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File description: Homegrown shop tips Your name: (optional) Inchman (and others)
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here is my list of "homegrown" tools.
A "Slick50" bottle makes a PERFECT collection bottle for the 'last bit' of oil
in oil containers. After filling up a car, I keep all the oil containers and
each one spends a night, upside-down over the Slick50 bottle (their necks fit IN
the Slick50 bottle) This way, when I throw away an oil bottle, it's has the
LEAST amount of oil in it.
Then, I use the collected oil in Slick50 bottle for those times you need, "just
a bit" of oil. IE, wetting the oil filter ring. After a while, the bottle gets
quite full. I also use it when one of the cars is about a 1/2 quart low instead
of opening up a new container.
Next, I save ALL containers that food comes in.
Yogurt containers are great for small parts, nuts and bolts when working on a
project.
Butter containers are great for bigger parts.
Both work good for cleaning paint brushes.
Cut the tops off (but leave the whole handle) of the laundry soap containers and
you get either...
a good scoop
a heavy duty parts container
a bucket to hang under a chain hoist to keep the "slack" chain in.
leave the top on and it makes a great paintball container (if you play
paintball)
Film canisters are good for REALLY small parts
To mix up bondo or JBweld, I just cut a piece of cardboard and use that. When
I'm done, I throw the whole thing away
In fact, I keep old pieces or cardboard/carpet to lay on the ground if in doing
work under a car. As the carpet gets too dirty, I throw it away and use a new
one.
I use an old horse trailer for storage/HUGE sandblaster booth/paint booth. It's
easy to clean out, it's HUGE with a BIG door (that I can roll something into)
and they can be had pretty cheap.
I cut off the tops of water bottles and milk jugs to make funnels. Keep the cap
and you can use it as a scoop also.
Old pieces of hose can be slit down the side and used to cover a saw blade to
protect it.
Can you tell I'm an environmentalist? Just some ideas
From Inch
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Dave Williams wrote:
I use a yellow plastic French's mustard bottle as an oil can. It's easy to find, I can close the top with a 1/4 turn and when rebuilding engines I don't have to worry about scratching bearings or journals when applying oil to them. One has assembly lube in it, the other has two stroke oil. They've worked fine for years.
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If your French's lasts about 20 years per bottle like mine does, you can get
one of those cheapo plastic squeeze bottles for ketchup instead. It works
great for priming fuel lines - the nozzle fits right in the line. You do
need to put a gasket in the bottle, though.
Gordon Glasgow