Today I learned ...

[old man emu]

I'm putting this thread here to become a repository of tips'n'tricks that people come across as they are making things. You know, the little thing that you find makes the job easier. As my dear of Dad kept telling me as I grew up, "Learn the lurk, not the work."  So here's my first 💡 moment.

 

USING SUPERGLUE

Superglue is great stuff for making quick bonds, usually between the things you want to join together and your fingers. Videos show people applying it in steady streams from the bottle or tube with no problems. They must be actors using water, because in real life you can't do that and get the pieces off your hands.

 

I was trying to join two small pieces made from sheet material. I found that if I simply applied a number of dots of glue spaced around the borders and some down the centerline, when I joined the pieces together, they stuck like shlt to a blanket.

 

Another fine example of "Less os More"

 

 

[IBob]

OME the vortex generators on the Savannah are stuck on with superglue.

When it came to doing the job, I was able to buy a little bottle of the glue with integral brush attached to the lid, just like nail varnish. I found that a very easy way to apply small amounts of glue, and spread it evenly. Can't recall the brand, but I'm pretty sure I got it at Supercheap Auto.

[onetrack]

Just a slight thread deviation - but I've found the clear cyanoacrylate glues (usually Chinese origin) have some serious limitations when it comes to different materials.

 

But I've found there's a U.S.-manufactured Superglue called - Yes, you guessed it - "The Original Super Glue". They also call it "Fast-Setting Plastic Fusion" glue.

 

This stuff is a two-pack epoxy mix that comes in the standard double-plunger dispenser - and it's an exceptionally good glue, and will bond many plastics, that the Chinese cyanoacrylate glue won't.

 

There's just two downsides to it - it's not easily found, and it stinks to high heaven, so best to use it in a well-ventilated area. But when this stuff sets (full strength in 24 hrs), it holds broken plastic bits together, like every glue should.

 

I've found the best place to procure it is the Mighty Ape website. They deliver at reasonable cost, I generally buy a couple of packs to make the purchase cheaper. It stores well, provided it's kept in moderate-temperature storage.

 

Oh - and this stuff doesn't bond your fingers tightly together immediately upon contact.

 

https://www.mightyape.com.au/product/plastic-fusion-epoxy-28-3g/20988769

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by onetrack

[old man emu]

42 minutes ago, IBob said:

a little bottle of the glue with integral brush

That's true. I've used that method of applying in some situations, but generally people just grab the tube and squeeze lots from it.

[old man emu]

STORING SUPERGLUE

Superglue is activated by moisture. Store it in an airtight container with some desiccant such as silica gel that you get in little sachets in a lot of packaged goods. Or you could use a handful of uncooked rice.

 

Because superglue is activated by moisture, be careful to cap the container as soon as possible when the humidity is high. 

[Yenn]

This is about tips and tricks, so how do you get that washer inside the forks of a control arm at the side of a bearing. My tip is to use one of those magnets on an extendable stick. A way to get a nut on a bolt when there is no access from the end. Put the nut into a spanner and hold it there with masking tape. Good for aileron hinges. You could also use RTV paste.

[old man emu]

The old "tape the nut into the spanner trick" is an essential trick to learn. It can be used anywhere that a spanner can go, but the eye can't see.

[Old Koreelah]

A tip I came across somewhere, after years trying to find a magnetic sump plug (remember them). 

 

I remembered that I had bought a couple of very strong button magnets, hoping that some day they’d come in handy...

I’d stuck them to my tool box (for want of somewhere to put them).

Stick them to the side of oil filter; after replacing it when changing oil, cut open filter with snips to see if any steel debris has accumulated under magnet.

[old man emu]

Don't cut open your old oil filter with a hacksaw. The swarf from the cut will confuse you. 

[old man emu]

Hey! Methusala, I was being serious. That's why I was told to always use a special filter cutter like this

  or this  

 

At close to AUD100 from Spruce and specialty, a bloke with a modicum of wit and wisdom could fettle one of these together for about $20.

 

 

[onetrack]

And one of these works just fine, too! I learnt long ago, to never pay $100 for a speciality tool, when you can source or fabricate a cheap one that does the same job! Particularly when you might only use that tool, 3 times a year!

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by onetrack

[Yenn]

Plus you can open your drinks with it.

[Methusala]

A large diameter pipe cutter could work as well. I just thought that anyone considering using a hacksaw would be a little friendly with the bunnies!

[Old Koreelah]

Something I just learned: I put on my boardies and was ready to jump in the pool.

Ripped open the packaging of my new pair of swimming goggles and stretched the rubber straps over my head.

The eye pieces felt pretty sharp and uncomfortable.  I discovered the plurry things come packaged with a rigid clear plastic molding to hold the soft rubber seals in shape!

 

[M61A1]

On 24/12/2020 at 11:32 AM, onetrack said:

And one of these works just fine, too! I learnt long ago, to never pay $100 for a speciality tool, when you can source or fabricate a cheap one that does the same job! Particularly when you might only use that tool, 3 times a year!

 

I just use a solid set of snips.... cut the rolled seam off the end and it just comes apart.

[Yenn]

It is amazing what you can achieve with home made tools designed for a difficult job. I made a tool to install aileron attachment bolts, where the bolt had to be put into a recess, then the aileron went in and the bolt had to slide into the bearing from its hidden location. A couple of bits of shaped aluminium and an elastic band did the trick. One minute of easy work rather than ten minutes of cursing as I lost the bolt time after time.

 

[old man emu]

I'm never without some Blu-Tac to hold a screw to a driver while it is being manoeuvred into a tight spot. I actually have screwdrivers with a spring loaded tube that goes over the head of the screw to hold it. I never seem to remember that I have them, because they aren't in the screwdriver drawer of my tool cabinet.