Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with diy Questions tagged with 'diy' at Ask MetaFilter. Thu, 13 Mar 2014 00:33:10 -0800 Thu, 13 Mar 2014 00:33:10 -0800 en-us 60 Questions about building inspections I'm renovating a multi-unit building. The occupancy permits were never revoked. Can I finish one unit and rent it out while finishing the others? How do I handle inspections? We nearly have the work done inside the unit we're already living in and the unit we'd like to rent out. We would like to have the city inspect the finish plumbing and building work, and then go ahead and rent it after we know that we won't have to do more construction inside. Another unit still needs finished up, and there is still some exterior work to be done. How do we handle this? <br> <br> The exterior work does include back stairs that connect to the unit, but we do not plan to demolish them, just to replace one railing, paint them, and otherwise improve them. <br> <br> In general, I'd appreciate any tips on the final building inspections you can offer. Do I need to buy the fridge before the inspection? Caulk around the tub? Install the closet doors? (They're not on the plans.) Thanks!,2014:site.258616 Thu, 13 Mar 2014 00:33:10 -0800 construction diy inspections slidell The best sewing patterns. I'm looking for simple clothing patterns that don't scream 'homemade,' and are easily alterable. The short; <br> I'm looking for clothing patterns that can yield us some utilitarian clothing, that doesn't necessarily scream 'home-made.' Vintage patterns are nice. Modern-but-simple patterns are nice. Patterns from the 80's and 90's; not so much.<br> <br> The long;<br> My wife and I can sew clothes (but she's much better at it than I am). We're both fairly good at modifying existing clothing and hacking together simple changes to patterns. We have really specific style ideas, and to purchase them off the rack is way more expensive than we can afford. Lots of Japanese, Swedish and German clothing gets bookmarked when we go 'shopping' for clothes online. All of it is just way out of our price range. We can usually make similar pieces for less than half the price. <em>We're okay spending the time doing this kind of stuff. Please don't tell us to consider the labor, we have. Our time outside of work doesn't really count to us because we're not…well…working and earning money.</em><br> <br> Our most recent clothes-constrution binge was percpitated by this very expensive <a href="">Fjallraven Anorak</a>. <em>Way</em> out of our price range, and since we like to roll our own stuff when we can, it was a good project. We were able to find a pattern for an Anorak, from <a href="">Green Pepper Patterns</a>. The pattern itself was pretty great, and with some work we were able to modify it to have similar characteristics to the Fjallraven buddy without nearly the expense. The patterns off Green Pepper are really interesting because they're almost blank slates. They're sort of generic outdoor gear patterns…which is perfect! It frees us up to focus on details we want and spending more time considering fabrics and the overall feel of the garment. We don't like wearing outdoor gear that looks like REI threw up on it; we like simple lines of clothing that works and has no frills outside what we need it to do. <br> <br> Another example is again, for rain jackets, we've disassembled regular old hoodies to make a pattern, and then rebuilt them using technical waterproof fabrics. No one makes a waterproof hoodie. I've had one for years and it's the best raincoat for biking I could possibly ask for. No pockets, one zipper, no drawstrings, a nice big hood. It only cost me a couple afternoons of work and a $75 bucks. It has worked well for years, and another will be made…but hopefully more refined. <br> <br> The most frustrating part, is that regular google searches for patterns didn't really turn this company up…we stumbled across it on survivalist and hunter blogs. It was in a total blind spot of ours that we just stumbled upon. I'm sure there are other resources like this out there that we're not finding readily. Googling for patterns without knowing the right vernacular is really, <em>really</em> difficult. Lots of stuff comes up as nonsense, and we're both having difficulty sorting through the noise to find anything worthwhile. <br> <br> We're really trying to find stockpiles of good, classic patterns. My mom made alot of clothes for me as a kid, and I'm trying to avoid what we've coined at the house the "Butterick Syndrome" of ill fitting, poorly designed patterns that have a "homemade-but-kinda-off" feel to them. I don't quite know how to explain it. I've seen this <a href="">askme</a>, and it has been helpful for more modern stuff, but we're hopefully trying to find more vintage and outdoor patterns.,2014:site.258591 Wed, 12 Mar 2014 15:12:25 -0800 clothing diy sewing furnace.heart Mobile tool storage ideas I often work on my family's cars, however I don't have a garage and have to work in the driveway or in a rented (by the hour) garage with lift. In my workshop I have the tools organized on pegboards and in drawers. That's all fine and dandy, but I've come to realize that 90% of the time I use my tools I have to chuck them in tool bags and boxes and either bring them outside or to the aforementioned garage. I want a mobile storage system where everything has its place and I can see at a glance if something's missing. Like the pegboards, I guess, only portable. If I had my own garage I would probably invest in a nice rolling tool cabinet with drawers. However the rolling kind is useless in my gravelled driveway, and filled with tools it would be impossible for me to lift into and out of cars.<br> <br> The best solution I've come up with on my own is a few shallow "Euro container" boxes (<a href="">like this</a>), where I will screw socket organizers, wrench holders etc to the bottom (<a href="">like this</a>, but probably not as shiny...)<br> <br> One single box like this won't be to heavy to lift, and the boxes stack securely and can be tied down as a unit in the back of the car. They can also be spread out around the work area where I can easily see what's where.<br> <br> Are there any better solutions out there? Suggestions for improving my proposed solution are also welcome.,2014:site.258589 Wed, 12 Mar 2014 14:13:20 -0800 clutter diy hardware organizing tool toolbox toolchest tools Harald74 Not that I'm going to do it or anything, but... Is it feasible to take apart, modify, and put back together again a hair dryer so that it works in reverse, that is, become a small vacuum? I assume I would have to make the blower work backwards to become a sucker, and I would have to direct debris into a little sack and away from the blower and power source. If I were going to do it, what would I do? How much work would it be? How ugly would it be, assuming rudimentary skills and a home workshop? If it's impossible-- why?,2014:site.258560 Wed, 12 Mar 2014 01:01:49 -0800 diy electronics hairdryer vacuum blnkfrnk DIY Furniture Question I want to paint <a href=",McCHF3I">this</a>. For various reasons, stripping it first is out. How to get the best paint job? My in-laws generously gave us this little wardrobe for the baby. I would LOVE to repaint it, but we don't have the tools or space (or time!) needed to strip it first. On top of this, my husband is still... *ahem* stripping - <em>by hand</em> - my last "project" (or rather, "my" last project!). What can I do to ensure a paint job that lasts at least a couple of years? Is there primer, a particular kind of paint, etc. anyone can recommend?<br> <br> I've read a bunch of DIY articles = confused. If absolutely necessary, I could probably rough the surface up - but no way is it getting 100% stripped. Please note that <strong>I have not seen this in person</strong>, so I cannot comment on how smooth the varnish/stain is or what the quality of the surface is. In-laws are antique dealers who regularly refinish furniture - they buy clean pieces with good bones but Father in law said we'd probably want to paint it; he will tell us the "correct" way to do this and will not recommend short cuts or alternatives.<br> <br> It looks like <a href=",McCHF3I#1">this</a> inside, and is about four feet high. I'm thinking of using these forest critter <a href=""> door knobs</a>. Gender neutral paint scheme recommendations welcome; thinking about using chalkboard paint in some of the panel areas.<br> <br> Thank you!!,2014:site.258502 Mon, 10 Mar 2014 23:22:08 -0800 DIY furniture kids painting paintingfurniture Resolved jrobin276 Help me construct a levee between the Shower Zone and the Toilet Zone I am renting an apartment with what I consider to be a relatively simple bathroom. While the walls and floor are tiled, there is no barrier separating the shower from the sink and toilet. Apparently the correct terminology for this is a "wetroom". And it does get very wet. I would like to be able to go to the toilet without wading through a wet toilet floor, so I need to jimmy up a simple, effective, hygienic solution. The shower is in the innermost part of the bathroom. I have already put up a shower curtain, which mostly keeps the other bathroom fixtures dry, but water seeps all over the floor during showers. There is 30 cm of clearing between the floor and some plumbing by the wall. The distance between the walls is 114 cm. I would like to put some kind of barrier in this space to contain the water. The shower curtain goes to about 6 cm above the floor, although this is adjustable.<br> <br> The landlord will not come to fix this personally, but has authorized me to find some kind of solution. It occurs to me that there should be a simple solution to this, but it's been very hard to find any tips online.<br> <br> I'd rather not put up a whole shower cabinet. How can I make something DIY that is reliable, simple, effective and hygienic? (Or at least three of these),2014:site.257898 Fri, 28 Feb 2014 03:33:54 -0800 barrier bathroom diy shower watereverywhereimdrowning wetfloor Aiwen Is it possible to build and maintain a live moss table? I have a metal tray-style table I'd love to fill with moss. The tray is about 1.5" deep. My livingroom is pretty bright but my bedroom is dark. My questions for you are: 1) How do I install the moss? 2) Where do I put it? 3) How do I maintain it? Do I need a clear surface over the moss to contain moisture or can I rely on regular watering/misting? 4) If the moss won't work, are there other low/small similar plants I can substitute with?,2014:site.257739 Tue, 25 Feb 2014 09:37:31 -0800 design DIY gardening interior moss table qzar Painting the inside of glass that will have liquid in it Is there any way to paint or otherwise color the inside of a glass spray bottle that will have liquid (perfume) in it?,2014:site.257611 Sun, 23 Feb 2014 06:40:46 -0800 bottles diy glass paint ferdinandcc Simple, no-maintenance content portal for non-profit I need to create a simple portal with links to our own content, which will consist mostly of text documents--hand outs for people who don't speak English as a native language. Should I use a CMS or just build it by hand? My site is hosted via Godaddy, and I have access to Cpanel. Something like Drupal feels like overkill, and Wordpress would require a lot of tweaking. I know 1990's-era html--should I just throw something together by hand, or is there an easy-to-install CMS out there I should be using?,2014:site.257602 Sat, 22 Feb 2014 22:36:21 -0800 diy html portal mecran01 Help me keep things clean and dry For reasons, I have to pull a stackable washer/dryer set out of the closet it's installed in, and I have to do it by myself. I want to learn from your mistakes. The door is taller than the stack, so I can remove them as a unit if I prefer. Here are the complications:<br> <br> 1. The units are almost exactly the width of the doorframe (with the door removed); I witnessed the installation, so I know the units will fit, but <em>barely</em>;<br> <br> 2. There is no room whatsoever to squeeze/reach around to the back of the units for disconnecting, and no access panels, so I can only climb the stack and hang down the back of the units. In theory I can unstack the dryer first (so I don't have to reach down as far) but it's just me and I haven't been able to find a rental AllDolly or similar to pull it out onto;<br> <br> 3. Assuming I manage to disconnect it and use an appliance dolly to pull both units out, it'll be onto a hardwood floor. My assumption is that the drain and water lines are the only places where water will leak, but I fear I'll park 'em off to the side and move 'em the next day only to find a huge puddle and a ruined wooden floor.<br> <br> If you've been through something like this and have some tips, please advise.,2014:site.257111 Thu, 13 Feb 2014 14:46:44 -0800 appliance diy doityourself dolly dryer moving washer davejay VCR Ate My Copy of The Half-Assed Approach to Foundation Repair The decades-old parging/plaster on our basement walls is scabby and peeling. The concrete itself is crumbly in places and there are a couple of cracks. It seems to me that the solution to my problem is to remove the old parging/plaster, fill the cracks with hydraulic cement, and patch the crumbly parts. But I'm less clear on the hows, whys, and whens. I guess my options for removing the old parging/plaster are using a solvent to dissolve it or a wire brush. Not a fan of the solvent, due to ventilation issues and our cats, so I'm leaning towards cordoning sections of the wall with poly sheeting to keep dust from getting everywhere, putting on a respirator, and scouring it. <br> <br> Question 1: Is there a good time of the year to do that, or optimal conditions, temperature/humidity-wise? It's currently 15C in the basement, and around -20C outside. Will that make the cement more fragile if subjected to scrubbing, or make the crumbly parts crumblier? <br> <br> Question 2: In a similar vein, what are the optimal conditions for applying hydraulic cement to cracks? Cold/dry, or hot/humid?<br> <br> Question 3: Cleaning/clearing out the crumbly areas and patching. Would hydraulic cement also be the thing to use here? Does it require driving some spikes into the wall to give the patch material something to hold onto, or do you use some sort of lath, which would presumably also need to be anchored?<br> <br> Question 4: What do we do after that's all done? Due to the smaller space and layout, it's not likely we'd be able to put any sort of code-approved bedroom down there, but it would be nice to not have it looking like a dungeon. Should a new coat of parging or sealant be applied to the walls, or a membrane so moisture doesn't get trapped in the concrete (Presumably the cause of the crumbliness), or a product like DRIcore's wall application? <br> <br> Miscellaneous Basement Facts, Many of Which Are Probably Negligible, But If I Knew What Was Relevant And What Wasn't I Probably Wouldn't Be Asking My Question In The First Place:<br> <br> - House is 100 years old<br> - 3/4 style basement with a crawl space<br> - Walls are poured concrete, about 7' high<br> - It looks as though the house originally rested on the ground, or was much closer to it, and at some point was jacked up and the 2' to 3' that's above ground was added to it<br> - Frost line here is considered 6' minimum, soil composition mostly clay I think<br> - Despite the below ground part of the walls only being 4' to 5' high, the 2' depth of the sump hole leads me to assume that the footers/floor are a similar depth/thickness, which gives a total depth of approximately 7' <br> - No evidence of shifting <br> - Sump hole only has one outlet, presumably it drains to the storm sewer<br> - No backflow valve <br> - No weeping tile/french drain<br> - Cracks in basement wall correspond to a downspout on the exterior wall that drained right beside the house; when we moved in I attached another length of downspout to direct water away, and there hasn't been any water since<br> - Presumably no membrane on exterior of basement walls, any coating that's been applied is probably long gone<br> - We run a dehumidifier in the summer,2014:site.256852 Sun, 09 Feb 2014 17:00:33 -0800 Basement DIY Foundation HandMeMyPatchingTrowelBoy Renovation Repair Alvy Ampersand Fast moving water is best So, apparently some manufactorers make it so that you can easily remove the flow restrictor from a lot of shower heads, increasing the flow so that it has good pressure.... Uh, which ones? Our current showerhead looks god awful but my husband won't let me replace it unless I ensure it will be as high pressure as our current crap one. First, yes I know exactly why those flow restrictors are there. I know about wasting water and the environment etc. We take short showers and are very environmentally conscious. I beg you, spare the environmental lecture. <br> <br> The issue here is that the old/current showerhead looks absolutely terrible and I can't stand it anymore. It is an old TingleKing, but is yellowed and stained and just disgusting looking despite repeated attempts at cleaning. I want to get a new one that looks nicer and has different settings. My husband is fine with that, but ONLY if the new shower has good pressure like the junk TingleKing. <br> <br> <br> No, I don't want to get a new TingleKing. <br> No, I don't believe you that any low-flow showerheads are able to be high pressure enough to satisfy. <br> No, I don't want to pay an arm and a leg. ($50ish or less is preferable)<br> <br> <br> I just want to know which showerheads have easily removable flow restrictors (I don't want to have to drill to open the flow up), which one will give us the best result. Best case it would be easily found at our local HomeDepot. Our well is artesian and has incredible pressure and flow. Lets make the most of that.<br> <br> <br> <br> NOTE: I really like removeable hand-held types, but I worry that even with the flow restrictor removed the long hose would reduce the pressure...?,2014:site.256724 Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:46:54 -0800 bathroom DIY flow pressure showerhead PuppetMcSockerson My porcelain sink (and tub) have a problem We have very hard water and it has a tendancy to stain stuff pretty quickly. The area of the sink and the tub just below the faucets are an endless battle. The only thing that has ever been able to get those stains out has been bleach, but now the bleach has only made things worse because they stain even MORE quickly. It really looks terrible. Help me fix my sink and tub so that we don't look like Grubby McSlobbersons. I think (am almost positive) the enamel has been damaged and it is now really porous and stain-happy. The sink is by far the worst of the two because it has a tendancy to drip if the faucet handles aren't turned off in exactly the right position. No, I can't replace the sink faucet. However, the sink is the priority for me to solve especially since that is what guests tend to see. I don't want to buy a new sink or tub, nor do I want to have to resurface the entire sink or tub. All I want is a way to protect the areas under the faucets to keep them from staining so quickly. I keep thinking something like a wax would maybe work, but I frankly have no clue. I have seen sink repair kits, but they are both really expensive and time consuming - we only have one bathroom in our house so having the sink and/or tub be not usable for a few days while it cures isn't an option. So I am back to something like a wax...? I'd be fine with having to reapply or touch up a couple times a month if need be. So cheap, moderately effective, and easy to do are things I'm looking for.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> ..and yes I have learned my lesson about bleach on porcelain...,2014:site.256297 Fri, 31 Jan 2014 06:51:06 -0800 bathroom DIY enamel eww hard sink stain water PuppetMcSockerson Headphone amp for Sennheiser 555s and mp3s--worthwhile? I've been thinking about building this little <a href="">Altoid tin headphone amp kit</a> for listening with my <a href="">Sennheiser 555s.</a> Granted, the point of building the kit is, well, building the kit--but given the limitations of a (cheap) kit-built design and the fact that I listen exclusively to mp3s on my iPhone or Mac, will there be a perceptible improvement in sound from the cans? Is there more to the sound of my mp3s that I might not be hearing just driving the Sennheisers with the juice from the iPhone's or Mac's headphone jack that would merit stepping up the signal with the little amp?,2014:site.256107 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 09:31:16 -0800 altoids amp amplification audio diy headphones iphone jdslabs kit mp3 quality sennheiser Admiral Haddock Just use the epoxy caulk after sanding the lead paint down to bare wood After spending like six hours reading labels and talking to hardware store staff, I turn to you, AskMe. How do I patch these holes and smooth these posts in my front porch columns before painting (but after priming)? I am dealing with:<br> <br> 1. A rotted out area (2" in d, sloping down to 1" depth)<br> 2. Nail heads (some where the nail metal is still exposed, some where it's primed over)<br> 3. That pressure-treated lumber look<br> 4. Unevenness due to partial scraping<br> 5. Gaps between the vertical and horizontal pieces of the railing<br> 6. A weird triangular gap about 2-3" per side and maybe 3" deep where three railings meet<br> <br> I don't want to scrape down to bare wood. Someone back in 1890 or whatever painted these posts with lead paint. Most of the actual paint seems to have been removed, but the exposed wood tests positive. To be safe and comply with our reading of current California law, we paid a lead certified crew to scrape any peeling paint and prime it. The prep work leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, but now the whole thing is primed and should stay that way. <br> <br> My question is: what product should I use for the tasks above? My (likely wrong) guesses are below:<br> 1-3 Crawford's painters putty?<br> 4 A few coats of Sherwin Williams Peel Stop (high build) primer?<br> 5. Some paintable exterior caulking<br> 6. Prime some random wood, screw it in, and put caulking around it (or live with it)<br> <br> What do you think? Is there anything faster drying than Crawford's that I can use for 1-3, since it's supposed to rain soon? Thanks!,2014:site.256080 Mon, 27 Jan 2014 20:46:54 -0800 diy painting slidell Help me reupholster leather desk chair I have a leather computer desk chair that I got 2 years ago that I really like and they don't sell it anymore, it is very ergonomic. I have tried out other chairs and not found one as good. The leather has torn in several places and I need to reupholster it. I don't want to take it somewhere to be reupholstered becasue a) I don't have the money and B) I would have nothing to sit on while it is in the shop. The thing is I don't know anything about reupholstering , let alone what looks somewhat complicated due to all the panels, in it. I have made a video showing in detail the chair, and the problems with it. I will be very grateful to anyone who can help with with this. <a href=";">This is the video</a>.,2014:site.256026 Mon, 27 Jan 2014 02:45:31 -0800 chair craft diy furniture glue leather reupholster sewing vinyl john123357 What can I safely cover my ugly wall furnace with? My "Williams 30,000 BTU Natural Gas Direct-Vent Wall Furnace" is an eyesore and I'd love to build my own custom cover for it, but is that safe? Can I only use metal or can I use wood? I'd have a friend build it since I don't know much about it, but I'm wondering what I can do to hide or replace it. BTW I rent my apartment, so any changes I make should technically be reversible. <a href="">Link</a> for reference.,2014:site.255944 Sat, 25 Jan 2014 14:05:07 -0800 cover DIY furnace heater home improvement radiator qzar Every 3000 Miles We'll Screw You Over After some frustrating dealings with the local Jiffy Lube, I want to be able to handle some car maintenance stuff myself. What should I be able to handle? Oil changes are what prompted this, and the only thing I need to worry about with that is what hi do with the old oil.<br> <br> I don't have car experience, but I know my way around tools and I'm not an idiot.<br> <br> The parts store down the street has a series of books about how to work on different models, including my Jeep Liberty. Are those usually something good to have as a resource? I don't mind paying for something over YouTube if it means keeping my phone safe/clean.<br> <br> In addition to what can I handle, I'm also wondering what is just worth having someone else do. Like how there's no reason to install my own battery since everyone who sells will do it for free. Or things where I'd end up paying more for parts myself than someone else's parts+labor since I don't get the same deals a garage gets when purchasing.,2014:site.255748 Tue, 21 Jan 2014 20:12:29 -0800 car diy fix maintenance menmenmenmen theichibun Who makes a door like this? I would like to take the <a href="">massive sliding doors</a> off my closet, but they seem to be some sort of old-fashioned non-removable monsters. Since they're so big it's a pain to see more than 25% of my clothes at a time, which seems like unnecessary complication.. They're not attached to the rail at the bottom, but the <a href="">top rail</a> is so tightly fastened that I can't just lift the doors up and off, as most of the online advice seems to be. I tried to unscrew the <a href="">front door</a> and just angle it out of the the closet frame, but whatever piece is holding it to the roller extends so far into the door that I wasn't able to pull it out. (Now of course I am not having luck at re-screwing the door into the roller, so that's a fun situation). Anyone dealt with this type of door before? I'm renting the apartment, so ideally I'd like to just prop the doors against the bedroom wall or something and hang a curtain in front of the closet. So I can't destroy the doors or anything. Although I have been tempted.,2014:site.255121 Fri, 10 Jan 2014 21:26:00 -0800 closet diy door homeimprovement remove resolved lockstitch Low-VOC cabinet refinishing for dummies. A question about how to refinish my cabinets, in a kitten-friendly (low VOC) way? Apologies in advance, as I'm new to furniture / wood stuff and think I'm missing something obvious. Kitten pictures inside. I have cabinets that previously had a shiny, honey-colored, "<a href="">builders</a> <a href="">oak</a>" finish.<br> <br> I was planning to paint them white. But while sanding them, I came to really like the way the wood itself looks while covered in sawdust. The counter is dark green (tunis green? <a href="">this</a>), and the grayish wood looked better than any white I've tried. But now I'm not sure how to get that look.<br> <br> The main priority is that it look somewhat modern, not too yellow-orange or too shiny. Here are a few pictures I like: left half <a href="">here</a>, or darker like <a href="">this</a>, <a href="">also okay</a>, <a href="">grayish brown</a>, <a href="">you get the idea</a>. Ultimately, this does need to be stain-proof and durable, as this unit will turn into a rental in a few years. <br> <br> So far, I have removed the doors and hinges, washed everything with TSP equivalent, given everything a quick sanding down with 80-grit, primed most of the doors (oops!), and tested a few whites on the back of a few doors (oops again!). Tips on a healthy way to strip that primer back off would be helpful. The first picture <a href="">linked above</a> is not far from how the un-primed stuff looks now, but when I wipe it with a tack cloth, it starts to look yellow-ish again.<br> <br> To add to the difficulty, I want to go low-VOC on this, as the poor <a href="">kitten has probably injested</a> enough wood-related chemicals already. This rules out Dura Supreme, for instance, at 500 g/L.<br> <br> I tried this <a href="">Rubio Monocoat</a> stuff, and it seemed to do very little. My friend pointed out that the grain still seemed to be sealed, and sure enough, when we sanded the heck out of it, the Monocoat had a different effect. But since I was using the white Monocoat stuff, the effect it then had was to make the grain lighter, which isn't my goal. That said, maybe I just need to try a different <a href="">Monocoat color</a> (like aqua? top row, second from the left)? But is there an option that would let me avoid 6 more hours of sanding and taking 1/8" off of everything? I feel like I'm missing an obvious, easy solution. Thank you for any advice from me and the <a href="">kitten</a>!,2014:site.254769 Sat, 04 Jan 2014 22:46:22 -0800 cabinets DIY lumber refinishing shelving stain staining VOCs wood slidell What would be involved in converting an old SUV into an electric vehicle This is just a thought experiment at this point, and probably will remain so. In the back of my mind I have the idea that when my old SUV finally gives up the ghost I might rip out the internal combustion drivetrain and convert it to an electric vehicle, possibly with a removable range-extender generator. Setting practicality aside for the moment, can you help me envision what this would involve? So I'm already pretty sure that this idea is something that will never be practical to actually do, but nevertheless it's been itching at the back of my mind and I wanted to query the hivemind so that I could get a fuller picture of what all would be entailed and what the end result might look like.<br> <br> I have an old SUV, a '94 4Runner, much beloved. It has lots of good points but fuel efficiency is not one of them, so I am often thinking about ways to make it into a more efficient and environmentally-friendly vehicle. The nuclear option, obviously, would be to tear out everything related to the internal combustion engine and retrofit the truck as an electric vehicle. I realize that this is the sort of thing that is more of a hobby activity for people with advanced mechanical and fabrication skills than a practical transportation option, but it's fun to think about. <br> <br> In my mind, this is something I would do after some important and expensive component (i.e. the engine or transmission) finally dies and a retrofit is therefore a little bit more practical (assuming the rest of the car is still in good shape). I'm curious as to what would be involved as far as time, expense, equipment, parts, design, etc. The whole deal. I know only the vaguest stuff about this sort of thing, which is why I'm tapping AskMe's collective expertise.<br> <br> The rough plan, as I envision it, would be to remove the engine and possibly the transmission, along with the gas tank and all the associated support hardware for same. I would then drop in a big ol' electric motor (not sure whether it would make sense to attach it to the existing automatic transmission, or put in a new one, or go direct drive or what) and install a big bank of lithium ion batteries under the carpet of the cargo area and/or in the area under the car previously occupied by the gas tank. It would charge from a 240v house line. I have no idea whether trying to implement a regenerative braking system would be at all sensible.<br> <br> I also have the idea of putting an insulated box in the cargo area, with exhaust and intake ports, into which I could place a generator if I wanted to extend the vehicle's range and/or have portable charging capability. The normal (un-assisted) range for the vehicle would only need to be maybe 30 miles a day (mostly city driving, short bursts on the highway) with an 8-10 hour overnight charge, but the goal would be to extend it to maybe 100-200 miles with the generator installed.<br> <br> So, setting aside the fact that this is probably not something that it will ever make sense for me to attempt, how would you go about doing something like this? What do you envision as the major hurdles? What gaping holes are there in my plan, and what haven't I thought of? I'd love to hear your thoughts about this.,2014:site.254653 Thu, 02 Jan 2014 15:29:36 -0800 car cars diy electric electriccar electriccars electricity electricvehicle electricvehicles environment gas gasmileage gasoline mpg SUV SUVs thoughtexperiment truck trucks Scientist I need to find a substance with the following physical properties: I need to find a substance that is : a) transparent over the visible or infrared, b) melts between 10 and 100 degrees C c) has modest freeze/melt expansion e)is at least a bit volatile in the liquid phase. I need to find a material that is :<br> <br> a) transparent over the visible and infrared, or at least infrared, both when solid and when liquid.<br> <br> b) melts between 10 and 100 degrees C. The lower bound matters and is pretty firm, the upper bound is more flexible. Really it's just a matter of convenience and the desire to avoid complications caused by thermal expansion caused at higher temperatures.<br> <br> c) Does not have a particularly large expansion or contraction upon melting or freezing, 0.7% or less is good, some paraffin waxes are roughly this (they are not transparent, though). <br> <br> d)Is not terribly toxic, although I can manage some toxicity.<br> <br> e)is volatile enough in the liquid phase that we can remove it by vacuum pumping to reduce the ambient pressure, then boiling it away.<br> <br> What I want to do with it is to selectively melt out a void from a block of material using a cone of light to selectively heat areas inside the block under computer control, carefully remove the remaining liquid, and then fill the resulting void with plaster, allow the plaster to set, then remove the remaining transparent material, so you have a custom cast. <br> <br> I will read comments on the viablility of this process and am of course interested in talking about it some other time, but right now I am really only looking for the material, as the details look promising in other regards, upon close inspection.<br> <br> Water would be ok, except for the large freeze melt volume change, darn it. We can add calcium chloride to the plaster so it can set at a little bit below zero degrees... but it's better not to, because it affects the accuracy of the process, most likely.<br> <br> There's gotta be some material or another that has this. Benzene might be ok. Camphor, oxalic acid. There's gotta be something better, though. Something like water that is relatively easy to handle and stuff. <br> <br> I'm doing this out of the local hacker space here in Ottawa, it is a sort of art project, but if the accuracy of the process can be pushed, it could be used a bit like a 3d printer.,2013:site.253519 Wed, 11 Dec 2013 13:23:21 -0800 3d art casting diy materials printing selection Nish ton What are some "open source" or "free-to-print" games? Card Against Humanity is famously available as a <a href="">PDF</a> to download and print your own copy of the game for free. What are some other games that do this as well? I love the idea of a library of games that we can build ourselves, customize as we wish, etc, etc.,2013:site.253408 Mon, 09 Dec 2013 15:15:39 -0800 boardgames diy games opensource o2b Please help me fix my bathtub We had our bathroom completely renovated 2 years ago. A couple of issues have gradually developed, that I don't think are serious enough to call in the contractor to repair, and I'm happy to do the work myself if it's easy enough, so I'm looking for advice on how best to proceed. The rest of my family will be away for a week over the holidays so I could do the work early that week and allow it time to dry/set, while I use the other tiny bathroom.<br> <br> Specific product recommendations and/or online resources to learn how to do this stuff would be much appreciated.<br> <br> Issue 1) There is a narrow ledge next to the tub, on which the grout between the tile and the rounded corner has opened up. <a href="">Picture</a> - this is a close-up, the crack is 1mm wide at most, but as water drips onto the ledge when we step out of the bath/shower, I'm worried about water getting in there.<br> <br> Is there an easy way to just fill this in to protect it? The tub has jets so the vibration may be causing this, in which case I may need to re-fill it occasionally. All the other tiles and grout look fine.<br> <br> Issue 2) Some of the silicon (?) caulking around the tub has started to pull up. <a href="">Picture.</a> Again, if it goes much further water could start to get in. <br> <br> I did recaulk the old tub a long time ago before the renovation and I don't think I did a particularly good job - it was messy, particularly in the corners, and seemed to start pulling up relatively quickly. I'd like to learn how to do it well and have it last as long as possible. How often should I be expecting to recaulk around the tub?,2013:site.253385 Mon, 09 Dec 2013 07:43:37 -0800 bathtub caulking diy grout homerenovation Resolved tile valleys Halp! The grout is setting too fast. Started a mosiac project and now I need the grout to stop setting. Weeks ago, we laid out a mosaic backsplash and then stared at it for weeks and then finally glued the pieces down. And waited two more weeks and then finally started grouting it. Took us a while to get the hang of the whole thing and last night we were just overwhelmed so we went to bed without properly cleaning up. So lots and lots of pieces have grout dried on them. I just spent an hour with a toothbrush and a cup of vinegar scrubbing them off, but this is clearly a huge project and there's no way I can finish it right now.<br> <br> Is there anything I can do to retard the grout setting? <br> <br> Will I still be able to get it off with vinegar and a toothbrush tonight? Tomorrow?,2013:site.253383 Mon, 09 Dec 2013 07:19:01 -0800 diy grout home improvement mosaic resolved amandabee