RE: [BlindHandyMan] Workshop disaster wasToilet Blowout.

[robert moore]

 Just baught a magnet about 12 or 14 inches long and about 1 inch square and
it has a wheel on each end and a handle in the middle and you use it like a
push broom. Unless the rivets and whatever else you said you spilled are
stainless or aluminum that would be the perfet tool for the jobl. I think
those rolling magnets is a tool that no blind mechanic should be without. I
think I only gave about 12 to 15 bucks for that tool.


-Original Message-
From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of William Stephan
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:36 PM
To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Workshop disaster wasToilet Blowout.

Wow,, talk about good timing Max.

You guys are familiar I'm sure with the part storage systems that have
divided plastic tray that slide into slots. I have a set of about sixteen of
these, and one of them contains 4-piece snaps for leather, about five sizes
of pop rivets, perhaps five sizes of the 2-piece tap rivets, two sizes of
key posts and some small wassiers.

Saturday evening I was working on a damaged step ladder, and was using some
pop rivets. There were some large packs of batteries on the shelf below my
parts cabinet that I hadn't gotten around to putting away yet. To make a
long story short, I left the tray open and setting on top of the batteries,
it became unbalanced, and pitched headlong off the shelf, of course landing
face down.
Now I've been putting rivets in this thing for probably twelve years, and I
buy 'em faster than I use 'em.

So, there were thousands of pieces, all over the basement floor, as well as
being inside a few pieces of equipment.

It was time for scotch, the cleanup could start Sunday.

I had a cassette eraser, and that actually worked well for the tap rivets
and wassiers. I'd get a big glob of rivets on the thing and just release the
switch over a can.

The pop rivets and key posts though were not Ferris metal, and I had to
clean out my nasty shop vac and suck 'em up that way.

I can't even imagine how long it's going to take me to sort all that stuff
out, but I guess it can be an excuse for those times when I would rather be
in the basement with the machines.

Bill Stephan
Kansas City, MO
(816)803-2469
William Stephan

-Original Message-
.From: "Max Robinson"< [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 >
.Sent: 6/26/07 4:28:49 PM
.To: "Blind Handyman"< blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
 >
.Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.
.
.Yesterday I was moving some tools and a tool chest from the house to my new
.shop. I came back in after moving the chest and heard a roaring sound from
.the bathroom. It was like the toilet filling up but louder. I took the top
.off the tank and found the water level was almost to the top and rising
.fast. I flushed the toilet and investigated where the water was coming in.
.The plastic float valve had cracked and there was no stopping the water.
.There isn't a shut off valve on the toilet. I got the meter shut off tool,
.flushed the toilet again and ran out to turn off the water. Sue was at the
.radio station answering phones for their fund drive. I called her and told
.her we had an emergency and she needed to come home. While she was on the
.way home I bailed out the tank, a turkey baster comes in handy for that,
and
.took the old valve out. We made a trip to the hardware store, me in my
.t-shirt and sweat band. We got exactly what we needed, a new float valve,
.made of plastic of course, and costing 10 dollars, took it back home and
.installed it. Today no leaks have shown up and it's working fine. It must
.have blown out only a few seconds before I came back into the house. Much
.longer and we would have had a major flood in our bathroom. This time luck
.was on our side.
.
.Regards.
.
.Max. K 4 O D S.
.
.Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
.
.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 tubes group send an email to,
. [EMAIL PROTECTED]

.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[BlindHandyMan] Bungee Cord and how it is Made.

[Boyce, Ray]

Hi All
How is a bungee cord made?

Background

Bungee cord is made of one or more strands of an
elastic
material, usually rubber, bound together by a fabric covering. It is commonly 
used as a tie-down for
luggage
or equipment carried on the outside of a vehicle. Bungee cord is also used by 
the military to absorb the opening shock of the large cargo parachutes when
dropping heavy loads such as tanks. The development of long, heavy-duty bungee 
cord for the military has led to the recreational sport of
bungee jumping.
In this sport, the participant jumps from an elevated structure while wearing a
harness
attached to one end of a long bungee cord with the other end attached to the 
structure.

The term "bungee" or "bungie" is thought to be British slang for india-rubber. 
Some references to the india-rubber originally used for erasing
pencil
marks on paper call it "india-bungie." Another source claims the term was 
derived from the Anglo-Indian word "bangy" referring to the colloquial term for
a yoke carried on the shoulder with two equal loads suspended by cords front 
and rear. In either case, the concepts of an elastic material and load-bearing
cords both apply to the modern bungee cord.

The history of bungee jumping as a sport or test of courage is believed to date 
back 1500 years to Pentecost Island in what is now the Republic of Vanuatu
in the South Pacific. According to local legend, a wife felt she was being 
mistreated by her husband and fled, taking refuge in a tall tree. As her husband
was climbing the tree in pursuit, she secretly tied vines around her ankles. 
When he tried to
grab
her, she jumped. He jumped after her and fell to his death. The springy vines 
broke her fall and she lived. After that, the men of the island decided that
no woman should ever trick them again, and they began to practice jumping with 
vines. In time, it became a test of courage, with the bravest men jumping
from a height of 80 feet (24 m) to have their heads brush the ground before the 
vines completely stopped their fall.

Modern bungee jumping using elastic bungee cords started in the late 1970s. On 
April Fools' Day in 1979, the Oxford Dangerous Sports Club of Britain caught
the public's attention when members bungeed off the 245-foot (75 m) Clifton 
Bridge in Bristol, England. Since that time, bungee jumping has become a 
commercialized
sport with thousands of participants.

Raw Materials

The elastic material of a bungee cord is usually made of natural or synthetic 
rubber. Natural rubber, sometimes called
latex
rubber, has excellent extensibility (the ability to be extended),
resilience
(the ability to regain its original shape after being extended), and
tensile strength
(the ability to be extended under load without breaking). For these properties, 
it makes an excellent material for bungee cords. Natural rubber has the
disadvantages of having only fair resistance to air and the
ultraviolet radiation
in sunlight. Synthetic rubbers, such as
neoprene,
have better resistance to air and sunlight, but less resilience and
tensile
strength than natural rubber. The military specification (mil-spec) for bungee 
cords allows either natural rubber or synthetic rubber, or a mixture of both.
Reclaimed rubber may not be used for milspec cords. Natural rubber is widely 
used for cords used in bungee jumping.

The fabric covering for the bungee cord may be
braided
from cotton or
nylon
yarn. Commercial bungee cord usually has a single layer of nylon covering which 
is more resistant to
abrasion
and has a higher tensile strength. Mil-spec bungee cord is required to have two 
layers of cotton covering. Some cords used for bungee jumping have cotton
covering, the same as the mil-spec cord. Other specially designed bungee 
jumping cords have a braided covering of natural rubber.

Design

Standard commercial bungee cord is available in diameters from about 0.25-inch 
to 0.62-inch (0.64-1.6 cm). Mil-spec cord is available from 0.25-inch to
0.87-inch (0.64-2.2 cm) in diameter. These cords require no new design work 
other than an occasional change in the colors of the outer covering. (See 
Quality
Control). Bungee jumping cord is usually about 0.62-inch (1.6 cm) in diameter 
and is usually individually designed by each bungee jumping company to its
specifications.

Custom-made bungee cord may be required for special applications. When one 
light truck manufacturer decided to demonstrate the strength of their product's
frame, they sent the vehicle bungee jumping off a bridge. This stunt was 
featured in a commercial on national television and required a set of nine 
specially
designed bungee cords, each 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter and 100 feet (30 m) 
long.

The Manufacturing
Process

Some bungee jumping companies design and manufacture their own cord. In 
general, this is a proprietary process which they keep secret. The following 
describes
a typical process by which commercial or milspec bungee cords are manufactured.

Extrudin

[BlindHandyMan] How Bar Code Scanners are Made.

[Boyce, Ray]

How is a bar code scanner made?

Background

Many different types of bar code scanning machines exist, but they all work on 
the same fundamental principles. They all use the intensity of light reflected
from a series of black and white stripes to tell a computer what code it is 
seeing. White stripes reflect light very well, while black stripes reflect
hardly any light at all. The bar
code scanner
shines light sequentially across a bar code, simultaneously detecting and 
recording the pattern of reflected and non-reflected light. The scanner then 
translates
this pattern into an electrical signal that the computer can understand. All 
scanners must include computer software to interpret the bar code once it's
been entered. This simple principle has transformed the way we are able to 
manipulate data and the way in which many businesses handle recordkeeping.

Bar code scanning emerged in the early 1970s as a way to improve the speed and 
accuracy of data entry into computers. Businesses were just beginning to
exploit computer tracking of stock and billing. The challenge was to find a 
quick, efficient, and relatively fool-proof method of record entry for companies
(for example warehouses or mail order companies) that maintain a small stock of 
high volume items. The use of bar codes enabled clerks to keep track of
every item they sold, shipped or packed without a
tedious
and error-prone keyboard data entry process. Bar coding caught on quickly in 
clothing stores, manufacturing plants (such as car makers), airline
baggage
checks, libraries, and, of course, supermarkets. The supermarket scanners which 
are
commonplace
today are known as point-of-sale scanners, since the scanning is done when 
merchandise is purchased; point-of-sale scanning is perhaps the most challenging
bar code scanning application in use today. Supermarket scanners represent the 
most advanced design of the various types of bar code scanners, because
of the particular difficulties associated with reading bar codes on oddly 
shaped items or items that may be dirty, wet, or fragile.

The first scanners required human action to do the scanning and used very 
simple light sources. The most common was the
wand,
which is still popular because it is inexpensive and reliable. Wand scanners 
require placing the end of the scanner against the code, because the light
source they use is only narrow (focused) enough to distinguish between bars and 
stripes right at the wand tip. If the labeled products are oddly shaped
or dirty, this method is
impractical
if not impossible.

To make a scanner that works without touching the code requires a light source 
that will remain in a narrow, bright beam over longer distances-the best
source is a laser. Using a laser beam, the code can be held several inches or 
more from the scanner, and the actual scanning action can then take place
inside the scanner. Rotating, motor-driven mirror assemblies, developed in the 
mid-1970s, allowed laser light to be swept over a surface so the user didn't
need to move the scanner or the code; this technology improved scanner 
reliability and code reading speed.

Later, holograms were chosen to replace mirrors, since they can act just like a 
mirror but are lightweight and can be motorized more easily. A
hologram
is a photographic image that behaves like a three-dimensional object when 
struck by light of the correct
wavelength.
A hologram is created by shining a laser beam split into two parts onto a glass 
or plastic plate coated with a
photographic emulsion.
Whereas the previous generation of scanners worked by rotating a mirror 
assembly,
holographic
scanners operate by spinning a disk with one or more holograms recorded on it.

Researchers at IBM and NEC simultaneously developed holographic point-of-sale 
scanners in 1980. Holographic scanning was chosen not only because the hologram
disks could be spun more easily than mirror assemblies, but also because a 
single disk could reflect light in many different directions, by incorporating
different hologram areas on the same disk. This helped to solve the problem of 
bar code positioning; that is, codes no longer needed to directly face the
scan window. Modern bar code scanners will scan in many different directions 
and angles hundreds of times each second. If you look at the surface of a
scanner in the
checkout
lane, you will see lots of criss-crossed lines of light; this pattern was 
chosen as the most reliable and least demanding on particular package 
orientation.

Raw Materials

A holographic bar code scanner consists of an assembly of preformed parts. The 
laser-a small glass tube filled with gas and a small power supply to generate
a laser beam-is usually a
helium
neon (HeNe) laser. In other words, the gas tube is filled with helium and neon 
gases, which produce a red light. Red light is easiest to detect, and HeNe's
are less expensive than other kinds of lasers. They are much smaller versions 
of the types of laser

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.

[Max Robinson]

The valve orifice was not in play because the valve housing had cracked and 
the 3/8 input line was passing all the water it could.  The pressure is 
quite high in this area so the inflow was too much for the overflow pipe to 
handle with only a 2 or 3 inch head.

Regards.

Max.  K 4 O D S.

Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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 tubes group send an email to,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

- Original Message - 
From: "Dale Leavens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 10:17 PM
Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.


> Max,
>
> I would check that out carefully. The overflow tube is usually something 
> like three quarters of an inch while the inlet is not usually more than 
> three eighths and the valve orifice is much smaller than that. If the 
> overflow can't carry the water then something must be either out of line 
> or blocked.
>
>
> Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Skype DaleLeavens
> Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.
>
>
>  - Original Message - 
>  From: Max Robinson
>  To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
>  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 11:03 PM
>  Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.
>
>
>  When I lifted the top of the tank, the water level was well above the top 
> of
>  the overflow tube. The water was coming in faster than it could drain 
> out.
>
>  Regards.
>
>  Max. K 4 O D S.
>
>  Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>  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 tubes group send an email to,
>  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>  - Original Message - 
>  From: "Dale Leavens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>  To: 
>  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:48 PM
>  Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.
>
>  > Actually Max I doubt you would have had a flood. More likely it would 
> fill
>  > to the overflow stem pipe and run down through the
>  > pipe and on out through the toilet bowl. It is odd though that the 
> plastic
>  > ball would have cracked like that. You would have wasted a lot of water
>  > too and in the country that probably means a well and pressure pump and
>  > stress on the septic bed.
>  >
>  >
>  > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
>  > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>  > Skype DaleLeavens
>  > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.
>  >
>  >
>  > - Original Message - 
>  > From: Max Robinson
>  > To: Blind Handyman
>  > Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:28 PM
>  > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.
>  >
>  >
>  > Yesterday I was moving some tools and a tool chest from the house to my
>  > new
>  > shop. I came back in after moving the chest and heard a roaring sound
>  > from
>  > the bathroom. It was like the toilet filling up but louder. I took the
>  > top
>  > off the tank and found the water level was almost to the top and rising
>  > fast. I flushed the toilet and investigated where the water was coming
>  > in.
>  > The plastic float valve had cracked and there was no stopping the 
> water.
>  > There isn't a shut off valve on the toilet. I got the meter shut off
>  > tool,
>  > flushed the toilet again and ran out to turn off the water. Sue was at
>  > the
>  > radio station answering phones for their fund drive. I called her and
>  > told
>  > her we had an emergency and she needed to come home. While she was on 
> the
>  > way home I bailed out the tank, a turkey baster comes in handy for 
> that,
>  > and
>  > took the old valve out. We made a trip to the hardware store, me in my
>  > t-shirt and sweat band. We got exactly what we needed, a new float 
> valve,
>  > made of plastic of course, and costing 10 dollars, took it back home 
> and
>  > installed it. Today no leaks have shown up and it's working fine. It 
> must
>  > have blown out only a few seconds before I came back into the house. 
> Much
>  > longer and we would have had a major flood in our bathroom. This time
>  > luck
>  > was on our side.
>  >
>  > Regards.
>  >
>  > Max. K 4 O D S.
>  >
>  > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>  >
>  > 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 tubes group send an email to,
>  > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > To listen to the show archives go to link
>  > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html
>  > 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-archiv

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.

[Dale Leavens]

Max,

I would check that out carefully. The overflow tube is usually something like 
three quarters of an inch while the inlet is not usually more than three 
eighths and the valve orifice is much smaller than that. If the overflow can't 
carry the water then something must be either out of line or blocked.
 

Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Skype DaleLeavens
Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.


  - Original Message - 
  From: Max Robinson 
  To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 11:03 PM
  Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.


  When I lifted the top of the tank, the water level was well above the top of 
  the overflow tube. The water was coming in faster than it could drain out.

  Regards.

  Max. K 4 O D S.

  Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

  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 tubes group send an email to,
  [EMAIL PROTECTED]

  - Original Message - 
  From: "Dale Leavens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
  To: 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:48 PM
  Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.

  > Actually Max I doubt you would have had a flood. More likely it would fill 
  > to the overflow stem pipe and run down through the
  > pipe and on out through the toilet bowl. It is odd though that the plastic 
  > ball would have cracked like that. You would have wasted a lot of water 
  > too and in the country that probably means a well and pressure pump and 
  > stress on the septic bed.
  >
  >
  > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
  > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  > Skype DaleLeavens
  > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.
  >
  >
  > - Original Message - 
  > From: Max Robinson
  > To: Blind Handyman
  > Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:28 PM
  > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.
  >
  >
  > Yesterday I was moving some tools and a tool chest from the house to my 
  > new
  > shop. I came back in after moving the chest and heard a roaring sound 
  > from
  > the bathroom. It was like the toilet filling up but louder. I took the 
  > top
  > off the tank and found the water level was almost to the top and rising
  > fast. I flushed the toilet and investigated where the water was coming 
  > in.
  > The plastic float valve had cracked and there was no stopping the water.
  > There isn't a shut off valve on the toilet. I got the meter shut off 
  > tool,
  > flushed the toilet again and ran out to turn off the water. Sue was at 
  > the
  > radio station answering phones for their fund drive. I called her and 
  > told
  > her we had an emergency and she needed to come home. While she was on the
  > way home I bailed out the tank, a turkey baster comes in handy for that, 
  > and
  > took the old valve out. We made a trip to the hardware store, me in my
  > t-shirt and sweat band. We got exactly what we needed, a new float valve,
  > made of plastic of course, and costing 10 dollars, took it back home and
  > installed it. Today no leaks have shown up and it's working fine. It must
  > have blown out only a few seconds before I came back into the house. Much
  > longer and we would have had a major flood in our bathroom. This time 
  > luck
  > was on our side.
  >
  > Regards.
  >
  > Max. K 4 O D S.
  >
  > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  >
  > 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 tubes group send an email to,
  > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
  >
  >
  >
  > To listen to the show archives go to link
  > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html
  > 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/
  >
  > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various 
  > List Members At The Following address:
  > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/
  >
  > If you would like to join the Blind Computing list, then visit the 
  > following address for more information:
  > http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com
  >
  > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man 
  > list just send a blank message to:
  > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  > Yahoo! Groups Links
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  > -- 
  > No virus found in this incoming message.
  > Checked by AVG Free Edition.
  > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.9.9/872 - Release Date: 6/26/2007 
  > 6:43 PM
  >
  > 



   

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets

[Max Robinson]

They can be drilled out.  When the stem snaps off there is a hole left 
behind.  If you run a drill that is a little bigger than the original stem 
into that hole the rivet will come out in pieces, sometimes leaving some of 
it inside the thing you are taking apart.

Regards.

Max.  K 4 O D S.

Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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 tubes group send an email to,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

- Original Message - 
From: "Boyce, Ray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:59 PM
Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets


> Hi Rob
> A pop blind rivet gun is an inexpensive and easy-to-operate tool that is
> a welcome addition to any home tool kit. For repairing gutters, window
> screens,
> sheet metal pipe or any of the other light-gauge metal components around
> the house, you'll quickly find it indispensable.
>
> A pop blind rivet gun looks something like a large pair of pliers. There
> are two handles - one fixed and one movable - and a metal head with
> interchangeable
> riveting inserts that will accommodate different sizes of rivets.
>
> The pop blind rivet itself looks something like a nail with a flanged
> metal sleeve over one end. In use, the gun pulls up on the "nail" end of
> the rivet
> - the shaft - causing the sleeve end, which is the actual rivet, to
> expand and lock the two pieces of metal together. When the force being
> exerted on the
> rivet by its expansion exceeds the breaking point of the slender shaft,
> the shaft snaps off and leaves the rivet in place. It's the distinctive
> sound of
> the shaft snapping away that gives the pop blind rivet its name.
>
> Unlike screws, pop blind rivets are permanent once they're installed.
> They should not be used for joining parts that will need to be
> disassembled again.
>
> How It's Used
>
> Pop blind rivets come in different lengths and diameters, depending on
> what you want to rivet. Because the rivet will only expand so far before
> snapping,
> you need to make sure that you select a length that is compatible with
> the combined thickness of the pieces you are joining - a chart that
> accompanies
> the rivets helps you with the selection. The rivets are also available
> in both steel and aluminum, allowing you to select one that's compatible
> with the
> type of metal you wish to join.
>
> First, align and temporarily clamp the two pieces of metal to be joined.
> Using the drill bit selection guide supplied with the rivets, drill a
> hole of the
> proper diameter through both pieces.
>
> Next, select the insert that corresponds to the diameter of the rivet
> you're using, and insert it into the rivet gun. Insert the pop rivet
> into the hole
> in the metal being joined until the flange is completely up against the
> surface, then slip the gun over the shaft end of the rivet. If it's
> easier, you
> can also do this in the reverse order by putting the rivet into the gun
> first.
>
> Squeeze the handles on the gun gently to begin putting pressure on the
> rivet, and double check that everything is aligned how you want it.
> Remember - pop
> blind rivets are not designed to be removable. Once the rivet is
> installed, the only way to get it out again is to drill out the core of
> the rivet or grind
> off the head on one side so that the rivet can be driven out.
>
> Continue to squeeze the handles firmly as the rivet expands in the hole.
> You will see the metal draw together as the end of the rivet opposite
> the flange
> continues to flatten out and enlarge. After a couple of squeezes on the
> handle the rivet will be fully expanded, and the shaft will snap off
> from the rivet
> and remain in the gun. Finally, pull the shaft out of the gun and
> discard it, and you're ready to install another rivet.
>
> Pop blind rivet guns and replacement rivets are sold in home centers,
> hardware stores, and many other retail outlets. For your initial
> purchase, look for
> a complete kit that contains the gun, inserts, insert wrench, and a
> selection of rivets. If you have a lot of similar riveting to do -
> installing a gutter
> system, for example - you can purchase rivets of the same size by the
> box. To have handy in your toolbox, however, your best bet is to buy a
> rivet selection
> that includes several sizes in both aluminum and steel.
>
> The rivet gun will come with complete instructions, and they need to be
> followed carefully. Also, you should always wear eye protection and
> follow any other
> safety precautions recommended by the manufacturer.
>
> 
>
> From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rob Monitor
> Sent: Wednesday, 27 June 2007 08:50
> To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets
>
>
>
> Hi, could some one till me how much a pop rivet gun would cost and how
> hard are they t

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.

[Max Robinson]

When I lifted the top of the tank, the water level was well above the top of 
the overflow tube.  The water was coming in faster than it could drain out.

Regards.

Max.  K 4 O D S.

Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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 tubes group send an email to,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

- Original Message - 
From: "Dale Leavens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:48 PM
Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.


> Actually Max I doubt you would have had a flood. More likely it would fill 
> to the overflow stem pipe and run down through the
> pipe and on out through the toilet bowl. It is odd though that the plastic 
> ball would have cracked like that. You would have wasted a lot of water 
> too and in the country that probably means a well and pressure pump and 
> stress on the septic bed.
>
>
> Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Skype DaleLeavens
> Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.
>
>
>  - Original Message - 
>  From: Max Robinson
>  To: Blind Handyman
>  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:28 PM
>  Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.
>
>
>  Yesterday I was moving some tools and a tool chest from the house to my 
> new
>  shop. I came back in after moving the chest and heard a roaring sound 
> from
>  the bathroom. It was like the toilet filling up but louder. I took the 
> top
>  off the tank and found the water level was almost to the top and rising
>  fast. I flushed the toilet and investigated where the water was coming 
> in.
>  The plastic float valve had cracked and there was no stopping the water.
>  There isn't a shut off valve on the toilet. I got the meter shut off 
> tool,
>  flushed the toilet again and ran out to turn off the water. Sue was at 
> the
>  radio station answering phones for their fund drive. I called her and 
> told
>  her we had an emergency and she needed to come home. While she was on the
>  way home I bailed out the tank, a turkey baster comes in handy for that, 
> and
>  took the old valve out. We made a trip to the hardware store, me in my
>  t-shirt and sweat band. We got exactly what we needed, a new float valve,
>  made of plastic of course, and costing 10 dollars, took it back home and
>  installed it. Today no leaks have shown up and it's working fine. It must
>  have blown out only a few seconds before I came back into the house. Much
>  longer and we would have had a major flood in our bathroom. This time 
> luck
>  was on our side.
>
>  Regards.
>
>  Max. K 4 O D S.
>
>  Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>  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 tubes group send an email to,
>  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> To listen to the show archives go to link
> http://acbradio.org/handyman.html
> 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/
>
> Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various 
> List Members At The Following address:
> http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/
>
> If you would like to join the Blind Computing list, then visit the 
> following address for more information:
> http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com
>
> For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man 
> list just send a blank message to:
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.9.9/872 - Release Date: 6/26/2007 
> 6:43 PM
>
> 

Re: [BlindHandyMan] rain gutter ends

[Dale Leavens]

Hi Jim,

Yes, I have seen the sort which roll out and drain through perforations but I 
don't know what they are called. They go on the end of the down spout. I'll 
keep a look out for them and let you know if I fine any or at least can get you 
a name.



Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Skype DaleLeavens
Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.


  - Original Message - 
  From: Jim Ruby 
  To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 9:26 PM
  Subject: [BlindHandyMan] rain gutter ends


  I am not sure how to explain this, but I will try as I am told they are
  made, but no place will they be found locally.

  It is an end the goes on the end of your rain gutter and causes the watter
  to spray or stream out of the rain spout so the water will avoid washing.
  Either it kind of rolls out when it rains and water comes out of little
  holes or it spins causing the water to mist and spray.

  Has anyone any thoughts on this or seen them or better yet where to get
  them?

  Thank you.

  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



   

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Alternative Energy Systems

[Jewel Blanch]

Several models of mini wind turbines are being trialled in New Zealand.  
If the trials show them to work successfully, they could be mounted on the 
roofs of buildings or houses.

 Jewel
  are They can be mounted on the rooves of buildings or houses. 
  - Original Message - 
  From: Dan Rossi 
  To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 5:08 AM
  Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Alternative Energy Systems


  Lee,

  A five year payback on a 25 thousand dollar investment in a wind turbine? 
  Yikes, I thought my electric prices were hi, but I don't spend anything 
  like 425 bucks a month for electricity. Mor like 42 bucks a month which 
  would make my payback time something like 50 years.

  -- 
  Blue skies.
  Dan Rossi
  Carnegie Mellon University.
  E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
  Tel: (412) 268-9081


   


--


  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
  Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.9.8/869 - Release Date: 25/06/07 5:32 
p.m.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[BlindHandyMan] rain gutter ends

[Jim Ruby]

I am not sure how to explain this, but I will try as I am told they are
made, but no place will they be found locally.

 

It is an end the goes on the end of your rain gutter and causes the watter
to spray or stream out of the rain spout so the water will avoid washing.
Either it kind of rolls out when it rains and water comes out of little
holes or it spins causing the water to mist and spray.

 

Has anyone any thoughts on this or seen them or better yet where to get
them?

 

Thank you.

 

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets

[Tom Fowle]

There are some pop rivets which are threaded on the inside and claim to be
usable like installing a nut into a piece of sheet metal.  They clain,
you can then install a machine screw in the rivet and remove it again.

don't believe em, the rivets will loosen up in the original sheet and turn
with the screw, thus being non-removable and never tight.

sure could be handy if that process worked but I've seen lots that didn't.

Tom

Re: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets

[Dale Leavens]

I would add that you can purchase additional washers which can be used on 
either side or both sides of the joint to reinforce the function of the rivet. 
They can be very useful if you should want to rivet say two bits of plastic 
together or maybe two pieces of leather or thin metal like the thin aluminium 
tube used for making things like some lawn chairs.

I haven't purchased a rivet gun for a long time now and haven't used mine for 
so long I am not sure I know where to find it but seems to me ai bought a 
really good one about 25 years ago for thirty bucks. Again don't go cheap even 
if you don't think you will need one much, a cheap one you won't use much 
because it soon will become frustrating and if you do have any need for one you 
will only go out and buy it a second time.

Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Skype DaleLeavens
Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.


  - Original Message - 
  From: Boyce, Ray 
  To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 6:59 PM
  Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets


  Hi Rob
  A pop blind rivet gun is an inexpensive and easy-to-operate tool that is
  a welcome addition to any home tool kit. For repairing gutters, window
  screens,
  sheet metal pipe or any of the other light-gauge metal components around
  the house, you'll quickly find it indispensable.

  A pop blind rivet gun looks something like a large pair of pliers. There
  are two handles - one fixed and one movable - and a metal head with
  interchangeable
  riveting inserts that will accommodate different sizes of rivets.

  The pop blind rivet itself looks something like a nail with a flanged
  metal sleeve over one end. In use, the gun pulls up on the "nail" end of
  the rivet
  - the shaft - causing the sleeve end, which is the actual rivet, to
  expand and lock the two pieces of metal together. When the force being
  exerted on the
  rivet by its expansion exceeds the breaking point of the slender shaft,
  the shaft snaps off and leaves the rivet in place. It's the distinctive
  sound of
  the shaft snapping away that gives the pop blind rivet its name.

  Unlike screws, pop blind rivets are permanent once they're installed.
  They should not be used for joining parts that will need to be
  disassembled again.

  How It's Used

  Pop blind rivets come in different lengths and diameters, depending on
  what you want to rivet. Because the rivet will only expand so far before
  snapping,
  you need to make sure that you select a length that is compatible with
  the combined thickness of the pieces you are joining - a chart that
  accompanies
  the rivets helps you with the selection. The rivets are also available
  in both steel and aluminum, allowing you to select one that's compatible
  with the
  type of metal you wish to join.

  First, align and temporarily clamp the two pieces of metal to be joined.
  Using the drill bit selection guide supplied with the rivets, drill a
  hole of the
  proper diameter through both pieces.

  Next, select the insert that corresponds to the diameter of the rivet
  you're using, and insert it into the rivet gun. Insert the pop rivet
  into the hole
  in the metal being joined until the flange is completely up against the
  surface, then slip the gun over the shaft end of the rivet. If it's
  easier, you
  can also do this in the reverse order by putting the rivet into the gun
  first.

  Squeeze the handles on the gun gently to begin putting pressure on the
  rivet, and double check that everything is aligned how you want it.
  Remember - pop
  blind rivets are not designed to be removable. Once the rivet is
  installed, the only way to get it out again is to drill out the core of
  the rivet or grind
  off the head on one side so that the rivet can be driven out.

  Continue to squeeze the handles firmly as the rivet expands in the hole.
  You will see the metal draw together as the end of the rivet opposite
  the flange
  continues to flatten out and enlarge. After a couple of squeezes on the
  handle the rivet will be fully expanded, and the shaft will snap off
  from the rivet
  and remain in the gun. Finally, pull the shaft out of the gun and
  discard it, and you're ready to install another rivet.

  Pop blind rivet guns and replacement rivets are sold in home centers,
  hardware stores, and many other retail outlets. For your initial
  purchase, look for
  a complete kit that contains the gun, inserts, insert wrench, and a
  selection of rivets. If you have a lot of similar riveting to do -
  installing a gutter
  system, for example - you can purchase rivets of the same size by the
  box. To have handy in your toolbox, however, your best bet is to buy a
  rivet selection
  that includes several sizes in both aluminum and steel.

  The rivet gun will come with complete instructions, and they need to be
  followed carefully. Also, you should always wear eye protection and
  

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Saltandpepper shaker

[Dale Leavens]

Hi David,

Can you get your hands on a pair of artery forceps? These are what the love 
generation sometimes referred to as roach clips! They are a sort of cross 
between very narrow thin pliers and tweezers which are usually curved on the 
end but may well fit into the hole and pinch the cork firmly. You can probably 
pinch hard enough to split the corks and remove them that way as pulling them 
back through is likely to be very difficult. Artery forceps might be available 
at a drug store I am not sure, I used to be able to get old ones from our CSR 
Department, any damage or defects after they have been sterilized and they 
discard them. They are made of wonderful steel though and work well for a wide 
variety of small tasks which apparently include toking.

Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Skype DaleLeavens
Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.


  - Original Message - 
  From: David Sexton 
  To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 7:35 PM
  Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Saltandpepper shaker


  I have two shakers with the corks completely inside, is there a way to get 
them out? the only access is through the small hole the corks are supposed to 
plug up. I don't care if I destroy them, I just want them out of there!
  David

  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



   

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [BlindHandyMan] The footers are footered.

[Dale Leavens]

Having mixed quite a lot of cement by hand but more usually in a wheel barrow 
my back, arms and joints empathize. That is damn hard work.

You might like to gently spray a little water over the tops of those posts and 
over any exposed sonotube and a little around on the ground at the point where 
the posts disappear into the ground just to slow the drying and curing process 
a little

Well done, I am glad I missed out on carrying that stuff up the stairs.

A mixer makes the work go a lot quicker however they are damn heavy to lug up 
stairs and back down again and they don't disassemble well into more manageable 
components in my experience.

Really, you must do something about that! 

Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Skype DaleLeavens
Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.


  - Original Message - 
  From: Dan Rossi 
  To: BlindHandyman@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 2:53 PM
  Subject: [BlindHandyMan] The footers are footered.


  Holy crap! We managed to shift, mix, and pour 36, 80 pound bags of 
  QuikCrete over the last three days.

  Saturday dawned early for us. We had to do some early morning shopping 
  and then headed North to exchange Teresa's car for her sister's pickup 
  truck. Then on to her dad's place where we got a large mortar box, some 
  cement hoes, and a couple of short handled shovels. Then to Lowes to pick 
  up two 94 pound bags of Portland cement. Turns out one bag would have 
  done fine. But we were fresh and stupid and hauling one more 
  excruciatingly heavy item up four flights of steps wasn't as daunting at 
  the time.

  We then headed home, re-strung the lines for our deck layout, and got to 
  work. We made the serious mistake of trying to mix five bags of cement at 
  once. Just about killed us. We had considered borrowing a small mixer 
  from Breeze, another contributor to this list, but thought it would take a 
  while to go get it, bring it back, and then somehow manhandle it up all 
  the damn stairs.

  We ended up pouring just the one footer on Saturday. It took seven bags 
  of QuikCrete and some large rocks and chunks of cement that we had soaked 
  thoroughly.

  We then cleaned up and cooked up some Copper river salmon we had picked up 
  earlier in the day. DAMN! that is some awesome salmon.

  We got another early start on Sunday. We mixed batches of two or three 
  bags at a time. It is amazingly hard work. Teresa was right in there 
  with me and did a lot better at mixing than I could have done myself. We 
  poured two more footers by noon. At that point, I was pretty beat. I 
  took a break, then we had to go to Lowes and pick up four more bags of 
  QuikCrete, some gravel, and a couple more Sono Tubes.
  After lugging all that up the damn stairs, we cleaned ourselves up and 
  headed out to a fund raiser BBq for Blind and Vision Rehab Services of 
  Pittsburgh.

  Here is a stupid gotcha. One of the footers took a bit more cement. When 
  we were finished with the seventh bag, we still had a few more inches to 
  fill. I ended up scooping a bunch of wet cement back out of the hole, 
  then took a rather large chunk of rubble and stuffed it down into the wet 
  cement and filled the form to the top. Ah, perfect. Hey, hand me that J 
  bolt. Sometimes plans don't work out quite as you envisioned them. The J 
  bolt stopped going down about two inches before I needed it to stop. It 
  bumped against that nice big chunk of rubble. I stuffed my arm down into 
  the cement and tried pushing the rubble further down. Yeah right, cute of 
  me wasn't it? So after scooping wet cement out, yet again, and then damn 
  near herniating myself trying to pull that chunk out of the cement. We 
  mixed up half a bag of cement and filled the hole.

  We both called off work for Monday because we just wanted this job done. 
  We didn't start quite as early, but we were in the yard by 9:30 and 
  mixing. One more footer went by pretty quickly, but then we hit a slight 
  snag. The fifth hole was not located exactly where it was supposed to be. 
  So some work with shovel and post hole digger and we widened up the hole a 
  bit so that we could locate the sono tube in the right place. More mixing 
  and pouring and the footers were done.

  It turns out that most of our cement that had over-wintered under our back 
  stairs seemed fine. No hard lumps, no clumpiness. Three bags were total 
  losses, 80 pound rocks in a bag. Three bags were half rock and half dry. 
  We didn't use those. We did throw in an extra shovel full of Portland 
  cement in with each bag of the old cement just to be on the safe side.

  After all was said and done, and we lowered a string line to just above 
  the J bolts, three of the four bolts along the one side of the future deck 
  were right in the middle. One bolt was about 3/4 inch out, but we can 
  adjust for that. The fifth bolt which is out at the end of our ledg

RE: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets

[Boyce, Ray]

Hi Rob
A pop blind rivet gun is an inexpensive and easy-to-operate tool that is
a welcome addition to any home tool kit. For repairing gutters, window
screens,
sheet metal pipe or any of the other light-gauge metal components around
the house, you'll quickly find it indispensable.
 
A pop blind rivet gun looks something like a large pair of pliers. There
are two handles - one fixed and one movable - and a metal head with
interchangeable
riveting inserts that will accommodate different sizes of rivets.
 
The pop blind rivet itself looks something like a nail with a flanged
metal sleeve over one end. In use, the gun pulls up on the "nail" end of
the rivet
- the shaft - causing the sleeve end, which is the actual rivet, to
expand and lock the two pieces of metal together. When the force being
exerted on the
rivet by its expansion exceeds the breaking point of the slender shaft,
the shaft snaps off and leaves the rivet in place. It's the distinctive
sound of
the shaft snapping away that gives the pop blind rivet its name.
 
Unlike screws, pop blind rivets are permanent once they're installed.
They should not be used for joining parts that will need to be
disassembled again.
 
How It's Used
 
Pop blind rivets come in different lengths and diameters, depending on
what you want to rivet. Because the rivet will only expand so far before
snapping,
you need to make sure that you select a length that is compatible with
the combined thickness of the pieces you are joining - a chart that
accompanies
the rivets helps you with the selection. The rivets are also available
in both steel and aluminum, allowing you to select one that's compatible
with the
type of metal you wish to join.
 
First, align and temporarily clamp the two pieces of metal to be joined.
Using the drill bit selection guide supplied with the rivets, drill a
hole of the
proper diameter through both pieces.
 
Next, select the insert that corresponds to the diameter of the rivet
you're using, and insert it into the rivet gun. Insert the pop rivet
into the hole
in the metal being joined until the flange is completely up against the
surface, then slip the gun over the shaft end of the rivet. If it's
easier, you
can also do this in the reverse order by putting the rivet into the gun
first.
 
Squeeze the handles on the gun gently to begin putting pressure on the
rivet, and double check that everything is aligned how you want it.
Remember - pop
blind rivets are not designed to be removable. Once the rivet is
installed, the only way to get it out again is to drill out the core of
the rivet or grind
off the head on one side so that the rivet can be driven out.
 
Continue to squeeze the handles firmly as the rivet expands in the hole.
You will see the metal draw together as the end of the rivet opposite
the flange
continues to flatten out and enlarge. After a couple of squeezes on the
handle the rivet will be fully expanded, and the shaft will snap off
from the rivet
and remain in the gun. Finally, pull the shaft out of the gun and
discard it, and you're ready to install another rivet.
 
Pop blind rivet guns and replacement rivets are sold in home centers,
hardware stores, and many other retail outlets. For your initial
purchase, look for
a complete kit that contains the gun, inserts, insert wrench, and a
selection of rivets. If you have a lot of similar riveting to do -
installing a gutter
system, for example - you can purchase rivets of the same size by the
box. To have handy in your toolbox, however, your best bet is to buy a
rivet selection
that includes several sizes in both aluminum and steel.
 
The rivet gun will come with complete instructions, and they need to be
followed carefully. Also, you should always wear eye protection and
follow any other
safety precautions recommended by the manufacturer.



From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rob Monitor
Sent: Wednesday, 27 June 2007 08:50
To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [BlindHandyMan] pop rivets



Hi, could some one till me how much a pop rivet gun would cost and how
hard are they to use?? Also how thick of metal can they rivet together??
THANKS ROB 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 

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[BlindHandyMan] pop rivets

[Rob Monitor]

Hi, could some one till me how much a pop rivet gun would cost and how hard are 
they to use?? Also how thick of metal can they rivet together??
THANKS ROB

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.

[Dale Leavens]

Actually Max I doubt you would have had a flood. More likely it would fill to 
the overflow stem pipe and run down through the
pipe and on out through the toilet bowl. It is odd though that the plastic ball 
would have cracked like that. You would have wasted a lot of water too and in 
the country that probably means a well and pressure pump and stress on the 
septic bed.


Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Skype DaleLeavens
Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat.


  - Original Message - 
  From: Max Robinson 
  To: Blind Handyman 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 5:28 PM
  Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.


  Yesterday I was moving some tools and a tool chest from the house to my new 
  shop. I came back in after moving the chest and heard a roaring sound from 
  the bathroom. It was like the toilet filling up but louder. I took the top 
  off the tank and found the water level was almost to the top and rising 
  fast. I flushed the toilet and investigated where the water was coming in. 
  The plastic float valve had cracked and there was no stopping the water. 
  There isn't a shut off valve on the toilet. I got the meter shut off tool, 
  flushed the toilet again and ran out to turn off the water. Sue was at the 
  radio station answering phones for their fund drive. I called her and told 
  her we had an emergency and she needed to come home. While she was on the 
  way home I bailed out the tank, a turkey baster comes in handy for that, and 
  took the old valve out. We made a trip to the hardware store, me in my 
  t-shirt and sweat band. We got exactly what we needed, a new float valve, 
  made of plastic of course, and costing 10 dollars, took it back home and 
  installed it. Today no leaks have shown up and it's working fine. It must 
  have blown out only a few seconds before I came back into the house. Much 
  longer and we would have had a major flood in our bathroom. This time luck 
  was on our side.

  Regards.

  Max. K 4 O D S.

  Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

  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 tubes group send an email to,
  [EMAIL PROTECTED]



   

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

RE: [BlindHandyMan] Workshop disaster wasToilet Blowout.

[William Stephan]

Wow,, talk about good timing Max.

You guys are familiar I'm sure with the part storage systems that have divided 
plastic tray that slide into slots.  I have a set of about sixteen of these, 
and one of them contains 4-piece snaps for leather, about five sizes of pop 
rivets, perhaps five sizes of the 2-piece tap rivets, two sizes of key posts 
and some small wassiers.

Saturday evening I was working on a damaged step ladder, and was using some pop 
rivets.  There were some large packs of batteries on the shelf below my parts 
cabinet that I hadn't gotten around to putting away yet.  To make a long story 
short, I left the tray open and setting on top of the batteries, it became 
unbalanced, and pitched headlong off the shelf, of course landing face down.
Now I've been putting rivets in this thing for probably twelve years, and I buy 
'em faster than I use 'em. 

So, there were thousands of pieces, all over the basement floor, as well as 
being inside a few pieces of equipment.

It was time for scotch, the cleanup could start Sunday.

I had a cassette eraser, and that actually worked well for the tap rivets and 
wassiers.  I'd get a big glob of rivets on the thing and just release the 
switch over a can.

The pop rivets and key posts though were not Ferris metal, and I had to clean 
out my nasty shop vac and suck 'em up that way.

I can't even imagine how long it's going to take me to sort all that stuff out, 
but I guess it can be an excuse for those times when I would rather be in the 
basement with the machines.



 Bill Stephan
Kansas City, MO
(816)803-2469
William Stephan


-Original Message-
.From: "Max Robinson"<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
.Sent: 6/26/07 4:28:49 PM
.To: "Blind Handyman"
.Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.
.
.Yesterday I was moving some tools and a tool chest from the house to my new 
.shop.  I came back in after moving the chest and heard a roaring sound from 
.the bathroom.  It was like the toilet filling up but louder.  I took the top 
.off the tank and found the water level was almost to the top and rising 
.fast.  I flushed the toilet and investigated where the water was coming in. 
.The plastic float valve had cracked and there was no stopping the water. 
.There isn't a shut off valve on the toilet.  I got the meter shut off tool, 
.flushed the toilet again and ran out to turn off the water.  Sue was at the 
.radio station answering phones for their fund drive.  I called her and told 
.her we had an emergency and she needed to come home.  While she was on the 
.way home I bailed out the tank, a turkey baster comes in handy for that, and 
.took the old valve out.  We made a trip to the hardware store, me in my 
.t-shirt and sweat band.  We got exactly what we needed, a new float valve, 
.made of plastic of course, and costing 10 dollars,  took it back home and 
.installed it.  Today no leaks have shown up and it's working fine.  It must 
.have blown out only a few seconds before I came back into the house.  Much 
.longer and we would have had a major flood in our bathroom.  This time luck 
.was on our side.
.
.Regards.
.
.Max.  K 4 O D S.
.
.Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
.
.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 tubes group send an email to,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
.

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.

[Tom Fowle]

I had a similar thing happen once and the stop cock valve was rusted open.
So I grabbed a stick, laid it across the top of the tank, and strung rubber
bands from stick to the float valve arm to hold it up and shutoff till
I could get the stop cock unstuck.

Tom

[BlindHandyMan] Toilet Blowout.

[Max Robinson]

Yesterday I was moving some tools and a tool chest from the house to my new 
shop.  I came back in after moving the chest and heard a roaring sound from 
the bathroom.  It was like the toilet filling up but louder.  I took the top 
off the tank and found the water level was almost to the top and rising 
fast.  I flushed the toilet and investigated where the water was coming in. 
The plastic float valve had cracked and there was no stopping the water. 
There isn't a shut off valve on the toilet.  I got the meter shut off tool, 
flushed the toilet again and ran out to turn off the water.  Sue was at the 
radio station answering phones for their fund drive.  I called her and told 
her we had an emergency and she needed to come home.  While she was on the 
way home I bailed out the tank, a turkey baster comes in handy for that, and 
took the old valve out.  We made a trip to the hardware store, me in my 
t-shirt and sweat band.  We got exactly what we needed, a new float valve, 
made of plastic of course, and costing 10 dollars,  took it back home and 
installed it.  Today no leaks have shown up and it's working fine.  It must 
have blown out only a few seconds before I came back into the house.  Much 
longer and we would have had a major flood in our bathroom.  This time luck 
was on our side.

Regards.

Max.  K 4 O D S.

Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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 tubes group send an email to,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

[BlindHandyMan] The footers are footered.

[Dan Rossi]

Holy crap!  We managed to shift, mix, and pour 36, 80 pound bags of 
QuikCrete over the last three days.

Saturday dawned early for us.  We had to do some early morning shopping 
and then headed North to exchange Teresa's car for her sister's pickup 
truck.  Then on to her dad's place where we got a large mortar box, some 
cement hoes, and a couple of short handled shovels.  Then to Lowes to pick 
up two 94 pound bags of Portland cement.  Turns out one bag would have 
done fine.  But we were fresh and stupid and hauling one more 
excruciatingly heavy item up four flights of steps wasn't as daunting at 
the time.

We then headed home, re-strung the lines for our deck layout, and got to 
work.  We made the serious mistake of trying to mix five bags of cement at 
once.  Just about killed us.  We had considered borrowing a small mixer 
from Breeze, another contributor to this list, but thought it would take a 
while to go get it, bring it back, and then somehow manhandle it up all 
the damn stairs.

We ended up pouring just the one footer on Saturday.  It took seven bags 
of QuikCrete and some large rocks and chunks of cement that we had soaked 
thoroughly.

We then cleaned up and cooked up some Copper river salmon we had picked up 
earlier in the day.  DAMN!  that is some awesome salmon.

We got another early start on Sunday.  We mixed batches of two or three 
bags at a time.  It is amazingly hard work.  Teresa was right in there 
with me and did a lot better at mixing than I could have done myself.  We 
poured two more footers by noon.  At that point, I was pretty beat.  I 
took a break, then we had to go to Lowes and pick up four more bags of 
QuikCrete, some gravel, and a couple more Sono Tubes.
After lugging all that up the damn stairs, we cleaned ourselves up and 
headed out to a fund raiser BBq for Blind and Vision Rehab Services of 
Pittsburgh.

Here is a stupid gotcha.  One of the footers took a bit more cement.  When 
we were finished with the seventh bag, we still had a few more inches to 
fill.  I ended up scooping a bunch of wet cement back out of the hole, 
then took a rather large chunk of rubble and stuffed it down into the wet 
cement and filled the form to the top.  Ah, perfect.  Hey, hand me that J 
bolt.  Sometimes plans don't work out quite as you envisioned them.  The J 
bolt stopped going down about two inches before I needed it to stop.  It 
bumped against that nice big chunk of rubble.  I stuffed my arm down into 
the cement and tried pushing the rubble further down.  Yeah right, cute of 
me wasn't it?  So after scooping wet cement out, yet again, and then damn 
near herniating myself trying to pull that chunk out of the cement.  We 
mixed up half a bag of cement and filled the hole.

We both called off work for Monday because we just wanted this job done. 
We didn't start quite as early, but we were in the yard by 9:30 and 
mixing.  One more footer went by pretty quickly, but then we hit a slight 
snag.  The fifth hole was not located exactly where it was supposed to be. 
So some work with shovel and post hole digger and we widened up the hole a 
bit so that we could locate the sono tube in the right place.  More mixing 
and pouring and the footers were done.

It turns out that most of our cement that had over-wintered under our back 
stairs seemed fine.  No hard lumps, no clumpiness.  Three bags were total 
losses, 80 pound rocks in a bag.  Three bags were half rock and half dry. 
We didn't use those.  We did throw in an extra shovel full of Portland 
cement in with each bag of the old cement just to be on the safe side.

After all was said and done, and we lowered a string line to just above 
the J bolts, three of the four bolts along the one side of the future deck 
were right in the middle.  One bolt was about 3/4 inch out, but we can 
adjust for that.  The fifth bolt which is out at the end of our ledger 
board which extends beyond the edge of the house, we believe is in the 
right place within tolerance, but we won't really know for sure until the 
ledger board is fully bolted in place.  It looks dead on at the moment but 
I can imagine things torquing a bit.

Anyway, the heavy lifting work is done for the moment.  There will be some 
more cement work to do the stairs but that can come later after the deck 
itself is complete.

I'll tell you what, those 80 pound bags of cement are freakin heavy. 
Trying to pull them out from under the stairs, lift them, gently step 
around all the crap in the yard and not trip was quite the challenge.

After we finished with the last hole, I was faced with the option of 
having to lift and move the 80 pound rocks-in-a-bag.  I opted for the 
alternative.  I sledged them into gravel and fist sized chunks and then 
made the chunks disappear over the fence.  The gravel and dust just got 
kicked around the yard a bit.

It was like 85 degrees F, 29 C, and sunny sunny sunny yesterday.  I sucked 
down a gallon of Gator Aid and it was pouring out of my s

Re: [BlindHandyMan] going to no mail?

[David Ferrin]

Send a blank email to 

[EMAIL PROTECTED] 

for all the instructions you will need.
David Ferrin 
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

- Original Message - 
From: tom huhn 
To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 1:33 PM
Subject: [BlindHandyMan] going to no mail?


how do you go to no mail, I am going on a trip and would like to go to no nail 
when I am gone thanks Tom

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[BlindHandyMan] going to no mail?

[tom huhn]

how do you go to no mail, I am going on a trip and  would like to go to no nail 
when I am gone thanks Tom

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Smoking fish

[cheetah]

you lit the wrong end.
jim
At 09:58 PM 6/25/2007, you wrote:

>I tried smoking a fish last week end problem I had was I could not seem
>to keep the darnd thing lit.
>Any ideas?
>
>
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.9.6/865 - Release Date: 
>6/24/2007 8:33 AM

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Alternative Energy Systems

[Dan Rossi]

Lee,

A five year payback on a 25 thousand dollar investment in a wind turbine? 
Yikes, I thought my electric prices were hi, but I don't spend anything 
like 425 bucks a month for electricity.  Mor like 42 bucks a month which 
would make my payback time something like 50 years.

-- 
Blue skies.
Dan Rossi
Carnegie Mellon University.
E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tel:(412) 268-9081

Re: [BlindHandyMan] 12 Bolt Air Compressors

[Lenny McHugh]

I purchased an inexpensive one at Wal-Mart used it a few times with no 
problems. It will inflate to 200 psi.
If inflating a tire make sure that you do not leave it unattended. About 20 
years ago a co-worker came out and had a flat tire. It was in the winter an 
extremely cold day. He watched the pump for a while and it appeared that 
nothing was happening. He decided to go back into the house for a cup of 
coffee. Then he heard a very loud bang. The house shook as well as did the 
neighbors. When he ran outside his left front fender was folded up in the 
air.I wonder how many psi it takes to blow up a truck tire?
Lenny
- Original Message - 
From: "Boyce, Ray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 12:33 AM
Subject: [BlindHandyMan] 12 Bolt Air Compressors


Hi All
Anyone got any suggestions on the best model .
A 12 volt
air compressor
is a must-have accessory for almost any vehicle, but is especially
useful for off-road vehicles and campers. These portable air supplies
have a number of
uses, not the least of which is an emergency air supply for flat tires
with slow leaks and refilling tires for vehicles used off-road. It is
often necessary
to drop the air pressure in vehicle tires when running off-road. Lower
air pressure, even down to 10 - 15 psi, gives much better flotation on
sand and
loose soil. A 12-volt cordless air compressor is an easy way to bring
tire pressures back up to required levels for highway speeds. A cordless
air compressor
is also handy for inflating bicycle tires, basketballs, footballs and
soccer balls. They are also useful for powering airbrushes and other air
powered
crafts tools.

Different models of air compressors with 12 volt

Low volt air compressors come in a number of makes and models. Some of
these are
cordless
compressors with either replaceable batteries or rechargeable internal
batteries. Plugging them into vehicle cigarette lighters or special
A-C/D-C converters
can recharge the rechargeable variety. Other models of 12 volt air
compressors require that they be plugged into cigarette lighters or
connected to 12
volt vehicle batteries during operation. Either model can be lifesaver
during camping trips, for re-inflating SUV tires or for pumping up low
tires until
you can get to a tire repair facility.

Portable, 12 volt air compressors come in all price ranges. Cordless
models generating 220 psi are available for as little as $25 with more
powerful and
more durable models that will give years of service and generating 320
psi for $200 - $300. Some of these models, especially the more expensive
are designed
to hard mount on campers, recreational vehicles and SUVs. Others are
portable and can be recharged or powered by plugging them into either
120V AC outlets
or connecting them to 12 volt DC batteries or plugging them into
cigarette lighters.

"I learned my lesson," my friend concluded. "I will certainly have one
along on all future camping trips. I have a 12 volt air compressor as
standard equipment
in each of my vehicles. "
It was terrible a 12 volt air compressor was exactly what I needed, a
friend related about a recent camping experience with his young
children. He had packed
more gear than they needed for an overnight camping trip, but the one
thing he did not pack was a
portable compressor.
About the time I finished blowing up the third air mattress, I would
have given nearly anything for a 12 volt air compressor.


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



To listen to the show archives go to link
 http://acbradio.org/handyman.html
or
ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/

The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is.
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Visit the archives page at the following address
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For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list 

Re: [BlindHandyMan] Smoker saga update

[Lee A. Stone]

Check with Dale Cambell about his  long glove / mitt  . One day for 
those type of cookers maybe someone will  come up with " charocoal 
bites"   much smaller pieces  that would slide down between the grates.  
another thought would be to use some  long thongs for pulling back that 
grate? Lee


-- 
File cabinet:
A four drawer, manually activated trash compactor.