20 Most Recent MFJ 854 RF Current meter, 30mA-3A - Page 8 Questions & Answers

I've heard people say many times, " When I finished the drywall on my room addition, I used Mesh Tape
www.all-wall.com/Categories/Fiberglass-Mesh-Drywall-Tape/Thin-Drywall-Mesh-Tape

on my seams and inside corners". Well, I would strongly recommend that you use Paper Tape instead:
www.all-wall.com/Categories/Drywall-Joint-Tape

along with All-Purpose Compound: www.usg.de/index.php?id=1357

Even though Fiberglass/Mesh Tape is much easier to apply than Paper Tape, you should not use it because it has a greater tendency to crack when applied to New Drywall seams; unless you use Easy Sand 45, 90, or 220.
www.lowes.com/pd_11778-325-384210_4294864808+4294851233_4294937087_?productId=3009562&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr'0''p_product_quantity_sold'1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_SHEETROCK%2BBrand_4294864808%2B4294851233_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr'0''p_product_quantity_sold'1

The different numbers ( 45, 90, 220) indicate the amount of time, ( in minutes), that you have to work with this material before it starts setting up on you. TIP: I would not recommend this material if you are a beginner! The consistency of this material varies as time goes on, becoming thicker and thicker.

Mesh Tape is good for many other uses though. Such as, a fracture in the drywall, patching around electrical boxes, applying to corner bead as a strengthening material, or removing old tape and re-taping old rough seams in a rehab house.

Good Luck!

If you should have any questions about"Drywall Finishing/Patching", or know someone who does, put your questions to Category:"Tools- Building & Power-HAND TOOLS" at FixYa.com

I will do my best to answer your questions about drywall finishing. However, it would be best if we could speak on the PHONE or do a live CHAT. I can answer any question you have if it involves getting a wall ready for paint!

Thanks for looking,

Jim

Key Words: Drywall/Sheetrock/Gypsum Wallboard

If you ever break off the ball end of a ball driver allen wrench:

1. With a scribe, dental tool, or small punch try to free ball so it is loose in the bolt head.
2. Try a magnet. If this doesn't work........
3. With compressed air, shoot air directly at ball with air nozzle.

The air gets behind ball and it pops right out if the ball is free enough.

Did you ever have to remove and replace either your spark plugs, a customers or a friend and find out first hand how miserable it can be to take them out using various spark plug sockets and extensions?
You find yourself at times possibly cross threading the plugs into the cylinder heads due to poor accessibility of the plugs and you find yourself limited to the degree of turns the ratchet can actually turn to properly access the plug into the block due to a very very tight design....well here is your answere...and no it is not let someone else do it for you, but rather over the millions of years I been around cars(well no i'm not that old....) I learned from others and still am learning from aothers just as you are doing reading these "tips" you come accross, as I also do.
With a new or old spark plug in your hand take a trip to your local Auto Zone or Discount Auto Parts Store and purchase a piece of neoprene fuel line approximately six inches long and one that struggles to be pushed onto the silver tip mounted on top of the spark plugs porcelain insulator... I know it sounds stupid and also too cheap to really work, but guess what....out of all the Sears Craftsman, Mack, Snap On, or Cornwell Professional specialty spark plug flex sockets and extensions, this one really does the trick.
Once you have it attached to the tip of the spark plug you have a real tight fitted swivel tool that will adapt to any contortion you put it to...you will find the spark plug hole threads easily in the head because of its flexabilty and n"no drop" fit and therefore get the spark plugs thread started simply by "twisting" the rubber hose in the direction of tightening(clockwise) to the right, and Walla, the spark plug sets itself up for the final tightening with the 3/8" drive ratchet and spark plug socket, giving it perhaps one short snug turn and you are done....no fuss no muss...no stripped threads in the cylinder heads machined and threaded spark holes, you can do the same method for removal once you break the spark plug loose with the ratchet and spark plug socket and it only costs you pennies on the dollar to have such a great helper tool, buy a good length of this hose so you can cut to any proper length you will need for different difficult to reach spark plugs.
It not only will save you time and minimize cross threads in the cylinder heads, it will also s eliminate a lot of spark plug breakage due to an improper fitting spark plug socket on the plug because of the hard to reach design, it will also save you knuckles from getting "busted" fighting with a ratchet and socket all the way out with the spark plug and all the way in with the spark plug
Happy Motoring!!

How to turn someones elses junk into your gold.....
I drove down the block one day with a friend of mine it just so happened it was a junk pickup day, everyone had put out things such as bycles, old wheel barrows, and to my liking...."old junk lawn mowers".
I told my friend , "hey I should take that critter home with me and make some side money of it", of course he laughed at me and told me I was nuts so that set the stage for a two + year side business.
I brought it home bought cheap cans of paint, black, green, and red, and a can of carburator cleaner along with a five gallon can full of fresh regular gasoline, again he said why are you wasting your time and money on this trash that somebody else tossed because it was garbage?
I said to him, I will show you what my intentions are here in a minute, so home to my garage we went mower, gas, paint, carb. cleaner and a basic wrench set.
Pulled the mower out of the back of my jeep and hosed it down real dirty, found it was a self propelled Sears Craftsman 22" rear bagger with a brand new mulching blade screwed on the shaft.
I pulled the fuel tank and safely disposed of the fuel and ckleaned the carb. fuel bowl, refilled the tank primed the carb, painted the handles black and deck red.
Pulled the chord, ran beautiful, advertised it on one of the popular websites and sold it for $85.00 all in two days.
Should have seen my friends face....LOL he was shocked and after that I have been doing this sort of side work for two and a half years making money left and right, even earned and saved enough to take the wife and I on a small 5 day cruise. Gives me something to do when I am not doing FixYa.

Did you ever want to just get the pool vac'd., without getting out the robot if you even have one, or pulling out the vacumn and hooking up the hoses, having to purge all the air out of the system just to get it ready.....you know the drill....and to make matters worse its real hot out!!
her's what i have found in my years of pool cleanup blunders, Put the pool selector valve to pool drain, get a long adjustable handled pole with a leaf type pool brush attachment, very slowly push the grit on the liner towrds the pool drain, do it gently and stop, wait until the smokey looking water clears(this means it went into the drain port and is being filtered out in the cannister).
Do this to the entire pool but dont rush it, after you are done check the PH and Chlorine etc. adjust, backwash the filter if your filter has a backwash system, and off you go onto another home project, this one just saved you a ton of precious time!!!
If you have the inground pool cartridge filter system you should remove the filter/filters and hose them out twice a year to keep them clear, when they start to look and act dirty and they cant get clean by hose take them to a pool pro and ask him to chemical bath them, thisfilter problem will be noticable when you see the pressure rising too high on your filter tank, it means the filter/filters are getting clooged and need attention.
Happy Homeowning!!

Did you ever have to remove a tire on your car or someone elses and the wheel lugs were too tight?
Ok I have a "proven simple solution".
Keep available a deep socket 1/2" drive impact wrench quality for both 3/4" lug nuts and 13/16" lug nuts and a small 2-4 lb. hammer.
Put the socket on the tight lug, strike it with the hammer dead on, remove it with your lug wrench, if that doesnt work, apply WD 40, use a 1/2 breaker bar and slide a 2 foot pipe over the handle of the breaker bar, lean your body weight on the breaker bar/pipe and walla it will come off.

Many times a tire shop puts tires on and off your cars without the thoughts of how tight they are running down the lug nuts when using these tire guns, of course to make matters worse they "shoot" them on in a hurry with a 1/2" drive pneumatic impact wrench(tire gun).
These sort of devices can install nuts and bolts with great force, for example the force applied to a wheel lug useing an air gun can be upwards of 150-200 foot pounds, that is a lot of torque. Add the elements of snow, ice, winter road salts, sand, rain, and flooding and over time these lugs can be very stubborn, now you compound the matter with what I call,"Tire Guns Gone Wild", which is no more than a tire man or mechanic who is either not mindful of what they are doing or way to busy to think correctly and walla... tire lugs on too tight for the next guy to remove.
It may even pay to occassionally spray the tire lugs with a product sold in any parts dept called WD 40, it helps to keep them rust and corrosion free. There you have it folks
.
Happy Motoring!!!!

A torque wrench is a powerful yet sensitive piece of equipment. When used correctly it can mean the difference between a job well done and job gone wrong.

Proper torquing is easy as long as you remember a few simple rules. One, never use a toque wrench to loosen bolts. Two, never use any object to hit or pry on a torque wrench, These things will result in damage and or improper readings.

The proper method for torquing is to be ready to apply the correct amount of force. Anything over 60-70 lbs may be hard for some people. Get assistance if needed. Not applying the correct pressure (stopping mid pull) may bind the wrench. Use a steady pull until the click is heard or felt, never tug or bounce the wrench.

Following these steps will help insure a proper assembly no matter what it is. Work safe and work smart. Happy building