Inovative solutions to strainge problems, lets hear yours.

[Larry Edgerton]

I'll start....

I had a situation at work with a change, had to flash under already installed cedar shingles. Flashing is heavy copper and if you have ever tried to slip flashing under cedar shingles you will know what I mean. Its a pain. There is always one hanging you up. To add to it it is only 2 1/2" off of a deck.

On the way to the job I had an epiphony. I stopped and bought a box of sugar cubes. I pried out each shingle and shoved a sugar cube up between the shingles all the way down the wall. Then slipped the copper in and nailed it home with brass nails just below the shingles. Now I just walked down the wall with a rubber mallet tapping the shingles and crushing the sugar cubes. Done! it was so easy I wish I had thought of it years ago as I work on a lot of shingle style houses.

Took a hose and rinsed away all the suger real well to keep the ants away, and threw down some ant killer for good measure.

What took me a day and a half and a lot of cuss words on the other end of the house took two hours.

Next..........

Larry

[Andrew Joiner]

Sweet. I've read your posts for awhile now and you are a guy I respect. You come up with a lot of creative solutions, Larry.

[Zach Callum]

That might be genius. You should charge for that info.

[Andrew Joiner]

I don't know if you'd call it an innovative solution,but here goes. If I'm in a hurry I use a lighter to heat the end of a hotmelt stick till it drips. A couple drops will tack something down fast. No waiting for a gun to heat up.

[Craig Behnke]

I'll start....

I stopped and bought a box of sugar cubes. I pried out each shingle and shoved a sugar cube up between the shingles all the way down the wall. Then slipped the copper in and nailed it home with brass nails just below the shingles. Now I just walked down the wall with a rubber mallet tapping the shingles and crushing the sugar cubes.

Larry

I hear ya Larry, sounds like a problem I solved recently. I had a nice big cup of hot tea where the bag had steeped far too long and made the tea very bitter. I bought a box of sugar cubes, inserted 2 of them, and my tea was saved! It was a more unconventional use of sugar cubes than your shingle story, but I was thinking way outside the box that day.

[Larry Edgerton]

Andrew, tried your trick with the glue today, works well, Thanks!

I did a little experiment today with poly glue. Gorrilla, Titebond, etc. I put a small amount in a two lids covered with Saranwrap, one with air and one with Bloxigen added. At the end of the day the one with just a Saranwrap cover was all foamed up, and the one with Bloxigen was still fine, so if you have some around, use it in your glue as well. By the way, if you have a MiG or TiG welder, use the argon gas in paint cans, its whats in Bloxigen, and its a lot cheaper out of the welder.

I learned I still hate Makore today too.........

Larry

[Andrew Joiner]

Honored to have you try it. Glad it worked for you, Larry.

[Bill White]

My horse hair shop clean up brushes get dirty (Duh!). Couple times a year I wash 'em with regular shampoo, then conditioning rinse, rinse with clear water.
Clean and soft shop brushes good to go again.
Bill

[Larry Edgerton]

Good tip Bill. I'll try it next time I work in the shop.

Glad some one posted something today, I had one of those boring days where you just don't learn one darn thing. I was block sanding fiberglass columns all day. Tomorrow too.......:cool:

Larry

[Dan Friedrichs]

I learned I still hate Makore today too.........



Ya get a little sneezy and itchy, or do you just not like the wood? :)

[Larry Edgerton]

Dan, it is one wood that really chokes me up. Literally. Even being very carefull it gets to me, and if I work with it more than one day in a row each consecutive day gets worse. It makes it hard to breath. I sand outside in a wind. When I am done I clean the shop or stiring the old dust will get me.

I am building a crib for my new grandson out of Makore and Maple. Due date is 6/17 so I need to get at it.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

one with Bloxigen

Same stuff as the wine preserver, but the wine preserver is usually less expensive.

[Joe Angrisani]

Same stuff as the wine preserver, but the wine preserver is usually less expensive.

The wine preservers I know of are canned nitrogen.

If Bloxigen is argon as Larry says, they aren't the same.

[Ronald Blue]

According to their website it is indeed argon. Here is the link. Larry is correct, not that I had reason to doubt him..
http://www.bloxygen.com/

[Andrew Pitonyak]

The wine preservers I know of are canned nitrogen.

If Bloxigen is argon as Larry says, they aren't the same.

I spoke with the original creator of Bloxygen, and he had a very interesting story (that I made no attempt to verify) about how what he created was taken (young, trusting, etc...) He then created a wine preserver called "Private Preserve", which he claimed is essentially the same formulation but it costs less. It actually contains Argon, Carbon Dioxide, and Nitrogen. I have been using it for a very long time to protect finishes..... And it has always cost less than Bloxygen.

[Larry Edgerton]

I had some West System Epoxy in the back of my new truck and it tipped over and leaked. So, after I cleaned it up I threw a bunch of golf balls in a box and pushed the West down in the golf balls and drove around kinda crazy like. Didn't tip over. I am going to have to figure out something like this for the back of the truck but a little more streamlined and easily removable when I need an empty bed.

Ideas?

Larry