49
votes
Straighten a piece of metal with very limited tools and skill
Bend it back
Here is how you could do it. Find a flat stone or brick. Use it to pinch the bent part against flat ground. Stand on the stone or have a helper stand on it.
The part on the handle will ...
- 6,593
36
votes
Accepted
What is this metal rail in the basement ceiling
This is a load-bearing I-beam. This beam is holding up your house, so as long as it's well secured, you should be able to add an extra 80 lbs to it. They make mounting brackets specifically for ...
- 1,084
27
votes
Name for a partially-circular metal clasp that fits into an indentation in a tube
The clips that you are referring to are called snap rings in North America.
- 231
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 ...
- 129k
26
votes
How can I drill through small thin hardened steel wrenches?
With a sharp drill, oil and patience, or with carbide. But Why make a hole?
- 8,767
25
votes
Accepted
Name for a partially-circular metal clasp that fits into an indentation in a tube
That is called a "circlip" and can be removed or positioned with special pliers made for them. They come in internal and external varieties. What you have pictured are internal. Some circlip pliers ...
- 27.7k
22
votes
What is this metal rail in the basement ceiling
Your beam ends in the middle of the room, being supported by a post. This is weird and atypical. I am afraid only the person who implemented this solution could speak of it's purpose and strength.
...
- 1,650
19
votes
What metal is most suitable for a ladder submerged in an underground water tank?
Stainless steel is the obvious choice. Which exact grade is probably more dependent on what you can easily find than what the "most perfect for the job" grade might be, but 316 or 316L would be high ...
- 201k
18
votes
How to remove welded metal hinges from gate?
Angle grinder is the common way. Cut/grind the welds off.
A cutting torch does a nice job.
A saw(hand or powered) with a metal cutting blade is another way, but one of the slowest.
Can also try a ...
- 22.8k
18
votes
Accepted
Attach wheels to hollow metal table legs
You just buy the right casters.
What you need are "expanding stem mount" aka "expansion mount" casters, which are designed to insert into tubes, then be tightened to expand a ...
- 201k
15
votes
Accepted
Why is there 4 inches of metal at on each side of this column?
The metal that you are detecting is probably the metal studs that are in each corner of the column. From the picture it looks like that column is also sheathed in drywall and so there may very well be ...
- 64.1k
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.
...
- 14.2k
15
votes
How can I drill through small thin hardened steel wrenches?
A challenge at home. Good tools are hardened to near Rockwell C hardness 40. Cheap tools can be much softer. A professional machine shop can drill up to HRC 40 , so they could slowly do it. You have a ...
- 8,271
14
votes
How to remove welded metal hinges from gate?
If you lift the door, it will come off the frame.
Then use a angle grinder with cutting blade to carefully cut off the welded part.
Go slowly so as not to make a hole while removing the welded part.
- 16.9k
13
votes
How can I drill through small thin hardened steel wrenches?
Without cutting fluid chances are you melted the cutting edges of your bit. Use a sharp bit and any oil you have lying around, along with a slow speed.
- 129k
12
votes
Accepted
How to clean rusty grill grates?
Put them in the grill and get them HOT! Then use a wire brush and scrub the scale and rust off. After that I usually coat them with olive oil but any cooking oil will work.
- 102k
12
votes
Accepted
How can I shorten a reciprocating saw blade?
I just save my broken blades for this.
Clamp it in a vise, where you want it to break off and hit it with a hammer very sharply. It should snap off (make sure the part you want to KEEP is in the vise)...
- 14.8k
12
votes
Accepted
Is this a job for a crowbar?
I would say no don’t use a crowbar unless you are good at repairing/ replacing
brick work. I would grind the head off that or burn it off with a oxy-acetylene torch.
I have put anchors up and use a ...
- 102k
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 ...
11
votes
Is an ethernet cable threaded inside a metal conduit is more protected from electromagnetic interference?
You discovered wrong. Ethernet runs at 100MHz and up, your line voltage at 60Hz is virtually DC at that frequently difference.
With that said, you should still run your data cables in conduit. Not for ...
- 2,289
10
votes
How can I remove paint and rust from a metal 1950s cabinet?
I asked a similar question here:
Preparing an old metal cabinet for painting.
None of the recommended methods really worked out for me, and in the end I used an angle grinder with a scrubbing disk. I ...
- 283
9
votes
What is this metal rail in the basement ceiling
It looks like you have two things going on with this
You have a large opening in your basement. If you look to the left side of your first photo, you can see what looks like framing for a doorway. ...
- 24.2k
9
votes
Accepted
How to drill a 0.75" hole in metal
For a hole of that size or larger a hole saw might be an easier method as it removes less material and may be more likely to stay centered due to its pilot bit.
However using the more standard bit ...
- 5,435
9
votes
How to repair large drywall section?
Should I try to cut out so both the existing and the new drywall will
touch half of the metal stud on each side? And put in screws on both
sides?
Yes that is an effective way to do it.
Another ...
- 13.5k
9
votes
Is EMT or PVC more durable under a porch that gets rain?
Steel EMT will rust over time in a buried environment with moisture where PVC will last virtually forever unless it's exposed to sunlight.
I'd go with PVC which is also likely to be less expensive.
- 23.1k
9
votes
Accepted
How can I drill through small thin hardened steel wrenches?
Anneal The Butt of the Wrench First
When you view this question in the general since of "how to I drill steel that is too hard to drill with the tools I have", annealing it first is one ...
- 206
9
votes
How to remove welded metal hinges from gate?
I would take a punch and mallet and see if you can't tap out the pins.
Mallet, not a hammer. We don't use hammers on punches because the steel in a hammer is too hard and can chip upon impact causing ...
- 370
8
votes
Accepted
Identify strange wall fixing
I believe that is called a spring pin anchor or express nail
To remove it, I'd try these:
or any nail puller.
Spraying some Liquid Wrench or other light lubricant might make it easier to pull ...
- 25k
8
votes
How can I attach a draft seal/excluder to a garage door
Your drill should definitely handle a 2 mm drill bit. Make sure it's a drill made for metal. Use a nail and hammer to countersink the hole. Then follow with the drill. I have always used a drop or two ...
- 78.7k
8
votes
Is an ethernet cable threaded inside a metal conduit is more protected from electromagnetic interference?
Speaking as somebody who's spent much more time messing around with networks and power cables than with bricks and beams: keep them moderately separated but don't go full paranoid.
Power cables are ...
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