SHOP TIPS HAND CLEANERS....
In the '50 it was war on the laundry soaps that contained phosphates. They showed, on TV, mountains of suds flooding our water ways and killing the wild life. Also in the 50's I was working on cars and racing. After spending hours up to my arm pits in grease, it came time to clean up and get ready for work the next morning. At that time we discovered that laundry soap was really a neat way to clean up. It was fast and did a good job. After a few years, however, the soap people were forced to go to the enzyme system and this meant the end to using it for hand cleaning and the like. From time to time I would try cleaning with various laundry soaps but no luck. Then one day I happen to try again and man, it was back!. I looked at the label to see which brand I was using and then I noticed the ingredients, phosphates. They were back, after 25-30 years. Anyway, it makes a guy wonder sometimes.
Try it, you'll like it.

SHOP AIR-CONDITIONING....

If your looking for an inexpensive way to cool your shop then you might look into salvaging a condenser unit from a discarded house air conditioner. After cutting away the standard connections and misc. apparatus, I flushed the unit clean and soldered hose connections onto the remaining tubing. I tinned both tubing and hose connectors before soldering. I run water into the unit and out to a sprinkler where I water my trees. The fan on these units are 220 VAC. The water inlet is at the bottom and the outlet is at the top left. I've never done any calculations on the operation but the amount water is small, the tap is just cracked open. I use it in a 20'x40' shop and have gotten a 20 degree temperature drop on a 100 degree day. These conditions are in a semi arid climate and the results may vary. I might also state that I haven't had to provide for any condensation drainage as what condensation that I do get ,is retained in the bottom tray.

FLAME CUTTING WITH PROPANE....
      Propane can be used with your cutting torch as a good substitute for acetylene. The conversion is minor and the results are good. Propane will not achieve the higher temperature as acetylene but acceptable results never the less can be gotten with propane. The problem occurs when cutting heavier sections. As with any cutting operation, the task becomes more difficult as the material thickness increases and also where the operator has difficulty holding a steady torch. Cutting material 1" thick with short lengths of cuts can be successfully achieved. But with longer cuts of say 3"+ in length, the cutting frequently stops if you do not have a steady hand. Cutting lighter sections is less difficult.
    I have used propane for many years because its convenient and less expensive, but when I can, I always use my flame cutting machine that is described elsewhere on the site. Excellent results can be achieved on 2" sections and greater. Basically all that is required is to purchase a propane cutting tip from your cutting gas supplier. I would guess that they sell for around $20 or less. Your fuel regulator gauge unit will connect directly to the propane bottle. Nothing more is required, assuming that you have the 5 gallon propane bottle.
    Using your standard tip with propane does not work very well because you will get an unstable flame but if you must, go on and try it.

SLEEVE BEARINGS....
A good fix on dry and squeaky sleeve bearings is to disassemble, clean and apply graphite and oil. Sleeve bearings can be found in electric motors, fans of all types and in pumps, just to mention a few places. Sometimes a dragging motor bearing will not allow the motor to get up to speed. Pillow blocks on squirrel cage blowers are notorious for rejecting attempts to lubricate once they go dry or age to a point. I apply a coat of oil first and then sprinkle powdered graphite onto both bearing surfaces. Graphite and oil won't make the bearings new but it will buy you some time. In some cases 3-5 years.

OLD MULTI-PURPOSE HAND TOOL....

Shown here is a tool kit that belonged to my uncle. I don't know much about the kit except that it must be close to 80 years old. It's interesting to note that a leather punch was included (center). In those days many things were made out of leather; belts of all kinds, horse harness and other farm equipment.

SPEEDING UP YOUR HOT WATER....
If it seems like, it takes forever to get hot water, then you might try this. Sometimes the hot water heaters are installed in the garage or at places that are long distances from say, the bathroom. If this is the case then here is the fix.

Basically a controllable valve is installed between the hot water line and the drain line near the point where you want the hot water, such as at the bathroom. At a set time the valve opens and dumps water into the drain. After a predetermined time, for example 5 mins, it shuts off and you have hot water there.
You will need a timer and a valve that can be controlled by it. First the valve; find an old/new washing machine water valve. This is the valve near where you connect the hose to. Next the timer; an inexpensive plug-in timer that is sold in the hardware section of discount stores will not do. Most of them can not be set for less than one hour or so. This would be too long for dumping the water. The timer of choice is the X-10 . If you are not familiar with it then you should visit their site.
Shown in the sketch is the required hardware. From left to right; a shut off valve, water hammer tower, controllable valve, tubing, needle valve and clamps. Water hammer will occur when the electric controllable valve closes, thus you will need the tower. The controllable valve will need some minor port plugging such as installing plates and gaskets. You will need an electric outlet near for the X-10 appliance unit and you will have to connect two wires from the valve to it. The needle valve and clamps are probably the best way to connect to your drain line as only a drilled hole is required. Not shown is a gasket that fits under the needle valve. Also you will get a 60 cycle hum when the valve is on. If your are a light sleeper then this will serve as your new alarm clock, telling you it's time to get up and have a hot shower.

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