Helpful hint for the day!

[steeve_a]

To remove stubborn knobs I will use half of a wooden clothespin as a pry bar which shouldn't damage the faceplate or the knob as one made from metal might. Yes, I know that there are special tools made to do that but they cost a lot more than wooden clothespins! Besides you can use the other half of the clothespin as a mixing paddle for epoxy (or whatever).

Steve Ahola

P.S. Perhaps someone else would care to join in- I showed you mine now show me yours!

P.P.S. Bonus hint for today: for mixing up epoxy I will use a paper plate (the thicker the better).

P.P.P.S. So why do you need epoxy? To fix the knob you broke trying to pry it off with the clothespin!

[martin manning]

It's better than a rusty screwdriver, but the clothespin could damage the surrounding finish, and prying under only one side of the knob could cause damage to it or to the pot. Recently I saw a suggestion to use a shoelace looped under the knob from two sides. The lace can be pulled straight out by hand, or a suitable block can be placed next to the knob to act as a fulcrum for a lever. The surface under the block can be protected with a cloth, and the force will be distributed over a wide area.

[Prairie Dawg]

What I have done is take a strip of stout cloth or a leather shoelace that you can fit under the flange of the knob, wrap it around the stem once or twice and with the balance remaining make a loop that you can run across the palm of your hand and around your wrist. If you have removed the set screw a good tug with this old radio man's trick is usually enough to do it without damaging the flange of the knob.

[ToneMerc]

Recently I saw a suggestion to use a shoelace looped under the knob from twoThe lace can be pulled straight out by hand, or a suitable block can be placed next to the knob to act as a fulcrum for a lever. The surface under the block can be protected with a cloth, and the force will be distributed over a wide area.

I use about an 24" section of waxed nylon( AT&T lacing cord) doubled over twice, works like a champ.

TM

[rp]

Will these string tricks work for pulling teeth? Just asking...

[Prairie Dawg]

Will these string tricks work for pull teeth? Just asking...

Why? Are ya hurtin?

[Structo]

Sure just tie the other end to a door knob, then slam the door!

[cbass]

Nah this is how you pull a tooth round these parts.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2OxDzysVrM

[steeve_a]

But can you use string to mix up epoxy? I think not...

Helpful Hint for 11/11/11: Adding and subtracting resistors

We all know how to add two resistors of the same value wired in parallel- the resulting resistance is half of the resistor value. It gets more complicated when you are adding resistors of different values.

You can use the Windows Calculator to figure this shit out very quickly. If I want to see the resulting resistance of two resistors added together in parallel I will add the reciprocals (1/X) and then take the reciprocal of that. Windows has a reciprocal (1/X) key right above the big equals sign (=) in the bottom right corner. I also use the M+ function for computations like this so stray numbers don't get interfere with the results but YMMV

I will often want to know what value resistor I need to add in parallel with an existing resistor to get a specific resistance. For that you follow the same steps but add one (M+) and subtract one (M-). Hit MR and then 1/X and you have the value of the resistor you need to add to the existing one. (If the resulting number is negative, then take the absolute value of that number.)

And of course those same methods can be used to compute the net capacitance of two capacitors in series.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Wooden clothespins are your friends! Yes, I would use two clothespins to pry up on both sides of a knob that was stubborn and if it looked like the surface might be damage I might insert a piece of sheet metal under it. And I was thinking more of the knobs that aren't stubborn that you could pull off with your fingers- which for me will often cause my fingernails to separate from the nail beds. I keep taking my PicoValve (now PicoRocket!) in and out of the chassis, maybe a dozen times in the past week and if not for my wooden clothespins to remove the 5 knobs I know that my fingers would be bleeding and in pain.

I was hoping to read hints from other people on anything and everything under the sun but then again I was hoping that I was going to win last weeks lottery.

[steeve_a]

If you have removed the set screw a good tug with this old radio man's trick is usually enough to do it without damaging the flange of the knob.

Damn- I knew that I was forgetting something. Note to self: remove set screw first!

[Reeltarded]

I was hoping to read hints from other people on anything and everything under the sun but then again I was hoping that I was going to win last weeks lottery.

I know a trick!

Your family all have to be born on the days of the month that correspond with the winning numbers, you need 6 family members, and the lotto numbers have to all be below 31. You have to be unemployed. On a drug rehab program helps. You have to be a close to bankrupt as possible.

You have to actually waste money on playing the lotto!

Imma loser.

[Prairie Dawg]

Helpful hint from an old radio man who knew a little bit about making radios from scratch and hiding the parts from the Germans.

You can make a grid leak resistor with a pencil and a piece of paper.

[tictac]

A pair of diagonal cutters with an offset like electricials use works wonders for prying off stubborn knobs. That offset gives you some nice lever action...

TT

[steeve_a]

A pair of diagonal cutters with an offset like electricials use works wonders for prying off stubborn knobs. That offset gives you some nice lever action...

If they are on that tight I just burn them off with a torch!

Steve

[Reeltarded]

Helpful hint from an old radio man who knew a little bit about making radios from scratch and hiding the parts from the Germans.

You can make a grid leak resistor with a pencil and a piece of paper.

I can make a grid leak all kinds of things with a pencil and a piece of paper.

Electricity still tastes awful.