tricks that helped you out

samZ0rp · 2014-07-29 13:12:51

ive lernt from some book or show that if you strip a screw you can drill it with a 9 /64 size bit ( one size up from the 1/8 bit) about 1/8 deep than hit a #3 (red handled) robinson(square) SCREWDRIVER (a drill type bit would probably strip again) in with a hammer to remove the screw

when working for my dad the screws were rusted and some striped and the trick worked well and removed the screws

if you have tricks like this this would be good

pvsage · 2014-07-29 20:11:04

In case you don't happen to have a #3 Robertson screwdriver handy, or if the screw in question was originally a #3 Robertson screw, it would be handy to have a set of bolt/screw extractors on hand. These have tapered reverse-threaded ends with a groove across the thread to make sure the thread cuts into the head. A set that will handle a large range of screw head sizes shouldn't set you back more than $10.

Last edited by pvsage (2014-07-29 20:30:48)

porkpiehat · 2014-07-29 20:25:38

And in case you happen to be looking for a #3 Robinson screwdriver, it would be handy to know that it is actually called a Robertson screw. A very useful screw drive system, it is unfortunately not widely used in the US, for reasons detailed in this wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertson … #Robertson

Last edited by porkpiehat (2014-07-29 20:28:39)

pvsage · 2014-07-29 20:43:35

^ Yes, thank you for the correction. Actually, Robertson screws are used extensively in framing; they sell about as well as Torx screws in my area. Most collated screws are going to be Robertson.

jeffreyC · 2014-07-29 20:46:19

In the US the main use of Robertson screws that I have seen is travel trailers and mobile homes, they are uncommon elsewhere.

As patents and restrictive licensing expire they may become more common.

Last edited by jeffreyC (2014-07-29 20:50:27)

photonucleon · 2014-07-29 20:47:16

If you stick an onion in the freezer for a few minutes before you chop it it doesn't make you cry/make your eyes hurt very much at all. Utterly unrelated to screw removal but still a trick that helped me out

pvsage · 2014-07-29 20:55:14

@photonucleon: Very useful!

@JeffreyC: They're actually more common than most people realize, but they're mostly used where homeowners won't see them. If your home has screws holding down its subfloors and/or roofing instead of nails, they're probably Robertson.

porkpiehat · 2014-07-29 20:56:05

Robertson screws are available here, but I have seen a lot more of the combined phillips/square head screws used for decking and fencing here lately. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertson … s.2Fsquare

Of course in computer hardware Torx screws are very common. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torx

All of this has lead me to some very interesting wikipedia reading on the history of screws and their drivers, and the reason for the development of so many different types. I was not familiar with the term "cam out" but anyone who has used both philips and robertson head screws will understand immediately. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_out

I apologize for the thread derail -- sometimes I get lost in wikipedia the way I used to get lost in a real encyclopedia many years ago. I always learn something, not always something useful, but something.

Last edited by porkpiehat (2014-07-29 20:58:05)

gutterslob · 2014-07-29 23:26:40

jeffreyC wrote:

As patents and restrictive licensing expire they may become more common.

Effin patent laws even screwin' the screws!!

cloverskull · 2014-07-30 00:56:38

After you've used all the paper on a roll of toilet paper, cut a rectangular hole into the middle the size of your smartphone, proportionally so that you can insert your phone into the toilet paper and have it stand up. You've just created a small smartphone speaker amplifier

CSCoder4ever · 2014-07-30 01:11:00

Boxes make good temporary desks for any laptop/netbook!

oh yes and tables make better desks than actual desks 8o

pvsage · 2014-07-30 04:58:01

Practically any mp3 player can drive reasonably efficient speakers (bookshelf, satellite, instrument, corner-loaded folded horn, whatever - the important factor is sensitivity and frequency response, not size) at high enough volume to enjoy the music in a relatively quiet environment. Most have overcurrent protection that will kick in if you push the volume too high into too heavy (low impedance) a load, but you should reach a comfortable listening level below this. Good to know if, like me, you have some satellite speakers lying around from a "home theater in a box" that ate one too many storm-related power surges several years ago and you want something to listen to music on in the shop without wearing headphones or earbuds.

Copper0 · 2014-07-30 05:09:05

porkpiehat wrote:

All of this has lead me to some very interesting wikipedia reading on the history of screws and their drivers, and the reason for the development of so many different types. I was not familiar with the term "cam out" but anyone who has used both philips and robertson head screws will understand immediately. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_out

If anyone here owns a Japanese car or motorcycle and does their own work on it then you know about that phillips screw that alway strips. That because it is not a philips. It is a JIS.

More than you want to know about screws

raksasas · 2014-08-05 18:29:48

I have one... Use a magnet as a wall stud finder.

Slide it along a wall until it connects to the head of a nail/screw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Jm8Q5Fy7g

g33zr · 2014-08-07 19:45:39

Got a stubborn, rusty bolt or nut that you can't loosen? Pour a little CocaCola over them and wait a few minutes, then try your wrench or screwdriver. It should loosen.

normancrane · 2014-08-07 21:38:47

Boiling water and baking soda cleans grease like a champ, e.g. kitchen filters.

And because someone mentioned garlic, if you're using a lot of it and want an easy way to peel them quickly, put the garlic in a metal bowl (or pot), cover with another metal bowl (or pot), and shake the hell out of them for about ten seconds. Voila!

Head_on_a_Stick · 2014-08-08 08:30:30

When riding a motorcycle on the open road, always make sure that you can stop in the distance ahead you can see to be clear (especially in corners)

pvsage · 2014-08-08 08:52:46

^ Same when driving a car...

thecomputerholic · 2014-08-08 17:15:45

Tricks that have helped me in the past:

Paint fumes lingering in a room? Quarter an apple or two and set them around. They will absorb the smell.

My wifi driver isn't included in most distro's any more. (BCM4312 802.11b/g LP-PHY) I extracted it once and, for any new distro I install, I just copy the b43 folder into /lib/firmware. Works everywhere I have tried it.

Wooden matches or toothpicks can be used to repair a stripped hole.

If something is available it is (almost invariably) available for free on the internet. Keep searching.

Nice thread, nice OS, nice folks.

ds

gutterslob · 2014-08-08 17:30:17

pvsage wrote:

^ Same when driving a car...

Unless you're a soccer-mom in a stupid ugly vehicle (SUV). Laws of sanity don't apply to those barbarians.

PackRat · 2014-08-08 19:58:30

^ because they make up their own laws as they drive along.

Last edited by PackRat (2014-08-08 19:58:43)

pvsage · 2014-08-14 12:20:45

I just remembered something from...not sure where, maybe it was one of the sports medicine lectures for my exercise physiology coursework in college. Anyway, pressing a cool, damp towel to the back of your neck for a few moments will make your whole body feel cooler. The context was on the sidelines to help prevent heat illness, but this can be especially helpful when trying to get to sleep in hot and/or humid weather.

gutterslob · 2014-08-14 15:48:39

^ Isn't that common knowledge? Well, common enough for anyone who has done a marathon or pushbike race, or perhaps any sort of sporting event in the tropics or during summer, or even summer camping trips for that matter.

Also, Class A monoblock amps make great radiators during winter. Just have one on each side of your bed. =P

Last edited by gutterslob (2014-08-14 15:50:24)

pvsage · 2014-08-14 19:50:16

^ LOL that's a great one! At the amp building forum, we often joke about how much heat gets dissipated by single-ended Class A valve amps. (Single-ended Class A transistor amps too, but we don't usually talk about those; seems everyone goes straight to the amp-on-a-chip power op-amps if they're willing to delve into solid state power, and they give up immediately when the thermal and current protection kills their tone. But that's a completely different .) We also joke about using resistive/capacitive/inductive power soakers, which let you drive a larger amp hard and keep the output volume down to "studio" levels and are commonly known as "hotplates", as actual hotplates.

I mentioned the towel thing mostly for another forum member who has been having trouble with the California heat lately and has limited options due to the extreme water restrictions because of severe drought there.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2014-08-14 19:57:35

DIY Class A transistor amps:
https://www.passdiy.com/project/amplifi … -amplifier

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#1 2014-07-29 13:12:51

tricks that helped you out

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