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Acid? On wooden shelves in shed - how to fix?
Hi, I am wondering if anyone could please help identify the white powder substance that is appearing on the shelves on my shed?
I think it may be some type of acid? It appears to be eating away at the metal of my shelves. I have previously brushed the shelves down to clear this before but it has returned, so I suspect I may need to use some sort of cleaner?
There was a leak in the roof for a few months and some tools became rusty as a result. The leak has been sorted but I wonder if it could be related to the powder substance.
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Question about industrial(ish) pushbutton LED
So I am working on a project where I want a big dumb red button. I got a light-duty industrial illuminated pushbutton from AliExpress (this one, if you want to know: 22mm 3v-6v, non-locking). It looks like it will be fine to use, but I'm confused about the LED. It seems to work regardless of which orientation, and I briefly tried it without a resistor, and that was fine too.
I'd like it to be fairly bright, but as someone who has blown up his share of through-hole diodes in his day, I would rather not mess up this one, since without the diode light it's sad and dumb, rather than glorious and dumb. :-)
My question is this: is there any standard for these illuminated switches that would make it likely that there is some resistor and diode stuff going on inside the housing, such that this thing is fine to just wire up and use?
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Remove electric motor from garage door - use as manual?
Hi, I would like to remove the electric motor from a garage door in the hopes that I can use it as a manual door.
I would like to be able to pull it up and down by hand (I will most likely add a handle).
I am hoping someone may know if this is possible?
I think the motor is at one end:
And the other is just a support:
There appears to be a manual hand crank:
In the future I may replace the door with something more practical.
I have an idea how it might be possible, but I think I would need to support the door and remove the brackets. Then take it down, and pull it apart. But I have no knowledge as to how the supporting axle is connected to the motor or if it is even possible to then move it manually.
Perhaps it would be too heavy to lift manually? Or perhaps there is an easier solution?
I am open to anyone's advice.
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Help - Cannot Drill Fully Through Block Wall
I am in the process of attempting to install an outside switch for a radon mitigation system. However, I am unable to drill through the remaining part of the block wall. I have an M12 Fuel hammer drill and a carbide drill bit. I imagine something is in the way but what? If it was concrete in the floor I would guess rebar. The first part went through like butter. I have pictures: https://imgur.com/a/hCed4u8
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Any ideas on how to fix this gap between my cabinet and wall?
It's a bit of a long story but someone tried using spray foam to fill the hole around where my sink's plumbing goes through and it seems like it essentially expanded too much and causing the paint to tear.
I was thinking maybe I could get some rigid insulation cut it to size, stick it in there, and spackle over it followed by painting it. I would probably cut the rest of the paint to the top because it looks as if it is going to tear eventually and it's at an angle.
Any suggestions?
The gap is close to an inch in size.
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Can I put vinyl fence posts over a chain fence post?
One side of my back yard is 6 foot vinyl fence post, then the other side and back are chest high chain link fence that are older than me and have concrete blocks under the ground, so would be a giant pain to remove.
Also I looked up and wires were laid right next to the concrete bases. So I "really" do not want to have to remove them.
The fence was installed before I was born, and the wires laid when I was in elementary school. So don't blame me for the silliness of it please.
Would it work if I just removed the panels from between the chain link posts, then slipped the hollow vinyl posts over them, and connected them with the vinyl panels? I would have to buy different distance panels to make it work, but that seems easier than tearing them out, then digging new holes for the new posts.
Or any other suggestions to make it look nice and not have to try and dig large concrete bases that are next to wires out of the ground?
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Looking for a way to mod my MIDI keyboard to have a Jankó-keyboard
I have a Nektar keyboard I've repaired for the most part, but the previous owner's bad gluing of the keyboard mechanism wasn't very good.
Since I'm not very good with normal musical keyboards, I was thinking about modifying its keybed into a Jankó keyboard.
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TrebleSynth
I create an open source software modular synthesizer out of a Raspberry Pi Pico. You can see a video on it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=252Vte4tYh0
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Idea for heavy glass beads?
I'm trying to clear out my crafting supplies before moving in a few months.
Anyone know any cool patterns? I don't even know if they could all be in one jewelry piece; they're very heavy.
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There Will Come A Time In Every Man's Life...
...when he will find himself standing in a hardware store confronted with a wall of bird feeding accessories. This is, I'm told, some kind of twisted coming of age thing. Up until now you've thought about two, maybe three birds in your entire life. Tops. But then, bang: Suddenly the topic of a bird feeder is vitally important. It's serious business.
There's a snag, though.
"What about this?" She'll ask. "It's so cute, like a little tiny house. And it's only $14.97!" It's not even sold yet and you can see it's already falling apart. The wood's split, and clearly nobody taught the children in that sweatshop how a square works. Or a clamp. There's a gold sticker on the bottom, half peeling off. It says 'Made In China.'
"Come on, I could make that in about 10 minutes with crap I have lying around my workshop."
"Yes, dear," your wife will say, while patting your arm.
This is what 300,000 years of evolution has brought us. Countless generations worth of genetic fine-tuning, passed down through mitochondrial DNA, veritably ensured the delivery of that precise response. The woman has watched you rebuild transmissions, heft Labrador sized rocks over your head, and replaster the entire house. But this, this thing consisting of no more than five ratty planks of wood, elicits a sarcastic "yes, dear."
This is it, isn't it? Men, Mars. Women, Venus. Every single one of those dumbass 1950's stand-up routines, distilled. It turns out it was all true. Well, part of it, anyway.
But some things are a matter of principle.
This is a bird feed suet cake holder I literally made out of offcuts and random crap I had lying around on my workbench, in ten minutes. Using nothing -- nothing, I say -- other than my compound miter saw and cordless drill. And a spot of wood filler, because there was a gnarly knot hole on the plank I wound up using on the top. It's held together with Spax screws and you could probably also use it as a jack stand for a bus.
Parameters drafted: Zero. Measurements made: Zero. Components purchased: Zero. And spending $14.97 on a ramshackle piece of shit? Studiously avoided.
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EDPM vs Fibreglass for a flat roof
Hi,
Any of you folks know about EDPM vs Fibreglass roofing.
I need to make a choice for a property extension in the UK. I expect rain, a few hot days, more rain, more rain, and some ice.
The roof won't be load bearing (people won't be walking on it).
Seems like every other website has differing opinions on what's best. I guess because everyone is selling something.
Any impartial opinions on what you'd use?
Cheers
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Bicycle Stand
Due to lack of well designed buyable solutions, I built my own bicycle stand from scratch.
BOM:
- 14 Mtr. 3030 aluminum extrusions
- 48x M8*16-25 Button Head Screw
- 6x Feet with mounting Kit for 3030 Profile
- 10x 90°-Angles for 3030 Profile with mounting kit
Tools:
- Screwdriver with bits for screws
- Drill
- Drillbit 6-8mm
- Allen Key
- Chopsaw 1)
- M8 Tap 1)
Guide:
- Cut extrusions to length 1) (F.e. 50cm spacing, 5cm tire width 50cm tire slot lenght, 25cm elevation. You'd need 1x2m, 20x50cm, 2x83cm, 10x11cm, 2x25cm)
- Cut M8-Thread into 20x50cm, 2x83cm and 2x25cm 1)
- Drill 6-8mm holes into 3030 Profiles corresponding to M8-Thread locations.
- Fit Everything together.
- Profit
- Only nececary if you cut the extrusions to length yourself. If you order the correct extrusion length pretapped you don't need those.
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Thank you for the help yesterday. This is the cable I need to fit through a breeze block wall
Thank you for the replies yesterday about my drill. I think I'm going to get a cheap corded SDS drill and some big bits. This is what I need to feed through the wall and there is no way to detach the cable from the camera and feed it the other way. I know it needs to be weather shielded, but this is a mad amount of connectors!
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Is this a hammer drill?
The icon is a little different to what I've seen on others and I don't know how to tell otherwise.
Thanks!
- solar.lowtechmagazine.com How to Build a Small Solar Power System
This guide explains everything you need to know to build stand-alone photovoltaic systems that can power almost anything you want.
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How would I go about removing this sink and vanity?
How are these usually attached to the wall? Can I just pry them off or would that damage the drywall?
And follow up questions: how can I reproduce that texture when painting the newly exposed areas of the wall?
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Help making this ramp nonslip for winter
Does anyone know the best way to make this ramp nonslip? We get a fair amount of ice and snow and there are a couple elderly folks using the ramp.
We tried a basic nonslip rubber mat, but the grooves just hold ice and snow so don't really help.
Our current ideas are maybe adding rubber stair treads every board or two, or maybe tacking little strips of wood to every board.
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Simple cutoff switch for 3-pin? CRV driving me crazy
I'm looking to install some cutoff switch on this 3-pin connector. It almost looks like a PC 4-pin 12v connector, but it actually connects to a Broan CRV motor. Specific model is the L150L.
I originally wanted a ventilator with a timer, but they installed an inline CRV (intake only) with a crazy 150CFM for a tiny 480sqft suite. Massively overkill, and loud. I'd prefer to put this on a timer, or even better would be a smart switch control. But at the very least a manual switch would be great.
For now, and for the last two years, I just have this unplugged, as shown in the image. The passive ventilation on the connected ducting has been more than enough to turn the air around. But sometimes it'd prefer to enable the intake for a time. I just can't have it on all the time because the air turnaround is nutty, not to mention the blast of cold air in the middle of winter.
Any ideas for a switch that fits this connector, or a DIY switch, and/or something to hook to a timer, OR smart switch somehow?
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Back draught shutter ratling
Hi
I installed a circular flap on my ducting for my bathroom vent. This was because outside air was spilling into the bathroom. I've installed a round flap on the ducting which is meant to sit closed unless the the extractor fan pushes air against it to open. It does work but also air from outside seems to swing it open, so I can hear it flap open and close during windy spells.
It's located in the loft about 20cm after the extractor unit, with the remaining 1m og ducting going into the sophet fascia before exiting downwards outside.
Is this something as silly as putting the flap on backwards? I assume not as the flap would be closed when the fan is on and there hasn't been any extractor issues.
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What is this? Dry Rot?
Not sure how it happened but my inclination is dry Rot. I don't see much of any mold or mildew around and the room does not feel damp or smells moldy so I'm really not sure if fungus is the cause. I'm trying to finish the space and frame a wall under this joist but I'm afraid that I won't be able to nail into it since it looks like shredded paper. I looked up some techniques to strengthen floor joists so my main ask is:
What is this? How does it happen? And how can I repair it DIY? (Some people online recommend consulting a structural engineer, but I'd rather not if possible) I was thinking of sistering the joists, but with it being a pocket joist I'm not sure if that's ideal.
Added a second picture for what I think is the dry Rot, but it looks small and not dangerous?
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Look what my idiot contractor (me) did
Any great ideas on how to pull the outlet forward without pulling the panel off? I’m thinking I might be able to cut the board enough to get the outlet tabs out but still hide the hole behind the plate.
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Replacement Bulb for Ultrafire WF-500 Flashlight
> Some years ago, before LEDs were a thing, I bought an Ultrafire WF-500 Flashlight that features a Xeon light bulb. As you might imagine the bulb reached its lifetime and burned away. > > Now a replacement bulb is available here https://www.ebay.com/itm/321916301663 the thing is that it will cost me 35€ and for that price I could just buy a new LED flashlight. > > Now I was considering trying to adapt a generic LED bulb like this one here https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002419159094.html?mp=1. > > Anyone else with this model of flashlight succeed at a similar mod? Any LED bulb recommendations? Or... is there any other source for the original bulb at a lower cost? > > Some photos: > - https://cdn.tcb13.com/2023/wf500-bulb.jpg > - https://cdn.tcb13.com/2023/wf500-bulb2.jpg > - https://cdn.tcb13.com/2023/wf500-bulb3.jpg > > Thank you.
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"Blackberry Pi" DIY Build ("Pocket Linux")
zxmake.dev Blackberry PiUpdate 2023/08/13: Thanks to Tom Nardi’s introduction on Hackaday, I kinda feel obligated to provide a bit more details about this project. So more information and some small updates are incl…
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Refreshable Braille Display | Hackaday.io
hackaday.io Refreshable Braille DisplayOf 40 million blind people in the world, only 10% can read and write braille. One of the primary reason for this is because braille hasn't yet found its footing in the digital era, due to the sheer cost of such devices, as well as the affordability matrix of the visually impaired. Low-cost braille d...
Braille displays can be expensive, so this project idea focuses on making them cheaper and open source
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Reusable Crochet Water Balloons Alternative
www.cucicucicoo.com Crochet Reusable Water Balloons - Summer Fun with No Mess! - CucicucicooHave summer water battles without picking up bits of broken latex with these awesome homemade crochet reusable water balloons! Great gift or party favor!
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Human Powered Air Compressor and Energy Storage System | Low Tech Magazine
solar.lowtechmagazine.com Human Powered Air Compressor and Energy Storage SystemAndy Lagzdins built and documented a pedal-powered air compressor to run the power tools in his motorcycle workshop.
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Building a garage - biggest DIY project I’ve attempted so far
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
Don’t know if anyone is interested. I normally do videos on car restoration, but decided to film myself building a new garage.
Crosspost from https://lemmy.world/comment/213388
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To get the ball rolling: I built a shower. Crossposted in [email protected]
Not sure how to link or crosspost yet, im a Rexxitor, but I built this from scratch, including the the wall framing, drywall, cusom mortar shower pan, and the hardwood floor insert. It was 98% complete here.
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A DIY Placeholder
Hi all,
This is the beginning / starting point to move DIY over here. :)
Feel free to start using it.