August 22, 2007
Sprinkling a small pile of dead leaves with Toro's Leaf Lock--a product that claims to reduce scattering by "forming a thin shell that hold leaves in place"--did not produce the hair gel-like helmet I had hoped for.
But perhaps I wanted too much: I picked up one leaf off the corner and expected to be able to lift the whole pile.
MoreAugust 21, 2007
I doubt any other pedestrians passing by this painting crew stopped to ask permission to shoot a photograph of their buckets.
But I had to share a pro painting tip that's often overlooked on the DIY level--you've got to dip your roller into a bucket, rolling out the loose paint onto a bucket grid.
Forget the tray, I say.
MoreAugust 20, 2007
I think even the most formal of dining rooms, with the Aqua Chandelier floating overhead, would feel more like a octopus’ garden way deep down in Ringoland.
The undersea connection for the designer, Jeffrey Goodman of jGoodDesign, is his Jersey Shore childhood. Each hand-blown glass bubble contains three tiny mini blobs that refract (and re-refract) light in an aquatic shimmer. Think sunlight bouncing off the ocean.
August 17, 2007
Is the Fubar worth it? We were wondering the same thing. But Toolmonger shows their 23rd use for it: opening a beer. [Make] and [Toolmonger]
And that pair of washers the government bought for $1 million? Those, legally, were not worth it. [Gizmodo]
Everybody, it seems, has a story about the high-limb tree saw. Discussion continues apace. [Toolmonger]
Even less safe: how to combine a chain saw and a wheelbarrow. You know, for drag-racing. [Gizmodo]
And, in case you were wondering, here's how to make your own sandblaster. [Instructables]
MoreAugust 17, 2007
Poring through the piles of knobs, rosettes, escutcheons, and spindles, I could easily believe what I had just learned about Olde Good Things: they got their start doing doorknobs, and doorknobs only.
They certainly have their share, and it took a couple of hours of rosette rejiggering and set screw surgery before I finally settled on these two brass beauties. I plan to use them as actual doorknobs, so the store set me up with spindle adapters, which will allow the knob sets (built for mortise locks) to fit a new door.
Old knobs can do more than just open doors, though. Get more ideas after the jump.
MoreAugust 16, 2007
Researching stories on shatter-proof windows, we've seen our share of cannons firing 2x4s into the glass at 34 feet per second. The test footage is always fun to watch, but its lab-like sterility and static shooting style usually lacks a little cinematic flair.
The video above, a promo for Armorcoat Window Films, changes all that. With a haunting score and percussion crashing in time with the shattered windows, the short film climaxes with shots of ballooning glass that look straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
And the Oscar for Best Fenestration Documentary goes to...
MoreAugust 15, 2007
A teacher confronts a student outside the men's room near the end of the 1987 comedy classic "Summer School." The kid's been missing since the first day of class.
Teacher: Where you been?
Student: Men's room.
Teacher: For six weeks?
Student: My zipper got stuck.
A zany line, certainly, but it raises a larger question: what kind of lubricant should the kid have had on hand to free the stuck zipper?
Hint: it ain't WD-40.
MoreAugust 14, 2007
By now most TOH devotees are familiar with spray foam insulation. Previously we've written about its benefits, and even other (not necessarily insulating) uses for canned polyurethane. The drawback: its flimsy straw applicator leaves me frustrated and with a mess on my hands.
It seems no matter how conservatively I spray, I always finish with too much foam bubbling out, excessive trimming, or the foam drying in the dispensing straw, which always bends inconveniently.
Last weekend, I found a solution: the stiff, 8-inch barrel of Hilti's spray foam gun system.
MoreAugust 10, 2007
This photo of the Hippodrome Theater hangs above the register of my favorite hardware store, New Hippodrome Hardware. The greatest thing about the New Hippodrome--and the reason it always has exactly what I need--is that so much of their merchandise is incredibly old.
MoreAugust 9, 2007
When I bought my Omer 23-gauge headless pinner about five years ago, there weren’t as many choices on the market as there are today. I went for the best tool I could afford (this one was about $265.00) and it's paid for itself many times over.
When the gun arrived, my wife took one look at it and said, in a way that only wives can get away with, “This is what you were so excited about?”
Indeed.
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