This is a great little gizmo retailing for £40 ($74) at Black & Decker.
“The days when DIY gave you blisters and muscles are fading fast. The 400W Scorpion reciprocating saw comes with three blades (including a jigsaw) to power effortlessly through wood, plastic, PVC and (thin) metal at up to 5000 strokes per minute. And with comfortable polyurethane Gel Tech pads on the grip, your hands should stay soft as your biceps.”
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Posted by Peter Brady on Thu 28th September 2006 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Gadgets
Dust and DIY go hand in hand, but I have often thought that a drill with a built in vacuum might be a good idea. I’m not aware of a product of this nature, retailing anywhere that I know of. Please let me know if you do.
However, the next best thing is a little portable vacuum that you can keep handy as part of your tool kit.
Check out this one from DIYtools:
Retailing for £59.99 ($110) the Black & Decker hand cleaner has a unique pivot nose which locks into 10 positions for awkward areas, it pivots up to 200° for better accessibility. Great little accessory for those times when you need to keep mess to a minimum.
Posted by Peter Brady on Wed 27th September 2006 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Decor
CAUSES
1. Ensure, when using water based paints that your roller or brush isn’t saturated. This can inadvertently dilute the consistency of your paint leaving a thin film rather than a proper coat. This can also occur when using oil based paints with brushes saturated in white spirits or turps.
2. Poor covering of walls is also sometimes the result of poor quality paint, in particular emulsion.
3. Light top coat over dark paint can result in patchy discoloration.
CURES
1. Always put a white undercoat over dark paint, which then gives you a blank canvas for a top coat.
2. Ensure that your brushes and rollers are properly dried off.
3. Buy good quality paint.
Posted by Peter Brady on Tue 26th September 2006 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Gadgets, Plumbing, Tools
Insufficient ventilation is one of the primary causes of damp. Try opening your windows, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens. However, if that is impractical you’re going to need a good quality extractor fan.
Something like this one from DIYtools:
Retailing for £15.95 ($29.50) and described as follows:
• Quick & economical installation.
• Standard model for remote switching. Dimensions 163 x 163 x 30mm.
• Extract rate 85m³hr, 23 litres per second.
Posted by Peter Brady on Mon 25th September 2006 at 07:00 AM, Filed in Decor
CAUSES
1. Wrinkled paint is more often than not caused by applying multiple coats before the wet paint underneath has dried properly. The wet paint underneath seeps solvents that eat away at the top coat which then try to make it to the surface resulting in a wrinkle affect.
CURE
1. Very simple solution. Remove all the paint by chemical stripper or heater - then prime, undercoat, key then gloss - ensuring that each coat is thoroughly dried before the next is reapplied.
