David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more
WD-40 has a number of uses around the house. It’s been a longtime tinkerer’s favorite for a reason. But it may also be one of the most frequently misused household chemicals. So here’s what WD-40 is used for, and best not used for.
WD-40’s main uses are protecting metals from water, as a penetrating oil to loosen stuck parts, and even as a cleaner. It is not, however, a very effective general purpose lubricant.
I thought the debate ended when the file format went obsolete, but then GIF came back as an animated file format. And with it came the argument of how to pronounce GIF. Is it JIF or GIF?
Steve Wilhite, the inventor of the file format, pronounced it JIF, and in the 80s, so did just about everyone else. In the mid 90s, pronouncing it like GIFT without the “T” became common, the logic being that the “G” stands for “Graphics,” not “Jraphics.”
If you’re hanging something heavy like a cabinet or a shelf and want it to stay on the wall, you need to attach it to a wall stud. Otherwise it’s liable to pull out, damaging your drywall in the process, and possibly causing other damage too. So here’s how to find a stud in the wall.
The most common method is to use a tool, which costs around $20. But even without a tool, with a little practice you can use visual or audio clues to find a stud in the wall.
The Liberty Falls Collection was a collectible holiday village popular in the 1990s. The product was produced in China and sold in the United States in large department stores. It was on the market from 1991 to 2008.
The Liberty Falls Collection is a bit obscure today, but it isn’t especially rare. Purchasers frequently packed the items away in the original boxes every year, so when they turn up, they often turn up in like-new condition.
As a landlord, one common thing I run into when rehabbing a house is questionable pantries. You don’ t have to use expensive wood for pantry shelves, but if you use the wrong lumber, or the wrong design, you can end up with a shelf crashing down. And that’s no good.
You can use nominal one-inch pine boards for pantry shelves, or 1/2 inch plywood, as long as you don’t make it excessively long. Particle board and OSB are not ideal, and reinforcement on all four sides is absolutely necessary with those. Pantry shelves need to be fairly strong, as canned goods can be fairly heavy. Having lots of pantry storage so you can take advantage of sales is one of the best reasons to have a house. So you want to make sure the pantry is put together pretty well. Read more
Laminate countertops are inexpensive and easier to work with than stone. But the cheapest places to get laminate countertops often only offer fixed sizes and won’t cut them for you. So here’s the best way to cut laminate countertop so you can install it yourself and avoid custom orders.
The key to cutting laminate countertop is a straight edge, a fine-tooth sawblade, and lots of support. The most common reason for difficulty cutting laminate countertop is lack of support causing the countertop to pinch your blade.
What is pot metal? It’s a catch-all phrase that covers casting parts out of nonferrous metals. Usually when the phrase is used, it refers to pieces of unknown or possibly questionable manufacture. But there are sophisticated processes, such as diecasting, that fall into the category of pot metal.
Pot metal originated from the practice of gathering all available nonferrous metals and melting them into a pot for casting. Any process that involves casting nonferrous metals is technically pot metal, though the phrase usually refers to a more haphazard composition. Outside of prototyping, it is still used for making toys, trinkets, cheap jewelry, and even hardware.
Lionel trains have a reputation for high quality, but like any machine, you have to take care of them. Here’s how to maintain Lionel trains to ensure they last another generation or two.
Even if you run your trains a lot, your trains should only need maintenance every few years. For about $30-$35 worth of materials, you can ensure your Lionel trains have a long, productive life.
Permanent means permanent, right? Not necessarily. It’s difficult to remove permanent marker from plastic, but not impossible. Here are several ways to get permanent marker off plastic.
The favorite trick is coloring over it with a dry erase marker, then erasing it. But if this doesn’t work, or you don’t have a dry erase marker, there are other solvents and cleaners that can also work. On cloth, permanent marker really is permanent, or nearly so, since it can soak into the surface. On plastic it can’t, so permanent marker is more like semi-permanent on plastic.
I’m a landlord, and my tenants can be hard on garbage disposals. One time I couldn’t get my preferred brand, so I ended up installing a Barracuda. Was it any good? Here’s my Barracuda garbage disposal review.
Barracuda garbage disposals are made by Moen. They are made overseas and imported, and sold in discount hardware and home improvement stores like Menards. Barracuda garbage disposals are also sold under the Waste King brand name.