54
votes
How can I unscrew the faucet nuts in the tight space behind my sink basin?
This is exactly the purpose of a basin wrench
Here's a picture from familyhandyman.com that shows a basin wrench in action:
Note that as mentioned in another answer, you usually don't need to ...
- 24.5k
49
votes
Accepted
How to keep screws in a hollow door
I would not mount the latch to the door skin. Even if you can attach it well, chances are you'll pull the skin off the door over time. It's not designed to withstand that sort of stress.
Instead, use ...
- 115k
49
votes
Accepted
How do I prevent the bolts in my snow blower rotor from breaking?
The "right kind of bolt" is a shear bolt.
Specifically, the shear bolt your snowblower manufacturer specifies for that location, since not all shear bolts are the same.
It is deliberately ...
- 166k
37
votes
Accepted
How can I unscrew the faucet nuts in the tight space behind my sink basin?
Maybe I'm missing something here but why are you trying to take off those nuts? The washers for the valves are topside. You just have to remove the valve stems to expose and change the washers. If you ...
- 68.6k
33
votes
How to keep screws in a hollow door
In the Netherlands (and other parts of Europe) we use a 'patentbout' for this situation.
The holes are through the entire door and line up with the shields.
- 431
26
votes
Accepted
What is this stake in my yard and can I remove it?
Looks like a run-of-the-mill landscape stake to me. They're used for securing plastic edging, fabric, etc. Could also be a tent peg. It's a horse apiece.
I'd give it a few taps with a hammer to ...
- 115k
21
votes
Accepted
What is this piece of hardware?
They are box connectors for EMT conduit which is used to carry electrical wires.
- 12.3k
21
votes
What are these washers?
It's a serrated lock washer. I've seen them used for two purposes:
Locking the nut in cases of vibration.
Ensuring a electrical bond on painted or corroded metal.
Or, of course, a combination of the ...
- 1,358
20
votes
Accepted
What is the name of this metal bar with holes at the ends?
(so far, other answers don't show something I'd use on a 2x4, hence this answer)
Two of these can go around a 2x4, then bolts run through the holes ... Is there a common application where these ...
- 24k
15
votes
Accepted
What is the name of this Allen-head furniture fastener?
While difficult to tell for sure I think it is an E-Z Lok threaded insert. It consists of a course threaded screw that is inserted into the wood. A pilot hole is drilled and the insert is screwed in ...
- 11.1k
15
votes
What is this stake in my yard and can I remove it?
Most municipalities and counties maintain a central resource of buried utility line locations. Here in New England it's telephone 888-DIG-SAFE. In most of the U.S. you can start with telephone 811.
...
- 13.7k
15
votes
Screw with mixed threads?
That makes a lot of sense to me. The 8-32 threads would hold securely in the metal frame of the lock mechanism itself, while the wood screw portion is just small enough to slide through the metal part ...
14
votes
What is the name of this metal bar with holes at the ends?
In the USA, this has been known as a mending plate for as long as I can recall. I might have learned about the terminology in shop class, it's that old:
A quick google search using those terms ...
- 10.1k
14
votes
Accepted
How can I stop a toilet seat from rapidly loosening?
Nylon is self-lubricating. Even when tight it's very slippery against itself. You'll need to increase friction.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but you could apply some PTFE (Teflon) plumbing tape to ...
- 115k
13
votes
How to bolt something to a wood member when can't access the back side and a carriage bolt won't do
You could install a few of these three prong tee nuts on the back of your board before it's attached to your studs and then bolt the inverter from the front. I'm curious why you'd "feel better" with ...
- 68.6k
12
votes
What is this nut called and can it be removed and reused/replaced?
I wish comments would allow pictures, but what you have is something generically called a "push on fastener" I have to disagree with jsotola, I consider them "barely reusable", ...
- 20.7k
12
votes
What type of black metal can be used as furniture hardware?
What's in the photo is painted.
Any pipe you use will require surface preparation for paint to last a long time and not chip off easily.
Galvanized pipe will require either the galvanizing to be ...
12
votes
Connect 3/8-16 bolts at 90 degrees
Find someone with a drill press and a 3/8-16 tap. Take a cube of steel, drill holes in adjacent faces, and tap them for the thread size.
- 257
12
votes
Screw with mixed threads?
First, you don't want to have screw threads on the latch assembly (the outer of the two things you are screwing together). Otherwise it may bottom out on the latch assembly before it is screwed all ...
11
votes
Accepted
What is the name of a coupling nut with a cutout?
I have no idea why, but an open coupling for a lamp is called a hickey... As in 1/4" IPS Brass Hickey:
I've also seen this sold on some sites as an "open cast coupling" or "open cast hickey".
- 27.1k
11
votes
Connect 3/8-16 bolts at 90 degrees
Pipe thread and screw thread are different even if you could find the right size elbow. What you might have to do is take a threaded coupler or two and have them welded together.
I've never seen a ...
- 27.1k
9
votes
Accepted
What type of bolt is only threaded at the tip
It is called a shoulder bolt. You will probably need to try a specialized hardware supplier. In the US, Fastenal or McMaster-Carr come to mind as far as national outfits.
With this type of hardware, ...
- 4,877
8
votes
Accepted
Need Help Identifying Strap Securing Dryer Vent Hose
I've typically just seen that called metal strapping or steel strapping.
Home depot sells a similar thing in their ventilation accessories section, and they call it 'perforated metal hanger straps': ...
- 6,319
8
votes
Accepted
What type of black metal can be used as furniture hardware?
The black iron ( carbon steel ) pipe comes with "mill varnish". I have never seen an ASTM specification for it. I understand it can be anything a mill wants . Very long ago it was probably ...
- 8,105
7
votes
Request for proper word - "bur?"
That's called peening (Wiki).
TFD – peen, v.t. : 2. to enlarge, straighten, or smooth with a peen.
I would like to know how to go about [peening] over the end of the stick tang onto the material ...
- 13.1k
7
votes
What is the name of this Allen-head furniture fastener?
It's a countersink style bolt or screw that comes with the ubiquitous Swedish "assemble-it-yourself" furniture and now some knock-off Ikea copycat furniture. If you look in the fastener section of ...
- 33.8k
7
votes
Accepted
How to bolt something to a wood member when can't access the back side and a carriage bolt won't do
maybe use some unistrut instead of wood.
- 17.5k
7
votes
Accepted
Connect 3/8-16 bolts at 90 degrees
One approach that might work is to use an angle bracket at each corner, held to the threaded rod with two 3/8" nuts on each end.
- 3,345
6
votes
What is the name of this metal bar with holes at the ends?
It's not going to have a standard name. It performs different roles in different applications, where it receives semantic names. It's just a bar or strap that's bored for fasteners.
For example, ...
- 115k
6
votes
How do I remove this Schlage double-cylinder deadbolt with no visible screws?
Those are just metal "caps" that push into the screw heads..
The screws are located under those metal "pins"
The metal pins are actually screws that have metal caps pushed into them so they look ...
- 73
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