Wire Spool Box from an Old Wooden Crate

I actually found this wooden wire spool box at a garage sale for the princely sum of a Buck. The wire spools that were already in it have hand written dates form the mid to late Sixties. How cool is that?

One could be made from plywood, screws, some metal strips, pipe, and rubber grommets. I modified the cabinet by cutting some of the holes larger and installing larger grommets to accommodate the 12 and 10 gauge automotive wire seen on the third pipe down. Other than that it got a fresh paint job when I hung it where it sits now.

I really like it as it organizes most of my spooled wire and provides a handy dispenser all in one box.

A Buck! The only way to beat that is to break out the scrounge-O-meter!

Buy Supplies in Bulk Containers when Practical

I ran out of window cleaning fluid a few weeks ago and in looking at the spray bottle, I saw that it still had a lot of life left in it.

Rather than pitch the old container, I chose to buy the window washing fluid in the bulk container and refill the old container instead.

For the same price (a Dollar) I got a little more than twice as much fluid as just buying the spray bottle. That is some savings I can believe in. Now I don't advocate buying stuff in barrel sizes, but when the amount is something that will be used in a reasonable period of time, then the bulk purchase makes good sense.

Salvage Wax from an Old Jar Candle

It's well known that wax makes a great lubricant and rust protector, but should I have to buy it by the stick in order to take advantage of it?

Well, no.

This morning my sister threw a used up jar candle in the trash and it got me to thinking; can I salvage some wax out of the jar? What can I put it in to make it useful?

I dredged the candle jar out of the trash and, yes, there's wax still in the jar, even though the candle wick burned all the way down to the bottom. Great! Now the experiment's on!

 Here I've placed the candle jar in some hot water to melt the wax.

 Some scrounging later, and I came up with an ice cube tray to pour the melted wax into to cool.

 Wow! Eight and a half cubes?! I thought I might get 2 or 3. To speed up cooling, I placed the tray into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. The wax was still just a little soft when I popped out the wax cubes and they popped out easily this way.

And here's the new supply of wax blocks I can use to lube and protect equipment. They will be better protected from dust and dirt in the Ziplock bag. The ice cube tray was already cracked so it will head out to the garage for use in future projects as well.

Reusing Old Cotton and Flannel Clothes and Bedsheets for Shop Towels

The last time I checked the prices of the red shop towels it seemed pretty pricy to me at $3 plus per dozen towels.  I admit that washing and reusing them cuts the overall cost when compared to the disposable shop towels, but I think I can do better for my budget.

Since free is way better than 25 cents apiece for a comparable item, I decided that scrounging through the old laundry pile was the way to go.

A ripped bedsheet and pair of cotton pajama bottoms gave me the material I needed to do just that.

The PJ bottoms netted 20 shop towels, some small and a few large, but mostly medium ones. I didn't get pics of the bedsheet, but you get the idea anyway. I didn't count the yield from the bedsheet, but it was a queen and I tended to go with 10"x10" or so. I'll guess I got around 40 towels out of it.

So, for my effort to scrounge two articles from the laundry pile that were headed to the dumpster anyway, I got about 60 shop towels. The money I saved can be used somewhere else in the garage.

Uses for a Coat Hanger

A metal coat hanger has a number of uses, and not just to hold a muffler in place. It makes a great substitute for any application that requires a reasonably stiff wire, plus it can be used to weld in a pinch.Yes, I said weld. Take an acetylene torch and using a small #0 tip, it is possible to use the coat hanger to weld two pieces of sheet metal together.

 I always keep a few handy in the garage in case some need comes up.

In this case I needed to paint some metal brackets and didn't want the problems associated with painting the  parts on a flat surface. Instead I hung the brackets on wire hooks made from coat hangers to get the job done a little better.

Not pictured: With a bit of cutting and bending, I can make hangers for my pegboard. The ones found in stores are usually overkill for the weight they are asked to hold and a bit of wire coat hanger works just as well for light or moderate weight items.

Solvents, Cleaners, and Oils

If you are like me then your garage is far more than a place to store things. Since I have a variety of interests there is likewise a variety of bottles and cans of goop that I use for different purposes.

 Gun Oil - It's not just for guns! It makes a good general purpose machine lube and protects bare metal from rust.

 De-Solv-It - A citrus based cleaner and solvent. Good for general purpose cleaning and will remove a few types of adhesive residue.

 Turpentine - Generally used on wood projects, but works as a grease remover and general oily mess cleaner.

 Goof Off - Removes dried latex paint, caulk and a number of adhesives. Removes Sharpie marks from hard surfaces.
Contains Xylene, so use in a well ventilated area.

 LA's Totally Awesome Window Cleaner. Used as a general cleaner and window washer as well. Contains alcohol and an unspecified non-ionic surfactant.

 Mineral Spirits - Generally used as an oil-based paint thinner. I also use it to clean oil and grease from parts.

 Goo Gone - Removes a number of locked in or on substances. Ink, glue, adhesive and stains. I'll post the full list when I get a chance. Contains petroleum distillates.

 Bike Aid - I use it to lube cables and cable housings.

 WD-40 - The super lube! Generally an oil lubricant, but apparently has lots of uses. Visit their website for a rundown on the uses.

Battery Cleaner - Used to clean the terminals and outside of led-acid batteries. I presume it neutralizes sulfuric acid.

Carb Cleaner - Used to remove gas varnish from carburetors. It is also effective at removing many oils and greases from parts.

Silicone Lubricant - Different stuff from WD-40; it comes out looking like WD-40, but quickly dries into a nearly clear grease.

PB Blaster - used to penetrate rusted parts so they can be freed.

Permetex Gasket Remover - used to remove gasket material. It will also remove glues used to assemble speakers; something that Goof Off, or Goo Gone simply won't do. Contains Some nasty chemicals so use with gloves and in a well ventilated area.

91% Isopropyl Alcohol - Used as a general paint prep cleaner on metal and plastic parts.

Sea Foam - I use it to clean fuel systems.

Prestone Belt Dressing - Makes belts a little more sticky so they don't squeal. I use this as a temporary measure until I can tighten or replace the belt.

STP Wire Dryer - I use this to make sure I don't have a water intrusion causing a short.

Battery Terminal Protector - I use this to keep the battery terminals from corroding. If you don't have this, a daub of grease spread on the terminals works too.

Ignition Sealer - Use when water intrusion electrical shorts are a problem.

Brake Parts Cleaner - Use to remove all traces of oil and grease from something. Evaporates pretty quickly so work fast!

Easy Off Oven Cleaner - Lye based baked on grease/oil remover. Be sure to wear gloves when using this.

Sulfured oil - Used to cut threads or general metal machining lubricant.

Turtle Wax - Not just for waxing the car, this is used to prevent rust on bare metals. Wax on, wax off! No rust.

Baking Soda - I use this for several things, to clean parts in the blasting cabinet, as a cleaner when mixed with water, and as an electrolyte when using electrolysis to remove rust from parts. Use to prevent flash rust if using vinegar to remove rust from parts by followup immersing the parts in a baking soda and water bath for an hour or so.

Air Tool Lube - I use this to keep the air tools in top shape. I hear 30 weight machine oil works too, or sewing machine oil.

Separating Oil - I use this to keep my air compressor pumps in top shape.

99% Isopropyl Alcohol - I use this the same way as the 91% version. Reputed to remove sharpie marks from metal. Doesn't remove Sharpie marks from appliance glaze.

Engine assembly lube - used to assemble engines. Superior to ordinary oil as it makes it easier to turn the engine by hand, plus prevents a dry start-up which will wreck the build.

Kerosene - used as a parts cleaner. Has lower vapor pressure than gas so it is a bit safer to use than gas. use in a well ventilated area.

Vinegar - used to chemically remove rust. Follow up vinegar bath with baking soda bath to prevent flash rust.