Handy hints.

What are your handy hints? I will start off with this one.

When soft soldering metal, when you get down to the last 3" of the solder stick it starts to become a bit hot to hold. Solution: hold the short section in a vice and solder on to a new solder stick. You can also do the same for silver rod used for hard soldering.

 

I start everything I can from seeds in small individual pots, many, many dozen each year. Especially with tomatoes and peppers it's hard to keep track of which is which. I needed a cheap way to label them. What I came up with is using "Craft Sticks". Most folks call them popcycle sticks. I get mine from the craft section of Wal-mart. They are un-treated wood, cheap (150 sticks for about $1), effective and biodegradable. I use a ball point pen to mark them because they will mark and cut into the sticks. I mark them with a one or two character code keyed to that year's what-to-plant list. For years I haven't confussed any seedlings.

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

I saw a on a gardening show some years ago using sections of of cut, dead venitian blinds to do the same thing.

 

Save your ash from your fireplace to use in gardens where the soil has high acidity and you need to raise the pH. It's somewhat like lime. Of course of your growing acidity loving plants or berries like cranberries or blueberries, you wouldn't want to use it.

I dump all my ash in a pile in the back of the yard and cover it with some plastic so it doesn't get too diluted in the rain, and use it if need be. You can also toss it in a garbage can with a lid.

I have alot of oak trees in my yard and their leaves cause high soil acidity in the fall when they lie around before I rake them.

 

When I had large gardens, I always planted my tomatoes over and over again in slightly larger containers. I planted them when there were already blooms on them. I dug the holes about a foot deep and then scooped away about a 1/2 in deep in a trench like shape so I could lay them sideways after stripping all but the top most leaves. The entire stripped stem will grow new roots and your tomatoes( I guarantee) will be the first to produce and the longest lasting of anyone's. If you have trouble getting the top to stick out of the groung, use a piece of wood or push some extra dirt up aroung that end. Tomatoes are very forgiving plants. I also grew them upside down in buckets with holes in them hanging from a jungle gym set when I didn't have enough room. A final note: If you pull or clip the suckers before it gets too cold, you can plant them in pots to grow all winter in a sunny window.

 

keep your tools clean and oiled get a plastic box as big as your biggest tool fill it with sand then add waste oil to the sand .

what you do before putting a spade away is clean the soil of the spade with a wedge shaped piece of wood, then thrust the spade into the oily sand , do this every time you use a tool and gradually the work will clean your tools not rust them .

if you dont have the space for a plastic box oil tools with a oil can treat your tools well they are your friend and a fine investment.

have a place for every garden tool and maybe paint their outline on your garden shed wall so you know that you have lost one .

For wooded handles give them a coat of boiled linseed oil ever year look after your tools and they will last many life times ,paint tools where the paintwork is wearing off , learn how to keep them sharp , dont abuse knives, light honing is better than having to grind tools down .

if your tool handles are rough sand them down then use linseed oil .

If you do have to grind a tool I like to use a hand turned grinder as they work slower as the heat with using a machine grinder can effect the temper of the steel.

Things like hoes and axes should be kept sharp use a tool for what its designed for , I make leather covers for most of my axes to protect the blades in transit

 

1/ When making up 2 stroke fuel I ask for 4 litres in a 5 Litre container. I pour the
2 stroke oil in an small empty can and using a large syringe (no need for a needle) I draw and squirt in 160ml of stroke oil.Then I give the fuel can a good shake after putting the cap back on.

2/ To pick up nasty burrs from the ground I use foam paint roller with an extension handle and scrape the nasty things in the bin.

3/ I got this one from a Reader's Digest book. To pull up weeds, use the claw end of a claw hammer.

 

An easier way to join and pull apart black poly pipes.


Dip the end of the hose in very hot water for a few seconds and it will slide on easily to the joiner. To remove from the joiner, pour boiling water over the joint or if possible dip the whole joint in very hot water for a few seconds and then it will pull apart easily.


To make neat labels for the workshop or kitchen.


Type up on the computer using font size 16 in bold type. Use a fair bit of spacing between the labels. Then print out , cover the piece of paper with clear self adhesive plastic book covering and cut out with scissors. Attach labels with paper glue.

 

-coffee ground wastes can be used to help acidify the soil for plants like azaleas and rhodies

-when you trim the suckers off your tomato plants, place them in a glass of water in a southern window, they will root up in no time and you will have a clone of the original plant ....this works wonders in the greenhouse ...one year i went from 6 plants to 24 within a month or two

-adding a few drops of tea tree oil to rubbing alcohol and placed in a spray bottle will make a excellent ant repellent.

-50/50 borax/boric acid and sugar mix can be used to kill cockroaches, ants if you add water to the mix to make a syrup.

-for a awesome skunk smell cleaner or any stinky organic smell, use
1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda, few drops of liquid dish soap...
mix and use immediately ....do not store !

-cheap quick fly traps.....take a 1 or 2 liter pop bottle and cut it in half or almost in half about 4-5 inches from the top/cap....place water and food scraps...meat works good in to the bottom then turn the top part upside down and place it back down in to the bottom section make sure there is a tight fit then staple together. Place in a shady spot away from were people are ...and let it ferment as it does the flies will be attracted to it, once in they will not escape...after a few weeks and it is spent just toss it in the trash.

 

Buy a sleeve of spring loaded clothes pins for use as 'chip clips'.

 

What are chip clips?

 

when planning to dig a mature tree, spade the roots in a semicircle around half of the tree at the drip line a year before digging it. you can spade the other half at collection time.

 

Buy non-perishable (and/or long shelf life) food items in bulk. I buy beans, some grains, flour, tea, coffee, sugars, pastas, etc. . . in bulk and store in large glass jars with tight fitting lids. Keep them in a cool, dark place and they will stay good for a long time. It's usually cheaper in the long run to buy in bulk.

 

The plastic, bisectional spring loaded clamps that folks use to keep their bags of snacks sealed after opening to avoid stale-idity.


Plumbing tip:

If performing a repair that requires teflon tape and none is on hand, cut strips from a plastic shopping bag to use instead. Almost the same thing...

 

In a 1965 Readers Digest DIY book it says to use hemp fibre and tallow. Another reason why DuPont wanted hemp banned and another reason to respect cattle.

 

Absolutely.

If you still want to use a hemp like fiber for plumbing until the U.S. gets it's head out of it's ass...jute twine works well too but will eventually break down or develop mold rot. Good for a fix though and available everywhere.

 

actually its an age old thing when i was growing up it was commen practice to use cotten thread wrap it around the threads when it gets wet it swells and stops the leak same principle has been used in boat building for 1,000nds of years!

 

magic cleaner: Borax and liquid soap mixed to a paste consistency. Or like canned frosting. Use for ovens, counters, bathtubs, sinks, anywhere around the house. Also good facial scrub for acne. Leaves skin soft and silky. Or body scrub if you got parts other than that which need scrubbing. Especially good for greasy grimy hands of the younger set and of the masculine gender. I use it and a metal scrubby pad to clean my oven. Rinses easy and no lye fumes. You just gotta clean it before the spills and splatters get baked on hard. I clean my oven once a week and rarely have I had to use a lye based cleaner. Just once and that was after the holidays.

For a spray solution. Put a teaspoon of magic cleaner in a spray bottle and fill with water and shake.

For carpet cleaner. To above spray bottle add a teaspoon or two of dry Oxygen cleaner powder. The oxygen cleaner plus the borax and soap spot cleans beautifully. Just scrub spot with a sponge or sponge mop and blot dry as you can and let it air dry. Vacuum afterwards. Also works for a laundry stain spray.

Peace, Cricket

 

Forgot in above post to add this:

For soft clothes without the dryer sheet if you use a clothes dryer or without buying the liquid softener. Just add a quarter cup to a full cup or the Borax with your detergent or soap, depending on the machine and the load and the hardness of your local water. Butterflies will bless you and light upon your person. They like it. It also freshens the clothes without the need for heavy perfumes. Use less soap because the borax will increase the action of the soap. If using Real soap and not detergent it is a must for hard water areas. Otherwise the soap curds up and doesn't dissolve into solution proper.

Peace, Cricket

 

Stuff for free.

Do your own oil changes and save the oil as wood preserver. Fill up a pop top soft drink plastic bottle and use it on steel when drilling to keep the drill bit from over heating.

Do you have a dead electrical motor? Salvage the field winding wire. It is most useful for tying things on such as a chuck key to the cord of an electric drill.