Posted by Pat H. on August 17, 2008 at 17:27:02 from (76.214.178.119):
Don't mean to sound like Heloise but thought I would pass along a couple of tips I picked up by dumb luck or by accident and also one hint I picked up from an old time mechanic in our area. I spend a lot of time in my shop fixing stuff or trying to make something -- and also to keep out from underfoot of the real boss of the place -- and I'm always trying to find a logical but shorter or easier way to do something. The first the thing I discovered by accident is to use Windex or cheap Walmart glass cleaner as a quick hand cleaner. I keep a bottle of it on my workbench to clean my glasses which seem to get smudges on them easily from a combination of either sweat or nose grease. Just spray a couple of shots on each hand and wipe off with a hand towel. Your hands won't be clean enough to eat with but say you want to write a note to yourself or maybe change the radio station in your shop -- this will clean off most all dirt and even grease for a fairly clean job. Another use I have found for glass cleaner is to use it to clean certain plastic parts in addition to glass such as on a gauge on the tractors. The glass cleaner won't leave a film or residue and cleans the plastic better than carburetor cleaner which sometimes eats plastic. Another tip is to use a Swiffer sheet to clean your dashboard. It's been pretty dusty here in Western Indiana the past several weeks and vehicle dashes, arm rests, steering column, etc. get pretty dusty if you leave the windows down. If you can swipe one of these sheets from your wife, it will do a much better job than using water as it won't turn the dust into mud and leave streaks. I use it on my truck and the wife's machine and it works like a charm. Also is cheaper than Armor All. The last tip for now I picked up from an old time mechanic in our area. If you are going to replace rubber gas line on a small engine such as on a lawn mower, use a hammer to actually make the hose easier to slip onto the metal lines. After cutting the hose to length, take a hammer and hit both ends of the hose with several sharp blows all around the outer circumference of the tubing on a solid surface such as an anvil. This tends to loosen the outer rubber casing and does not damage the hose, but does make it easier to push onto the metal lines. This is better than to use oil or grease (or even spray silicone) because these tend to deteriorate the rubber fairly quickly. That's all for today, but if anyone out there has any other tips for us shade tree mechanics, please pass them on. Thanks.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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