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Handy people, doing handy things. [DIY/Repair]

SticksSticks I'd rather bein bed.Registered User regular
Thanks to the internet, anyone can be a handy man these days. Even me.

Do you know what a dryer heating assembly is? Me neither! But I just replaced the one on our dryer thanks to youtube and some handy appliance repair websites. All it took was a little research, a $20 part, and asking my wife politely if I could borrow her tool set. Provided I don't accidentally burn the house down, that was much cheaper than calling a service man out or buying a new dryer (my wife's suggestion). Plus I learned stuff!

So, now I feel like a manly man, and want to discuss repairing things and general DIY-iness.

What have you fixed at your house lately? Where do you go when you don't know HOW to fix something? Has anything surprised you by being much easier (or tougher) than you expected to fix?

Get those hands dirty, SE++.

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Posts

  • BogeyBogey I'm back, baby! Santa Monica, CAModerator Mod Emeritus
    edited January 2013
    Hello, thread!

    I've done a lot of the kitchen remodel for our condo these last couple of months. We had the new quartz counters professionally installed, but I got to install the new sink and faucet, as well as reinstall the garbage disposal and plumbing. Then I installed a glass tile backsplash on two sides. All that's left now is to sand down and refinish all of the cabinets, plus put in new hinges and handles. :)

    Edit - I got all my info from the Internet and asking loads of questions from specialists at Home Depot and Lowes.

    Bogey on
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  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    I replaced my windshield wipers on Monday

    does that count

  • SticksSticks I'd rather be in bed.Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    Survey says? Yes, yes it does.

    Honestly, car maintenance is one of those areas where it feels like everyone should know how to do the basics. Especially us guys. Especially, especially us guys who had "car guys" for fathers. And yet, I never learned most of it.

    It wasn't until last summer that I learned how to check my damn air filter.

    Sticks on
  • mullymully Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    @bombardier thread

    he sanded our kitchen table
    he put all this .. stuff near our fireplace to protect and organize the wires
    he is constantly fixing and improving things

    mully on
  • Sara LynnSara Lynn I can handle myself. Registered User regular
    I make Annie fix everything. Why else would you even live with another person?

  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    Sticks wrote: »
    asking my wife politely if I could borrow her tool set

    Highfiving your wife

  • UrielUriel Registered User regular
    I fixed my old NES by disassembling it and cleaning the pin connector.

  • WeaverWeaver Breakfast Witch Hashus BrowniusRegistered User regular
    I'd like to hang some cabinets in here but I don't think the only wall I could use even has any studs in it and I know the drywall won't support the weight.

  • DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
    why the fuck do people still make screws that are not robertson

    every time I have to deal with a fucking phillips I tear myself in half in rage

    0BnD8l3.gif
  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    When I eventually get a new entertainment center, I am going to tidy the fuck out of it.

  • SticksSticks I'd rather be in bed.Registered User regular
    Usagi wrote: »
    Sticks wrote: »
    asking my wife politely if I could borrow her tool set

    Highfiving your wife

    She has all of our tools that aren't specifically computer related. Circular saw, cordless drill, anything that is loud and makes a mess basically.

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  • SticksSticks I'd rather be in bed.Registered User regular
    My father-in-law does a ton of wood working. He made the nightstands for our bedroom out of red oak and they are pretty dang nice.

    I think it would be cool to get into that one day, but we'd need a garage first (at the very least, he has his own workshop detached from the house).

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  • fightinfilipinofightinfilipino Angry as Hell #BLMRegistered User regular
    i just built an HTPC for our apartment living room, mainly so we can watch Blu Rays and Netflix and Hulu. does that count?

    ffNewSig.png
    steam | Dokkan: 868846562
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  • SticksSticks I'd rather be in bed.Registered User regular
    i just built an HTPC for our apartment living room, mainly so we can watch Blu Rays and Netflix and Hulu. does that count?

    Absolutely! Computers are the one thing that I'm truly handy with, and they are easily one of the most important things in my house. So building and repairing them should definitely count towards being handy.

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  • SticksSticks I'd rather be in bed.Registered User regular
    That's heavy duty. But I suppose people are going to be standing on it (?), so it needs to be.

  • fightinfilipinofightinfilipino Angry as Hell #BLMRegistered User regular
    also, i spent this Christmas at my gf's parents' house, and while i was there, i accidentally snapped the flush arm on a toilet. to be fair, the flush arm was one of the old school plastic kind and was due for snapping any day.

    after helping them pick out the correct replacement part at a Lowe's (a metal, corrosion-resistant flush arm) and installing it, the gf's mom considered me with a little bit of awe.

    nothing like impressing your significant other's parents.

    ffNewSig.png
    steam | Dokkan: 868846562
  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    I worked in custom building and construction for fourteen years. I don't miss it!

    That said it is useful.

    Once we move I'm going to build a custom gaming table. To use by myself. :/

    Anywho. Checking in as a manly man here with many scars and fracture lines to prove it.

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  • msuitepyonmsuitepyon Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    I've been doing a lot of work on my and my wife's cars--maintenance stuff.

    Since we bought a house, I've been doing stuff--replacing light fixtures, painting, and stuff. It's exciting. I want to get into some huge stuff like pulling down drywall, remodeling shit.

    EDIT: My wife reminded me after I told her about this thread that I just got a subscription to This Old House magazine. :D

    msuitepyon on
  • LuvTheMonkeyLuvTheMonkey High Sierra Serenade Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    My friends and I do DIY electronics projects. Amongst other things we have done (separately or together):

    A flood alarm for your basement, from a hacked up smoke detector
    A Bluetooth-based automatic doorbell (with custom rings for each person)
    A MP3 player you can wave your hand over in the air to change volume and pause/next track (as mentioned in a different thread)
    A serial interface into an old garage door opener
    Those music synched Christmas lights that were all the rage a couple years back

    We have had grand plans to launch a space balloon the past couple years, but real life keeps interfering. We'll get it off the ground here soon! Also I am building a DIY sous vide controller this spring.

    LuvTheMonkey on
    Molten variables hiss and roar. On my mind-forge, I hammer them into the greatsword Epistemology. Many are my foes this night.
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  • monsterrormonsterror HEY ASSBUTT Registered User regular
    I think I've decided I'm going to start buying a bunch of planks from Home Depot and start making furniture. Nothing fancy, just simple stuff.

  • VALVEjunkieVALVEjunkie Registered User regular
    I just got done reorganizing the routers and rewiring the house with cat5! can't wait to rip it all out and replace it with cat6 in a few months. 8->

  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    If and when my Boxee Box conks out or we need another HTPC I am totally planning to pick up a RaspberryPi unit with a VESA mount and make it into a nice little home theater setup. I already have a rough sketch in my head of what I'd need on it (the RaspberryPi-flavor of XBMC, Sickbeard, SAB, etc) just haven't needed to.

  • Dead LegendDead Legend Registered User regular
    002.jpg

    003.jpg

    bad pictures, but mostly good table i built.

    diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
  • monsterrormonsterror HEY ASSBUTT Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    I am also considering getting a RaspberryPi for a project.

    I want to attach it to my front door on the deadbolt. Then, I would have it scan my local network for my phone's static IP, maybe a ping test every 2 minutes or something. Once it picks it up, I want the door to unlock automatically. While it is seeing my phone, I would probably change the ping test to scan every 15-20 minutes. If it doesn't see the phone, then it locks back up.

    I'm not sure how well this will work, but its just an idea.

    Of course I would lock/unlock my door manually still, but it would be pretty neat.

    monsterror on
  • godmodegodmode Southeast JapanRegistered User regular
    edited January 2013
    I cut up some carpet this weekend
    Scrubbed some blood out of the floor
    Washed out of the trunk of my car
    Dug a hole out in the woods
    Let's see, what else...

    godmode on
  • SticksSticks I'd rather be in bed.Registered User regular
    That reminds me. Does anyone have any good suggestions for taming the mass of wires behind my desk? That is something I need to get taken care of because it is a damn mess back there.

  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    monsterror wrote: »
    I am also considering getting a RaspberryPi for a project.

    I want to attach it to my front door on the deadbolt. Then, I would have it scan my local network for my phone's static IP, maybe a ping test every 2 minutes or something. Once it picks it up, I want the door to unlock automatically. While it is seeing my phone, I would probably change the ping test to scan every 15-20 minutes. If it doesn't see the phone, then it locks back up.

    I'm not sure how well this will work, but its just an idea.

    Of course I would lock/unlock my door manually still, but it would be pretty neat.

    What happens at night

  • monsterrormonsterror HEY ASSBUTT Registered User regular
    Smart Hero wrote: »
    monsterror wrote: »
    I am also considering getting a RaspberryPi for a project.

    I want to attach it to my front door on the deadbolt. Then, I would have it scan my local network for my phone's static IP, maybe a ping test every 2 minutes or something. Once it picks it up, I want the door to unlock automatically. While it is seeing my phone, I would probably change the ping test to scan every 15-20 minutes. If it doesn't see the phone, then it locks back up.

    I'm not sure how well this will work, but its just an idea.

    Of course I would lock/unlock my door manually still, but it would be pretty neat.

    What happens at night

    I lock both of my deadbolts like a normal person.

  • Dead LegendDead Legend Registered User regular
    Sticks wrote: »
    That reminds me. Does anyone have any good suggestions for taming the mass of wires behind my desk? That is something I need to get taken care of because it is a damn mess back there.

    zip ties?

    bundle the ones that are in common areas, like monitor/keyboard/mouse etc.

    diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    I used gorilla glue today to fix one of my Malaysian masks

    Seems to be working

    That's uhh, kind of handy, right?

    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • SticksSticks I'd rather be in bed.Registered User regular
    Sticks wrote: »
    That reminds me. Does anyone have any good suggestions for taming the mass of wires behind my desk? That is something I need to get taken care of because it is a damn mess back there.

    zip ties?

    bundle the ones that are in common areas, like monitor/keyboard/mouse etc.

    Yea, I can definitely tie up the slack on a lot of the wires (and probably should), but there isn't much bundling to be done because so few of the wires are running in the same direction. Honestly, that is probably my big problem with it: there is too much stuff on my desk to easily organize.

  • monsterrormonsterror HEY ASSBUTT Registered User regular
    I think the hardest part of my project will be to find a way for the RaspberryPi to attach to the lock and manipulate it.

    Also making it so it wont try to lock the door when it is already locked, or vice versa.

  • Virgil_Leads_YouVirgil_Leads_You Proud Father House GardenerRegistered User regular
    I pretty much go here whenever I'm searching for handyman or how to videos.
    It's a pretty good resource!

    VayBJ4e.png
  • ChicoBlueChicoBlue Registered User regular
    I once replaced the handle/rod in a toilet.

    And I recently built a bunch of very tall shelving units in an autoparts warehouse.

    That's it. That's all I have ever done in my life.

  • ProjeckProjeck Registered User regular
    Oghulk wrote: »
    also I'm looking into making a small wooden key, but I don't really have any tools to do so with (note that the handle would be circular as opposed to something square)

    any idea what I could use to make this with that I either may have in the garage (the corded drill is the only electrical tool I currently own) or I could get for very cheap (sub $50)?

    I would use a combination of a band saw and hand carving with a knife/chisel to form a key

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