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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 ...
  • 6,553
36 votes
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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 ...
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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.
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26 votes
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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 ...
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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?
  • 8,294
25 votes
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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 ...
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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. ...
  • 1,640
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 ...
  • 166k
18 votes
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How to make small wheels with minimum equipment (No lathe)

A hole saw. Nice and round, complete with a center hole.
  • 166k
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 ...
  • 17k
18 votes
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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 ...
  • 166k
15 votes
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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 ...
  • 62.8k
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. ...
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 ...
  • 8,105
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.
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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.
  • 115k
12 votes
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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.
  • 101k
12 votes
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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)...
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12 votes
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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 ...
  • 101k
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 ...
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10 votes
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What can I use as a bowl for a DIY fire bowl/pit?

I have played with various fire pit options in my backyard for 15 years. I have tons and tons of trees and yard waste and try to burn most or turn it into compost. I have grabbed the saucers from ...
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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 ...
9 votes

What can I use as a bowl for a DIY fire bowl/pit?

The internal bowl/barrel of an old washing machine works well for an above-ground solution - the holes around the sides allow the embers to breathe well and help to radiate heat. You can add legs as ...
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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. ...
  • 22.6k
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 ...
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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 ...
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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.
  • 22.7k
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 ...
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 ...
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