I'm all stuck up...

...Ah, ha, ah ha! <--looks nothing like how I said it!

Okay, shoppers, I've been away from frugal, cyber space for a while so thought I would get back into the swing of things by sharing some of those useless tips that change your outlook on life forever!

I use tubes of those 'liquid nails'(TM)-type stuff.

You find them at your local hardware shop in convenient sizes like more than enough to stick a 20 tonne truck back together or nearly enough to reattach false eyelashes.

Invariably, this means you buy the size to do the job and hope you don't have too much left over.

Well, for those of us who do have too much left over, here are a couple of things you may want to try using the glue for.

For those who have never used liquid nail/no more nails or whatever TM names it goes under, it is a special glue in a cartridge and it dries as hard as, erm, nails!

So. When you have finished glue nailing your plasterboard to the bathroom ceiling or whatever, what sort of things can you do with the leftovers?

How about making Doc's knobs of all sizes to suit your knob requirement (sounds rude)?

Waddleyaneed:
Big tube/cartridge of leftover Liquid Nails (TM)
Clicky thing to squish said leftover glue -you know what I mean - you have to buy a new one each time because you never remember where you put the old one. I have six at the moment!
Bottle lids of many sizes
Bolts of many sizes to suit your needs
Wooden clothes pegs

Step 1
Get all the stuff together so you can take a neat photo and give people a better idea of what the hell you are on about.

Note the blue clicky thing with the glue cartridge in it.


Step 2
Grab a lid and fill it with the liquid nails glue stuff from your clicky thingy and whack in a bolt.

Step 3
Repeat step 2 as required and whack in another bolt, held securely(ish) with a wooden peg if it won't stand up by itself.



Step 4
When completed, allow to dry (a few days to get hard - fwaar!) then stand back and reflect the important question of life...Why did I do this?


I have arthritic hands (seriously!) and have used these knobs as an aid to help me unscrew bolts from some of my woodwork machines - lathe, drill press, scroll saw and the like.

They dry hard (the glue not my hands) and I find they are easier to grip.

You may think of a multiple of uses for these knobs eg drawers knobs.

If you can think of more than five uses, you probable need to get out more!

Okay.

We still have not used up all our glue (who'd have thunk it). So what else can we do?

How about a great, easy-to-make, Doc's storage container for all those nice, easy-to-handle knobs you made.

Waddleyaneed:
A DVD/CD pack thingy
Hacksaw/sharp knife/good teeth
Some more of that hard as nails glue stuff
The clicky thing that squirts the glue out
Room under a shelf

Step 1
Grab your CD/DVD pack and take apart thusly:



Step 2
Cut the sticking out bit off with the implement of your choice.


Step 3
Under the shelf where you are going to attach the container, apply a couple of dobs of the glue from the clicky thing and stick the base to the underneath of the shelf.


Step 4
Allow to dry - the glue not you -(it wasn't that much hard work) and when dry attach the other part of the CD/DVD pack and fill with useful items such as the knobs we made previously.

Note how the dust already in situ under the shelf remains in place.

Obviously the cleaner had not been into my workshop immediately prior to me taking the photo.


Step 5
Ponder the logic of now having a single container permanently stuck to an area under a shelf that you can not actually get to with ease!

Oh well, somebody might find it a useful tip.

Anyhoo, got to get back to making more toys before I run out of the hard-as-nails stuff.

Doc ;-)

Got me covered...

Okay, indulge me a while.

Scarecrow made a nice new apron for me to replace one that I have worn out over the last 15 years.

I don't know, nothing seems to be made to last these days.

Anyhoo, here t'is.



It has toys on it, looks cute, is backed and has big pockets with a flap over the larger one to keep the sawdust out of my sandwiches.

It goes down to me toes, by my request.

If you want to know more about how it was made, ask me and I will ask Scarecrow and maybe I could put up a pattern or something.

To give it a workout I spent a day sitting at my new scroll saw cutting out a few bits and pieces.

So indulge me and have a squizz at some of the gear from my PIW (project-in-waiting) box (sometimes called a scrap wood box).

Enjoy.

I found this dude horsing around:


This fella just joined the army. Or was that the leggy?


Found in a small puddle. Only needeep, needeep.


Got Scarecrow to pose for this one after she stopped biting her toenails:


This is my round tuit. Everybody needs one of these so we do those jobs when we get a round tuit.


This gruff griff used to work for the public service. Sorry for using work and public service in the same sentence.


This bloke was fired for dragon his feet.


Just like the government policies on greenhouse gases. Have wings, primed and ready to fly.


My high school science teacher.


For when I go off the rails


For the love of my life. She's allergic to roses.


Okay, slow news day, off to check out this boobquake stuff whilst Scarecrow isn't looking.

Nothing to do with frugal, heaps to do with a man's stupidity.

Just my style

Love, peace and mung beans

Doc

There's a hole in my bucket, dear..

...Scarecrow, dear Scarecrow.

But don't worry, it's supposed to be there!

Sprouting grain for the egg-layers

This tutorial is about creating an easy container set up to sprout grain for the chookens in your life. You could probably do this for your family, too, but being only two of us now, we use a smaller set up for that - the old jar and stocking jobby, but that's another story.

Anyhoo, the boss lady likes to feed the chookens (poultry, hens, chickens, chooks, fowl, ferals <--- just helping out search engines) a variety of sprouted grains - wheat, barley, oats, alfalfa etc. Apparently, these are really good for them. Must be, they are all healthy, mad and provide great entertainment around the place.

Wadjaneed
A couple of buckets - plastic is easier to make holes into
A drill and bit or a candle and sharp implement for hole making
'nother couple of buckets to put your holy buckets into - you'll see what I mean
Five minutes between other projects

Important warning
If you are an idiot: Do not attempt any of the following because it involves sharp things and spinning things. Idiots should not access either of these things.

If you are sensible: Watch out for flying sprue whilst drilling because it could get you in the eyes and hurt.

Here are two buckets.

Keeping up so far?


With your low speed, rechargeable drill or sharp, pointy implement, make holes in the bottom of the buckets.

Try not to drill holes that might look like some sort of secret message otherwise you are bound to offend some bunch of weirdos somewhere in the world.

Place your, now, holy bucket (wait for the Yellow Bucket Worshippers to surface) in an unholy bucket (?agnostic bucket).


Bung in a couple of scoops of wheat and cover with water. Cover and leave for 24 hours. The bucket, not you.

Drain and rinse twice a day - the bucket, not you. Save the water for the garden


When sprouts are visible, feed to chooks but anytime after the initial 24 hour soak is fine.

They have sprouted when the grain develops little tails, usually after a couple of days, depending on the weather, temperature, toxins in the water, phase of the moon or whatever.

Don't leave them too long without rinsing the grain or it ferments.

If you want to see what chooks look like after getting drunk on fermented grain sprouts, just watch your local members of parliament debate important environmental issues.

You will never see more dodging and weaving to avoid obstacles in your life.

Anyhoo, back to my other projects.

Til next time.

Regards

Doc

Hold on to your nuts...

...with this handy hint.

Another quick and handy tip for those who need a small wrench to access a tight place that your normal adjustable wench, erm, wrench will not get to.

Watjaneed
A bolt
A pair of nuts to fit the bolt
Keeping up with me so far?


Check out the pix for detailed instruction.


I recently had to use a bolt set up like this to undo a nut that was on the car that was so accessible - not.

I could not get the adjustable wrench in the small space.


Where do car makers get people with such small hands? Child labour?

Anyhoo, just a quiccie for you.

Regards

Doc

Tap that...

...sorry Megan McCauley

Today, Scarecrow went to turn a tap off but it would not turn off.

Enter Super-Doc the washer-changing legend in his own lunchtime.


Changing a tap washer is easy but for those who may not have done it before, it can be daunting, so here is how I do it.

Firstly, turn off the mains water.

Depending on where you live, this is often found near the front fence line of your property.

If you have never found yours before, now is a good time to look.

Grab some tools; a reseating tool, washers and adjustable wrench. Some old rubber tubing to protect the chrome if it is an inside tap.


Using your wrench, undo the tap.

Remove the assembly and check the washer. Get approval from a professional.


You can see the split in the washer at eight o'clock, can you not, Ninja.

Using the reseating tool, attach and proceed to screw it gently to clean the surface where the washer will meet the brass of the tap.



Grab your new washer and get approval to install it.


Screw the tap assembly into the base.


Go and turn on the mains water.

Admire the end result.


Not exactly rocket science, hey, but still has to be done.

Doc

Back to my rocket science now.