Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| A handyperson's fix-it |
|---|
| Haniff |
| 08/20/01 at 03:17:25 |
| Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh [center]A handyperson's fix-it By Anis Siddiqi[/center] To fix those uneven legs of a chair, add some putty to the end of the shortest leg until it is even. Shape the putty and paint it to match the other legs. To replace a loose drawer knob, remove the knob and fill the enlarged screw hole with a sliver of wood (you can use a matchstick) that has been dipped in glue, and screw the knob in again. You can remove a small rust spot with a typing eraser. For harder ones, rub with a steel wool pad dipped in kerosene. When nailing into plaster, warm the nail first. The plaster won't chip when the nails are warm. To drive nails without hammering your fingers, hold the nail with a bobby pin and strike away! Or stick the nail in a piece of modeling clay and hammer then wipe away the clay. Keep nails handy while hammering by putting a rubber band around the hammer handle up near the head and put the nails in between the band and the wood. They're ready when you need them and no more swallowing nails! If you want a knot to last forever, dip it into glue or shellac, or put a drip of glue on the knot. To make odd-sized rubber bands for odd jobs, cut up those discarded rubber gloves. When plastering, add a teaspoon of vinegar to a quart of plaster so it won't harden before you finish the job. To take the scratches out of plastic, rub it with liquid brass polish. Let it set for a minute, then rub it off. The scratches will disappear. When your chinaware cracks, strengthen it by boiling it in sweet milk for an hour. The dish will be stronger and the crack will barely show. Cover up small scratches on painted wood by picking out the right color magic marker and running it over the scratch. The scratch will disappear. To patch up scratches on enamel, fill in the scratches with a color crayon and then cover it over with wax. Use rubber cement to repair canvas. To move furniture without breaking your back or ruining the floors, lift up the edges and put rollerskates underneath. Take them away when the furniture is where you want it to be. Or put small rugs under the comers of the furniture and slide it into place. Or put an old sock under each leg of the furniture, then slide. Or stick the legs into milk cartons and slide. You can easily fix loose drawer pulls by unscrewing the pull, putting a washer on the screw and then screwing it back in. To repair a zipper that has been jammed with lint or thread, take a straight pin and slowly remove every trace. If the teeth of the zipper are broken near the bottom, simply sew the end of the zipper closed and make it a little shorter. To loosen a rusty bolt, pour kerosene over the bolt and try to turn it counterclockwise with a close fitting wrench. If the holes in your gas stove are plugged, remove the deposits in the holes by using a pipe cleaner. Or soak it for several hours in baking soda and hot water. Then scrub and replace. When your pot and pan handles come off, replace them by using iron cement. To fix drawers that stick because of dampness, apply heat with an electric heater or blanket. Heat will cause the wood to shrink and the drawer will slide smoothly again. If the cabinet doors in the kitchen won't close, put some tape on the edge of the door where it can't be seen, and the door will close. To make a real strong bond when gluing objects together, mix a few steel-wool shavings in with the glue. [i]Arab News -28 April 1995[/i] Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Haniff (with 2 f's) |
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