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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 18th Mar 2014, 11:39 am   #61
vidjoman
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Ketchup and Brown Sauce both contain vinegar. That's what does the main cleaning and the rest of the sauce adds a bit of fine abrasive to give a bit of polish.
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Old 18th Mar 2014, 1:28 pm   #62
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Probably amongst these:http://www.allaboutyou.com/home/home...-tips#fbIndex1
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Old 18th Mar 2014, 1:55 pm   #63
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

And the gloopiness holds the acid to the item.
 
Old 18th Mar 2014, 8:36 pm   #64
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mike_newcomb View Post
Hi Bazz, that is an old Navy trick, dating back to the war and before. Imagine how many copper and brass pipes there are on a ship.
Yes, I've been around HMS Belfast; knowing what superheated steam does to flesh, the confined space in that engine room spooked me even when it was at rest!
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Old 19th Mar 2014, 10:24 am   #65
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

When messing about with tiddly little surface mount components like 0603 or smaller resistors:

An up-turned post-it note has an adhesive strip to stop the little perishers going walkies, and a paper area where you can write what they are.

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Old 19th Mar 2014, 10:26 am   #66
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

The Breville toasted sandwich maker can do reflow soldering if you're careful. We have one in the lab reserved for this purpose!

Wouldn't use it for sandwiches afterwards.

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Old 20th Mar 2014, 1:48 pm   #67
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Smile Re: Improvising with Household Items.

I had a cracker last night at work.

I had to change a water pump on a 2.5 megawatt gas engine generating set 10pm last night. In the process of removing the pump a rubber washer split and was unusable.

I had to do something otherwise the engine would therefore be offline and all the shops by then closed .
I spotted a mousetrap bait box in the corner of the 11KV switchroom (to stop them nibbling the HV cables) and it had a flexible rubber lid on it so you could fill it with more bait.
I carved up the lid with a stanley knife to make a new washer and reassembled the pump and repressurised the system to 1.2 bar and it held perfectly Hope no one asks why the mousetrap has a new hole in the lid !!

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Old 25th Mar 2014, 11:25 am   #68
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Over the weekend the handle broke off my kitchen sieve. I was going to throw it away until I realised the sieve-mesh was stainless-steel.

Now, two sections of repurposed sieve serve as cooling-fan inlet- and outlet-grilles on a QQV06/40A linear amplifier. OK, they may provide a bit of an impediment to the airflow but more importantly the prevent fingers, animal-fur and the like getting in, and RF getting out.

[Stainless-steel mesh is tinsnips-ruiningly-hard to cut though: I ended up using a cold-chisel, a steel block, and a lump-hammer].
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Old 25th Mar 2014, 12:58 pm   #69
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

I used a handle from one of those sieves to make a key for the Plessey Mk4 connector insert key.
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Old 25th Mar 2014, 2:04 pm   #70
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Loose valve bases,

Can be fixed with clear nail varnish.
Run it around between the tube and the base.

Tubeglow.
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Old 25th Mar 2014, 10:26 pm   #71
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Watered down PVA also works.

Cheers
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Old 7th Apr 2014, 3:48 am   #72
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Look what I have liberated from a plastic potato masher.
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Old 8th Apr 2014, 1:08 pm   #73
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Wouldn't the usual 2p coin be cheaper?

Talking of which, the original non magnetic 1p and 2p coins can be pressed (or drilled perhaps) into service as rustproof washers if you need a few in a hurry.
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Old 8th Apr 2014, 1:16 pm   #74
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Refugee View Post
Look what I have liberated from a plastic potato masher.
I like that, no chance of scratched chrome there.
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Old 8th Apr 2014, 2:57 pm   #75
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

It is a crime to deface 'the coin of the realm', some bloke got done for making pendants from cut out 20p coins a few years ago. As far as I know this doesn't apply to paper currency.
 
Old 8th Apr 2014, 7:17 pm   #76
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

AFAIR the law changed a few years ago. On a recent visit to the National Railway Museum they had one of those machines where you put a 1p piece in one slot and 50p (or perhaps it was £1) in the other slot, and it runs the 1p though a pair of rollers that embosses a picture on the coin ( "Mallard" in the case of the NRM), the coin becoming oval as a consequence.
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Old 9th Apr 2014, 3:36 pm   #77
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

As I live with a retired chef the plastic masher had to go once a metal one was obtained so it was free.
The radio had been dropped in its early life and the screw never lined up any more until I restored it leaving the screw in mint condition.
I will not touch it with anything metal as it would be a shame to damage the chrome.
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Old 10th Apr 2014, 12:05 am   #78
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

I must admit the first thing I thought of a plastic spud basher was "ugh, how cr*ppy is that?" and I'm no chef.

If your chrome is pristine it's as good a way of keeping it that way as any.
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Old 10th Apr 2014, 7:15 pm   #79
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Well it also saved an item from being thrown in the bin too.
There is also enough left to make something else.
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Old 10th Apr 2014, 8:05 pm   #80
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Default Re: Improvising with Household Items.

Here are a few things I have used over the years:
Sewing felt to make anti scratch wshers for knobs. Use a bottle top of correct size to make the outside circle, and a piece of hollow tubing, sharpened on the bottom edges as a punch with a block of wood backer for the shaft hole.

A piece of automotive fuel line for the dried out Atwater Kent model 55 dial drive rubber.

Wooden chopsticks as insulated prods for poking about in chassis. (The GF got a bit miffed about her orange sticks disappearing when she wanted to do her nails).

Plastic knitting needles reformed for tuning tools for IF cans and pots.

Using stick on wheel weights to make the proper tone arm weight when replacing the old massive cartridges with a newer style.

Nylon fish line and BB shot sinkers to replace missing anti skate weights on t/t. (Looks ugly, but works well).

"O" rings from the local auto parts shop to replace defective drive tires on VCR's

Gluing a small flat belt on the outside of an idler wheel thats NLA to make a t/t work again.

"O" rings to the rescue again to replace a missing dial drive belt thats NLA.

Using grommets glued on with a bit of RTV cement for non-scuff feet.

Model paint to repaint a dial pointer, or touch up a cabinet.

Use a Sharpie (tm) or other asphalt base marker to make "etch resist traces" on a PC board, instead of spending big bux for the same thing without the brand name on it.

A steam iron can make a fine load or dropping resistor for testing equipment. ( Do this when the XYL is not home though).

Texclad III graphite grease from Texaco Oil Co to lubricate VCR and t/t mechanisms, as its 33% graphite (and a real ****** to get it out of your clothing.) It was originally designed for open gear lubrication. The actual VCR grease is hard to find here any more.

When using plastic pipe, pill bottles, etc. as coil forms, be sure to check their characteristics at the frequency you want to use them at. Some can really muck up your project.

Glass tubing for neon signs makes great insulators for coil forms and comes in many sizes.

The glass neon sign tubing standoffs also are great for HT cable run standoff insulators.

The old bushing and nut from a junk pot make great panel shaft through bushings.

Wiring from old junk washers, dryers, ovens, etc make great project wiring for tube projects. (Here 600V rated wiring is difficult to find anymore.)

Plastic caps from soda bottles, water bottles, etc make fine knobs for your projects. Just turn open side up, fill with epoxy, and put the shaft you need a knob for in it and let it set. BE SURE TO GREASE SHAFT FIRST! Then the epoxy will not stick to it. Then
paint your desired color with plastic paint. With care you can even drill a set screw or grub screw hole and tap it out too. Best to use the slow set epoxy rather than the "5 minute" type. It seems to set better.

Use "Tinker Toys" to make a basket weave coil on. Then you can pull out the wooden dowels and the " wheel" and the coil will hold its shape if you use solid wire. Glue to cardboard as a "backer" if you desire.
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