General Craft & DIY discussion

Hello all!

I just started working for a great Disaster Restoration and Cleaning company as a marketing rep so I can use all the DIY tips, and green energy tips I can get to post on our blog. Anything I should feature?

I would be very glad if you would follow our new blog.
http://firstcallnc.blogspot.com/

I have DIY tips up now

Follow options are at the bottom of the blog and left sidebar. Thank you so much!

Hello and thank you for the post.
Anything mod podge/decoupage is fun for office decor.
A former tin can (soup can, etc.) can be covered in fun paper (used wrapping paper, a young child's coloring project, clippings from a magazine, etc.) can make a fun supply container. I recommend Paper Made!.
Let me know if you have any other requests.

(When mod podging a tin can with paper, be sure to cover the opening with thin strips of paper to reduce sharp edges).

Thank you for the tip! I actually saw something like that the other day and saved a picture so I can add it to my Next DIY Office post. I know this blog wont get that much traffic because its for a restoration company but I'm still hoping to do some cool post.

Thank again!

No problem! There are plenty of other projects out there that are quick and easy. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Some quick searches online can find some great DIY activities.

Cassie wrote: "Thank you for the tip! I actually saw something like that the other day and saved a picture so I can add it to my Next DIY Office post. I know this blog wont get that much traffic because its for a..."

I created a folder for metalwork, Sherri. I'll comment there.

Myth busters....that's enough of an endorsement for me to take a look. Those guys are some serious DIYers.

The group bookshelves are for everyone to use. Anyone can add a book to the shelves & I encourage everyone to do so. I've added a few books & shelves. I thought I'd make a shelf for each folder/category we have. Some books belong in more than one category &, as a new group, we probably don't have them all made up, so let me know if I need to add anything.

I just read Growing Up Humming by Mike Spinak. It's a picture book of baby Anna's hummingbirds. WOW!!! Seriously good pics, great explanations. Fantastic for young & old. 5 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Want to make a neat gift for Xmas? I saw these ornaments on Birds & Blooms extras page on FaceBook. They're always coming up with projects. This one is pretty cool. Great instructions.

http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/2013/11...

Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody was a 4 star listen. A New England family move to Colorado to make their living in the early 1900's. While it's told from the point of view of 8 year old Ralph, it's not just a YA book. It is first of a series of 8.

Although this takes place just a century ago, it's an entirely different world. Horsepower, no tractors. No electric, indoor plumbing, or so many of the things we take for granted. As far as I could tell, it was historically accurate.

Ralph's father is quite the handy guy & manages to build or fix all sorts of things. He's quite an inspiration. My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2014 on Goodreads isn't a real book, just a place for all of us to review our reading for 2014. Here's mine
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Here's a DIY project - open your own book shop. You can buy the contents of another, about 400,000 books. Bids starting at $3000 in Lexington, KY.
http://lexington.craigslist.org/bks/5...

Today I went by a local gem and mineral show. I was able to pick up a goodly amount of petrified wood at a reasonable price. If I can identify a genus, it might be cool to inlay polished slices into a modern relative. I also have a few pieces that are about the size of a pen blank. Can petrified wood be turned? Would you use carbide tools, emory cloth or something else?

I have never tried to turn rock or petrified wood. Sounds dangerous, though. I don't know how you could turn it without it shattering.

I looked around and found this:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sho...

Jim, I was wondering if we have a section where people could list websites that might be helpful.
If there is one, could you point it out to me?
If there isn't, maybe start one ?

Here's pictures of furniture made from petrified wood:
www.google.com/search?q=petrified+woo...

Petrified wood is pretty. Cutting slow with a diamond blade sounds about right. Definitely no turning save to polish or grind something close to round.

As for the helpful web sites, that's a good idea. I changed the Catalogs & Magazines topic to include them here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Do you think that's OK?

Jaye wrote: "I looked around and found this:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sho..."

Thank you. The link was very helpful. I like the idea of a pocket knife with polished petrified wood scales. I'll have to keep an eye out for a good pocket knife with broken scales.

I like the furniture. Unfortunately, I don't have any pieces that large. Maybe someday.

Rare Earth Magnets are pretty cool. As the IT department for a company that manufactures sound systems, I get quite a few chances to scavenge them from speakers & hard drives, so I have a pretty good collection. I've never done all that much with them save use them to hold stuff on a metal cabinet I have, but that recently changed.

I have a high necked apron that I wear when I'm turning wood. It's a necessity else I wind up with chips covering me & - worse -
getting into my clothes. That's especially bad when it's not just chips but black ants that come back to life with the warmth of my body! Anyway, the neck & belt of the apron use velcro as closures & that wears out quickly. I've replaced it a couple of times but the new stuff never lasts long.

I slipped a thin, round rare earth magnet behind the velcro on each of the neck pieces & on the side of the apron. I took the velcro off & looped the belt back on itself to sew in the magnet on the end of the belt. It's perfect! The apron has never been so secure. As a bonus, I can toss it at my big lathe & it hangs there ready for the next time I need it.

I'm also using 2 magnets to hold a side panel on to my scroll saw. The pinless blades require a clamp to mount them & when they break, the clamp goes flying. On top, I put a thin piece of wire around the clamp, but I can't do that on the bottom. That clamp can't go too far & usually isn't hard to find, but can be a PITA to find & push out with a stick.

Yesterday, it took an odd bounce & wound up hiding under sawdust way back in the bowels of the saw, so I had to take the side panel off to find it. It's just 3 screws, but I decided I'd spent enough time dealing with it. Leaving it off means sawdust billows out, so I put 2 magnets about the size of a quarter on either end. They're less than 1/4" thick & hold it firmly in place while in use, but it opens easily when I need to dig inside.

The plastic bellows broke on my scroll saw which means the sawdust sits on the line making it tough to see. Bending down to blow it off works, but interrupts the flow. To finish the project I was working on, I jury rigged a connection to my air compressor, but that was definitely a temporary measure since it's loud, way over-powered, & I had to stretch an air hose across the floor of the shop.

My scroll saw is 25 or 30 years old, a 16" Ryobi SC-160, but doesn't have many hours on it. Ryobi doesn't even show it on its site any more. A couple of third parties sell parts for it, but not the bellows which is a cheap little plastic syringe with a spring in it that is pushed by the arm of the saw. It's never been very good. Unless the nozzle was very close to the cut & precisely aimed, it didn't work.

I had the idea to use an aquarium air pump & googled it to see if anyone else had tried it. Oh yeah. Apparently my issue is common. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any idea of what size aquarium pump I should buy & they're so cheap that most don't even come with any sort of rating like cubic inches per minute or something, so it's kind of a moot point, anyway.

The local pet store that is undergoing some remodeling, so out of a lot of stock, but the owner said he thought he had some used ones around. He sold me a tiny one, only a few inches on a side, for $3. I didn't see how I could go wrong at that price & it was a neat place to look around. They have a lot of fish & various reptiles that were fun to look at.

I plugged the pump into a 4 gang box I made up that has a switch & a duplex receptacle in it with a 3' cord I made from a PC power cord. The hose hooked right up & it works far better than the bellows ever did. I just use a different switch to turn the scroll saw on with. If I don't, I'm afraid I'll forget & leave the air pump running. It's super quiet.