Do-It-Yourself, Repairs and Fixes

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/599378498285366446

Who else's got a wet trunk?

I think my sunroof drains might have been clogged. Any suggestions as to the best way to dry it out?

#volkswagen #vwgolf #alltrack #diy

@[email protected]

I've tried google/youtube and can't seem to find any decent tutorials/instructions for my particular situation, so I'm hoping someone can help get me started on this repair job. I don't necessarily need a full breakdown or step-by-step instructional, but some help with the terminology, techniques and materials I would need to learn and use to accomplish this project would be greatly appreciated!

The project is the interior face of a very old chimney that protrudes through the floor of a 3rd floor bedroom and up through the ceiling. I believe the term for the stuff on there now is called "render" as it is like a stucco/plaster smooth-ish finish nearly an inch thick overtop of the original brick. This finish coat is in bad condition and falling off the brick near the ceiling. The rest of it is still holding but there are some cracks and I'd rather not test its integrity until I know what my plan is. The chimney is lined already and is used exclusively as a vent for a propane boiler in the basement. There are no fireplaces or anything in use anymore. This is in an early 19th century farmhouse in the US, so the brick is very old but still solid (no loose bricks or anything like that). Bits of the mortar are loose and will likely need to be re-pointed if I take any of this stuff down but I'm happy to do that.

Ultimately I just want it to look nice, not be falling apart and creating dust, and probably most importantly: not leak any rogue gas fumes into our soon-to-be guestroom. I think because the chimney has a liner in it already, the gas isn't an issue but I didn't put it in so I really can't be certain of what kind of job was done. I'll put a CO2 monitor in the room regardless, but would rather avoid that problem altogether. I'm fine with either reinforcing the render to give it a few more years or cleaning it all off and resurfacing the brick somehow. Any suggestions?

I always end up in decision paralysis because I think of way too many possibilities. Is there a way I can avoid brackets? If I am able to drill into studs should I just use normal wood screws? I'll be using it as a tea/spice shelf.

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/593637638050605415

Anyone else have trouble with these GE dishwashing machines?

Mine cleans dishes well enough, but the gaskets leak easier than any other dishwasher I've ever had. I replaced the gaskets a few months ago, but if a little bit of debris builds up then it's leaking again. Also, the racks are badly corroded, but the machine is only maybe five years old. Anyway, it's just kind of funny that my aunt is coming over tomorrow and the last time she was here she noticed the dishwasher was leaking.

#rant #appliance #GE #dishwasher

@[email protected]

I have a Rexing Dashcam that I've used for a couple years, and lately it's been behaving badly. It works perfectly fine while on, but when it's time for it to shut down, it often will shut off early, then reboot over and over until its internal battery is totally dead.

Everyone on the net says it's a bad card. Nope. It does mess up the card's partition by quitting in an uncontrolled fashion and by rebooting over and over, but I took the thing apart and the real problem was that the little internal battery is swollen and almost dead.

All the battery does is provide the camera with up to 30 seconds to save the currently captured video and perform a controlled shutdown, and as such, it's quite small. The battery in my V1LG was a 602040 3.7V 450mAh lipo. It was pretty badly swollen (they are supposed to be relatively flat). I've ordered a cheap replacement for $7, which is a lot cheaper than a new dashcam.

Anyway, if your dashcam is behaving oddly at power-down, and you've tried different cards with no success, it may be your battery.

The Gerber armbar has got 2 holes for an awful plastic clip and I thought "easy fix" - it wasn't. Had to order screws M2x4mm & M2 nuts and had to drill very exact, worked out in the end, I present: Frankentool® PS: Locktite's your friend.

Inherited a little flux core welder a while ago if you know of any good books or videos please share. Had a stick welder years ago but never got a feel for working on thin stuff, I'm guessing this will be the opposite problem.

I het the general theory looking for like practice drills and how to read a weld to know what wrong

cross-posted from: https://jorts.horse/users/fathermcgruder/statuses/110789232582943740

What's a good torque wrench to get?

I want to replace the spark plugs in my car and I'm apparently going to have to torque them to 30Nm. #diy #tools

@tools

This toothbrush still holds enough charge for over a month of use after 4 years so I guess I will charge it like this from now on.

$15 for keyboard tilt clips is outrageous. Luckily I had some cheap steel wire laying around from Christmas.

I have a solar panel from a cheap Walmart device I tore down. Hooking it to a Multi-Meter shows it's about 2.25V (probably supposed to be 2.5V but runs a little low?).

What's something useful I can do with it?

you will always have that favorite piece of clothing or like a backpack that needs repair etc.

It's not even hard and looks better than before in almost all cases imo, even if you're not skilled.

Meeting people where they are with technology is so important, and I love that this lets the grandchildren message from their phones as is presumably convenient for them.

I've been thinking about building a structures with pvc pipes but before buying the materials i want to plan it.

The things that i know:

-It doesn't concern liquid transportation

-I am not going to use pipe connectors (i can mold them)

-I have ways to bend the pipes.

Any suggestions? thanks

The Faraday cage (or shield), named after Michael Faraday, is a device that is used to protect from electromagnetic radiation. A Faraday cage may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or a mesh of such materials. This creates a shielding effect for any item inside the cage and protects those items from radiation. The effects of the cage can be enhanced by layering conductive and non-conductive layers - this creates a cage within a cage within a cage, providing additional protection without the need of specialised materials. Though it may sound complicated, you can make your own Faraday cage from aluminum foil. You can also make a larger version using a steel trash can.

What a cute project! Being able to see what's now playing on an Amazon listening device that has a screen is one of the very few uses of said listening device's screen in my household... her version seems particularly nice because it's got embellishment with personality.

I wonder what similar projects might be fun. Remote controlled flameless candles that light when a group chat is active...

Realizing that this would be a clutch heirloom to have cast of my mother and grandmother.... think they'd go for it?

Or make one of myself and specify in my will that to inherit, any heirs have to make pan de muerto in it and eat it...

I have.... let's say.... no hardware experience.

This will definitely keep the kids busy, interested and a fun bunch. Make your kids so much cooler!