially this is based on our not keeping our home in good repair. My husband is in total denial about it being our fault, but he is wrong. So my two questions are how do I get insurance on a house when I have had two water damage claims in the last year, and wat are the main things to try and get looking decent before the inspection. I do mean essential too. My yard is over grown and I have holes in my walls and ceilings. I do not know how to make my husband care enough about where we live to be better about this. My hope is that now that the kids are all in school I will be able to do some of these things myself. It has just become urgent because I have got to get someone in here to inspect and approve us for new insurance. I am sorry I am not sounding to optimistic here, but I just had another big fight with my husband about the roof and other needed repairs. I am feeling a little to drained to sound positive. Jennifer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Re: new door knob to big for the whole?
I have a special hole saw mandrel which allows two saws to be mounted. The inner smaller one is selected to fit the present hole while the larger outer saw is selected to cut the larger size. In this way the smaller saw guides the larger one. Available from Lee Valley, where else? There can be a bigger problem though, that being the length of the latch. simply enlarging the hole may force the latch further toward the edge of the door and extend it beyond the edge of the door. - Original Message - From: Gil Laster To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Cc: blakehardin5...@gmail.com Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 3:05 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Re: new door knob to big for the whole? If you have a hole saw drill attachment, cut the proper size hole in a scrap piece of wood to use as a template. Clamp the template to the door, centered over the knob hole that is too small, This will guide the hole saw as the door is cut. - Gil Laster, Charlotte, NC Original message: -- From: Blake Hardin blakehardin5...@gmail.com Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 3:30 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: [BlindHandyMan] new door knob to big for the whole? Hi, i have a wooden closet door that i bought a new knob for. However i can't get the two sides of the knob to line up because the actual whole is not cut large enough cause i guess the other knob is smaller. Anyway what can I use to file the door down a bit so i can put the new knob on? Its actually hollow inside the door so i imagine that it wont be to hard to do something with it. I just didn't wanna start cutting anything out of the nice little smooth round whole without knowing what is the best tool to use for it to still be smooth and round. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] using sheetrock repair compound?
Even small cracks should be taped. This is because the plaster will shrink as it dries and open a crack again. Very small cracks will need to be opened a little with a sharp utility knife so you can actually jam mud into them. The tape is not adhesive. You spread even a very thin amount of mud over the crack then press the paper into that mud. You then apply another layer of mud over the tape. A little water can help lubricate, the putty knife will tent to pull the paper away. Let it dry several hours. You may need to sand some or knock off any high points of blaster off before spreading wider plaster. This process is called feathering, you actually form a very small lump thinning the edges so that the lump is imperceptible. I have a series of plaster knives or trowels of increasing size from inch and a half up to 14 inches wide. The correct way to apply plaster uses what is known as a hawk. This is a sort of flat board with one edge or more turned up into which the prepared plaster is put. You hold this with one hand and lift some plaster onto your plaster knife then drag it on an angle along the wall to spread the mud over the joint or patch. At first you just want to lay it onto the wall and press it firmly into any voids or cracks. You can then go over it to smooth it usually in the opposite direction to the way you applied it and in the process you remove some of the excess. I recently bought a new trowel from Lee Valley which came along with some instructions. I didn't know that a well tuned trowel is sharpened with a slight edge on one side and rounded on the other. You spread with the rounded edge and you level with the sharp edge. I haven't had occasion to test this method yet but anticipate doing so in the coming months. You want to use the knife to press plaster into the crack or hole. You won't be able to get a good tight fit with your fingers. Usually you want about 80 grit sand paper for sanding excess plaster. It makes a lot of dust which gets all over the place. You can knock off any particularly large bits with the knife and you should usually use the sand paper with a block or other flat backing. I bought a package of pre-cut paper and a block with handle which makes putting the paper on easy and keeping the sanding nice and flat. Finer paper makes a nicer surface but the texture is too shiny when you paint over. Try not to grind the paper cover of the plaster board as it will become fuzzy. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 11:36 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] using sheetrock repair compound? Hey all hows it going? Ok so i bought some sheetrock repair compound today as well as some tape. Now i was expecting the tape to be sticky but its not, its almost like a roll of paper. Im guessing thats so when the sheetrock compound dries it can stick to that? Ok so some of the wholes in my wall are just little cracks and slits probably about a half inch deep where sharp objects have hit it. So im guessing with them i would just take the compound put it in there and let it dry and then sand it down since those are small wholes? Now i also have some wholes that go about three or so inches deep and about 3 inches wide but you can still feel the sheetrock underneath. Now if i push on it a little bit im sure that it would fall through though. Anyway would i put some compoun ndown, then put some tape over it then add more to build it up? Also i don't have any sand paper tonight but it probably would hurt if i let it dry that long either although it doesn't take long to dry. Also regarding sand paper can i ust regular sand paper or would i have to get sheetrock sand paper for some reason? Thanks for helping me out here im sure this is easy but i just wanna make sure im doing it right although if i mess things up i could start over lol. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Re: Stubern door knob, or door frame? Hmmm
I have also adjusted the door in the frame slightly. If you feel around the crack between the door and the jam sometimes you can see where the frame is out of square with the door. Putting a cut playing card or other dense cardboard material under the hinge between the hinge and the frame in the mortise under the bottom hinge will raise the top outer corner, under the top hinge will lower it. This is often enough to both latch the door and to correct the alignment. If there are three hinges it may be necessary to add a little under the middle hinge too and sometimes it is desirable to remove a little wood behind the hinge, generally only a thin shaving or two. - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 11:32 AM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Re: Stubern door knob, or door frame? Hmmm Hi, I have found that trying to move the strike plate sometimes poses a problem in that you may need to make new holes for the screws. If the plate is just a hair off it is easier to file down the opening on the strike plate. Several times I found that the corners of the opening were not square and that is why the plunger would not catch. Just squaring up the corner did the trick. Cy, The Anasazi From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Gil Laster Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 9:28 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Cc: blakehardin5...@gmail.com Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Re: Stubern door knob, or door frame? Hmmm I have had doors not latch after installing new knob sets. The new latching mechanism or the new strike plate was slightly offset from the original. Moving the striker plate corrected the problem. - Gil Laster, Charlotte, NC Original Message: --- Stubern door knob, or door frame? Hmmm Posted by: Blake Hardin blakehardin5...@gmail.com mailto:blakehardin5487%40gmail.com Thu Aug 26, 2010 8:40 pm (PDT) Hey all, i bought two outside door knobs today and replaced the one on my back door just fine. Anyway onthe the front door is the problem. I installed the new knob and when i closed it it didn't click in to place so i had to just put back on the old knob. Gurhrhrhrhrhrhrhrhr lol. I believe the door frame is uneven is the reason why it didn't work. Any ideas here? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] water pressure low in shower?
Soak it for a few hours in vinegar. That should dissolve most mineral and other particles. Then back wash under the tap to rinse away any other particulate. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 5:17 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] water pressure low in shower? Yep most certainly its the head. I took it off and now there is no water coming out from the bottom. I must replace the head tomorrow. Just curious can you unstop a head? On 8/26/10, Blake Hardin blakehardin5...@gmail.com wrote: On 8/26/10, Bob Kennedy inthes...@att.net wrote: If water is running out of the spout at the bottom as well as the shower head, I'd pay attention to the diverter valve. You'll either have a stem you have to lift, or a handle to turn in order to send water to the shower head. If it's leaking at the spout to fill the tub, all of the water isn't reaching the top. It's always possible the head is plugged and causing a back up of pressure. Take off the head and see if there is still a leak at the spout. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 4:23 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] water pressure low in shower? Hi all, the water pressure in my shower is kind of low and allot of the water still comes out of the bottom faucet. Is it the head that needs replacing or what/ I could be wrong bu i believe the head has been replaced recently. Any ideas? Thanks. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- Interested in guitar lessons? Im me at Blindboyblake1. -- Interested in guitar lessons? Im me at Blindboyblake1. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Anyone use the BookSense XT?
Good afternoon, I am in the market for a solid state reader MP3 book player. The BookSense XT appears interesting to me. I am interested to hear from people using one, how you like it. Is the FM radio any good? I am in a fringe reception area, any sense of the sensitivity of the receiver? Thanks for any opinions. Dale Leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question?
You can use a two way switch in a one way installation. Use the two connections on the one side, not the top two. The wires are hard to pull out, the screws don't make any difference to them, the screws are an alternative connection method only, many people feel more confident screwing the connections down than they do with the press-in wire connections. Just pull hard on the wires, it can help to twist the switch so that the wire rotates slightly in the hole while you pull. Grasp the wire though, don't depend on the wire holding in the box while you are pulling the switch away. These grip very tightly. This is a good thing as it makes the connection by bighting into the copper. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 4:57 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question? Hey all, i bought a light switch today to replace one of mine in the wall and i bought a three way one instead of a one way. Now the ones that i have in the wall are a one way, or at least thats what i think there called, they have two wholes on the back where the wires go in to verses the one i bought witch has three. So can i still use the one i bought or do i have to get one like the one thats in the wall? Also when putting the light cover back on over the switches how come those dang little wholes are so hard to line up? Like i will have one screw in there and it will line up just fine then when i try to put another screw in the screw goes in at an angle. I got it back on and everything is fine but why are those wholes so hard to line up? Oh, one more thing when i was in there, i couldn't manage to get the wires lose from the switch. I unscrewed the screws that were in the sides of it and tryed to pull them out but it wasn't coming lol. How hard could i pull before i break something? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] working with quick crete questions
I see that Bob has suggested landscape fabric which could be held down with a layer of crushed rock, another often used method is black plastic. There isn't much benefit in pouring concrete over it, eventually dirt and seed will propagate in or on it and cleaning that up is a big job. You can also just spray the area with something like Roundup or Killex it is still legal most places. Several layers of news paper wetted down and then held down with some crushed rock will also work remembering that eventually some soil and seed will collect in the stone and the little beggars will return but should be easily removed or a new layer of barrier put down. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Kevin Doucet To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 10:46 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] working with quick crete questions Hi, Don't know if I have the name right but I know some sort of bag concrete is available for making a concrete surface. Asking for a friend who has a raised back porch and has to constantly fight weeds in the spring and summer. He and I were wondering if he pored some concrete if that would do away with his constant fight with weeds under his porch. So, what am I looking for, will it be a fix in this situation and how is it applied? Thanks for your help. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] hammering verses an eighteen volt electric nailer
I believe that is called a brad push. - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 9:54 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] hammering verses an eighteen volt electric nailer Clifford, Amen friend! For those wee small nails (aren't they called brads?) I had a gizmo which you put the brad into and then hammared the pushrod which in turn pushed the brad in. Sure was a whole lot easier on nerves and fingers. Since I am a massage therapist I am even more cautious with my poor hands and fingers. ((LOLLOLLOLLOL) Cy, The Anasazi From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of clifford Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 7:31 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: [BlindHandyMan] hammering verses an eighteen volt electric nailer Dear List Members: While I can use a hammer and nail, when it comes to those little nails, two and a half inches long or shorter, I enjoy my eighteen volt electric nailer. I can put in ten nails with it, while I would get one in with the hammer. It is wonderful when installing base board and other trim. The fingers come away much happier as well. Yours Truly, Clifford Wilson Ps. The language barrier is broken much less frequently as well. __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5394 (20100824) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question?
Good point, Not all seem to have those slots though. Maybe the newer ones do it would make sense. I never thought of them and I have never actually used them either. I do have a thin driver which should work. - Original Message - From: Lenny McHugh To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 8:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question? Dale, the next time you get one of those switches in your hand examine it carefully. There are small indentations near the hole where the wire is pushed in. With a small screwdriver push on these indentations and the wire should release. I did not get a chance to toy with it myself however, when the electrician relocated the kitchen light switch he popped the switch out in a few seconds. I asked how he got the wires out that fast and he told me about the releases. -- From: Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 7:38 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question? You can use a two way switch in a one way installation. Use the two connections on the one side, not the top two. The wires are hard to pull out, the screws don't make any difference to them, the screws are an alternative connection method only, many people feel more confident screwing the connections down than they do with the press-in wire connections. Just pull hard on the wires, it can help to twist the switch so that the wire rotates slightly in the hole while you pull. Grasp the wire though, don't depend on the wire holding in the box while you are pulling the switch away. These grip very tightly. This is a good thing as it makes the connection by bighting into the copper. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 4:57 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question? Hey all, i bought a light switch today to replace one of mine in the wall and i bought a three way one instead of a one way. Now the ones that i have in the wall are a one way, or at least thats what i think there called, they have two wholes on the back where the wires go in to verses the one i bought witch has three. So can i still use the one i bought or do i have to get one like the one thats in the wall? Also when putting the light cover back on over the switches how come those dang little wholes are so hard to line up? Like i will have one screw in there and it will line up just fine then when i try to put another screw in the screw goes in at an angle. I got it back on and everything is fine but why are those wholes so hard to line up? Oh, one more thing when i was in there, i couldn't manage to get the wires lose from the switch. I unscrewed the screws that were in the sides of it and tryed to pull them out but it wasn't coming lol. How hard could i pull before i break something? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall?
Drywall and jiprock or sheet rock are the same thing. Filling holes depends a little on the nature of the holes. If they don't go right through then you just spread and force the mud right over the hole. You may need to spread a thin layer of plaster and embed paper tape into it to give better strength if it is badly cracked. If the hole goes through there are a number of different methods used depending on the size of the hole. You may be able to just stuff some wadded paper in there and work plaster over it, you might work some adhesive tape to the back side of the jiprock with enough exposed sticky to hold a little paper to form a base enough to apply layers of the plaster mud allowing to dry as you build up the hole. Large holes may require you to cut a square out, screw some strips of wood onto the back side with screws through the board on the front overlapping enough to allow you to cut a filler piece and screw it into the strips of wood then apply a thin layer of plaster around the cracks and press paper tape firmly into the sticky mud before plastering over the lot including filling the screw holes. This usually takes a couple of applications because the plaster shrinks as it dries and the screw holes reappear through the first couple of applications. The paper tape is used to reinforce the cracks otherwise the shrinking plaster will form cracks which become visible. Many people now prefer the adhesive mesh tape. this is stronger but it is also thicker and I don't much like using it because it takes a lot more plaster to build up and hide the stuff and I find the lump left behind unacceptable. It isn't bad along the formed edges of drywall where there is a bit of a valley but across the ends and other butt joints requires more work than I like to do. You sand smooth and paint. Hope this helps. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 7:49 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall? Hi, ok what is the difference between dry wall and sheetrock? Or are they the same thing? Also, a room that im in has quite a few wholes in the wall and i was wondering how do i go about fixing them? I know you can use sheetrock mud and patch them up but how exactly do you do it step by step? Do i just buy the mud if thats what its called, spread it throughout the wholes as evenly as posible, then wait for it to dry and take a piece of sandpaper and sand it down to be even with the rest of the wall? I know that after its done you have to pait over it but thats fine with me because this room needs to be repainted anyway. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question?
Definitely not a ground connection. A three way switch is used in conjunction with another for situations where you wire two switches for the same device, a switch at the top and bottom of the stairs for example. You need a three core conductor and special wiring configuration to make it work. You would really be better off using the correct switch. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 8:07 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question? Hi thanks for that tip. So ok can you tell me the difference between a 1 way and three way switch? The one way switch has two wholes in the back correct? So if thats the case why would you need a three way switch? Is that so you can wire another switch to it or something? Or is it a ground connection? On 8/25/10, Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net wrote: You can use a two way switch in a one way installation. Use the two connections on the one side, not the top two. The wires are hard to pull out, the screws don't make any difference to them, the screws are an alternative connection method only, many people feel more confident screwing the connections down than they do with the press-in wire connections. Just pull hard on the wires, it can help to twist the switch so that the wire rotates slightly in the hole while you pull. Grasp the wire though, don't depend on the wire holding in the box while you are pulling the switch away. These grip very tightly. This is a good thing as it makes the connection by bighting into the copper. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 4:57 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] wow so installing lightswitch question? Hey all, i bought a light switch today to replace one of mine in the wall and i bought a three way one instead of a one way. Now the ones that i have in the wall are a one way, or at least thats what i think there called, they have two wholes on the back where the wires go in to verses the one i bought witch has three. So can i still use the one i bought or do i have to get one like the one thats in the wall? Also when putting the light cover back on over the switches how come those dang little wholes are so hard to line up? Like i will have one screw in there and it will line up just fine then when i try to put another screw in the screw goes in at an angle. I got it back on and everything is fine but why are those wholes so hard to line up? Oh, one more thing when i was in there, i couldn't manage to get the wires lose from the switch. I unscrewed the screws that were in the sides of it and tryed to pull them out but it wasn't coming lol. How hard could i pull before i break something? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- Interested in guitar lessons? Im me at Blindboyblake1. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in?
OK Jo, About the only reason I can think of for why girls don't tend to use a hammer well is the same reason they do a lot of things somewhat differently and that is training. There can be some strength differences too of course but that is just a matter of sizing the tool appropriately. I am just a little fellow, most of the women I meet these days probably outweigh me by 20% or more and are generally bigger and should be stronger than me. few however have had the physical experience and therefore lack some of the skills which improve efficiency of function. Having said that I have known a couple of lady welders and at least one lady builder all very capable and why not? So much is a matter of training. My father was a hard rock gold miner most of his working life. He contended that the primary difference between him and a brain surgeon was training and I agree with the caveat that there is a place for talent in there somewhere too. Nevertheless, I am pleased to appreciate the differences between the sexes. The younger of my daughters could be quite skilled with woodworking tools, complicated just a little by her being a left hander. - Original Message - From: Jo Taliaferro To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 9:53 AM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in? Hey Dale, Thanks so much for the tap by tap instructions! You are SO right! It does matter what hammer is used for which task. Thanks for respecting us females. I remember in school, I was not allowed, in public school to take Woodshop or Cooking because of the fear of teachers. I never really got much training and still I love the do-it-yourself projects (not nearly as ambitious as yours). Keep the good tips coming. Jo Taliaferro From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of clifford Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 8:14 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in? Dear Dale: Your description is dead on with regard to the method I employ. I found out that I can really get with the program when driving in fifty penny nails using a 28 ounce framing hammer. Those little finishing nails are the ones that give me the most difficulty. Yours Truly, Clifford Wilson - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in? I built a three story 16 by 32 foot addition to this house several years ago now driving each and every nail by hand the old fashioned way with a hammer. It is a skill but it helps to learn how to do it correctly. I often listen to people driving nails as I walk about town and I can hear who has got it and who does not. At the risk of sounding sexist, and I am unashamedly sexist though not in the way implied, my observation is that most females and many children do not employ a hammer correctly. some of this is probably uncertainty about strength or the strength required but I expect it is mostly a matter of training and confidence. Intuitively it seems that one would be more accurate at hitting a nail when holding the hammer near the head and using the rest of the handle as a sort of balancing lever. Actually this is incorrect. You may like to choke up on the hammer for starting a nail but even that isn't all that effective. Here is how I do it. Grasp the hammer back toward the far end of the handle. Place the nail with the other hand, I use the right for striking and the left for setting the nail. I hold the nail between the index finger and thumb unless it is one of those God forsaken roofing nail or a very little finishing nail in which case I usually set it between my index and long fingers. I raise the hammer and gently tap the head of the nail as a targeting strike, which if successful I follow with a firmer stroke, creating a sort of tap tap tap tap tap tap rhythm. When starting this is usually only required a couple of times until the nail is well enough set. I then withdraw the left hand resting it near the nail and reaching across with the index finger to touch the nail while I withdraw the hammer and do a target tap from a longer distance with my finger present, then withdraw the finger and hammer and strike the nail as strongly as I like again with that tap bang tap bang tap bang rhythm. Well, that is the technique, in actual practice I don't do nearly so much of the tap bang rhythm now as I once did though I probably do when I have not been laying a lot of nails in the recent past. the real trick though is not to choke up on the hammer. You will drive a lot more nails a lot faster and with a lot less energy and actually your aim and direction
Re: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall?
Don't know the cost, seems to me that a 30 pound pail of pre-mixed plaster is about 35 bucks but I don't remember and it would be a lot more than you would need. You can buy small pales and even boxes of powder to be mixed with water quite cheaply. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 5:40 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall? Hi, how much would this stuff cost? I would say tat the plaster mud would be the most expensive. On 8/25/10, Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net wrote: Drywall and jiprock or sheet rock are the same thing. Filling holes depends a little on the nature of the holes. If they don't go right through then you just spread and force the mud right over the hole. You may need to spread a thin layer of plaster and embed paper tape into it to give better strength if it is badly cracked. If the hole goes through there are a number of different methods used depending on the size of the hole. You may be able to just stuff some wadded paper in there and work plaster over it, you might work some adhesive tape to the back side of the jiprock with enough exposed sticky to hold a little paper to form a base enough to apply layers of the plaster mud allowing to dry as you build up the hole. Large holes may require you to cut a square out, screw some strips of wood onto the back side with screws through the board on the front overlapping enough to allow you to cut a filler piece and screw it into the strips of wood then apply a thin layer of plaster around the cracks and press paper tape firmly into the sticky mud before plastering over the lot including filling the screw holes. This usually takes a couple of applications because the plaster shrinks as it dries and the screw holes reappear through the first couple of applications. The paper tape is used to reinforce the cracks otherwise the shrinking plaster will form cracks which become visible. Many people now prefer the adhesive mesh tape. this is stronger but it is also thicker and I don't much like using it because it takes a lot more plaster to build up and hide the stuff and I find the lump left behind unacceptable. It isn't bad along the formed edges of drywall where there is a bit of a valley but across the ends and other butt joints requires more work than I like to do. You sand smooth and paint. Hope this helps. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 7:49 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall? Hi, ok what is the difference between dry wall and sheetrock? Or are they the same thing? Also, a room that im in has quite a few wholes in the wall and i was wondering how do i go about fixing them? I know you can use sheetrock mud and patch them up but how exactly do you do it step by step? Do i just buy the mud if thats what its called, spread it throughout the wholes as evenly as posible, then wait for it to dry and take a piece of sandpaper and sand it down to be even with the rest of the wall? I know that after its done you have to pait over it but thats fine with me because this room needs to be repainted anyway. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- Interested in guitar lessons? Im me at Blindboyblake1. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall?
Oh, There are several different plaster like compounds with differing properties. Stuff like Polyfilla Cellulose Filler which doesn't shrink or crack and sets up harder than common spackle compound is among them. Some stick better than others, some are harder and some dry much faster than plaster. Generally though they are intended for smaller patching jobs or to repair holes where fixtures have come out of the wall. Some are even cementacious and work best when applied to brick or concrete bases. Do you know what the stuff you used is called? Thanks. - Original Message - From: Max Robinson To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 9:33 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall? I just finished a big wall repair project. There is a new kind of dry wall filler. It doesn't shrink very much as it dries. It is pink when wet and turns white when dry. I know that doesn't do us much good but it should help identify it at the home center. Sue said she felt like she was frosting a cake. It looks like and has the consistency of cake frosting. Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: m...@maxsmusicplace.com Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to. funwithtransistors-subscr...@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, funwithtubes-subscr...@yahoogroups.com - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 5:11 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall? Don't know the cost, seems to me that a 30 pound pail of pre-mixed plaster is about 35 bucks but I don't remember and it would be a lot more than you would need. You can buy small pales and even boxes of powder to be mixed with water quite cheaply. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 5:40 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall? Hi, how much would this stuff cost? I would say tat the plaster mud would be the most expensive. On 8/25/10, Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net wrote: Drywall and jiprock or sheet rock are the same thing. Filling holes depends a little on the nature of the holes. If they don't go right through then you just spread and force the mud right over the hole. You may need to spread a thin layer of plaster and embed paper tape into it to give better strength if it is badly cracked. If the hole goes through there are a number of different methods used depending on the size of the hole. You may be able to just stuff some wadded paper in there and work plaster over it, you might work some adhesive tape to the back side of the jiprock with enough exposed sticky to hold a little paper to form a base enough to apply layers of the plaster mud allowing to dry as you build up the hole. Large holes may require you to cut a square out, screw some strips of wood onto the back side with screws through the board on the front overlapping enough to allow you to cut a filler piece and screw it into the strips of wood then apply a thin layer of plaster around the cracks and press paper tape firmly into the sticky mud before plastering over the lot including filling the screw holes. This usually takes a couple of applications because the plaster shrinks as it dries and the screw holes reappear through the first couple of applications. The paper tape is used to reinforce the cracks otherwise the shrinking plaster will form cracks which become visible. Many people now prefer the adhesive mesh tape. this is stronger but it is also thicker and I don't much like using it because it takes a lot more plaster to build up and hide the stuff and I find the lump left behind unacceptable. It isn't bad along the formed edges of drywall where there is a bit of a valley but across the ends and other butt joints requires more work than I like to do. You sand smooth and paint. Hope this helps. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 7:49 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] knowing what your walls are made of? And filling up wholes in your wall? Hi, ok what is the difference between dry wall and sheetrock? Or are they the same
Re: [BlindHandyMan] working with quick crete questions
cover with news paper but this will eventually break down, with black plastic or with landscape fabric then a layer of stones to hold it down. You could pour concrete over it if you like but that is a lot of work with little advantage and a real mess when/if it needs to come up again. - Original Message - From: Kevin Doucet To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 9:34 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] working with quick crete questions My friend originally put gravel down but the weeds are coming up anyway. Can the landscape fabric be placed over the existing gravel with more on top to hold it down and if so, will this finaly stop the weeds from being a nuisance? At 01:17 AM 8/25/2010, you wrote: If weeds are all you want to get rid of, it might be easier to pick up a roll of landscape fabric. This will let water pass through, but not light. It will smother weeds . You can use the Quikrete but the weeds will have to be removed first. - Original Message - From: Kevin Doucet To: mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.comblindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 10:46 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] working with quick crete questions Hi, Don't know if I have the name right but I know some sort of bag concrete is available for making a concrete surface. Asking for a friend who has a raised back porch and has to constantly fight weeds in the spring and summer. He and I were wondering if he pored some concrete if that would do away with his constant fight with weeds under his porch. So, what am I looking for, will it be a fix in this situation and how is it applied? Thanks for your help. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 3975 (20090330) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.comhttp://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Rain gutter run and drop
This makes the other point, much depends on the size and therefore the volume of water a gutter can handle. A 40 foot length wants to be pretty big if you get any amount of rain and particularly if the roof on that side is particularly large just to carry the volume of water it will accumulate. Even a steep fall can only carry a prescribed volume of water and the longer the run the more resistance to the flow. A 2 inch square down pipe offers only 4 cross sectional square inches of area to carry water away, a 4 inch by 3 inch deep gutter can supply 12 cross sectional area square inches of water to that down pipe. Once full, the gutter has to dump the surplus over the edge. If you add the volume of say an 8 foot drop of the down pipe compared with 40 feet of gutter one soon discovers how under sized the escape can be compared with the volume the trough can carry. - Original Message - From: Max Robinson To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 11:22 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Rain gutter run and drop When we moved into this house there was a 40 foot run of gutter with a down spout at each end. If the rain was any more than light it would overflow in the middle. We cured it by putting in a down spout where it overflowed. Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: m...@maxsmusicplace.com Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to. funwithtransistors-subscr...@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, funwithtubes-subscr...@yahoogroups.com - Original Message - From: Tom Vos vo...@iowatelecom.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 5:04 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Rain gutter run and drop Thanks for your input. We have a 34 foot run, and we need to run the water all one way, because at the back end of the garage there is no place to go with it. The garage and house are about 3 feet apart, and run off from the garage currently drops between them. At the back, a downspout would have to cross the sidewalk leading to the back door, or go across the back of the garage where there is an entry door. From one of your figures, if we could get a one inch drop over the 34 feet, that should be enough to get us by. Blessings, Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in?
I built a three story 16 by 32 foot addition to this house several years ago now driving each and every nail by hand the old fashioned way with a hammer. It is a skill but it helps to learn how to do it correctly. I often listen to people driving nails as I walk about town and I can hear who has got it and who does not. At the risk of sounding sexist, and I am unashamedly sexist though not in the way implied, my observation is that most females and many children do not employ a hammer correctly. some of this is probably uncertainty about strength or the strength required but I expect it is mostly a matter of training and confidence. Intuitively it seems that one would be more accurate at hitting a nail when holding the hammer near the head and using the rest of the handle as a sort of balancing lever. Actually this is incorrect. You may like to choke up on the hammer for starting a nail but even that isn't all that effective. Here is how I do it. Grasp the hammer back toward the far end of the handle. Place the nail with the other hand, I use the right for striking and the left for setting the nail. I hold the nail between the index finger and thumb unless it is one of those God forsaken roofing nail or a very little finishing nail in which case I usually set it between my index and long fingers. I raise the hammer and gently tap the head of the nail as a targeting strike, which if successful I follow with a firmer stroke, creating a sort of tap tap tap tap tap tap rhythm. When starting this is usually only required a couple of times until the nail is well enough set. I then withdraw the left hand resting it near the nail and reaching across with the index finger to touch the nail while I withdraw the hammer and do a target tap from a longer distance with my finger present, then withdraw the finger and hammer and strike the nail as strongly as I like again with that tap bang tap bang tap bang rhythm. Well, that is the technique, in actual practice I don't do nearly so much of the tap bang rhythm now as I once did though I probably do when I have not been laying a lot of nails in the recent past. the real trick though is not to choke up on the hammer. You will drive a lot more nails a lot faster and with a lot less energy and actually your aim and direction of the forces to drive the nail are far more accurate. You will bend far fewer nails and use far less effort as well. There are a couple of builders around town who, when they have new helpers with them and see me passing their work site will call me over to show how I can drive nails. I generally get a coffee and some information about their project for the price of driving half a dozen nails which seems to have impressed them enough to prove to their helpers I can do it. I suppose it comes back to the difficulties some people have in understanding how anything can be done without sight. Just now I am disassembling a cement breeze block wall with a masonry chisel and a 4 lb. mallet and a 10 lb. sledge. I wish I could find an accurate way of targeting that sledge! I may have to rent a jack hammer again. I filled the block with cement when I laid the wall nearly 20 years ago and it turns out I also put some rebar in some of the cavities. I had forgotten doing that! Hope this is helpful Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 7:03 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in? hey all hows it going? Ok so when i was little i used to mess around with hammering nails in and such but i was wondering how do you guys do it? Like if im just trying to hammer a nail in to a board with a hammer do i hold the nail with my fingers and try to aim for the nail with the hamer? That allot of times will end up being my thumb under the hammer rather than the nail haha. So does your aim just get better with practis or do you have something you can put the nail in to hold it so you wont have to use your fingrs? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in?
I forgot to mention that it helps a lot to swing from the shoulder while holding the elbow and wrist more or less unmoving. This reduces the targeting errors introduced by multiple joints and of course it lengthens the lever arc substantially. Not only is this more accurate but it substantially increases the impact momentum without exhausting the arm. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in? I built a three story 16 by 32 foot addition to this house several years ago now driving each and every nail by hand the old fashioned way with a hammer. It is a skill but it helps to learn how to do it correctly. I often listen to people driving nails as I walk about town and I can hear who has got it and who does not. At the risk of sounding sexist, and I am unashamedly sexist though not in the way implied, my observation is that most females and many children do not employ a hammer correctly. some of this is probably uncertainty about strength or the strength required but I expect it is mostly a matter of training and confidence. Intuitively it seems that one would be more accurate at hitting a nail when holding the hammer near the head and using the rest of the handle as a sort of balancing lever. Actually this is incorrect. You may like to choke up on the hammer for starting a nail but even that isn't all that effective. Here is how I do it. Grasp the hammer back toward the far end of the handle. Place the nail with the other hand, I use the right for striking and the left for setting the nail. I hold the nail between the index finger and thumb unless it is one of those God forsaken roofing nail or a very little finishing nail in which case I usually set it between my index and long fingers. I raise the hammer and gently tap the head of the nail as a targeting strike, which if successful I follow with a firmer stroke, creating a sort of tap tap tap tap tap tap rhythm. When starting this is usually only required a couple of times until the nail is well enough set. I then withdraw the left hand resting it near the nail and reaching across with the index finger to touch the nail while I withdraw the hammer and do a target tap from a longer distance with my finger present, then withdraw the finger and hammer and strike the nail as strongly as I like again with that tap bang tap bang tap bang rhythm. Well, that is the technique, in actual practice I don't do nearly so much of the tap bang rhythm now as I once did though I probably do when I have not been laying a lot of nails in the recent past. the real trick though is not to choke up on the hammer. You will drive a lot more nails a lot faster and with a lot less energy and actually your aim and direction of the forces to drive the nail are far more accurate. You will bend far fewer nails and use far less effort as well. There are a couple of builders around town who, when they have new helpers with them and see me passing their work site will call me over to show how I can drive nails. I generally get a coffee and some information about their project for the price of driving half a dozen nails which seems to have impressed them enough to prove to their helpers I can do it. I suppose it comes back to the difficulties some people have in understanding how anything can be done without sight. Just now I am disassembling a cement breeze block wall with a masonry chisel and a 4 lb. mallet and a 10 lb. sledge. I wish I could find an accurate way of targeting that sledge! I may have to rent a jack hammer again. I filled the block with cement when I laid the wall nearly 20 years ago and it turns out I also put some rebar in some of the cavities. I had forgotten doing that! Hope this is helpful Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Blake Hardin To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 7:03 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] hammering a nail in? hey all hows it going? Ok so when i was little i used to mess around with hammering nails in and such but i was wondering how do you guys do it? Like if im just trying to hammer a nail in to a board with a hammer do i hold the nail with my fingers and try to aim for the nail with the hamer? That allot of times will end up being my thumb under the hammer rather than the nail haha. So does your aim just get better with practis or do you have something you can put the nail in to hold it so you wont have to use your fingrs? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] ant problem
I use poison probably borax which is suspended in a sweet liquid. I put a couple of drops into something like a bottle cap which I secrete into some inaccessible place for pets preferably along the paths the ants are observed taking. It doesn't take much, they take the sticky juice back to the nest and party hardy to their deaths. I have made a small hole in a pill bottle or other container which ants can penetrate but others cannot. I also use those ant hotels, little tins with holes which can be opened to permit entry of the ants. I don't know if they take that bate back or if they just die in there but they seem to be successful too. Hope this helps. Dale Leavens Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds? - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 5:45 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] ant problem Say folks, What has anyone used to eliminate ants keeping in mind that there are also pets in the house? Thanks in advance, Cy [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Rain gutter run and drop
The only figures I have seen for water run is quarter inch per foot. This apparently applies to gutters and to things like patios as well. - Original Message - From: Tom Vos To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 9:31 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Rain gutter run and drop How much drop does a rain gutter need for water to run out effectively? We have a 34 foot run on the garage, and I'm wondering how much drop we need over that distance Blessings, Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Rain gutter run and drop
Sorry! Quarter inch per 10 feet is recommended. this may not be enough though depending on the size of the roof and the slope and the size of the guttering. Dale Leavens. Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds? - Original Message - From: Tom Vos To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 9:31 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Rain gutter run and drop How much drop does a rain gutter need for water to run out effectively? We have a 34 foot run on the garage, and I'm wondering how much drop we need over that distance Blessings, Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX?
It probably can be bent more severely than i said with care or supported with a spring. As someone else said, it used to be thought that PEX should not come within 6 feet of a water heating system, I don't know if that is still true. The newer materials are probably more forgiving. One of the main advantages is that you can pull it up through partitions without needing to splice in elbows and now they are running it in loops to provide under floor heating so the radius must be better than I first stated. I'll try to find out later. - Original Message - From: NLG To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 10:09 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? Thanks for the reply. Not sure where I got the impression that PEX 3/4 inch could be coiled into a loup of 7 inches...Like I said, I never worked with PEX before and with new technology coming out every day, maybe they have a braded PEX or some product that can be? - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 9:48 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? PEX is flexible but only to an arc of maybe 3 feet diameter. In your situation you might consider a loop or an arc allowing you the extra length when/if you need it. With a hundred feet though you should be able to replace it when that occasion arises. - Original Message - From: NLG To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 9:18 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? I have never worked with PEX before. Under the impression that PEX was flexable, I thought I had an application here where PEX would be ideal. Last year I added a hot water coil to my wood/coal furnace to heat my domestic hot water. This setup consisted of a stainless steel loup, approximately 24 inches long and installed into the fire box of my furnace. Being approximately 20 feet away from my electric water heater I could not utilize a thermo-syphon, so installed a small circulating pump to move the water from the bottom of the electric water heater through the loup installed in the wood furnace back to the top of the electric water heater. I used 3/4 inch soft copper to make the run from the electric water heater to the wood furnace and back. This setup worked great last winter, reducing my electric bill considerably. This summer, my electric water heater had to be replaced and like always, the inlet, outlet, drain valve, as well as the pop valve are never in the same location on the new tank as it was on the old. Not wanting to plumb the system again with copper (knowing a few years down the road) I will have to do it all over again, I thought I would connect PEX from the copper I have in place overhead in the floor joyste to the electric water heater, thinking that PEX would be more flexable and when the next time I have to replace a water heater, the hook-up would be easier. I bought the crimping tool, copper crimp rings, the fittings I needed and 100 feet of 3/4 inch PEX tubing. From examining this PEX tubing I know that it is not as flexable as even soft copper of the same size. All that having been said... Did I purchase the wrong type PEX? Without installing elbows / 90 degree fittings, is there a way to accomplish a substancial bend in this type PEX (perhaps type C). perhaps using a heat gun? Or would heating the PEX enough to accomplish my goal diminish the integrity of the PEX tubing? Thanks :) However, [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX?
I just read a document which gave a chart according to the diameter of the PEX. It looked to me like 3/4ths could be bent under 1 radii. I confess I don't understand what that meant but it is clearly a much tighter radius. They didn't mention anything about distortion of the shape, if that is permitted or not. They did mention that an inch of slack should be allowed for contraction for every floor level, 8 to ten feet and that care to avoid any abrasion should be exercised. I admit my experience with the stuff is very limited. It is though a simple thing to kink the stuff. They also warn against exposure to daylight and other forms of ultra violet. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 2:13 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? I was under the impression that you could bend it a bit tighter than a three foot radius. In my investigations into underfloor hydronic radiant heating, PEX is often used. To be able to make a 180 degree turn from one joist bay to the next, the maximum curve would have to be less than about 29 inches. And that doesn't seem to be any problem at all. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX?
There seems to be some variance in the recommended bend for PEX. I have looked up several references, most commonly recommended radius is 8 times the outside diameter of the tube and this applies to the inside radius. A couple mentioned 6 times the outside diameter and one stated 10 times. 3/4ths inch pex then should bend around 4 inches inside radius. This is of course in the direction of the coiled tubing. The radius against the coiled direction is considerably more. All of the references I saw which mentioned temperature seem to agree on 180 degrees F. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: NLG To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 10:09 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? Thanks for the reply. Not sure where I got the impression that PEX 3/4 inch could be coiled into a loup of 7 inches...Like I said, I never worked with PEX before and with new technology coming out every day, maybe they have a braded PEX or some product that can be? - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 9:48 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? PEX is flexible but only to an arc of maybe 3 feet diameter. In your situation you might consider a loop or an arc allowing you the extra length when/if you need it. With a hundred feet though you should be able to replace it when that occasion arises. - Original Message - From: NLG To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 9:18 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? I have never worked with PEX before. Under the impression that PEX was flexable, I thought I had an application here where PEX would be ideal. Last year I added a hot water coil to my wood/coal furnace to heat my domestic hot water. This setup consisted of a stainless steel loup, approximately 24 inches long and installed into the fire box of my furnace. Being approximately 20 feet away from my electric water heater I could not utilize a thermo-syphon, so installed a small circulating pump to move the water from the bottom of the electric water heater through the loup installed in the wood furnace back to the top of the electric water heater. I used 3/4 inch soft copper to make the run from the electric water heater to the wood furnace and back. This setup worked great last winter, reducing my electric bill considerably. This summer, my electric water heater had to be replaced and like always, the inlet, outlet, drain valve, as well as the pop valve are never in the same location on the new tank as it was on the old. Not wanting to plumb the system again with copper (knowing a few years down the road) I will have to do it all over again, I thought I would connect PEX from the copper I have in place overhead in the floor joyste to the electric water heater, thinking that PEX would be more flexable and when the next time I have to replace a water heater, the hook-up would be easier. I bought the crimping tool, copper crimp rings, the fittings I needed and 100 feet of 3/4 inch PEX tubing. From examining this PEX tubing I know that it is not as flexable as even soft copper of the same size. All that having been said... Did I purchase the wrong type PEX? Without installing elbows / 90 degree fittings, is there a way to accomplish a substancial bend in this type PEX (perhaps type C). perhaps using a heat gun? Or would heating the PEX enough to accomplish my goal diminish the integrity of the PEX tubing? Thanks :) However, [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] PEX?
PEX is flexible but only to an arc of maybe 3 feet diameter. In your situation you might consider a loop or an arc allowing you the extra length when/if you need it. With a hundred feet though you should be able to replace it when that occasion arises. - Original Message - From: NLG To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 9:18 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] PEX? I have never worked with PEX before. Under the impression that PEX was flexable, I thought I had an application here where PEX would be ideal. Last year I added a hot water coil to my wood/coal furnace to heat my domestic hot water. This setup consisted of a stainless steel loup, approximately 24 inches long and installed into the fire box of my furnace. Being approximately 20 feet away from my electric water heater I could not utilize a thermo-syphon, so installed a small circulating pump to move the water from the bottom of the electric water heater through the loup installed in the wood furnace back to the top of the electric water heater. I used 3/4 inch soft copper to make the run from the electric water heater to the wood furnace and back. This setup worked great last winter, reducing my electric bill considerably. This summer, my electric water heater had to be replaced and like always, the inlet, outlet, drain valve, as well as the pop valve are never in the same location on the new tank as it was on the old. Not wanting to plumb the system again with copper (knowing a few years down the road) I will have to do it all over again, I thought I would connect PEX from the copper I have in place overhead in the floor joyste to the electric water heater, thinking that PEX would be more flexable and when the next time I have to replace a water heater, the hook-up would be easier. I bought the crimping tool, copper crimp rings, the fittings I needed and 100 feet of 3/4 inch PEX tubing. From examining this PEX tubing I know that it is not as flexable as even soft copper of the same size. All that having been said... Did I purchase the wrong type PEX? Without installing elbows / 90 degree fittings, is there a way to accomplish a substancial bend in this type PEX (perhaps type C). perhaps using a heat gun? Or would heating the PEX enough to accomplish my goal diminish the integrity of the PEX tubing? Thanks :) However, [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Supporting a chimney
Hi Dan, Hopefully this isn't too late for your planning. Now I don't remember how he did it, I was just about five years old at the time maybe 6 when my father raised our little house in Kirkland Lake and excavated and poured a basement under it before setting it back down onto the new basement. His method of basement construction was a little unusual compared with how the contractors were doing it at the time but he also did it mostly alone with help from my mother and a good friend of his and a small cement mixer. Actually they removed the clay from under the house with a team of horses and a scraper which meant he didn't have to raise the house nearly as much as those using tractors. This house had a brick chimney original from a point about 6 feet from the floor and on up through the attic space to the outside. I don't know what used it originally but in my memory there was an oil space heater in the living room which provided heat to the entire house. The chimney sloped out of a partition wall poking into the upper corner of the kitchen then on up through the ceiling. Once the house had been lowered onto the basement Dad cut a hole through the kitchen floor, poured a pair of cement pillars then laid a brick chimney from a couple of feet below the kitchen floor to service a gravity feed furnace in the basement up to meet the bit of chimney sticking down from the kitchen ceiling. He first had to disassemble the sloping portion and the face through the partition wall. I remember some scaffolding he had built to hold the upper chimney from the kitchen floor while he raised the brickwork to meet the upper portion. I don't remember how he inserted the top row of bricks. I do remember that he got used bricks from somewhere which we soaked in a wash tub before chipping away the old mortar, I remember cleaning off some of those bricks myself. Actually he also built the first furnace from brick and fire brick in the basement, we heated with wood and coal in those days. My father was a hard rock gold miner and not a carpenter or mason. If your contractor said he can do it I am confident that he can. I expect he will remove a few bricks from one side of the chimney and then insert a partial joist which he will shim as necessary and either scab it to the adjacent joist structure or suspend it from joist hangers, then the other side then remove bricks and join his joists with transverse structures. Having done that he will remove the rest of the bricks down to the kitchen floor and if you like all the way to the basement floor thus reclaiming some room in your basement. Of course that work you can do for yourself to save a little money. Actually I would rather enjoy the challenge of doing that myself, particularly in someone else's home. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: Blind Handyman List Sent: Monday, August 02, 2010 10:13 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Supporting a chimney We have begun interviewing contractors to remodel our kitchen. One issue we have been working around is that there is a chimney running from the basement, up through the kitchen, and on up through the second floor and roof, obviously. The hot water tank that had been venting through that chimney has been moved, so nothing is actually using the chimney any more. Our plan is to expose the brick of the chimney, it has been plastered over possibly since it was built, 80 years ago. However, the first contractor we spoke to asked if we had considered removing that part of the chimney to just get it out of the way. I told him that I had thought of it, but didn't think it would be possible to remove the middle of a chimney. I mean, I assume those things are a tad bit heavy. This contractor implied that he could remove the middle of the chimney and still support the upper part from the ceiling joists. Does this sound realistic? -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Cement block footings
They certainly do. They are somewhat conical sloping from the wider base to the top. There is a depression in the top and the ones I have seen also have channels in them at the top presumably to drain water away. Hope this is helpful. - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins To: Blindhandyman Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 4:08 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Cement block footings I have a small seven by seven deck/porch that is attached to the back of my house. We access it via sliding glass doors. It was here when we purchased the house in 1985 but my guess is it has been there since the house was built in 1975. On the one side it is attached to the house via the end joist. The other side or side furthest from the house is supported by two four by fours, one on each corner. These were never sunk into the ground and cemented but rather just set on a cement block even with the surface of the ground. My question is do they sell any type preformed block say 1 foot cube with a pre formed cut out or attachment for a four by four? thanks Al [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Cement block footings
You want to support it well when you remove and replace the posts to prevent the leverage of the deck from pulling your rim away from the building. - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 4:31 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Cement block footings Lenny, Yes, as they are beginning to get rotten on the bottom. Does this cleat anchor to the block or just sit? Since the deck is attached to the house, I'm not too concerned with movement Al -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com]on Behalf Of Lenny McHugh Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 4:27 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Cement block footings Are you replacing the 4x4s? If so they make a nice metal cleat that you screw to the bottom and it sits on the block. I used them on my back porch roof supports and have not had any problem in over 30 years. - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins arobb...@nycap.rr.com To: Blindhandyman blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 4:08 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Cement block footings I have a small seven by seven deck/porch that is attached to the back of my house. We access it via sliding glass doors. It was here when we purchased the house in 1985 but my guess is it has been there since the house was built in 1975. On the one side it is attached to the house via the end joist. The other side or side furthest from the house is supported by two four by fours, one on each corner. These were never sunk into the ground and cemented but rather just set on a cement block even with the surface of the ground. My question is do they sell any type preformed block say 1 foot cube with a pre formed cut out or attachment for a four by four? thanks Al Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view _pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] ants knest in my compost bin
there are ant poisons which contain boric acid I believe suspended in a liquid sweet syrup. You put a few drops on something like a bit of wood or plastic lid preferably protected a little from the weather but open so the ants can get to it. They take it to their nest as a source of food energy, even the queen gets it and it kills them right in the nest. Alternately you can attempt flooding them out with water however that is more of a problem in something like a compost pile. Poisoning them also insures that they don't just move to another location like your lawn or pantry. - Original Message - From: Carl To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 10:41 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] ants knest in my compost bin hi thair i hav an ants knest in my compost bin so i carn't turn the compost over how can i get the little sods to vacate the compost bin? i'm in the north east of the UK you can contackt me on skype carlf16 and joine my list for unabridged audiobooks send a blank email to ub_ab_bookspace+subscr...@googlegroups.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig
They used to use hot water to resurface skating ice surfaces however I believe part of the reason is to flow the new surface smooth to the old one. They may still do so. - Original Message - From: William Stephan To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 8:16 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig Max: I don't doubt it, but it's an urban legend from before anybody ever heard the term Urban Legend. I remember the first time I heard it and I heard it from a rather odd uncle of mine, probably back in the late 1960s. -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Max Robinson Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 19:09 To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig It's an urban legend. Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: m...@maxsmusicplace.com mailto:max%40maxsmusicplace.com Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with transistors group send an email to. funwithtransistors-subscr...@yahoogroups.com mailto:funwithtransistors-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, funwithtubes-subscr...@yahoogroups.com mailto:funwithtubes-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com - Original Message - From: William Stephan wstep...@everestkc.net mailto:wstephan%40everestkc.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 6:36 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig I've heard this throy that hot water freezes faster than cold, but never tried or understood it completely. I know that many people use submersible electric heaters to keep stock tanks and the like from freezing, so according to this theory if I understand it, that must be a mighty energy-intensive thing to do. -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Lenny McHugh Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 18:22 To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig I ment that it will freeze faster. I believe that there is something about the moving molicules. It was explained a long time ago, too far back for my short memory. - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge cyselfri...@comcast.net mailto:cyselfridge%40comcast.net mailto:cyselfridge%40comcast.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 7:05 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig Lennie, Well, you can't have everything. (LOL) Now, think of this, water is H2O so how could you remove any oxygen from it and still have water? Cy, The The (confused) Anasazi From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Lenny McHugh Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 5:02 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig I believe that is true for making ice but when you expect a very cold drink, surprise, surprise, surprise - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge cyselfri...@comcast.net mailto:cyselfridge%40comcast.net mailto:cyselfridge%40comcast.net mailto:cyselfridge%40comcast.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 6:25 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] hot water to frig Hi, Interestingly there was a theory that the water from the hot water tank had less oxygen thus is would freeze faster than cold water from the regular tap. Also, it was thought that the act of heating the water would remove or help kill bacteria which may or may not be in the city water. I will tell you one thing, you do *NOT* want to put your hands under the hot water in our house after it has run long enough to warm up the pipe. It is *HOT*. I actually like it that way as it takes a lot less hot water to get the comfortable temp in a shower. Cy, the Anasazi From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com
Re: [BlindHandyMan] BAH Fw: [Sci-tech] Odd but crual Giant alien weed (this is no joke
There have been a few discovered down by Sudbury, about four hours south of here. Apparently they are quite spectacular to see. - Original Message - From: Spiro To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 8:06 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] BAH Fw: [Sci-tech] Odd but crual Giant alien weed (this is no joke Hey Dale be careful! To: 'Science, Technology, Mathematics, SCI-FI, and more.' Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 7:51 PM Subject: [Sci-tech] Odd but crual Giant alien weed Subject: [Members] Giant weed that can cause blindness popping up in Ontario,B.C. Officials scrambling to destroy the plant that can also cause burns and permanent scarring. Ciara Byrne Globe and Mail, Jul. 09, 2010 5:26PM EDT Toronto - The Canadian Press - A weed that can grow six metres tall, sprout massive leaves and produce toxic, blindness inducing sap is creeping into Ontario and parts of British Columbia. Giant hogweed is easily identified by its teetering height. The leaves on the weed fan out as much as 1.5 metres in diameter. It is also identified by its tell-tale purple splotching on the stem and its umbrella-like cluster of white flowers. The plant, which was spotted around the coast in British Columbia in late June, and is known to flourish in the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Gulf Islands, and central to southern Vancouver Island, was discovered in the Renfrew County area in eastern Ontario on Thursday. Jeff Muzzi, a manager of forestry services for Renfrew County, said officials have destroyed the toxic vegetation, but he said the indomitable weed has become a problem for other places in the province, including southwestern Ontario. It's giant. It's not a misnomer, said Mr. Muzzi as he explained the wondrous plant that seems to sprout in waste land areas, like ditches and vacant lots. David Galbraith, head of science at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton said he was intrigued by the enormous plant - which is part of the carrot family - when he saw a huge patch growing behind a gas station north of the Goderich, Ont. years ago. I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, a great, big, huge spectacular plant, said Mr. Galbraith as he explained its allure. While it may look bewildering - almost begging to be examined by an amateur botanist or a green thumb - the consequences of touching the weed could scar a person for life. The sap gets activated by sunlight, so once you get out on the sun it reacts and can cause really bad burns, blistering and scars, said Mr. Muzzi. It has also been known to cause temporary blindness or, in extreme cases, permanent loss of eyesight, said Mr. Muzzi. Within 24 to 48 hours after a person comes in contact with the sap, the symptoms will begin to appear, he added. The challenge is trying to uproot and remove the invasive weed, a careful task Mr. Muzzi tackled on Thursday. In the 35 degree heat I was snipping the flower heads off and I was wearing a Tyvex suit and eye protection, said Mr. Muzzi. It may seem extreme, but it's exactly what the Invasive Plants Council of British Columbia recommends an expert wear when they're removing the worrisome weed. The council recommends waterproof gloves, a rubber raincoat and pants and eye protection. Gail Wallin, the executive director of the council, said the weed has become dense and has recently spread on Vancouver Island. It's the one plant that in the last month I've received scads of calls, said Ms. Wallin. Its large roots make it difficult to dig up, and after it's removed some experts suggest mowing the patch it was nestled on for several years to eliminate seeds in the soil. Given that giant hogweed can produce more than 100,000 seeds, there is the potential that it will spread, said Mr. Muzzi. Mr. Muzzi also said chemical herbicides can remove the plant, but since the cosmetic pesticide ban came into effect in Ontario, people have become wary of using any chemicals on plants. Experts believe it was brought from Asia to England, and then into North America as an ornamental plant, and quickly flourished in wet, moist areas without a natural enemy. Mr. Galbraith said the giant hogweed is an example of what happens when people introduce foreign plants into a garden. As an example of this problem, it's a spectacular one, said Mr. Galbraith. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem
Usually the clips are located about two inches from the corners in the front. The top of the front panel is bent over to the horizontal and so is the under side of the top. There is a metal catch which is about an inch wide sticking up usually through a slot in the lip of the front panel. The clip is sloped so it can slide into a similar slot in the underside of the lip on the lid or it might just slide over the rear edge of that lip. Because the clip is sprung once the slope passes it snaps forward to grip the lid. It should be maybe three quarters of an inch back from the front edge of the cabinet and an inch and a half or two from the corners. Sometimes a kitchen butter knife may even be a little too thick to slide in there, if I can find it I usually use a putty knife. If you push the probe two or three inches in then slide it you should feel it contact the edge of the clip. There may also bee a guide pin in some models. Once you contact the clip withdraw the knife until it can begin to pass the clip. Move it over so the end is against the face of the clip then push it directly foreword toward the rear of the machine so that the spring effect is overcome and the catch can slide past the edge it is gripping. You may have to lift gently to keep the lip from just sliding back over the lip and reattaching. It can help too if you catch the top panel including the console and draw it forward before you begin. sometimes it will slide just a little toward the front of the cabinet loosing the grip of the clips just a little. Of course while lifting a little helps keep the lip from reattaching, it can also make sliding the clip more difficult. It is a bit of a fiddle to make it work. There is a crude hinge arrangement at the rear of the top panel allowing you to raise the front of it. Some machines aren't like that, particularly Maytag. They have two screws at the bottom of the front panel. The panel bends under something like a small toe kick, just at the top of this toe kick near each edge there is a screw which, when removed allows the front panel to swing out from the bottom. I don't remember if it drops slightly to release from the top I think it probably does. There be some wiring for the door shut-off switch in those units so beware. - Original Message - From: robert Gilman To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 1:36 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem This is a G E that is about 11 years old. Still looking and sliding my trusty butter knife around the top with no luck yet. - Original Message - From: Rick Hume To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 7:53 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem Maybe I missed seeing the brand of the machine. Many Maytag models can be opened by simply removing the two screws located low on the front panel. This opens the machine adequate for doing most repairs to the drying mechanism. - Original Message - From: robert Gilman To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 5:28 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem Now just how does the top unsnap in the front. Thanks Bob - Original Message - From: Ron Yearns To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 10:27 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem As Dale said, removing the back is a waste of time. I would start with the top. It should snap free from the front and hinge towards the back. Hopefully you can rotate the drum by hand untill you can reach the pin. If you are unable to do this then removing the front and pulling the drum out is called for. This will involve removing the belt and re stringing it when reinstalling. Hope you you can get it from the top. Ron - Original Message - From: Robert Gilman To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2010 5:25 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem Hi All, I am looking for some tips on taking the dryer apart. I have a bobby pin stuck in the drum that is grinding into the drum. Can I just unscrew all the screws and get the back panel off and possible access the pin or will I need to take the top off. Thanks, Bob [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] removing cured tightbond 3 glue
A razor scraper or I keep a sharpened 2 inch putty knife around for such jobs. An old chisel might do well too. Watch your fingers and if you can, a sheering tap with a mallet on the other end of the scraper will often just crack it right off. Even hot water applied with a compress for a time can loosen the stuff. Remove any plastic nuts or handles and bake it in an oven at 350 for a while then cool it, the expansion and sudden contraction of the metal should free it and those temperatures should be tolerable though it might also loosen the paint. - Original Message - From: Lenny McHugh lmch...@verizon.net To: handyman-blind blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 6:57 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] removing cured tightbond 3 glue I do not know when I spilled some tight bond 3 glue on my miter gauge. Is there any easy way to remove it from the metal? I really do not want to try and grind it off. It must have been there for a few months so it is quite cured. --- Please visit my home page; it is motivational, inspirational and humorous with many resources for the blind. http://www.lennymchugh.com Lenny Please Copy and Paste into New Message to pass along. Use BCC line when addressing. Help stop identity theft. Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: blindhandyman-dig...@yahoogroups.com blindhandyman-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: blindhandyman-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tin or galvanized
the galvanization issue if I understand it correctly has to do with the chemistry used in the plating process more than the zinc. Although the steel is washed some of the chemistry may and often remains as residue. This was a very common problem when steel eves troughing was in common use and people wanted to paint it and the down pipes in my memory. For a very long time most steel roofing came unpainted as a quick, economical and durable means of sheeting largely industrial buildings. These days it usually comes already painted from the factory. Now here is my point after all that! Your sheeting is 80 years old. Any residual acids are environmental from the general smog of Pittsburg. A good wire brush and maybe a little scraping and probably a quick go over with about 80 grit paper to remove any loose debris and flaking paint and rust and provide a bit of tooth for the new paint to grab then wash away dust and grime and have at it with the paint. This sounds like a small enough area that you might consider spray with aerosol cans of automotive paint, it sets up quickly but might be too shiny and bright for your preference. A two part epoxy paint should be very durable. Just how big is this porch anyway? I suppose you could always replace it with factory finished steel roofing, most now guarantee it for 50 years and you won't likely be needing it that long. Hope this is helpful. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: Blind Handyman List Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 9:42 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Tin or galvanized It appears from most readings, that tin roofs are just galvanized steel. The process of dunking steel sheets into molten Zinc was called tinning. Do I actually need to determine if my roof is really tin, or just Zinc coated steel? After 80 years, is there any Zinc left or has it all been consumed by now? Do I just stop over analyzing this and go slap on some paint? I have now read about oil based paints reacting with Zinc, but am still trying to find out what the best solution is. I appreciate many of the suggestions, but one issue is that I need to be able to paint the roof red so that it doesn't stick out like a black eye in the neighborhood. I believe it would look stupid to have one silver or white roof and 19 red roofs around the courtyard. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem
Hi Bob, Usually taking the back off won't help in this situation. Most units have a large pan like shield with the heating element between it and the back of the drum. The drum is usually mounted on a central bearing often a simple sleeve bearing maybe always. There are usually two rollers under the front lip of the drum at about the 4:30 position and the 7:30 positions. These may be glides on newer models. You need to remove the front of the dryer and draw the drum forward out of the cabinet. You may need to assist from above too because there is probably a long belt around the motor and the drum, the drum needs to be slid out from under this belt. I hesitate to ask just what you have been doing with bobby pins but at least it isn't your bra under wire! Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Robert Gilman To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2010 6:25 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Dryer Problem Hi All, I am looking for some tips on taking the dryer apart. I have a bobby pin stuck in the drum that is grinding into the drum. Can I just unscrew all the screws and get the back panel off and possible access the pin or will I need to take the top off. Thanks, Bob [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Considering building my own apple drier or dehydrator
Don't people get valley fever from spores in the raisin drying process in California in the '30s?? If you use a heating element be sure to have a reliable thermostat. You probably don't need so much heat as you do adequate air movement. How about a clothes drier maybe with a tilt and chute like a cement mixer GRIN - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 8:52 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Considering building my own apple drier or dehydrator Hi, I concur with the fact that you would probably be just as well of purchasing your dehydrator - but - in case you wanted to build one use ¼ inch hardware cloth. It is sturdy enough to keep out unwanted birds and such and will allow plenty of air circulation. I read (somewhere) that simply placing the fruit or whatever in your dehydrator on the roof will do a bang up job of drying it out. Cy, the Anasazi From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Matt Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 6:25 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Considering building my own apple drier or dehydrator Your wooden frame and screens is kind of what I am thinking just now to start with. Did you use a heat element and a fan? I'm rummaging around for unused stuff to play with the idea. Sitting here with a small fan in my lap just now and pondering perhaps an electric skillet as heat element to go in bottom? Probably here in east texas, all I would need is a screened in box with vented racks of some sort, and maybe a fan at top to speed up the process, but I haven't decided yet. I'm wondering about some sort of webbed or porous material to stretch over dowels or wooden frame as trays. Still in the pondering stage. Matt - Original Message - From: Jim Gatteys To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 09, 2010 4:45 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Considering building my own apple drier or dehydrator Hi Matt! I used some old wooden frames and screen nailed across them for racks for years but finally broke down and bought an excalibur dehydrater. Best investment I ever made. I dry tons of stuff from my garden. I'm in west Texas and in the summer I keep the dehydrater outside while doing onions and tomatoes. Works great. Jim On Jul 9, 2010, at 4:37 PM, Matt wrote: Hi ya folks. Lately I've gotten into drying apples and cooking pies and stuff out of them. Mainly, I started out buying them already done from a Mennonite owned store. I quickly got addicted to them as snack food, then found recipes for making pies and breads out of them. I looked up instructions on drying your own. They suggested oven on the lowest setting, or in a car on a hot day. The oven works, but your spouse complains about the oven always being busy, and you can only get so many in there at 1 time. And it does take at least 6 hours the way I did it. My wife suggested I not buy a dehydrator, because as it is I am a gadget buyer. And ya start running out of space to live after so long. Just now I am considering building a wooden frame which would hold cookie sheets stacked but spaced from one another 1 on top of the other, and buying screen to cover the outside to keep some bugs out, and putting an old fan I have out in storage in one end of it. My idea lacks the heat element factor, but I live in east tx, and am figuring, I could set it up in the attic, or out in a back room where there is no air conditioning. I could go to the trouble of forming my own screen trays, if I wanted to build them, but then cleaning something like that with a wood frame? I don't think that would last long. Anyone ever done this stuff, say, to make jerky or whatever? just curious. Matt [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Erecting another retaining wall.
Well I am at it again this summer, laying more cement bricks. This is similar to the job I did last autumn. Just now I am raising a wall beside the house along the edge of the driveway 20 feet long and about 30 inches high at the highest point. Because the driveway rises the first course is split where the lower several feet eventually disappear a couple of inches below the driveway curb. There are two complicating features. the original wall I had built out of cement breeze block however shifting soil resulted in some of the joints failing and even some of the blocks tearing apart. At the time I had poured two buttresses one on each edge of a basement window. Removing them is a terrifying prospect so I am having to notch the blocks to fit around the outer ends of them. These blocks are 8 inches wide, 8 inches deep and 6 inches high with a lip on the lower rear corner so each subsequent course has a setback of about 5/8 of an inch. All the cutting is slowing things down. I had tried using a diamond blade in a skill saw and with some success but the depth of cut is limited to two inches. I am getting about 3 inches depth with a wet diamond saw rented from our local rental shop but still have some chisel work to do to finish off some of the cuts. The blocks are then stuck together wit construction adhesive from a calking gun. Thick brown snot that gets everywhere. Once this is done I have stairs and a stoop to the front door to reconstruct. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] gorilla glue and metal
That stuff scares me! I have a bad habit of getting glue where I don't want it and that stuff is nasty! I recommend some form or other of epoxy. It is a little more forgiving and doesn't tend to stick body parts together. - Original Message - From: Jennifer Jackson To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 3:36 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] gorilla glue and metal So this time I had the good sense to Google glue metal to metal, instead of gorilla glue. I learned that Crazy glue will most likely do the job even though it is listed as the thrird best choice. Sotering and then a two part apoxy if you must glue were what the first recommendations were. I think the Crazy glue will do for my purposes. Jennifer _ From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jennifer Jackson Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 2:26 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] gorilla glue and metal Thanks Betsy, That is all I found too. I just have a pad lock that I want to glue the screws in so it can not be opened with a screw driver instead of the key for the padlock. I am open to other suggestions, I just already have the gorilla glue and wanted it to work without a trip to the store. Jennifer rom: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Betsy Whitney, Dolphin Press Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 3:16 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] gorilla glue and metal Aloha Jennifer, I went online and could only find information about using it with wood. Maybe I missed something, but... Betsy At 07:17 AM 7/6/2010, you wrote: Hey Guys, Will Gorilla glue work on metal? Jennifer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again!
also have a commercial company come in and blow closed cell foam into these locations and there are many other much more expensive and albeit variably more effective methods. Studding out the walls, fitting electrical then having closed cell foam blown in is probably the very best solution in the long term but my recommendation can probably be done by yourself for a couple of hundred dollars and serve you well. Hope this is helpful. Dale leavens. -- Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 4:56 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again! The walls were sealed with a water-based paint, but I would think I would eventually need drywall, in order to help with insulating the basement? We currently have no insulation in place, either; the basements is bare too the bone, at the moment. Claudia - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 7:56 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again! Claudia, I have seen responses from various folks and their advice is good. I would probably not bother to put in dry wall but rather seal the walls with one of the new products as there is a possibility of more water in the future. I use my large Sears shop vac and have purchased an optional tool designed specifically for picking up things on the floor. (not the squeegy) I also have a couple of extra extensions for the plastic wand which will allow me to reach up a good 7 or 8 feet above my arm's length. The want on my shop vac is large enough to ingest tennis balls and the like so it will do a great job of sucking down the webs as well as picking up all manner of reasonable large objects from the floor. If you are able to seal off the basement I wold let loose a couple of those bug bombs for starters. This will eliminate the bug problem and then you can control it by the regular monthly spraying. I saw someone mention those Shell No Pest strips. They really do work and I have used them in the kitchen of my restaurants many years ago to control various flying things which come inside during the summertime. You can find what I think is the same product in many farm type stores. These little strips are used on cattle to ward off flies and other insects and they work just like the old Shell No Pest Strips. HTH, Cy From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Claudia Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 1:05 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again! Hi All, We have a large unfinished basement; the floors are concrete, and the walls are cindrblock. There is no insulation or drywall in the basement currently! We had that all taken out, after we experienced about a foot of water, in our basement, two years ago. What would be the best way to go about keeping the basement floor clean? We currently use a shop vac to do that, but it takes forever and a day, to get it done. Also, I think I asked about this before, but the basement gets full of spiders and spider webs, and I hate walking around down there, feeling stuff hanging over my head! What can we do to curb some of this activity, if anything? Or, would some of this probelm be eliminated, once we start putting back new insulation and drywall? Thanks. Claudia Windows Messenger: cdelreal1...@sbcglobal.net mailto:cdelreal1973%40sbcglobal.net Skype: claudiadr10 __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5245 (20100702) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5247 (20100702) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5247 (20100702) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again!
John, You are quite right. Once you have water against one side of concrete it will migrate through. Attempt to waterproof the dry side are soon fruitless. You can retard evaporation and wicking fairly well from the dry side but you won't stop it and it isn't long before any impervious coating begins to separate and come away if there is wet on the outside. There is substantial force in the migration of moisture from high to low saturation and water will migrate through about anything porous. when it meets a barrier it simply collects there until any weakness is encountered and in the case of concrete this may be in the form of soluble salts where a coating meets the original cement. I don't know if Claudia now has her underlying water saturation issue solved, if I remember they cut a channel around the perimeter of the inside to carry water to a sump after first removing all or most of the organic material from the space. The alternative would be to excavate the perimeter of the building, install a really good weeping system which might also include a sump and pump if a suitable storm drain isn't available then scape the ground to slope away from the building preferably with a water retardant cap and good additional surface drainage. I have largely done that here but it was expensive. - Original Message - From: john schwery To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 11:03 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again! Claudia, it seems to me, if your getting water into your basement, you need to divert the water away. earlier, Dale Leavens, wrote: Good morning Claudia, Insulating a basement and finishing the inside walls is a big and costly job though not without benefit. It would probably be well worth while though to take the time to really go around the basement and seal up any penetrations. Easily the biggest heat gains or losses are through air gaps and other air exchange points between the inside and outside. This makes tings a lot quieter as well. If you are getting a lot of dust and dirt and insects into the basement it sounds to me like you have lots of access points. Sealing things up isn't easy but it isn't necessarily all that expensive. Most of the trouble will be around points where things like drier vents, water and other pipes enter or leave the building, utilities like telephone, television and electrical cable enter the house, places like water pipes, outdoor electrical outlets leave the building. Then around windows, a lot of air, dirt and critters tend to move around poorly sealed window frames. Finally, there are often remarkably large spaces between the sill of the building and the top of the basement. Outside there may be siding or other finish covering such spaces but they are there and air moves through them bringing in the outdoor environment. You want to carefully and methodically make your way around the top of the basement wall probably with the wand of your vacuum and a brush to sweep and suck loose dust and debris out of such places then follow either with good elastic calking or by filling the gaps with some of that sticky difficult expanding spray foam. Similarly, seal around the penetrations and window frames and you might even want to apply some sort of appropriate weather stripping to any windows. Most of these products prefer warmer conditions to apply but I find that poking around in particularly cold weather often helps locate those cool entry points. Sighted people might stick a bit of toilet paper to the end of a wire like a length of coat hanger wire and push that toward suspect places where they can watch very small air currents disturb the paper like a flag. Calking and spray foam are damn sticky and in that regard not very blind friendly. One can grease ones hands up with something like Vaseline and that helps but you don't want to transfer the grease onto the surfaces you are sealing or the sealant won't stick. This is also why you remove as much dust and grit as you can before applying the sealers. Mostly, over filling with the spray foam doesn't matter much, you can trim off the excess with a sharp old knife if it is in the way after it sets up. Once you take care of the air leaks the next most cost effective insulation is to again climb up there to the sill and insulate the rim and joist bays. The joist bays are those pockets between the ends of the floor joists where they cross the top of the basement wall. Again remove dirt and dust and you might even wish to calk where the floor crosses the rim joist and possibly where the rim joist sits on the sill. You could try to accurately cut extruded foam insulation to push in there but it is very difficult to get
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again!
Hello Claudia, The vacuum is probably the best way to keep the dust down but if you prefer, a wide push broom, a big dustpan or the vacuum once you push dust and dirt into the corner to pick it up and I would recommend purchasing some Dustbane to put down before you sweep to keep dust from rising and flying about. Dustbane I see when looking up the spelling isn't a specific product but a product line. What I remember about it is it's specific smell and wondering at the janitor scattering this dirt looking stuff on the floor before then sweeping it up. It looked to me like a make work project as an observing 7 year old. There are different grades of push broom, you want something fairly soft so the bristles don't just flick the dirt about. this is not an automotive garage you are cleaning. I like to store my brooms upside down with the bristles in the air to minimize them forming shape to the floor as they stand. I have a couple I use mostly outside on the patio and driveway. You could also damp mop but that too is difficult. Your spider webs, though a little gross are a good way of keeping other insect activity under control. There are other ways though. I wonder if they still make those Vapona strips. They were a flat strap maybe three inches wide, quarter inch thick and about 8 inches long. they were impregnated with a chemical which killed insects in an enclosed space and probably also caused genetic deformities in future generations particularly if you spend prolonged times enclosed with them. We also had a timed device, a couple of batteries in a box turned a cam shaft and sprayed a small squirt of insecticide every 15 minutes or so all summer. Used to set it up near the cold air return of the furnace to insure whole home coverage but you may only want it in a corner of your basement. The spiders and many other insects like places like your basement, it is cool, dark and the relative humidity will be that bit higher, just what they love. A dehumidifier might also help. If you are not using the basement a lot then the floor probably isn't getting all that dirty. There might be some fall-out from above though, dust and debris left over from the destruction. It might help to use the wand and a soft brush and work overhead removing dust from the structures above so it doesn't rain down when the kids are stamping about overhead. Those are the thoughts which come immediately to my mind. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 3:05 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Basements Again! Hi All, We have a large unfinished basement; the floors are concrete, and the walls are cindrblock. There is no insulation or drywall in the basement currently! We had that all taken out, after we experienced about a foot of water, in our basement, two years ago. What would be the best way to go about keeping the basement floor clean? We currently use a shop vac to do that, but it takes forever and a day, to get it done. Also, I think I asked about this before, but the basement gets full of spiders and spider webs, and I hate walking around down there, feeling stuff hanging over my head! What can we do to curb some of this activity, if anything? Or, would some of this probelm be eliminated, once we start putting back new insulation and drywall? Thanks. Claudia Windows Messenger: cdelreal1...@sbcglobal.net Skype: claudiadr10 __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5245 (20100702) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] airconditioners
They will be as efficient as chilling units anywhere but as heating units they become decreasingly efficient as temperatures drop below about minus 10. - Original Message - From: Brice Mijares To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 10:56 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] airconditioners What I know about these other alternative is that they use a heat pump, and depending where in the states your located, they may not be cost efficient. - Original Message - From: Alan Paganelli alanandsuza...@earthlink.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 7:32 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] airconditioners It sounds like central air might be a better way to go? I've never heard of these. Anybody want to explaine? Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi d...@andrew.cmu.edu To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 5:04 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] airconditioners Jim, The air conditioners that have the compressor outside, and the individual chillers in the rooms are called split minis, mini split units, ductless air conditioners, and possibly one or two other things. A search on split mini or ductless air conditioner should find you a lot of hits. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5243 (20100701) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Clamping system
That is because everything over there is so bloody wet all the time that the timber never dries out. Which reminds me; Why don't sheep shrink in the rain? Canada is 143 years old today. they are shooting fire works over the lake in town to celebrate as I write this. Happy birthday to us! Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Jewel To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 9:12 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Clamping system My deck has been in place for 10 years and the gap between the planks has never increased. Jewel - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins arobb...@nycap.rr.com To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 10:42 AM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Clamping system Jewel, You bring up an excellent point. With the type decking I'm using, over time the boards dry and contract leaving a small gap of an eighth to a quarter inch or better. If I start with a gap, eventually the gap will be too wide and could create some other issues Al -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com]on Behalf Of Jewel Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 6:25 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Clamping system My decking planks have about a quarter inch gap between each for air circulation. Unless you seal every join, I think that you are running a risk of them rotting as water can seep down between the planks and with them being so tightly packed together, there will be no chance of them drying out. Jewel - Original Message [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5148 (20100526) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] iPhone SIM card question
Those of you with iPhones might be able to tell me if they have a SIM card? Can I install one in Europe and use the phone like a local phone there? The in-laws don't have Internet and I would dearly love to be able to keep connected while there. Thanks. dale leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] ozone
Where on earth does this stuff come from! The lungs are about 100% efficient at 16% oxygen saturation under normal healthy conditions. The atmospheric oxygen is just under 21% so, your blood is fully oxygenated with plenty to spare provided your lungs aren't damaged by, among other things, extreme oxygen exposure or of course ozone. The thing about ozone though is that should the third oxygen atom dissociate it becomes free to associate with other elements to form free radicals. Not to worry too much though, unless the water is pressurized with O3, it cannot remain suspended in the liquid long enough to be present in any amount when you drink it because of the low partial pressure of O3 in the surrounding environment. It is possible to get some to stay in suspension by pressurizing the water in O3 gas as they do with carbon dioxide which is what causes the fizz in soda drinks and yes, even beer and sparkling wines. Now, when I drink a lot of beer with lots of carbon dioxide fizz it returns the way it came in the form of very satisfying burps. Well, most of it does, some apparently finds another less pleasing exit. While I don't know this for sure, I expect that pressurized ozone would perform similarly except that it's reputed odor absorbing properties might limit some of the entertainment value. - Original Message - From: John Sherrer To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2010 6:49 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] ozone Ozonated water is good for you since it increases your absorbed oxygen. It also helps your body get rid of free radicals. John http://WhiteCane.org http://BlindWoodWorker.com http://HolyTeaClub.comcom\whitecane http://anellos.ws - Original Message - From: clifford To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 11:14 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] ozone Dear List Members: Ozone is used quite extensively in bottled water to be sure no bacteria is introduced in to natural spring water which is free of little bugs from the outset. I am told that the amount introduced is such that it dissipates quickly but dealing a death blow to any microbes which may have been introduced during the bottling process. I have an electronic air filter at my office, and when there is a lot of arcing, when a larger piece of lent or what have you is sucked in, then it sounds like a bug whacker. When that happens, I am told that a bit of ozone is generated. A smell is also created for a brief time. I hope the levels are so low as to not be harmful. Yours Truly, Clifford Wilson __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5227 (20100624) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] ozone
Ozone is among the ocean smells apparently but I don't know why that should be except perhaps the ultraviolet in the sun on that wide expanse of water. You will smell it where ultraviolet light is generated particularly those older carbon arc lamps. The mercury vapor lamps we used to use in British hospitals 40 years ago also produced enough ozone to smell. - Original Message - From: Jewel To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2010 8:43 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] ozone I have heard it said that you can smell * ozone at the seaside. Is this actually ozone, or just * ocean and related smells like seaweed etc? Jewel [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] ozone
Dear Clifford, Any time there is electrical arcing there is some ozone released. It is that peculiar smell accompanying the sound and the flash. The amount released by the electrostatic filter will be pretty small but if you are really really dirty perhaps enough to increase the usual background levels to hazardous. There will often be a little released when a light switch sparks, the compressor of the fridge kicks on and other things. I don't know what it is about my television but I am occasionally aware of the smell of ozone when it has been running. These new electronic switches probably don't often create sparking as there are no mechanical parts or gaps in the switching mechanism, things like those touch switches. There are a lot of things in our background environment which can be harmful, things like radon gas and carbon monoxide, things for which we do have a certain tolerance. Some will be able to tolerate more than will others. Everyone can tell a story about someone who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 80 years and died in a plane crash aged a hundred and certainly there are many out there with that history. Similarly, there are many who fear everything. The fact though that someone did tolerate high exposure to a substance for a lifetime and survived does not reassure me. Your filter may be harming you minimally with it's occasional arcing, on the other hand keeping animal dander and paper dust out of your lungs may well more than offset any ozone harm. - Original Message - From: clifford To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 11:14 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] ozone Dear List Members: Ozone is used quite extensively in bottled water to be sure no bacteria is introduced in to natural spring water which is free of little bugs from the outset. I am told that the amount introduced is such that it dissipates quickly but dealing a death blow to any microbes which may have been introduced during the bottling process. I have an electronic air filter at my office, and when there is a lot of arcing, when a larger piece of lent or what have you is sucked in, then it sounds like a bug whacker. When that happens, I am told that a bit of ozone is generated. A smell is also created for a brief time. I hope the levels are so low as to not be harmful. Yours Truly, Clifford Wilson __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5227 (20100624) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems
What I never understood about the ozone layer is why it isn't a self regulating system. The more ultraviolet which penetrates the atmosphere the more ozone it will generate to replace that removed by those fluorocarbons. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 8:02 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems Lenny, Thanks very much for this link. It was an interesting read and I will send it to everyone who tells me that Ozone generators are a good thing. John, I guess you were right, there is good Ozone and bad Ozone. Good up high, bad near by. Ozone in the upper atmosphere is vital to the Earth, but a serious pollutant at ground level. So you are, in fact, generating the bad kind of Ozone in your house. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems
Dan, People will believe what they want to believe. Over a career of nearly forty years in Physical therapy I have always been amazed at the number of people complaining of their bad backs they blamed on the vibration exposure in their trucks, heavy equipment even with air suspended seating who then went home and spent the evening in their in some cases as much as multi thousand dollar vibrating chairs. The very vibration that health and safety protects them from on the job and against which they would readily make compensation claims becomes therapeutic off the job. Get Renaults disease from operating a drill or chain saw and someone will be responsible then go to the Chiropractor and pay to use a magic hand massager. Damage your lungs on the job with ozone and you can use some of your Workers' Compensation claim money to buy a generator for your personal home use I suppose. Some of these things are like politics and religion. there is no requirement for the proponent to demonstrate anything. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 7:51 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems On Tue, 22 Jun 2010, John Sherrer wrote: Ozone is part of nature, such as a lightening strike, when you can smell the ozone. This cleanses the air and land. This is the good ozone. Um, OK. However, lightning also causes forest fires, which are part of nature, and important to the generation of new growth, but I don't want fire in my house. Carbon Dioxide is also fozone on the job and you can spend your compensation money on a home ozone generator.d naturally in the environment, and very important to plant growth. I don't want a CO2 generator in my house either. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Deck board screws
You will be very unlucky indeed if you hit any of the original screw shafts with your new screw. You might check too if the original screws are in fact Philips screws. they may be the square drive and superior Robertson screws which is why your Philips driver is stripping them. Generally they get stripped going in but are fine on the way out if you bear firmly and straight down on them. You might also want a new driver with sharper and fresh tines to better grab the old screws. - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 8:04 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Deck board screws Eric, Your idea is one I did think of, however, the only concern I have is if they end up flush with the joist I am going to have to be very careful the new hole does not get drilled where the cut off screw is. Al -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com]on Behalf Of Eric Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 7:53 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Deck board screws The only good way would be to use a saws all to cut the screws off at the joists. Two screws per board at every joist is fine, just sink it a little. Eric - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins To: Blindhandyman Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 6:46 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Deck board screws Looking for some opinion before I replace the surface boards on our 12 by 16 exterior deck. I will be using the pressure treated premium decking which they refer to as a five quarter by six. The actual finished width is about 5 and a half inches. Anyway after I get done removing the old, which I may say is no small task as many of the Phillips screws are counter sunk and of course stripped. So one question is maybe somebody has some novel ideas on removing them that I have not thought of? All ideas welcome. My question on the new boards is to minimize cupping over the years do you think its over kill to use 3 deck screws per joist rather than the way it is now with 2? thanks Al [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] moald growing on new PVC
Can you reach out the window and wash it thoroughly with a bleach and water? - Original Message - From: Carl To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 3:02 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] moald growing on new PVC hi thair i'v got moald growing on new PVC windocills i didn't think it cud? but how to remove it is the question as it is on the 1st flor above grounde level. how can i remove it with out clime ing ladders? i'm in the north east of the UK you can contackt me on skype carlf16 and joine my list for unabridged audiobooks send a blank email to ub_ab_bookspace+subscr...@googlegroups.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Hello from Colorado
Well hello Si! Colorado? What ever motivated that move and where are you in Colorado? Glad to have you back. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 11:45 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Hello from Colorado Hi All, Well, it has been about 2 years since I have been on the list. We moved from Oklahoma to Colorado in 08 and life has been most interesting indeed. Glad to be back among the group. Cy, The (former Ancient Okie) Anasazi [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Rockwell JawHorse
Shane, From your description I think I might have dated her once! - Original Message - From: Shane Hecker To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 6:24 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Rockwell JawHorse I don't have one, but know of someone who does. We used it the other day to secure 2sx4 studs for cutting. The jaws can open up to 3 feet. It also can fold up for storage and transport. Hope this is helpful. Shane From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dan Rossi Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 9:37 AM To: Blind Handyman List Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Rockwell JawHorse Does anyone have the JawHorse? It sounds pretty slick, but possibly one of those things that sounds a lot slicker than it actually is in practice? wood.toolIDay.com has it for $149 plus $6 shipping which is about 25 bucks cheaper than anywhere else. I'm thinking of asking Sofia for one for fathers day. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu mailto:dr25%40andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems
Not since I was in about third grade if that means anything? Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Alan Paganelli To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 6:51 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems Dale, has anybody ever asked you where Roy was? Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 2:07 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems Claudia, Do you have a forced air furnace system? Does it have an electronic filter? Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 4:41 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems RJ, Do you recall how much you paid for your air purifier? Claudia - Original Message - From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 3:40 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Testing for Mold? I do have one from Shaklee, that my wife swear by. I don't have allergies, so I can't tell. Plus the house is only 7 years old. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 16:36 Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Testing for Mold? County Health Dept. referred me to a company that you have to pay. When I did talk with this company, they stated they could come out and do an initial inspection for free. They also stated that mold clean-up can get very, very expensive, and it doesn't permanently cure the problem because it could potentially come back? Then, he talked to me about purchasing an air purification system, one that he swears by, of course, that only costs $750, plus tax. Go figure! Does anyone know whether these air purification systems really work? If anything, I would ask him, if we could try it, for a week or two, before deciding whether or not we wanted to purchase. I think this guy probably just wants my money, but at this point, I don't know of any other companies that come out to test. Claudia - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 12:48 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Testing for Mold? The last place you should go is a company that also fixes the roblem, it's one of the big current scams out there. Molds and mildew and th like are everywhere and apparrently not usually a real problem. unless you've had long term water remaining in your place. County health dept. sounds like a good plan. Tom __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems
OK, that is a for forced air system. You can have electronic filters installed which catch all sorts of small particles like mold spores and pet dander and other allergens. They aren't so good as those air cleaners but they do provide filtration of the entire dwelling which the air purifiers do not.. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 7:19 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems What do you mean by forced air? I'm not sure. We have a heating and cooling system, in one; we have vents, and the duct work is all in the basement. I'm thinking that this is forced air? The vents are floor-level, and the filters are just the kind you slide in and out of the furnace, nothing electronic! Claudia - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 4:07 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems Claudia, Do you have a forced air furnace system? Does it have an electronic filter? Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 4:41 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Air Purification Systems RJ, Do you recall how much you paid for your air purifier? Claudia - Original Message - From: RJ To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 3:40 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Testing for Mold? I do have one from Shaklee, that my wife swear by. I don't have allergies, so I can't tell. Plus the house is only 7 years old. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 16:36 Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Testing for Mold? County Health Dept. referred me to a company that you have to pay. When I did talk with this company, they stated they could come out and do an initial inspection for free. They also stated that mold clean-up can get very, very expensive, and it doesn't permanently cure the problem because it could potentially come back? Then, he talked to me about purchasing an air purification system, one that he swears by, of course, that only costs $750, plus tax. Go figure! Does anyone know whether these air purification systems really work? If anything, I would ask him, if we could try it, for a week or two, before deciding whether or not we wanted to purchase. I think this guy probably just wants my money, but at this point, I don't know of any other companies that come out to test. Claudia - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 12:48 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Testing for Mold? The last place you should go is a company that also fixes the roblem, it's one of the big current scams out there. Molds and mildew and th like are everywhere and apparrently not usually a real problem. unless you've had long term water remaining in your place. County health dept. sounds like a good plan. Tom __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5199 (20100615) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Patching cement.
Seems to me you want to get some support under the cement to begin with. IS that practical? There are a few possibilities, fill under the steps with some sort of sand. Maybe something like polymerized sand, a little expensive but as it becomes moist it stabilizes as the sand sticks together. Just trying to patch will result in the cement falling through the holes unless you can get something under or behind it. Having said that I suggest you go for some form of hydraulic cement, the sort which expands as it cures. If the holes are too bit this might cause more expansion and stress on the existing concrete and I suppose could split it however expanding cement will hold the patch there much better assuming the shape of the holes don't cause the expansion to just pop the patch out. When filling cracks you get around that by under cutting the crack before forcing the expanding concrete into the crack, if the holes though are wider top and bottom the effect will be the same and the plug should fit well. They also use acrylic in some of those patch cements. that allows you to feather out and if the surface is pretty clean it sticks to the surface better by adhesion but does not make the mechanical bond that an expanding cement will make. Hope this gives you a few ideas. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: Blind Handyman List Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 8:12 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Patching cement. Every time I go to a big box store and look at the small buckets of cement mixes, I come away quite confused. There are no less than 20 different buckets claiming to be exactly what you need to patch a hole in cement, a crack, this one you can feather out to an eighth of an inch, that one can be used to anchor a railing. Blah blah blah. Here is what I need to do. What do I need to do it? The main stairs to the courtyard are deteriorating. It will be big bucks to replace them. We are looking into that, but I would like to make some temporary repairs. The soil under the steps has subsided over the last 90 years, so the cement is actually suspended in the air. At the landings there are I beams supporting the slab, but that's not important at the moment. A couple of holes have opened in the cement slab. I can actually stick my cane right through the cement and down another six or eight inches to the dirt below. The holes are several square inches in size. I want to patch the holes. I figure I can jam some largish rocks into the opening then pack in cement around those rocks. So, is there another way that I should consider? What kind of cement patch material should I be looking for? Thanks. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Basement stairs
Well Dan, You can always accumulate your experience and build the stairs again without errors. The trick is to put your time into the jig system. Your design will be much stronger than the sawtooth style of cutting stringers. Cutting that style and getting it accurate is really divvicult. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: Blind Handyman List Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 9:36 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Basement stairs I can now mostly, safely, traverse from the first floor of my house, to the basement, without having to leave the house. The last step is a bit of a doozy since I haven't completed the landing, so there is a double-high step at the bottom. As per usual, my design far exceeded any actual skill I might possess. Overall, I believe the stairs look pretty nice, albeit, with a few imperfections showing here and there. On two or three of the treads, the nose does not seat completely against the stringer, leaving a very slight gap. There is one noticeable notch in the corner of a tread where I made a booboo with my router. I was using a plunge router with the multi-step little doodad. Well, I turned the doodad the wrong way, and instead of plunging 1/4 of an inch, I plunged 3/4 of an inch before I realized what I did. Apparently, looking from the bottom up, the illusion is that the steps are sloping. The problem is that the treads are dead level, but the kitchen floor isn't. So when you are looking up the stairs, you see a noticeable difference between the edge of the top tread, and the kitchen floor. I completely screwed up the bottoms of the stringers, but can essentially compensate for that when I build the landing. I routed a decorative Roman Ogee profile on the inside top edge of the stringers. Lifting the stairs into place was challenging, but not impossible. I just kept lifting the upper end and wedging boards between the floor and one of the treads, until it was wedged into place. I hope to finish the lower landing this week, then I just need to think about a railing at some point. I'm just happy to be able to walk up and down to and from the basement again. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] older homes - what to look for
All realtors work for the vendor of course, that is where their cheque comes from. It is generally a per centage so the higher the purchase offer the more money they make. This is why they now spend money on staging. They will move in rental furniture, draperies, anything to make the property more appealing for the higher buck. It sounds to me like you are very lucky too if you get a inspection which is adequate. Trouble there is that there is always something, deciding if you can live with that something is the issue. A lot like a used car. - Original Message - From: Brice Mijares To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 1:18 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] older homes - what to look for I noticed that too. The agent would be the first change I'd make. He's probably the agent representing the sellers. So he wouldn't be looking out for your best interest. - Original Message - From: Betsy Whitney, Dolphin Press braill...@hawaii.rr.com To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 9:28 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] older homes - what to look for Too bad this realtor seems to be more interested in selling property than honesty. I just can't imagine anyone thinking those windows are better, we had them in my growing-up house. oi... Betsy At 06:18 AM 6/14/2010, you wrote: The guy's full of it. The house I grew up in was of that type. The glass was always cold and formed ice. You could put storm windows on the outside which would give you several inches between the windows which would help. Isn't inspections mandatory in your state with selling a home? You should hire an inspector who does this for a living. It's not what you can see but rather what you can't. Water damage, dry rot, termites etc. Those things often can't bee seen and it takes somebody who is trained in knowing what to look for. The inspection is mandatory in many states and the home owner should have that done in order to sell the house. If your state doesn't require it, you can hire a professional to do the job for you. The fee is around 400 to 500 dollars but if your really serious about buying it it's well worth the price especially if you live in an area with high humidity. Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Scott Howell mailto:s.howell%40verizon.nets.how...@verizon.net To: mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.comblindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 4:03 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] older homes - what to look for Hi good people, Well let me tell you a little story and try not to bore you to tears or make this a super long message. My wife and I walk by this home and have done so for several years. She has always commented on how lovely the house looks and incredibly it went on the market about 10 days ago. Apparently the couple that owned it has passed on and the kids have decided to sell the property. So, here is a description, which will help set the tone of the question. The house is a custom-built Rambler, constructed in 1954, and is all brick. The house is not very large (according to the tax record is 1,500 square feet) and has a living room, dining room, kitchen, full bath, and four bedrooms; on one level. I neglected to bring a tape when we took a tour, but think I would if we take another look. There is an attic with a fixed set of stairs and it has flooring down and the roof is not plywood, but (I can't think of the correct name) some sort of planks with shingles over that. The basement is partially finished with solid pine paneling and interesting it has a solid block wall running down the middle and apparently this was common in the 50's. It has an oil-fired boiler that provides baseboard heat and it does have central air, but that was added later and the air handler is in the attic and the vents are in the ceiling. Ok, so the purpose of describing this house is I am curious what things I should be looking for if we seriously entertain the idea of purchasing it. I understand there is a breaker panel and not a fusebox. However, let me mention a couple other things as well. There is a separate two-car garage that does have a fusebox, but this is a very substantial structure that they even put in some ceiling fans since one of the kids used to detail cars in there. In addition, there are two (I know this sounds nuts) walk-in
Re: [BlindHandyMan] calibrating oven
Would it be more reasonable to buy an oven thermometer your wife can read for a couple of bucks for the purpose of calibrating the oven? Just saying, there are some things worth doing the usual way. Dale leavens. - Original Message - From: Alan Paganelli To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 12:49 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] calibrating oven Well, for the price, you can probably find uses for it but I didn't it was worth the time. It is little more then a cheap talking watch on the end of an aluminum probe. Maybe you'll use yours more then I use mine. Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Lenny McHugh lmch...@verizon.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 9:40 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] calibrating oven Thanks, I did order it not sure how/if it will work. My problem was that I could not find one talking or not that would go up to 550 degrees. There are a few for about $100, it would be cheaper to get the service guy to do it for about $50. Even if I can get it closer it would be much better. To bake a cake she has to have it in for almost an hour to get it done and the cook time is suppose to be 35 minutes. With the old spring unit it registers over 25 degrees low. I was thinking that if I left the oven on for about 45 minutes I could touch the probe to the metal rack. The rack should be the same temp and not be affected by the air escaping. - Original Message - From: Alan Paganelli alanandsuza...@earthlink.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 11:23 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] calibrating oven This probe unit is mostly made of plastic and the metal probe part doesn't look like it's the strongest thing you've ever seen. It's only 30 to 35 bucks and is intended to be stuck in a hunk of meat to measure it's temperature which sounds easier in theory then in practice. The object of the game is to get the probe in the center of the meat. That's fine if it's an I-round which has no bone. If it's a 7 or 9 bone roast, it can be a challenge even getting close to the center which skews the reading. The thermometer is useful for many things but calibrating an oven probably won't be one of them. You can stick the thing in a peace of meat 5 times and get 5 different answers which means you have to average the temperature readings. It's not that the thing is worthless, it's because you cannot get the probe in the exact same place every time. The probe is 10 inches long with the plastic thermometer sitting on the top. It reminds me of having a talking watch sitting on top of a cheap metal peace. It doesn't mean that it isn't useful or that it's not worth 30 bucks, it just means it probably won't be very useful in this case. It's kind of like trying to use it to take your kid's temperature with a meat thermometer. In this case however, it would read body temperature if used under the arm. It can read air temperature but I don't believe it's that stable. I have one of these things and to tell the truth, don't use it all that much and when when I do use it for roasts and such, you spend more time fooling around with it trying to get an average then it's probably worth. If you need to calibrate an oven, I wouldn't depend on this thing. Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Betsy Whitney, Dolphin Press braill...@hawaii.rr.com To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 3:53 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] calibrating oven I think you can put the probe inside the oven while it is heating. I have a meat thermometer and you put the probe in the meat and there is a cable that extends out of the oven to the talking unit. I just press the button on the unit to hear the temperature. No need to open the oven to check. As for accuracy, we did a test with the talking unit that we bought from Maxi Aids some time ago and the little round one that we hang on the rack. I suppose that is the spring type that you mention, but don't know for sure, but I know it's not digital. They both registered the same temp after about 11 minutes
[BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question
Good evening, I have a wood chipper and leaf shredder powered by a horizontal four stroke Tecumseh engine. The damn engine has given me a lot of grief over the years, trouble starting after periods of inactivity. Oddly, this year it has behaved fairly well. Then it began leaking fuel around the top of the sediment bowl. The problem appears to be the little pin like valve arrangement which should close off the fuel flow when the float raises and pushes the little beggar into the orifice. Well I disassembled it, there is a little spring clip which I was trying to figure out where it connects when I lost the little pin like valve closer in the grass. I need to know what this little bad boy is called so I can see if I can chase down a new one. It is a 6 or 8 sided pin about half an inch long I suppose beveled to a point at one end and with a ring milled out very near the other end where this little spring wire clip snaps onto it. It sits on top of the float so, when the float is up it pushes firmly into the fuel port from the fuel tank. Those of you with mechanical training may know what this little device is called. Thanks for this. Dale leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question
OK, I figured it might be called a needle valve. I have run into trouble with them decades ago on marine outboard motors, I suppose the oil, quart to five gallons back when I used to play with them, maybe as you say, perishing rubber from the hoses. I'll have to try and get my hands on a kit I suppose. One other question. Do I remove the original seat or can I leave it? I expect you are right about the rubber hose. The bowl was full of crud when I removed it. I don't remember ever seeing crap like that in one like that before now. That little spring clip wasn't attached, I suspect it was interfering with the needle moving up into the seat but there may well be debris in there as well. This hose doesn't have a shut-off either and I would like to find one to install. I have been folding the hose and stuffing it between the tank and the engine while working on it to keep the fuel from running through. Thanks for this, I'll go in search of spare parts. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Bob Kennedy To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 10:11 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question It's called a needle. It closes fuel off by the float pushing it into a seat. Thus the name I'm sure you've heard together, needle and seat. You'll have to buy them as a pair. The spring can drive you crazy. But before that happens, know it will work well without the hassle of the spring clip. What you will want to do when you get a new one is to install the seat, on that engine it should be a round O ring looking piece kind of squared off at the shoulders. You can install it by setting it in the opening, and use either a round punch, or the shank end of a drill bit to push it in place. Try not to use a hammer to set it, there is a small shoulder in the opening and you can push right past it using a hammer. Next, set the needle in the new seat and then run the pin through the back of the float. When that is done, feel across what will now be the bottom edge, normally the top edge of the float. Make sure that edge is parallel to the body of the carb. If it sits low pointed toward the float bowl, or up at you in this case, it can starve the engine. If it sits high, pointed toward the body of the carb, it can flood. That's all there is to it. While you have it apart, spray some carburetor cleaner in the area to wash out any dirt or garbage that has found it's way in. You may also consider replacing any of the quarter inch fuel line. Often times as they get older the insides will break down and bits of the line can lodge in the seat area causing it to flood. Let me know if this doesn't work. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 9:43 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question Good evening, I have a wood chipper and leaf shredder powered by a horizontal four stroke Tecumseh engine. The damn engine has given me a lot of grief over the years, trouble starting after periods of inactivity. Oddly, this year it has behaved fairly well. Then it began leaking fuel around the top of the sediment bowl. The problem appears to be the little pin like valve arrangement which should close off the fuel flow when the float raises and pushes the little beggar into the orifice. Well I disassembled it, there is a little spring clip which I was trying to figure out where it connects when I lost the little pin like valve closer in the grass. I need to know what this little bad boy is called so I can see if I can chase down a new one. It is a 6 or 8 sided pin about half an inch long I suppose beveled to a point at one end and with a ring milled out very near the other end where this little spring wire clip snaps onto it. It sits on top of the float so, when the float is up it pushes firmly into the fuel port from the fuel tank. Those of you with mechanical training may know what this little device is called. Thanks for this. Dale leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question
It helps. Thanks. - Original Message - From: NLG To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 10:15 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question That part is called a needle valve. Hope this helps. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 9:43 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question Good evening, I have a wood chipper and leaf shredder powered by a horizontal four stroke Tecumseh engine. The damn engine has given me a lot of grief over the years, trouble starting after periods of inactivity. Oddly, this year it has behaved fairly well. Then it began leaking fuel around the top of the sediment bowl. The problem appears to be the little pin like valve arrangement which should close off the fuel flow when the float raises and pushes the little beggar into the orifice. Well I disassembled it, there is a little spring clip which I was trying to figure out where it connects when I lost the little pin like valve closer in the grass. I need to know what this little bad boy is called so I can see if I can chase down a new one. It is a 6 or 8 sided pin about half an inch long I suppose beveled to a point at one end and with a ring milled out very near the other end where this little spring wire clip snaps onto it. It sits on top of the float so, when the float is up it pushes firmly into the fuel port from the fuel tank. Those of you with mechanical training may know what this little device is called. Thanks for this. Dale leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question
Well therein lies the problem. I don't have a dealer that I know of anywhere near here. It is my understanding that they have about discontinued making Tecumseh engines altogether although there are loads of sources of parts. I don't much like the chipper either but neither do I like the price of new replacements. I wouldn't care that much but I do have about 80 feet of privet hedge which gets trimmed a couple of times a year and this year I cut it down to about knee height and cut out a load of old trunks so the hedge will renew itself. I might be able to burn the debris along with the pruning from my rose bushes but it is nice to chip it up and make compost or mulch. I get about a yard of compost every year between grass clippings, kitchen waste and other garden waste like hedge trimmings. While the town used to take stuff like that away they no longer do. I suppose they would if I bundled it and moved it out a bag at a time but that would take weeks and loads more work than feeding it to the chipper and that is a lot more fun anyway. I have Honda engines on my lawn mower and my plate compactor. They do behave wonderfully well. Thanks. Dale Leavens. - Original Message - From: Alan Paganelli To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2010 12:13 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question As luck would have it, I went to small engine school in 1980 and worked on both Brigs and Stratton and Tacumseh3.5 horsepower engines. It sounds like you've got a real old engine. They've just about wiped out all the small engine guys. Everything on the new stuff is throw-away. I talked to one of the engineers who designs these things for Tecumseh. He told me his job wasn't to make a better engine but rather to figure out ways to make the engine do what it needs to do and to make it do it cheaper. So, on to your problem and knock of the wining. The part is called a needle valve. It attaches to a clip that lowers into the fuel flow closing it off. I would suggest pulling the carburetor off and taking it with you to your dealer so they can get the part number off it and just buy a rebuild kit. You will also need to replace the gasket that goes between the engine body and the carburetor. Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens dleav...@puc.net To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 6:43 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question Good evening, I have a wood chipper and leaf shredder powered by a horizontal four stroke Tecumseh engine. The damn engine has given me a lot of grief over the years, trouble starting after periods of inactivity. Oddly, this year it has behaved fairly well. Then it began leaking fuel around the top of the sediment bowl. The problem appears to be the little pin like valve arrangement which should close off the fuel flow when the float raises and pushes the little beggar into the orifice. Well I disassembled it, there is a little spring clip which I was trying to figure out where it connects when I lost the little pin like valve closer in the grass. I need to know what this little bad boy is called so I can see if I can chase down a new one. It is a 6 or 8 sided pin about half an inch long I suppose beveled to a point at one end and with a ring milled out very near the other end where this little spring wire clip snaps onto it. It sits on top of the float so, when the float is up it pushes firmly into the fuel port from the fuel tank. Those of you with mechanical training may know what this little device is called. Thanks for this. Dale leavens. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Send any questions regarding list management to: blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemasterPAGE_user_op=view_pagePAGE_id=33MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Treadmill!
Insist the delivery people locate it where you want it. It is probably part of the store's service. - Original Message - From: Claudia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 11:01 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Treadmill! Hi All, I'm in need of a new treadmill, but I have some questions. i went to look at it, in the store today, and it's pretty bulky, weighing 1 pounds. It's a Golds Gym model, but I'm wondering how I can get it home. I have family with a truck, but the lifting is going to be a pain in the **! So, I thought I'd have it shipped to my house because shipping is practically free, but then, I'd still have to get it into the house and down to the basement! I'm guessing I'll need two people for this project? Claudia Windows Messenger: cdelreal1...@sbcglobal.net Skype: claudiadr10 __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5155 (20100530) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Split mini
I have seen a couple of installations on television only. The reason you see heating and cooling is that these are heat pumps and reversing the heat/cooling function is simply a matter of reversing some valves. There just isn't any saving in eliminating the heat function. None of the installations I have watched showed any substantial runs of the tubing. From what I have seen though you can run up to three units from a single compressor. If you have a gable end in your roof it may be possible to mount the compressor there in some models. Basically then I am really just telling you I don't have a friggin clue but they are attractive looking solutions. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: Blind Handyman List Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 10:27 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Split mini Does anyone have experience with split mini air conditioners? I am trying to find information about a two zone, or possibly three zone model. I've just started looking but so far, the multi-zone units seem to be heating and cooling. I just want cooling. Does anyone know what the maximum run for the lines is? Or at least, my thought is that the compressor would go in the back of the house near the ground, but I would want the cooling units on the second floor. So, up the back, to the attic then across the house, maybe a total run of about 40 feet for the further of the two units. Any pointers would be appreciated. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Shut off valve
Al, I think you may want a ball valve. They tend to be a lot more reliable than gate valves. PEX is not the same thing, it is a plastic material. There are methods of joining it to copper but I am unfamiliar with any of them except by sweating threaded fittings onto the ends of the pipes to be linked with plastic types of fitting. I seem to remember that there is a sort of bulbous fitting which can be put onto the end of a copper pipe and the PEX heated and forced over the bulb where it cools and contracts and is further secured with a band. There may also be compression plastic fittings to clamp down over the ends of the copper certainly there are such fittings for drain lines but I don't know about pressured water lines. - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins To: Blindhandyman Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 10:09 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Shut off valve Just called my local hardware store as I need to pick up a shut off valve to go in half inch copper line. I believe what I want is referred to as a gate valve (inside totally retracts to give full unrestricted flow) correct? I asked if they had these so I could use the shark bite fittings. They said they had Pex and it was the same. Since I've read about both but never used either are these the same or interchangeable? Is there a special tool I'll need to have on hand to remove should I want to? Last question: Do you feel the shark bite or Pex are as reliable as compression fittings? thanks Al [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs.
You don't have to go all that deep, mine are probably deeper than they need to be but 3/8th should be plenty, the stringers would have to separate a long way for a tread to fall out of that. I cut mine and so are the ones I have examined cut to open at the bottom edge of the stringer. You slide the tread into place then the riser. the riser can extend below the stringer and can even be screwed or nailed to the edge of the tread below except of course for the bottom one. Now as for the wedging, I haven't done it this way but probably should have. The rear of the riser slot and the bottom of the tread slot is cut slightly angled toward the trailing edge. I assume this is to make sliding the treads and risers into place easier. Then a wedge is driven in below the tread and behind the riser to snug them firmly into place. The nose end of the tread slot and the top of the riser slot seems to be quite precise as memory serves. sliding a tread or riser into the slots if they fit precisely can be difficult and I suppose that there isn't any way to adjust them after the fact if/when squeaks develop. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 11:44 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs. Dale, Interesting. I hadn't thought about dadoing the treads and risers into the stringers. I was just going to screw pieces of 2X4 to the stringers and screw or nail the treads down to the 2X4s. How deep would you dado? Quarter inch? Half inch? I wasn't certain about the wedging. Do you mean you cut the dado just a bit longer than the length of the tread and then wedge behind the tread? So, if you are doing blind dados, and using a three quarter straight bit, don't you end up with funky ends to the dado that you have to clean up? How do you physically attach the treads to the stringers? Or don't you? -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs.
The trouble with that method is that there are a lot of joints and junctions to fail, make noise or to show gaps. When the treads and risers are let into the stringers and so long as the dados are reasonably clean all that goes away. Even very small errors in riser length or minimal deviations off of absolutely true cross cuts of the treads and risers will immediately be seen and there are two ends of each, 48 altogether where there are 12 steps, some won't be perfect. I expect this is why the method is the one of choice. - Original Message - From: Alan Terrie Robbins To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 11:54 AM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs. Dan, This sounds like a neat idea Dale had but also sounds like a lot more work and tinkering. Probably if time is not a premium I would consider but that has to take a lot of time doing all the setup dadoing. Personally I'd go with the precut stringer or your idea of a two by four and then nail or screw to that. I don't see where the dadoing thing would be stronger. Granted it may look better or more professional but again it is the trade off with time. Just my two cents al -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com]on Behalf Of Dan Rossi Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 11:45 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs. Dale, Interesting. I hadn't thought about dadoing the treads and risers into the stringers. I was just going to screw pieces of 2X4 to the stringers and screw or nail the treads down to the 2X4s. How deep would you dado? Quarter inch? Half inch? I wasn't certain about the wedging. Do you mean you cut the dado just a bit longer than the length of the tread and then wedge behind the tread? So, if you are doing blind dados, and using a three quarter straight bit, don't you end up with funky ends to the dado that you have to clean up? How do you physically attach the treads to the stringers? Or don't you? -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs.
Invest your time in developing a reliable jig. If you are very clever you can make it adjustable for depth and angle so it can be reused for other operations. remember that the sighted folk use a carpenters square. there is a right angle where the tread meets the riser. They never know or care about the actual angle, they care about the rise run represented in inches and fractions on the inside scale of the square. They place the rise mark at the junction of the under side of the stringer where it meets the floor, swing the square until the run measure crosses the under side of the stringer then draw lines following the inside of the square. They then move the square up to the point where the run line they drew crosses the lower edge of the stringer, align the inside rise edge of the square to that point and swing the square until the run point again crosses the lower edge of the stringer then draw out the lines again repeating until they reach the top of the stringer. If they calculate it correctly they get an equal number of steps of equal height for comfort and safety. You make your jig the same way only wide enough to plow out enough material to receive the tread and riser. The tread will usually be thicker than the riser but this is easily accomplished with a triangular filler you shift into position then join to the outer limiting template member with a diagonal strip of thicker material at the angle required to achieve your rise and run. Once the router passes over this and cuts the channel it makes aligning each consecutive pair of rise and run slots very easy and precise. You can place a parallel strip to drop over the top of the stringer too making that alignment even more secure if that helps. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 11:58 AM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs. Alan, I agree with you that dadoing will be much more work, and offer many more chances for me to fuck up and have to start again. But you know me well enough now, that more work and complexity just calls to me. *GRIN* -- Blue Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs.
Do you have a router Dan? You make a jig of half inch plywood. The best solution is using a 3/4ths straight cutting bit inside a template routing collar you make your jig so that the riser and tread meet at 90 degrees, you hold the inside and outside together with a strip at the desired slope angle and you rout out slots on the inside of the stringers. These don't have to be all that deep and you can make the back sides of the slots a little more open at the trailing ends, the old time craftsmen used to do this and tighten the risers and the treads in with wedges to hold the faces tight to the corresponding surfaces of the slots. It also makes fitting them in much easier. You can pin them from behind on an angle so they can't escape and the fasteners can't be seen. Capturing the treads and risers in this way keeps them supported such that there is no sheering forces on the fasteners and the stairs will remain a lot quieter, squeak free or at least squeak reduced for decades. Without a really good eye I think cutting the saw tooth style of stringer is very fussy and difficult and really there isn't a lot of wood left behind to bear the load. The router method is my preferred method and if you alternate stringers as you go along measuring you should be able to get them evenly matched. - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: Blind Handyman List Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 10:20 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Building stairs. I finished the basement floor project, including building the trap door to access the central drain. The floor ain't pretty, just sheets of O S B, but it seems quite sturdy. As part of putting down the new floor, I ripped out the basement stairs, which had been pretty seriously compromised by termites. This weekend I started building the new stairs. Instead of cutting the saw tooth stringers, much too tedious, I am just using 2X12s with the treads and risers sandwiched between them. A lot simpler, but never-the-less, pretty darn hard to cut those angles exactly right. The big pain is just making sure the measurements are as exact as you can get. Cutting off the ends of the 2X12 to get the angles for the upper and lower ends took a while. I can easily calculate that I needed a 43.5 degree angle but being able to measure out everything to cut that angle was frustrating. Being off a 16th doesn't seem like much until you get twelve feet away, and suddenly you're an inch off from where you want to be. Not to mention that the header I was resting the top of the stringer against, was not even close to plumb, so if I wanted the stringer to rest nice and flush against it, I had to re-cut it at a completely different angle. I got the stringers cut and mounted, but had to leave half way through today, so one more week without steps I guess. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Putting in a basement floor
My point about code was only that if a window was to be added it would have to conform to code. This may include a window suitable for egress depending on location and probably other things. There may be several advantages to adding a window including a convenient way to install a really good basement floor. - Original Message - From: Ron Yearns To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 10:17 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Putting in a basement floor I wouldn't be worrying about codes qat this point If there ain't one there now it is a grandfather thing. I don't think we caught how much headroom we are working with. Go for what suits you. Ron - Original Message - From: Tom Vos To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 8:28 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Putting in a basement floor I'm tossing back and forth the ideas of wood or paving stones. I'm not too worried about being up a step from the rest of the floor. And since it's storage space, I doubt code would require a window. Thanks. From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dale Leavens Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 10:45 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Putting in a basement floor A couple of suggestions depending on exact circumstances. Is there an existing concrete floor in the rest of the basement you wish to level up to? What is it's elevation. You probably prefer to have it similar height. That might mean some excavation or some fill. Now poured concrete nicely bedded on crushed rock and sand would probably be ideal but without a window to access the area that would be a filthy job. Maybe there is reason to insert a window for light, egress and of course to allow access to the space for the installation of a floor. Now as for elevation, I would suggest about three inches of sand base leveled to the thickness of 18 inch or 24 inch pre-cast patio slabs thickness below the present floor grade. Actually another quarter inch so that the slabs can be tamped flat and secure. You would probably not go too wrong to lay a film of poly on the earth before the sand. It might be necessary to excavate some dirt first. Of course now you have hauled dirt, sand and patio slabs through the house so, why not cement? A pressure treated floor too will last longer than you are likely to need it. You could get away with quite narrow joists if you sunk something like 6 by 6 treated timbers, one at each edge and a third down the middle. getting them truly level before adding the joists would take some patience, again my trick is to excavate a little deep then fill with crushed rock the bottom of the trench and tamp the timbers down until level then pack around them with more stone to keep them stable and drier. Now 2 by 8 or even 2 by 6 joists on 16 inch centers would make a firm support remembering that the span will be less than 6 feet. If the footing timbers are above the grade a little you could even go to engineered joists for further rigidity as they will be out of the mud then apply decking as per usual. I understand that these days they glue the decking down onto the engineered joists to produce a monolithic structure. If the basement walls are cement block you might consider adding a window. Modern code may require though that this be suitable for egress in case of fire and that may be a larger window and well and more than you wanted. Hope these are helpful ideas. Dale leavens If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: Tom Vos To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 7:43 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Putting in a basement floor Are there any alternatives for a basement floor other than concrete? We have a room in the basement with a dirt floor. It's not very usable that way, but to get concrete down there will be tough. There are no windows, so concrete would have to be hauled through the entry and kitchen and down the stairs. Or we could carry bags of Redi Mix, but it's going to take a whale of a lot of bags to do the room. It's only about 12 feet square, but that's a lot of lugging. Any ideas? Blessings, Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Putting in a basement floor
A couple of suggestions depending on exact circumstances. Is there an existing concrete floor in the rest of the basement you wish to level up to? What is it's elevation. You probably prefer to have it similar height. That might mean some excavation or some fill. Now poured concrete nicely bedded on crushed rock and sand would probably be ideal but without a window to access the area that would be a filthy job. Maybe there is reason to insert a window for light, egress and of course to allow access to the space for the installation of a floor. Now as for elevation, I would suggest about three inches of sand base leveled to the thickness of 18 inch or 24 inch pre-cast patio slabs thickness below the present floor grade. Actually another quarter inch so that the slabs can be tamped flat and secure. You would probably not go too wrong to lay a film of poly on the earth before the sand. It might be necessary to excavate some dirt first. Of course now you have hauled dirt, sand and patio slabs through the house so, why not cement? A pressure treated floor too will last longer than you are likely to need it. You could get away with quite narrow joists if you sunk something like 6 by 6 treated timbers, one at each edge and a third down the middle. getting them truly level before adding the joists would take some patience, again my trick is to excavate a little deep then fill with crushed rock the bottom of the trench and tamp the timbers down until level then pack around them with more stone to keep them stable and drier. Now 2 by 8 or even 2 by 6 joists on 16 inch centers would make a firm support remembering that the span will be less than 6 feet. If the footing timbers are above the grade a little you could even go to engineered joists for further rigidity as they will be out of the mud then apply decking as per usual. I understand that these days they glue the decking down onto the engineered joists to produce a monolithic structure. If the basement walls are cement block you might consider adding a window. Modern code may require though that this be suitable for egress in case of fire and that may be a larger window and well and more than you wanted. Hope these are helpful ideas. Dale leavens If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: Tom Vos To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 7:43 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Putting in a basement floor Are there any alternatives for a basement floor other than concrete? We have a room in the basement with a dirt floor. It's not very usable that way, but to get concrete down there will be tough. There are no windows, so concrete would have to be hauled through the entry and kitchen and down the stairs. Or we could carry bags of Redi Mix, but it's going to take a whale of a lot of bags to do the room. It's only about 12 feet square, but that's a lot of lugging. Any ideas? Blessings, Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] a questionfor you car guies
There in lies the issue! There aren't a lot of reasons why wind screen wipers quit working. they include: failed wiring failed switch burned fuse burned motor To get to the motor you probably need to access that under the bonnet. This will depend on the make and model of the car of course, I don't think that they house them under the dash board these days but some might. If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: Carl To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 12:00 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] a questionfor you car guies my muthers windscrean wipers hav stoped working. how can i fix them i carn't seem to get axces to the wiper motor i'm in the north east of the uk you can get me on skype with carlf16 or email carl...@googlemail.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Voiceover instructions.
Because this has come up on both lists fairly recently I beg moderators indulgence for cross posting the URL below. It is a link to the Apple Site with information and instructions on operating the Voiceover talking component of the iPhone and iTouch and presumably the iPad as well. Those with these devices might find it helpful. Those considering such devices might also find this interesting in helping make a decision. http://www.apple.com/voiceover/info/guide/ Should I be subsequently stricken from the lists it's been fun. Hope it is helpful. Dale leavens If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] supporting outdoor steps?
Now I have a little experience with compacting soil. The rain wets it and acts like a lubricant so packing doesn't really help all that much unless you can form a large hat over the area. I would suggest though that you either pour a substantial pad or lay down a couple of large patio slabs. You can get them in excess of 18 inches square and the larger the surface area the better. You might also consider purchasing some of those molded steps. they can be had in pre-cast concrete but those are heavy to adjust later or you can get them in composite materials, stuff like fiberglass. Those are quite light and present a bigger surface area to the ground and would be much more easily lifted to be adjusted if they move. If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: john schwery To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 10:46 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] supporting outdoor steps? Dan, thanks. Yep, the regular bricks. So, we may get some bigger stones. Ron, thanks for your help as well. Good idea, compacting the soil. Thanks for any other help from others, in advance. earlier, Dan Rossi, wrote: John, I was all ready to write this snarky response about digging massive footers, many bags of concrete, blah blah blah. All to support a couple of steps. Then I realized you are in Florida, which means your water line is down around six inches or so, which might be problematic for digging those deep footers. You said you are using bricks. Are these the regular brick sized bricks, like 2 or 3 inches by 8 inches long? If so, maybe you could try using some large stepping stones instead. This could help to spread out the weight over a larger area and might prevent the stones from sinking as quickly. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail:mailto:dr25%40andrew.cmu.edud...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel:(412) 268-9081 John Currently in Ocala, Florida Clear, 78°F Wind:ESE-120° at 5mph Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow. Created by Weather Signature v1.31 . http://www.weathersig.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] painting paneling
There is a product called Wall Doctor here which is a sort of heavy wall paper for putting over paneling and other less than perfect surfaces before painting. It covers the grooves in paneling so you can just paint right on over it. I think I would fill the cracks with something like Polyfilla anyway just to improve the surface that much more before papering over it but it does do a good job. If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: Lee A. Stone To: Blind Handyman Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 1:48 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] painting paneling I thinkit was Clifford and Jennifer who spoke of painting paneling. did you really do it and if so how did it turn out and what did you use for paint. did you use like the little foam sponges on a stick t get int the grooves ? thanks Lee -- The honeymoon is over when he phones to say he'll be late for supper and she's already left a note that it's in the refrigerator. -- Bill Lawrence [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] using an air nailer and an air compressor
At some point a couple of years ago I turned my compressor over and shot a bunch of oil into the bottom of the tank and rolled it about because I am not so fastidious about draining the water out. Of course I get some oil when I do drain the water but I thought it might help protect a little against rust-out. As for pressure, when mine is on it is generally set full blast. I don't presently have a framing nailer or anything that powerful but I figure if depth setting doesn't do the job I can always reduce the pressure when nails come through and threaten the neighbours dog. . If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: Phil Parr To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, May 10, 2010 10:57 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] using an air nailer and an air compressor I do drain the water out but, probably not often enough. Think I will go today and drain mine, thanks, Phil. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Electronic ear protectors
Hi Jewel, there are several brands out there. the ones I have are from Lee Valley. they are much like those large headphones. There are a pair of batteries in one pod, A rotary on/off volume control and a mike. The good news is when sound protection isn't needed you can hear, through the mike and headphone speakers what is around you. It is odd though because the sound is mono not stereo so direction is weird but otherwise the sound protection is good. Mine are a little heavy and pretty warm in hot weather. If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: Jewel To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, May 10, 2010 8:50 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Electronic ear protectors The list was discussing these ages ago, and I am trying to find if they are available on the New Zealand market. Can anyone refresh my memory as to the brand, and just what their functions are? If they are * electronic, they must have a battery pack, which, I seem to recall, controls the amount of ambient sound that reaches the wearer's ears. Jewel [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] door bells.
They do have battery door bells and they now also have them with wireless buttons which you simply stick to the door frame. there are jumper pins so you can adjust the frequency so your door bell isn't set off by a neighbour's near by. If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my woke - Original Message - From: Julio and Los pintores De La Cumbia To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 1:46 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] door bells. hey doesn't home depo sell door bells that run on batterys and has anyone use them for their homes? Sent from My T-mobile Dash 3g. Julio Morones Keyboardist for Los Pintores De La Cumbia MySpace page for the band www.myspace.com/pintores Nickname Soda-pop Email Address jmoro...@ca.rr.com Skype jmorones03 Klango Sodapop Windows Live Messenger only jmorone...@hotmail.com Home Phone 323-451-3633 Mobile Phone You can text as well. 323-842-0104 Los Angeles CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Freakin termites.
Rent the biggest monkey wrenches you can from a tool rental place and put your back into it. You'll probably get it apart. Then a heavy mallet and a cold chisel should separate the sections. You will want good hearing protection I suspect. Maybe even just a good few smacks with a sledge and you don't have to separate each and every section, probably into segments of two or three. If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie - Original Message - From: Dan Rossi To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 8:46 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Freakin termites. I attempted to disassemble the radiator way back when, but it seemed that I would need to cut at least the first section off since the bolts holding it together were not inclined to move. And, with 90 plus years of paint on it, I am not sure how inclined the pieces would be to separate of their own accord. I could try getting someone to come take it away for scrap, but my guess is that they might take one look at where I live and decide it isn't worth the few bucks they would get to scrap the thing. If I decide not to hook it up for heat in the basement, I am sure that judicious use of a sawsall with hack saw blade, sledge hammer, and crow bar, will convince the various sections to disengage themselves. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: d...@andrew.cmu.edu Tel: (412) 268-9081 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
