If you were to review your shop inventory this winter, here’s what shop guru Dan Anderson suggests.
Odds and ends that may help around the shop:
- Tired of rivets spinning when you drill them out? Put a piece of duct tape over the rivet head and surrounding metal, then drill through the tape into the center of the rivet. The duct tape does a great job keeping the rivet head from spinning. This works even if you’ve already tried to drill the rivet and it started to spin. Duct tape to the rescue..again.
- Got a half-moon key that wants to tilt out of position when you slide a pulley or sheave over it? Use a small center punch to put several small “craters” on the flat sides of the key, then use a hammer to gently tap the “thicker” key into its groove in the shaft.
- Vaseline or “white grease” lightly smeared on electrical connectors can help them resist moisture and make them easier to couple/uncouple. Yes, those products are technically non-conductive, but it’s the metal-to-metal contact achieved when the connector’s metal pins rub against each other that transfers electricity.
- When buying drill bits, read labels carefully. “Black oxide” and “titanium” are coatings applied to standard High Speed Steel (HSS) drill bits to reduce friction. Once that coating has worn away, they’re back to being plain old HSS drill bits. “Molybdenum” refers to the actual metal of the drill bit. Molybdenum bits are tougher than HSS bits, but also more expensive.
- Need to drill stainless steel? First, select a molybdenum or other high-quality drill bit. Second, once you start drilling in stainless, don’t stop till the hole is finished. Drilling stainless creates rapid, intense heat, and if drilling is temporarily stopped, the heat “soaks” into the bottom of the hole and hardens the metal.
Read more from Dan Anderson:
Dan Anderson: MIG Welding Tips
Dan Anderson: The Devil is in the Details
