Non woodworking hints and tips

[David Bassett]

They must be screwing jar lids on tighter these days. ...

Yeah, that's it. They were a *LOT* looser 40 years ago!

[Edwin Santos]

They must be screwing jar lids on tighter these days. It used to be everyone would ask me to remove jar lids, no problem.

Now they are so tight the only way for me to get them off is to use those rubber gripper thingamajobbies they sell in the grocery stores. It must be some kind of plot to sell us stuff we didn't used to need.

One nice thing though is they come in a four pack. Well there is no way for me to use all of them at the same time, my shoes are staying on for now, so the extra ones work nicely in the shower for a small anti-slip pad.

jtk

Another technique is to stretch a wide rubber band around the lid and it will give you the same grip as the thingamajobbies.

It's the vacuum packing that makes the lid so tight. Sometimes you can use a church key type can opener to pry the lid just enough to break the vacuum at which point you can usually twist it off pretty easily.

[John K Jordan]

They must be screwing jar lids on tighter these days. It used to be everyone would ask me to remove jar lids, no problem.

Now they are so tight the only way for me to get them off is to use those rubber gripper thingamajobbies they sell in the grocery stores. It must be some kind of plot to sell us stuff we didn't used to need.

I don't use a gripper. I tap-tap-tap around the top with the handle of a butter knife or something and if that doesn't work, run the lid under hot water for a bit to expand the metal.

But I have piano-playing hands - maybe that helps too.

JKJ

[Jim Koepke]

But I have piano-playing hands - maybe that helps too.

Interestingly piano-playing hands have found their way into a few murder mysteries. Strong fingers and strangulation go together.

jtk

[Kev Williams]

Lids? Run hot water over the lid for 10 seconds. If it's an old bottle of Bailey's or Kahlua you found hiding somewhere-- 20 seconds

I used to have my own recipe for boiled eggs, till I got one of these:
bec.jpg It's cheap, it works, it's almost idiot proof and you can peel the eggs when they're done.

[Jim Barkelew]

Learned this from a bartender. He did it to open liquor bottles in a flash. To get a metal lid off a jar with liquid type contents, hold the jar so the lid is down and smack the bottom of the jar with the palm of your other hand. This causes a hydraulic ram that pops the lid enough to un-screw it. You can hear the lid pop. Works almost every time and takes seconds to do.

Jim

[Lee Schierer]

I just saw this one on tv yesterday:

To get perfect soft boiled eggs. Put a pan of water on the stove bring it to a boil. Turn off the burner and put in your eggs. Cover the pan and walk away. When the water is cool the eggs are done.

[John K Jordan]

I just saw this one on tv yesterday:

To get perfect soft boiled eggs. Put a pan of water on the stove bring it to a boil. Turn off the burner and put in your eggs. Cover the pan and walk away. When the water is cool the eggs are done.

The shell usually sticks to hard boiled eggs that are too fresh, such as directly from the chicken today or in the last day or two. Eggs from the grocery store from commercial processors are rarely fresh and don't have this problem. We "age" eggs intended for boiling.


(I have 175 eggs in the incubator if anyone nearby wants chicks. I'll trade a few for a nice piece of wood or a good story.)

[John K Jordan]

Interestingly piano-playing hands have found their way into a few murder mysteries. Strong fingers and strangulation go together.

jtk

I'll keep that in mind.

[Bill Dufour]

I can not remeberthe exact numbers but vacumn in a can should be 7-10PSi.. Anything less is rejected.
Bil lD

[Doug Garson]

Quick way to remove labels, a couple seconds with a heat gun and the label peels right off. Might not work in all cases but just removed one from a cardboard shipping box and it just took a few seconds.

[lowell holmes]

When SWMBO tells you to do something, just do it. Every thing runs better when you do.

[Jim Koepke]

I can not remeberthe exact numbers but vacumn in a can should be 7-10PSi.. Anything less is rejected.
Bil lD

For 'canning' in jars and in commercial products the lids are made with a 'button' that drops in when the vacuum is achieved and seal is holding.

Quick way to remove labels, a couple seconds with a heat gun and the label peels right off. Might not work in all cases but just removed one from a cardboard shipping box and it just took a few seconds.

For bottles and jars a few seconds in a microwave oven will soften many of the adhesives used to attach labels.

jtk

[Bill Bukovec]

Never offer to help someone who uses rusty tools.
Or loan them one of yours .

[Jon Grider]

I like to wear button down shirts but my aging fingers don't do buttons so well any more. Solution is to just unbutton the top two buttons when taking them off and laundering. Pull them on as you would a tee shirt.