General > General Technical Chat
Tricks of the Trade - knowledge for every day life
<< < (18/31) > >>
SeanB:
With the small nail varnish bottles, they also are great for keeping silicone oil in, which is used as a screen protector bubble repair, by simply dabbing a bit by the bubble, which will fill the bubble up again.

Yes they are useful, but the nail varnish by itself is useful as well, I use it as marking for cables, where you put a few dots of different colour at both ends to identify multiple cores of the same colour. Also useful to lock screws and nuts, especially small ones, and for plastic threads that are stripped apply a drop to the hole, and place a small piece of PVC strip that fits the hole in, to make it full. Then close up and leave. Does not work on styrene enclosures, but will fix cracks in them well.

Clothes hangers are very useful as well, the plastic type is great for test lead hangers, and the wire type is good to make assorted holders for one off jobs, like holding epoxy in alignment till it cures. Plastic ear buds can also have a second life if you cut the ends off, and use the shaft to fill in a hole where the original self tapping screw has stripped the thread, it is soft enough to deform and fill the hole.
Psi:
If the only heat-shrink you have is a little too small for what you need.
Get two tiny screwdrivers and insert both shafts through the heat-shrink. You can now force them apart to stretch the heat-shink a bit, 10-50% depending on type.  It tends to return to the original size after a min or two, but long enough to get it over the joint.


Cerebus:

--- Quote from: Psi on December 16, 2021, 02:01:25 pm ---If the only heatshrink you have is a little too small for what you need.
Get two tiny screwdrivers and insert both shafts through the heat shrink. You can now force them apart to stretch the heatshink a bit, 10-50% depending on type.  It tends to return to the original size after a min or two, but long enough to get it over the joint.

--- End quote ---

I initially read that as heatsink instead of heatshrink.

"Stretching the heatsink? With screwdrivers! Who is this guy?"
Berni:

--- Quote from: Cerebus on December 16, 2021, 06:03:24 pm ---I initially read that as heatsink instead of heatshrink.

"Stretching the heatsink? With screwdrivers! Who is this guy?"

--- End quote ---

I read the same at first and was just as confused.

But yeah this is a very useful trick, surprising how far heatshrink can be stretched out beforehand. The other way i do this is slipping it over needlenosed pliers and pulling the pliers open. This works particularly well for when you just need to quickly open up one end of it to help with getting it over something.
Cubdriver:

--- Quote from: Berni on December 16, 2021, 06:15:27 pm ---
--- Quote from: Cerebus on December 16, 2021, 06:03:24 pm ---I initially read that as heatsink instead of heatshrink.

"Stretching the heatsink? With screwdrivers! Who is this guy?"

--- End quote ---

I read the same at first and was just as confused.

But yeah this is a very useful trick, surprising how far heatshrink can be stretched out beforehand. The other way i do this is slipping it over needlenosed pliers and pulling the pliers open. This works particularly well for when you just need to quickly open up one end of it to help with getting it over something.

--- End quote ---

Ha - I three read it as 'heatsink'.  At first I was picturing those circular accordion-style ones for things like TO-5 style transistor packages, but then reread the post and realized my mistake. I never thought of using screwdrivers, buy also use the 'expand it with pliers' trick occasionally.  I like the pliers because they seem more controllable to me, but will remember the screwdrivers for use in a pinch going forward.



-Pat
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...

Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod