Life Hacks... Those Little Tricks To Make Life Easier For you. Please Share Yours.

[rharshberger]

Talking about chainsaws and emergency use, my brother got the tip (living in the Florida Keys) to buy premixed canned gas. Feel free to use regular mix gas when you're doing a lot of cutting, but if you're not going to cut often, but need it to start on the first pull after a hurricane, drain the gas after use and keep one or more sealed cans of gas. They last in the high humidity indefinitely until opened and that is what counts when stuff is mission critical. True, I think it is more than $20 per gallon, but when you're in disaster recovery mode, do you really care about that or would you rather take everything apart, rebuild the carb and hope that your gas supply of mixed fuel didn't absorb too much water.

I have debated buying a can myself, but the reality is that we don't typically have emergency level issues. Having said that, not being prepared will be a pain if a big deal does happen. . .

I do only buy non-ethanol fuel for the mowers and I do put in fuel stabilizer in the winter.

He has also switched to only buying 5 gallon drums of VP racing fuel for his racecar. Buying a 55 gallon drum is cheaper, but it does absorb water/rust internally if it isn't used quickly. Costs more per purchase, but not clogging a fuel filter and leaning the motor out pays for the difference pretty quickly. He's amazed at the guys buying pump gas and the number of problems they have compared to himself.

Sandy.

I mostly buy the pre-mixed stuff anymore, about 3 quart cans per year in most cases, if I am going to use the chainsaws then I may buy a few more or just mix up a half gallon. I also run my gas powered tools out of fuel at the end of each season or if its not going to be used any time soon.

 

[KC3KNM]

If you own any Japanese machinery like a car or a motorcycle you may not have learned that those aren't Phillips screws, they're JIS fasteners that you will round out if you use a Phillips head screwdriver on them.

All the JIS fasteners on my 2000 Kawasaki W650 have long been gouged out because I didn't realize the screwdriver that came in the tool kit was the right tool for JIS cross head screws. The difference is subtle, but it's at the point where the most torque is applied while trying to loosen or tighten them. Note the angles in the lower part of the illustration.

You can use a JIS screwdriver on a Phillips screw but not vice versa. Some JIS screws have a tiny dimple stamped on the head for identification.View attachment 540745

When I worked for Mitsubishi servicing EDMs they had JIS hardware on everything. Before that I had no idea they were different or what the dimple meant. After seeing more than a few customer’s machines with stripped out JIS screws I felt a lot better about having just learned the difference.

 

[Pat Gordzelik]

Lots of folks like creamer in their coffee. I myself like Carolans or Baileys Irish cream on my off days.
I ask people looking for a spoon to stir their coffee/creamer why?
Just put your creamer in the cup first, and let the coffee stir it up.
A simple concept yes, but I’m always amazed by the initial blank stare before the light comes on..

 

[Pat Gordzelik]

For the carpenters amongst us, here is a dandy little hack I learned a long time ago in the fastener business from a old customer of mine.
How to lessen splitting of wood by wood screws.

 

[kenstarr]

Vesseltools.com for your JIS screwdriving needs. It changed my life a few years ago when I discovered what they were for and why Phillips fit screws on carburetors so poorly.

 

[Pat Gordzelik]

For those of us whom are adored by things that bite, like mosquitos, but you don’t want to smell funny with spray ons, take in the morning before an evening outdoor outing, 1 oz of Taylors Cream Sherry and a B1 tab.
Your skeeter fan club will find you distasteful. And when they do get you,
why use commercial Afterbite (with ammonia);when you can just buy a jug
of household ammonia and apply it on the sting with a cottonball.

 

[Sandy H.]

For those of us whom are adored by things that bite, like mosquitos, but you don’t want to smell funny with spray ons, take in the morning before an evening outdoor outing, 1 oz of Taylors Cream Sherry and a B1 tab.
Your skeeter fan club will find you distasteful. And when they do get you,
why use commercial Afterbite (with ammonia);when you can just buy a jug
of household ammonia and apply it on the sting with a cottonball.

I'm not much for alcohol, but I hate mosquitos. If you mean drinking 1oz of that stuff and taking a vitamin B1 pill actually will keep those creatures away from me, I'm willing to try.

Sandy.

 

[tsmith1315]

I ask people looking for a spoon to stir their coffee/creamer why?
Just put your creamer in the cup first, and let the coffee stir it up.

I do that at home, but it doesn't work with our single-serve machine at work. No matter how I position the creamer before running the machine, half of it turns to goo and it takes a while to stir it up.

 

[Pat Gordzelik]

I'm not much for alcohol, but I hate mosquitos. If you mean drinking 1oz of that stuff and taking a vitamin B1 pill actually will keep those creatures away from me, I'm willing to try.

Sandy.

Not fond of Taylor cream Sherry either. But the alcohol helps the B1 absorption into the bloodstream. My wife (PHD, Pharmacy) had a compounded dose for children when she was a Director of the largest hospital in Amarillo. The kids liked the flavor (cmon, its 1 oz of a low dose of alcohol) and Drs recommended it as a deterrent for bites.

 

[Pat Gordzelik]

I do that at home, but it doesn't work with our single-serve machine at work. No matter how I position the creamer before running the machine, half of it turns to goo and it takes a while to stir it up.

Single serve? What are ya, a yuppie?
I had a 20 cup machine in all my stores for employees. I wanted max production by gawd…

 

[hobie1dog]

Lots of folks like creamer in their coffee. I myself like Carolans or Baileys Irish cream on my off days.
I ask people looking for a spoon to stir their coffee/creamer why?
Just put your creamer in the cup first, and let the coffee stir it up.
A simple concept yes, but I’m always amazed by the initial blank stare before the light comes on..

I tried this today, worked great, thanks.

 

[prfesser]

Works much better if you pour the powdered cream into the trash can first. Then pour real half-and-half into the cup, then run the machine. During my entire time teaching I had a small fridge in the office, holding a quart of half-and-half plus other odds and ends. (No doubt it contributed to the three stents I had put in last August...)

 

[Cape Byron]

No so much as a light emergency tip. (Light emergencies are the ones where you swear but don't call 000, 999, 911 or whatever).

Lost a tiny screw from my glasses which hold the lens mount to the frame. Optician 'fixed' by replacing the screw, but stripped the thread in the process. Needless to say said replacement screw is now lost.

So, time to think like a model builder and use some real skills.

Heated and stretched some small lengths of styrene to make a few different diameter 'rivets'.

Select an appropriate size, trim for a blunt end and leave some styrene attached as a handle.

Wrap spectacle glass in cling wrap (Glad, Saran, pallet wrap...) to protect from fumes.

Align broken bits and insert styrene rivet.

Apply a drop of thin CA to the shaft of the rivet. It will flow into the screw hole. Allow to dry.

Trim handle off rivet with toenail clippers.

Get back to work.

 

[hobie1dog]

 

[Cape Byron]

The age I am today.

 

[Marc_G]

The rings at the top don't look to me like they would be 2oz graduations, even factoring the conical nature of the cup. Is this real?

 

[Pappy]

shaving: cold water makes the razor sharper. if i let the stubble go a bit long, i use a bowl of ice water to rinse the razor.

 

[hobie1dog]

The rings at the top don't look to me like they would be 2oz graduations, even factoring the conical nature of the cup. Is this real?

Who knows.... can we believe anything at all on the internet?

 

[Cape Byron]

Who knows.... can we believe anything at all on the internet?

 

[Huxter]

Life hack 40:

Use WD40 to remove sticker stuff - anything sticky really. Soak price stickers for 5 minutes w WD40 and scrap the rest off w ease. Trust in WD40!

 

[Sandy H.]

Life hack 40:

Use WD40 to remove sticker stuff - anything sticky really. Soak price stickers for 5 minutes w WD40 and scrap the rest off w ease. Trust in WD40!

If you get an impossible grease stain from a car or other machine on your cloths, first soak in WD, then wash as usual. Cloths will come out great - way better than any 'pre-treat' made for laundry. No clue why, but it has saved plenty of pairs of jeans for me over the years.

Sandy.

 

[MALBAR 70]

The life hack I use most is probably putting my windshield wipers up before a snow storm. It certainly helps when it's time to clean the snow off of your windshield.

 

[BABAR]

Before you sit on the porcelain throne, actually VERIFY there is ample toilet paper present. This is especially important in public restrooms, but can apply in your own home especially if you have inconsiderate family members or roommates.

 

[Peartree]

The life hack I use most is probably putting my windshield wipers up before a snow storm. It certainly helps when it's time to clean the snow off of your windshield.

View attachment 541989

I know a number of people that swear by this tip and do it religiously. But I've tried it and never found it to be all that helpful. I always start the car, and blast the defogger before scraping snow and ice, so by the time I scrape the upper part of the windshield, the bottom part has mostly melted anyway. Maybe because I'm 6 ft tall, but having the wipers vertical seem to get in my way while I'm trying to reach stuff with the scraper. Clearly, YMMV.

 

[Huxter]

I know a number of people that swear by this tip and do it religiously. But I've tried it and never found it to be all that helpful. I always start the car, and blast the defogger before scraping snow and ice, so by the time I scrape the upper part of the windshield, the bottom part has mostly melted anyway. Maybe because I'm 6 ft tall, but having the wipers vertical seem to get in my way while I'm trying to reach stuff with the scraper. Clearly, YMMV.

It really helps keep the wiper itself from getting torn trying to get it off the windshield when it's frozen on!

 

[neil_w]

It really helps keep the wiper itself from getting torn trying to get it off the windshield when it's frozen on!

I think that's really the main benefit... avoidance of ice collecting on the blades and/or freezing them to the windshield. For the snow itself it would be easy enough to lift the blades just when it's time to clean the windshield, but once there's an ice accumulation on the blades it's a real pain to deal with.

Of course, it's hard to know in advance whether there will be icing... so easiest to just leave the blades up whenever snow is coming.

 

[MALBAR 70]

It also keeps the snow out of the framework of the older style wipers. We all know how annoying it is when wipers freeze and there's a big chunk of frozen snow distorting an otherwise straight edge.
There are many benefits to doing this.

 

[OverTheTop]

It really helps keep the wiper itself from getting torn trying to get it off the windshield when it's frozen on!

^^^ This.

 

[Pappy]

i think my most useful and potent life hack is to ask smart people for stories, help, and opinions. that being said, anyone else run firefox on their windows 10 desktop? if so, please tell me if the menus on estes' site entry page display correctly on mouseover. for me they don't. everything moves left. (explanation: blah blah blabbity no one cares). just looking for confirmation.

 

[Sandy H.]

@Pappy

Doh. . . I checked and now realize I'm on a Windows 7 computer. . . sorry. . . Looked fine on that, though. . .

Sandy.