Sunday, February 17, 2019

DIY Shower and Bath Tub Drain Unclog-Drain Surgery




Shower drains get plugged up all the time especially if you have girls in the house. One must get the fine art of unclogging drains down to a science unless you'd prefer to foot the bill for someone else to come and do it. A good DIY technician should be able to get this job done in under a half and hour depending on severity. A good pair of hemostats is very handy for this job but if you don't have hemostats, do not worry as either needle nose pliers or even tweezers will work. Ideally, the water will be drained when you are working on this but many times you'll find yourself working in standing water. In this case the water slowly drained so I could at least stand above where I was working. The trick here is to take of this problem once the drain starts draining slowly, NOT when the drain completely quits draining. So, once you have the drain plug unscrewed (turn counter clockwise to unthread), then take your extraction tool and start to slowly remove the nasty hair and whatever else is attached to it from the drain. Repeat until the drain is free of any foreign material and is like new. Test to ensure proper drainage before walking away. In most situations similar to this there is an accompanying odor that you'll notice so you may want to have some kind of small trash receptacle nearby for which to deposit your removed debris. Good luck fellow DIY Technicians.

Saturday, February 9, 2019

DIY Welding Fabrication Project: Freestanding Metal Fire Pit from Refrid...



This was a very fun welding fabrication project.  Although I had a couple fire pits this one fit really well onto the back patio for use making smaller fires. My neighbor, who is an automotive mechanic, gave me an old empty coolant container. Knowing I was a welder who liked to tinker and weld junk metal together, he always brings me interesting parts to make stuff from.

I made sure it was empty by drilling a hole into the top first just to be sure there wasn't anything left in it. Using an electric corded angle grinder I cut the top off the container. There was a weld seam around it that I used as a guide or cut line.  I had some 1/4" wide flatbar laying around that I bent into a circle matching the same diameter as the tank. The flatbar was very soft so I was able to bend it by hand and weld the end together. Using the same size flatcar, I cut 4 riser pieces approximately 6" long and ground the mil scale off the ends to shiny metal. This makes a better surface to weld. I then welded those risers to the bottom larger portion of the container. I then welded the circular flatbar piece to the 4 risers. This portion is in an effort to create somewhat of an access or viewing window to the flames that will live inside the tank as well as create a seat for the top lid to set upon. I had some wire mesh laying around to it seemed natural to cut out a section and wire tie it to the viewing window (access) portion of the fire pit. I would have like to weld it in place but it's too thin so I decided to use metal wire instead. I drilled holes to for which to run the wire through and secure it in place.

For the legs, I had some rebar laying around so it seemed like a good idea to use these to bring it off the ground a bit. While welding these it's important to focus your heat on the rebar as the tank wall is very thin. If you sit on the tank wall too long or apply too much heat to it, you'll blow right through the wall. I tacked them all in place first and didn't get in a hurry thereby keeping them cool before proceeding to weld more.

I had some other bent round stock laying around so it seemed like a good use for some handles to move the thing with. I cut and welded those on in the same fashion as the legs.

I went and purchased a can of high heat paint for the local hardware store and applied a couple coats. I was very happy with the results. The guitar playing is me just messing around as these videos are an excuse for me to play and use it for theme music.

DIY Easy SecurityTag Removal Process-Quick Detachment Method

Friday, February 8, 2019

How to Weld a. Horseshoe Wine Rack from Old Horseshoes



The first thing I did was get them all cleaned up removing the tacks and rust from each one of them. Then I lined them up in the triangular shape that I wanted them in. I kept the it flat on the bench while I tack welded each one using my Lincoln Pro MIG 140 welding machine using inner shield wire.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

MacRitchie Reservoir of Singapore


This is one of Singapore most beautiful places to visit. The water is clear and the weather is hot. You can see all kinds of wildlife during this hike as well as rent kayaks if you choose. You'll need to pack a bunch of water to drink on this one. The terrain is flat and there are no bikes allowed on the trails. Put this one on the list of hikes to do.