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Hacks related to ironmongery, tools, machinery etc. Not for technological hardware.

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47
votes
9answers
11k views

How can I avoid hurting my fingers when using a hammer

Whenever I have to hammer a nail into something (the wall for a picture mount, a piece of wood for a project, etc.), I hurt my fingers when I slam the hammer against the nail. Even when I don't hit my ...
23
votes
13answers
31k views

What hack can I use to find a small screw that falls in the floor?

I was fixing my laptop, and as you may know, laptops have a lot of small screws to take out when you are fixing it. One of the screws fell into the floor (the floor has carpet on it), and I was unable ...
21
votes
8answers
5k views

How to remove screws with stripped heads?

As the question states, I am looking to remove a thoroughly stripped screw (the head is stripped) from a hard disk drive. My main issue is that I have no power tools available to remove the screw. How ...
21
votes
14answers
44k views

Removing rust from tools

I accidentally left some tools outside for a few days while I was away and they rusted. I can barely use them now. They were good tools, and I don't want to have to buy new ones. Is there any way to ...
14
votes
5answers
88k views

How to cover nail holes effectively and inexpensively?

I am moving out of rental, and there are some nail holes in the wall. I don't want to use spackle, because it would require me to repaint the walls, and I don't want that. What is an alternate ...
14
votes
5answers
222k views

What can I use in place of an allen wrench?

I misplaced my allen wrench set. I'm not going to buy a new one, because I haven't given up hope on finding the old one. In the meantime, what can I use as an allen wrench substitute? I tried using ...
11
votes
3answers
16k views

How to tell if surface is level

I'm renting a room and the floor is not very even. I plan on wedging some cardboard/cloth/felt sticky pads beneath some surfaces (such as my chair and bed). The first step is to test in which ...
11
votes
1answer
2k views

How to get home after losing lugnuts?

Say I'm changing a flat tire on the side of the road and I lose the lugnuts to a wild bear. (Okay, it doesn't have to be a bear. Just say they fall into the storm sewer.) Short 4 lugnuts, how do I ...
10
votes
2answers
5k views

Make a hacksaw blade suitable for use with food

I have some frozen meat that I would like to be able to cut while frozen so that some can be used now and the rest frozen for later use. It's to hard to cut through with a knife, so a saw would be ...
9
votes
6answers
31k views

How to strip coating off of wires without a wire stripper

I am getting into robotics, and when I was building something, there were a bunch of wires that were too thin to get stripped by my wire stripper. I also tried sanding down the wire with sandpaper and ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views

Demagnetize a tool

I am trying to demagnetize this vise grips. They became magnetized because of repeated times that small magnets on my work bench stuck to the vise grips. I tried the method where you hit it with a ...
8
votes
1answer
272 views

How can I repair an axe head that has been separated from the Handle?

My hatchett became heated and loose, as it was left sitting too close to the fire overnight. The handle is some type of wood composite, with a rubber grip. I think it can be saved, but it needs to be ...
6
votes
4answers
6k views

How to create lock on notebook?

I keep a personal journal, and I would like to lock it. There are several personal journals with locks on the market, but they are too expensive. How can I lock a 5-subject ring notebook?
6
votes
2answers
8k views

How to undo a cable tie so that it is reusable

A lot of things come with plastic cable ties on them. Cable ties are very durable and I can only take them off with scissors. Because they're so durable, I want to be able to use them for other things....
6
votes
3answers
11k views

Compensating for uneven flooring in a house

I moved into a house where the floors are uneven. The whole house is a bit slanted. Without convincing the property management company to hire a repairman, what can be done about this? I have a friend ...
5
votes
8answers
13k views

How to remove the broken part of the tip inside of the stylus of Sony Digital Paper DPT-RP1?

I have a Sony's Digital Paper DPT-RP1 and it's great. Unfortunately, Its stylus tip seems to be prone to breaking in halves, as documented in multiple forum posts, as well as the multiple answers to ...
5
votes
7answers
50k views

Remove oil build-up on the touchpad

Any good ways to remove oil build-up on the touchpad of the laptop? It's always getting oily ( not sure it's oil or not ). Is there any way to avoid or remove it?
5
votes
2answers
144 views

Could I remove the back-light from an LCD screen and let sunlight illuminate it from behind?

I like to use my laptop outdoors, but it's often so bright outside that I can barely see my screen - even with the brightness turned all the way up. I've often wondered: What if opened a LCD screen ...
5
votes
3answers
259 views

Unscrewing a screw which have loose teeth

I am not sure whether it is the correct term. Let me explain. I have a laptop that looks like this. The bolt inside looks like this. During repair, I tried to manually remove the screw using the ...
5
votes
9answers
41k views

How to repair silicone rubber?

I have a pump which parts are made up of silicone rubber, one of its part has been torned a bit, and I want to seal that crack. None of the adhesive work on it, they don't stick at all. Can anyone ...
5
votes
3answers
67k views

What can I use in place of a spanner / wrench?

I was looking to tighten and loosen a couple of nuts and valves on my radiator in an attempt to get it to cool down once in a while, but found that I have no spanners or wrenches that would be ideal ...
4
votes
6answers
187 views

Shared tools always getting lost

I'm part of a small team of datacenter worker drones, and we're constantly wasting time hunting for tools because we can't find what we need. In the case of some tools, I've just taken to buying ...
4
votes
3answers
184 views

Remove string from vintage caster wheels

Bits of thread - some longish - have gotten wound around the axles on my vintage roller chair wheels in my sewing room. Now there is a wad of string on each side of each wheel axle and it can't be ...
4
votes
5answers
37k views

How to open a privacy lock doorknob without the key?

I have an interior door with a twist lock. It locks from the inside and on the outside takes this type of key: However, I lost the key, and seem to have locked the door before my last exit. What can ...
4
votes
3answers
573 views

How can I make a motor with a belt change directions?

*Note: I've included question and answer since this is a lifehack I stumbled across and thought it was worth sharing. :) I work in agriculture. One of the things that we frequently do is moving ...
4
votes
3answers
7k views

How to rehang a door by myself?

I have a door. It fell down. How can I rehang it by myself? More specifically, how can I hold it up, a few inches off the ground, while screwing in the hinges?
4
votes
5answers
179k views

How to control phone while inside VR device without an action button [closed]

I bought a VR device that can hold your phone to give a VR experience, however I only discovered after I got home that I have no way of controlling anything while my phone is inside the VR device. I ...
4
votes
2answers
32k views

How to cover up or fix a dent on a phone?

I recently got a new phone. I recently dropped said new phone on a hard ceramic flooring. My heart broke in two at this point as I discovered I had dented the phone as the case is a pile of rubbish ...
3
votes
3answers
160 views

Repainting measurement increments on tools

I have an old pair of calipers I've been trying to look new. The measurement scales have all their grooves but it's difficult to see them. Other than taking a pin and painting each line individually ...
3
votes
3answers
348 views

achieving a stable video-call experience with an infant or toddler

My wife and I make one important exception to the no-screen-time rule for our baby boy: video calls with Grandma (or with us, when we're forced to be apart). The problem is that a baby or toddler ...
3
votes
2answers
164 views

How to clean a computer motherboard?

I was wondering how to clean a computer motherboard knowing that using conventional cleaning products is obviously prohibited. What is the most effective and least dangerous way to remove dust?
3
votes
3answers
289 views

How to remove the the lip on pull top cans

I save food cans to be used to store things like screws, nails and other small parts on racks that I have built in my garage. When using cans that have a conventional top that is opened with a can ...
3
votes
2answers
5k views

How to clean old sticky pc mouse with rubber coating?

I have an old Logitech MX510 mouse which is very sticky on the sides. How can I get rid of this stickiness?
3
votes
1answer
1k views

Cable lock with lost key

It appears the key to my bike lock broke off my key chain, thus rendering my lock (and to some extent the bike) useless. Is there anything that a cable lock with no key can be useful for? It’s ...
2
votes
5answers
346 views

How to secure the drill bit to the tool body?

I have two pieces set of precision hand drill. One of them had the drill bit became loose and detached, which makes it no longer usable. Product information (copy of text in English found on the ...
2
votes
2answers
192 views

How to conceal a mop outdoors to make it look aesthetically more pleasing?

I want to place a mop outside, but I don't want it to look like an eyesore. How can one conceal a mop outdoors to make it look aesthetically more pleasing? I would like the mop to take up as little ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views

Stopping a Faucet From Leaking

I finished using the sink to wash my hands when I realized that the faucet was not closed completely for some reason. Drops of water kept going out and my money will too due to the water bill. My dad ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views

How can I grip a soldering iron close to the tip without burning my hand?

I would like to be a able to grip my soldering iron closer to the tip to have better control of what I'm soldering. As asked, here is a picture of the soldering iron, it's an chinese TS100: On ...
2
votes
4answers
169 views

What can I use to attach bulky things to my keyring?

I want to attach a flat little multitool, a little earplug canister, and a little LED light to my keyring, but their bulk means the keyring won't lie relatively flattish. So I put these bulkier items ...
2
votes
6answers
1k views

Getting Tar Glue Off Tools and Pants

I had to use roof tar for some maintenance around the chimney area of my grandparents house last week. I wasn't able to get the tar roof goo stuff off this hand trowel and it has a wooden handle with ...
2
votes
4answers
139 views

How to repair/mask/get rid of a sparkle on a floor tile

Recently a pile of plates fell on my kitchen floor. It chipped away a small piece of one of the kitchen floor tiles. That creates a small white sparkle while the tiles are gray. I would like to get ...
1
vote
3answers
112 views

Cutting a screw while minimizing the damaging effect of vibration

I need to cut some screws (from M3 to M4) coming out of a LCD screen. What technique would you use to avoid damaging the device with vibration? I was thinking of using a Dremel cutting wheel. Sawing ...
1
vote
3answers
603 views

How can I mount my surge protector using these holes

I've had this surge protector since I was in high school. I looked at the bottom of the surge protector and noticed some holes which I assume are used to mount the surge protector to something. There ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views

How can I mend the worn screws in my laptop?

I have a fairly recent laptop. It works really well, except that the screws in it keep dropping out. This must be because I have taken it apart to mend or upgrade it that many times, that the teeth ...
1
vote
3answers
297 views

DIY Grabber Pole

I am working on a Grabber Pole. I need a way to close the clamp from the other end of the pole. The jaws stay locked when closed until released. I thought of using a bike brake cable and maybe a ...
1
vote
2answers
276 views

Prevent Riding-Mower deck v-belt from slipping in tall or wet grass

My Yardman MTD riding mower has a deck with a belt that's engaged only when I want to start cutting grass. The deck belt loops around a number of pulleys, and sometimes slips when I go too quickly in ...
1
vote
2answers
114 views

Is there way to convert straight horizontal bar into angled one?

There are straight horizontal chin-up bars and ones with angled ends. Could we use something to convert conventional horizontal bar into 2nd type? May be attach something to the ends.
1
vote
1answer
438 views

How to prevent an electric screwdriver from slipping when tightening/loosening a screw with a slotted drive?

I know that to use an electric screwdriver it's better to use a screw with a Philips or Torx drive, but sometimes you need to use or find yourself in situations where you need to work with a slotted ...
1
vote
1answer
109 views

How can I pick an old Dexter brass privacy door handle with a sliding latch?

The lock is a couple of tabs that protrude from the door handle ring(part behind knob that is flush against door). You slide the tabs parallel to the floor to lock and unlock. On the knob on the other ...
1
vote
4answers
1k views

How to clean & prevent stickiness on hard plastic of mouse, in spite of no rubber coating

How to clean & prevent stickiness on hard plastic of mouse, in spite of no rubber coating Product (originally available in white, now in blue only): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IX4GFMG/...

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