First the good: The rocking chair that I made for my granddaughter’s birthday worked out great. I’m happy with all the sizing and joinery … including the oak dowel peg construction. Now the bad: If I were to redo attaching the shutters to the Christmas dollhouse, I would not have used hotmelt glue to attach […]
While working on the “bird away boxes” last weekend, the spring weather warmed improved enough at least for a day in order to start a fiberglass column repair (needed for curing). The wind blew enough a few weeks ago to toss items around enough that a crack and a chunk of plastic was broken out […]
Back on what would have been my dad’s birthday, I posted a photo of my new Ridgid work light hanging on his old toolbox. The toolbox was one of those items of my dad’s that both my brother and I wanted when we were going through our parents belongings – I ended up with it. […]
Too many times in life I find myself fiddling to repairs something that really just needs to be thrown away. Case in point (see interesting idiom explanation below) … I brought home an LED fixture that replaced a higher wattage halogen bulb that works well in Encore‘s cabin, but for some reason the pin/plugs must have […]
Let’s end 2017 with a kitchen cabinets knob repair. One of the changes to our new kitchen were the crystal looking knobs … Brenda felt they were too small. So we added larger ones, but the adhesive they used is not as solid as it should be, so out comes the epoxy and clamped in […]
When mixing a small batch of epoxy for a repair, I’m always looking for a secondary project that needs some adhesion. I’ve finally decided that my go-to project is to apply additional "wear bars" to the heels of my favorite Sperry Topsiders. I’ve done this before and besides the slightly annoying "clicking" sound, the epoxy […]
It has been a while since talking about Sperry Boat Shoes, but it is obvious by the popularity of the old posts that I’m not the only one who loves wearing them. Usually the question is how to keep them from smelling or make them a bit more comfortable (with insoles). In this post, […]
Repair a shoe of course! I’ve was frustrated with my carelessness when welding last year after burning a hole in my Keen shoes, but still wear them (albeit with a little more air conditioning than I would like). So after mixing a little more epoxy than needed for a repair, I dabbed a little bit […]
With the best of intentions to show the “power of epoxy,” I planned to glue a board end to end and either have the car supported or have the fiber of the wood tear apart. Neither happened (43 second video below). #fail 🙂
In keeping with “Desultory” … I’m posting something out of the blue. This weekend I had a couple guys over working on my daughters VW Jetta TDI. We had the intake manifold off and realized after installing that one of the ‘non-essential’ bolt holes was oversize or stripped. (just holds the plastic noise cover in […]
Not all that long ago, I blogged on the need to start looking for a replacement pocket knife for my all-time-favorite EDC Swiss pocket knife. I could never quite cough up the money since the “blades” on my Mini Champ were still good and it spends most of its time in my pocket anyway. BUT […]
This is really nothing new … it is just an exact replacement of the Brydge 10.2 inch keyboard for my iPad (new above and 2020 photo below). After a few years of heavy use, my second Brydge Keyboard, now out of warranty, was starting ot show some age. This well made keyboard has a couple […]
As mentioned previously, I ordered an inexpensive “knockoff brand” Dust Deputy cyclone gizmo to use primarily with my router table and DeWalt planer. I “cheaply” updated the lift mechanism so that I could continue to use my OLD heavy duty 3HP Ryobi router BUT adjust it quickly and accurately. The scissor-lift works amazingly well with […]
Having a few extra “rainy” hours over the Labor Day weekend, I decided to tackle an office closet project that I’ve been pondering. The plan was to either build in a few permanent shelves with holes for wiring to primarily hold the electronic equipment feeding the TV or add a small shelf to replace the […]
The final steps of finishing the rocking chair for my granddaughter are finally getting done. The canvas strips of material have been added with a little flexible adhesive in the center and epoxy on the ends. The canvas material should do a couple things, first prevent the painted rockers from wearing to bare wood and […]
Who wants to even look at their home or boat shelf of solvents. I’ve bought different ones for different tasks and the cans just sit there since I never know which ones to use for which purpose. Is it possible to just stick with four? The Foundational Four Mineral Spirits. Good for thinning varnish and […]
To salvage or toss: It is a quandary those of us who try to fix, salvage and repair things. My theory is that those of us who take thing apart as kids to see how they work, tend to be the ones doing it when they are older and collecting boxes of junk? I often […]
This is probably something I should have expected after bringing my “boat-only” non-skid Sperry SeaRacer Sneakers home from the boat in June – excessive wear. I’ve been wearing these light-weight synthetic upper Sperry shoes for the better part of the last two months and they are quickly breaking down. Perhaps I’m so accustom to the […]
Don’t you just hate this! Earlier this week I was driving home through construction and traffic as I headed south from Columbus to Cincinnati on I-71 (road construction is not done yet!) and I heard a rock hit the windshield. It sounded pretty nasty, but after looking around carefully from the inside, all was fine […]
It isn’t easy to see this little magnetic bracket I made to hold my new Amazon Echo Auto low on the dash of the BMW X5 35d. I opted to make a little aluminum bracket that straddles the pushbutton switch blanks to the right of a few other buttons. It is fastened with automotive trim […]
The summer of 2019 around our house has meant more repairs and maintenance updates than usual. This means weekends have been busy with house projects and in also finding and hiring help to complete the updates that are too overwhelming for this one “aging” guy to handle on his own (although my 60th birthday celebrations […]
Just a little bit of wasted time this weekend after realizing I need a better way to hold my iPhone when using it for video conferencing and FaceTime calls. In the past I’ve used a little rubberized tape on the edge of ceramic plate that sits under my iMac … … but it was never […]
Same photo with min aperture option and maximum. Note Bokek effect. On a recent trip, I happened to break my favorite pair of polarized sunglasses, so am using them as one last prop before tossing them in the trash … they have been epoxied and “jerry-rigged” (correct use of the term) together one too many times. […]
The design of the storage lid and latch on my2010 BMW X5 35d SUV leave a lot to be desired and now that I have new NON-run flat tires, I’m actually using the space under the rear deck for the temporary tire … so it was time to fix the deck lid latch. The plastic […]
Who doesn’t fall for the “treasures” found in the hardware store discount bins? I’m always looking for a “good buy” when I’m walking through the hardware store … and such was the case in seeing this outdoor LED floodlight. The twin incandescent floodlights that were on the back of the pool house garage for security […]
Those of you who regularly read my blog know that I love wearing boat shoes (and flip-flops) and have gone thru great lengths to make them last and keep them "semi" odor free. From insoles to epoxy mixes for "wear control" … and have been accused of going a bridge too far. Short answer, it […]
Whew … I was worried on Friday while driving the old 1982 Mercedes Benz for a reasonably close business call as I noticed oil leaking everywhere. My first concern was for an engine seal or gasket since there was so much oil dripping under the car. As a babied the car home, I feared the […]
Using acetone to clean up after nasty messy projects such as epoxy or sealant? There’s something that works better, is cheaper AND is less toxic! … Vinegar.
This ain’t my first rodeo (was looking for an excuse to use the idiom) as it pertains to stretching the life of my favorite pair of Sperry Topsiders. The idiom this ain’t my first rodeo is generally traced back to the movie Mommie Dearest, in which the character Joan Crawford says, “This ain’t my first […]
Before sending another check to the guy I have doing some bottom work on Encore, I really need to inspect the work. I don’t want him to stop working, but I don’t want bottom paint slapped on the new epoxy fiberglass repair before double checking the layers, fairing and keel work and epoxy barrier coats […]
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About the only replacement parts I’ve had to purchase for our iRobot Verro pool sweeper/ cleaner were the filter bags that go inside the housing. It has been the best of the pool cleaners we have had. Originally we started our pool ownership with a hopping Kreepy Krauly gizmo for our first pool back in […]
As the title and Robert Burns suggest, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Here are a couple Thursday lunchtime updates. On the upside, the Ford ($F) trades from a week ago continue to pan out and I exited half of my position on Thursday morning to book profits (for those […]
It has been a little while since Encore has been on the hard and the bottom paint is worse than I thought or expected. Really disappointed to see a couple blisters reappear after the "shave, skim and epoxy barrier" a few years back. Looks like I’ll need to work on grinding out, drying and patching […]
By far, my favorite woodworking and sailing YouTube channel is Tips from a Shipwright. It is sponsored by Jamestown Distributors in Rhode Island a great source for boat paints, finishes and epoxy materials. I will go there before looking elsewhere because of their sponsorship. The filmmaker Halsey Fulton of Fish Hawk Films brings the impressive […]
Last year about this time I had mentally decided that Brenda and I would be cruising the Bahamas aboard our sailboaat Encore in March 2015, but as “life happens” those dreams were not meant to be. As the year progressed, both of our surviving parents had health concerns requiring more of our attention, Encore started […]
Just as it was in the French Revolution, I’m back and forth telling A Tale of Two Cities and “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” so to speak. I spent the weekend taking care of a condo rental issue in Delray Beach, Florida and of course was staying on […]
I chuckled when I saw this top ten list appear in a hands-on automotive forum (there were more than 10, but I shortened it). It is pretty accurate. Wherever you go, you hear your wife say "let my husband help you fix that." You have many tools (and multiple toolboxes), including special service tools […]
Rust repairs continue along the rocker panels and jack points on the Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel. The passenger side (photo left) wasn’t too bad so I opted to take care of that first. It is now under primer and ready for final sanding and eventually the black “chip resistant” paint. No that I’m on side […]
Last year I animadverted about the inserts in my boat shoes and recently noticed that my August 2012 post was a recent MyDesultoryBlog’s top five … according to Google Analytics. Considering it is a top 5, it might be time for a boat shoe update? Boat shoes are a go to shoe in our house […]
We’ve all been there. Weighing the choice to put in sweat equity to save money or spend money to save time. This year is no exception and sided with spending money to save time. Life has been busy and priorities like spending time with my mom in her final months, and my dad in recent […]
An article on “do-it-yourself” home improvement ideas for empty-nesters caught my eye since we’re at a place where updates and repairs are on my mind. I currently need to work on the pool tiles before closing, painting is an ongoing update and I know our AC and furnace are showing signs of age … unfortunately […]
Take two on the “who designs these things?” A couple of weeks ago I posted on the rust inside an automatic icemaker and wondered why a better grade of material that could resist the rust wasn’t used inside a freezer so prone to moisture. Today the knob on our GE clothes washing machine snapped off […]
Ahh … love that full flavored and steaming cup of coffee on a Saturday morning. While sifting through my pile of magazines and deciding what to toss and what to keep, I’ve clipped a few items I want to keep … but am just not sure how to archive them? Sometimes I still toss stuff […]
I was going to comment on the “more of the same” State of the Union address from President Obama last night and Gov. Mitch Daniels response, but the reality is that I’m getting tired of hearing the same thing again and again. More divisive rhetoric that splits the country and very little hope that we’ll […]
I’m had a problem with my speed/log and particularly depth sounding Navman instruments on the boat this last trip and I brought back both the instrument ‘heads’ (transducers are in the hull) and the teak mounting pod from above the companionway. Although I’m not sure what is wrong with the instruments, I’m running them in […]
With the republishing of a Christmas article on Facebook from sailing author Gary “Fatty” Goodlander, I’ve been re-thinking my vow to avoid this social networking site. Facebook being my kids preferred peer-to-peer (no geek humor intended) communications medium, I’ve avoided it not wanted to look like a ‘helicopter parent. So far, its not been all […]
Earthrace, an attempt to round the world in record time on biodiesel fuel, is halfway across the Pacific Ocean and is now 700 or so miles west of Majuro in the Marshall Islands. They arrived on one engine and departed 4 hours later back on two. After leaving San Diego the crew and ‘unique’ boat […]
Although it would be better to celebrate “National Biodiesel Day” with good news from the Earthrace team, its not been a promising start for the biodiesel project. After significant hype, having prop problems followed by a cracked engine part are putting nails in the coffin for the crew attempting a world record biodiesel circumnavigation. The […]
Steve Fossett took off in an experimental plane today at 7:20 a.m. on an 80-hour flight. He hopes to set a nonstop distance record in the GlobalFlyer aircraft sponsored by Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways. Steve Fossett, is a 61 year old excentric millionaire who has “ballooned” (pun intended) his way to fame in a […]
Our EAA chapter was hosted by Jack and Kate Tiffany in their Spring Valley, Ohio shop last Sunday afternoon. (June 12, 2005) Jack and his two talented partners, Don Siefer and Herman Leffew, have been rebuilting an extremely rare Picairn PA-18 Autogiro from the 1930’s. If I were ‘twitcher‘ this ‘bird’ would be considered a […]