Do-It-Yourself, Repairs and Fixes

May have accidentally sent my earbuds through a wash cycle, pretty gnarly corrosion on the right bud and the main charge controller. My first water damage! Is this worth doing anything with or shall I move to another used pair of buds? For reference I picked these up secondhand for $50 :)

Got a new tv that works with my existing mount but it’s just not working like we need for this bigger tv. Could I put a new mount using the same holes. My concern is the bolts won’t have the same resistance to being pulled out. Google foo was no help on this and the Reddit link of course has been deleted. Thanks in advance!

New house, was built/finished just under two years ago. I live in a dry climate, have been in my house for two years and only now discovered this. After some recent storms led to water in my window track I found my rear sliding windows have weep holes in the bottom, but they weren't draining.

After a lot of testing (filling the track with water, shop vac'ing it out, blower testing with air gun, suction with vacuum, etc.) I realized the weep holes in the interior of the window track and the weep holes on the exterior have no connection whatsoever. No water goes from inside to outside, and air blowing through exterior hole is felt through other exterior, and likewise with the interior, but nothing is going from interior to exterior. Water in the inside track will drain until the portion underneath fills and then pools up, and likewise, if I spray water in the exterior weep holes, nothing gets to the inside track, but it eventually comes out the exterior weep hole on the other side.

After some research, I found it's not uncommon for this to happen, it's a common defect with these sort of windows and I just drilled into the exterior weep hole with a 1/8 bit until it met the interior channel and sure enough, the water drains out as expected now. Put the window track back in, window back on, and tested pouring water in the track, it's draining perfectly now.

My only questions are, do I have anything to be concerned about with this DIY fix? Since the climate here is normally very dry (high desert, Colorado) and moisture evaporates quickly, I'm not worried about mold, but is there anything to keep bugs from getting in through the weep holes? They're not covered in any way. Also, will there be any winter concerns with the cold in sub-zero temperatures or snow/ice build up?

Apologies if these are dumb questions, but I'd literally never heard of weep holes until this week, with discovering the issue. So not sure what potential issues they might have, and honestly no way to know if I fixed this as intended.

I recently stumbled upon a fantastic swivelling recliner chair on trash day in Amsterdam, but there's one small catch – it's missing its base! The chair itself is in great condition, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to bring it back to life. However, I'm facing a bit of a dilemma when it comes to finding the right chair base to restore this gem to its former glory.

What I want to achieve:

1. The chair is a swivelling recliner, so I need a base that allows it to swivel.
2. I don't have any information about the chair's brand or model.
3. I'm open to both purchasing a replacement base if I can find the right one, or attempting a DIY solution if that's feasible.
4. I am located in the Netherlands, so I would prefer to get something local but am happy to order online.

I've tried searching online, but without knowing the specific chair's make and model, it's been challenging to identify the exact base I need. So, I'm turning to this wonderful DIY community for your expertise. Here are a few questions I have:

1. What strategies or resources can I use to identify the chair's make and model based on any existing markings or features?
2. If I can't find a matching base, how challenging would it be to fabricate a custom base that accommodates both swiveling and reclining functions?
3. Are there any common standards or measurements for chair bases that I should be aware of when searching for a replacement?
4. Any other tips, tricks, or advice on how to go about this project would be greatly appreciated!

Please let me know if I should add any pictures to the album HERE.

Thanks, everyone who takes the time to read this and respond ^ _ ^

has anyone here ever experimented with an "electromagnetic" pump? If the pumped liquid is conductive and the piping is enclosed in a coil (think solenoid), and a current is passed across the fluid near the coil, then the magnetic field made by the coil should attract the fluid passing the transverse current (causing it to flow). As fluid flows toward the coil, new fluid starts passing current and so on.

Electromagnetic pumps are used in metal processing for continuous casting, but those are fancy and expensive devices. Could I pump seawater by wrapping a coil around a garden hose and pop-riveting a couple of electrical contacts into the hose on opposite sides next to the coil? I think regular "fresh" water would not be sufficiently conductive, but whatdoIknow? My longer term plan is to try pumping molten salt, but I want to learn on cooler stuff first.

I'm all ears!

I've been having a problem with my Honda GCV 160 recently.

Neighbor was using it and accidentally ran over a bag, force stopping the motor. Cleaned the blades out and tried to run again, just spluttered but didn't turn over. It sat like that for a while, no luck on turning over.

I took the carb apart and cleaned all of the components thoroughly with carb cleaner, reassembled and it actually ran nicely for about ten minutes. It then slowly revved down and stalled, and now it won't run again.

Is it an air intake issue? Bad gas? I put a new air filter in, too.

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/599378498285366446

Who else's got a wet trunk?

I think my sunroof drains might have been clogged. Any suggestions as to the best way to dry it out?

#volkswagen #vwgolf #alltrack #diy

@[email protected]

I've tried google/youtube and can't seem to find any decent tutorials/instructions for my particular situation, so I'm hoping someone can help get me started on this repair job. I don't necessarily need a full breakdown or step-by-step instructional, but some help with the terminology, techniques and materials I would need to learn and use to accomplish this project would be greatly appreciated!

The project is the interior face of a very old chimney that protrudes through the floor of a 3rd floor bedroom and up through the ceiling. I believe the term for the stuff on there now is called "render" as it is like a stucco/plaster smooth-ish finish nearly an inch thick overtop of the original brick. This finish coat is in bad condition and falling off the brick near the ceiling. The rest of it is still holding but there are some cracks and I'd rather not test its integrity until I know what my plan is. The chimney is lined already and is used exclusively as a vent for a propane boiler in the basement. There are no fireplaces or anything in use anymore. This is in an early 19th century farmhouse in the US, so the brick is very old but still solid (no loose bricks or anything like that). Bits of the mortar are loose and will likely need to be re-pointed if I take any of this stuff down but I'm happy to do that.

Ultimately I just want it to look nice, not be falling apart and creating dust, and probably most importantly: not leak any rogue gas fumes into our soon-to-be guestroom. I think because the chimney has a liner in it already, the gas isn't an issue but I didn't put it in so I really can't be certain of what kind of job was done. I'll put a CO2 monitor in the room regardless, but would rather avoid that problem altogether. I'm fine with either reinforcing the render to give it a few more years or cleaning it all off and resurfacing the brick somehow. Any suggestions?

I always end up in decision paralysis because I think of way too many possibilities. Is there a way I can avoid brackets? If I am able to drill into studs should I just use normal wood screws? I'll be using it as a tea/spice shelf.

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/593637638050605415

Anyone else have trouble with these GE dishwashing machines?

Mine cleans dishes well enough, but the gaskets leak easier than any other dishwasher I've ever had. I replaced the gaskets a few months ago, but if a little bit of debris builds up then it's leaking again. Also, the racks are badly corroded, but the machine is only maybe five years old. Anyway, it's just kind of funny that my aunt is coming over tomorrow and the last time she was here she noticed the dishwasher was leaking.

#rant #appliance #GE #dishwasher

@[email protected]

I have a Rexing Dashcam that I've used for a couple years, and lately it's been behaving badly. It works perfectly fine while on, but when it's time for it to shut down, it often will shut off early, then reboot over and over until its internal battery is totally dead.

Everyone on the net says it's a bad card. Nope. It does mess up the card's partition by quitting in an uncontrolled fashion and by rebooting over and over, but I took the thing apart and the real problem was that the little internal battery is swollen and almost dead.

All the battery does is provide the camera with up to 30 seconds to save the currently captured video and perform a controlled shutdown, and as such, it's quite small. The battery in my V1LG was a 602040 3.7V 450mAh lipo. It was pretty badly swollen (they are supposed to be relatively flat). I've ordered a cheap replacement for $7, which is a lot cheaper than a new dashcam.

Anyway, if your dashcam is behaving oddly at power-down, and you've tried different cards with no success, it may be your battery.

The Gerber armbar has got 2 holes for an awful plastic clip and I thought "easy fix" - it wasn't. Had to order screws M2x4mm & M2 nuts and had to drill very exact, worked out in the end, I present: Frankentool® PS: Locktite's your friend.

Inherited a little flux core welder a while ago if you know of any good books or videos please share. Had a stick welder years ago but never got a feel for working on thin stuff, I'm guessing this will be the opposite problem.

I het the general theory looking for like practice drills and how to read a weld to know what wrong

cross-posted from: https://jorts.horse/users/fathermcgruder/statuses/110789232582943740

What's a good torque wrench to get?

I want to replace the spark plugs in my car and I'm apparently going to have to torque them to 30Nm. #diy #tools

@tools

This toothbrush still holds enough charge for over a month of use after 4 years so I guess I will charge it like this from now on.

$15 for keyboard tilt clips is outrageous. Luckily I had some cheap steel wire laying around from Christmas.

I have a solar panel from a cheap Walmart device I tore down. Hooking it to a Multi-Meter shows it's about 2.25V (probably supposed to be 2.5V but runs a little low?).

What's something useful I can do with it?

I only found leave it lying around to absorb odor and like use it to fertilize soil or something

you will always have that favorite piece of clothing or like a backpack that needs repair etc.

It's not even hard and looks better than before in almost all cases imo, even if you're not skilled.

Meeting people where they are with technology is so important, and I love that this lets the grandchildren message from their phones as is presumably convenient for them.

I've been thinking about building a structures with pvc pipes but before buying the materials i want to plan it.

The things that i know:

-It doesn't concern liquid transportation

-I am not going to use pipe connectors (i can mold them)

-I have ways to bend the pipes.

Any suggestions? thanks

The Faraday cage (or shield), named after Michael Faraday, is a device that is used to protect from electromagnetic radiation. A Faraday cage may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or a mesh of such materials. This creates a shielding effect for any item inside the cage and protects those items from radiation. The effects of the cage can be enhanced by layering conductive and non-conductive layers - this creates a cage within a cage within a cage, providing additional protection without the need of specialised materials. Though it may sound complicated, you can make your own Faraday cage from aluminum foil. You can also make a larger version using a steel trash can.

What a cute project! Being able to see what's now playing on an Amazon listening device that has a screen is one of the very few uses of said listening device's screen in my household... her version seems particularly nice because it's got embellishment with personality.

I wonder what similar projects might be fun. Remote controlled flameless candles that light when a group chat is active...