Lidl vacuums

[Phil Pascoe]

A tip for saving bags - they are very loosely gummed at the bottom, they can be teased apart. When empty get a couple of small pieces of wood and a small spring clamp, fold, put a piece of wood (only needs be 20mm x 10mm x 100mm or so) either side put the clamp on and replace.

 

[MrTeroo]

That's brilliant.

Hope this is the start of a Top Tips thread.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Funny, I started "101 uses for a glue gun" ... Maybe we could do a general tips, or something more specific such as uses for isopropyl alcohol? Time savers? Money savers? It might be wise to be a little more specific as it would be easier to reference.
I must admit I didn't think to save money here, so much as to reuse something that is apparently quite difficult to source - although I don't suppose being difficult to source they will be cheap.

 

[MrTeroo]

Here's a tip I picked up from my luthier when I was watching him work on one of my guitars.

Spray mount some sand / glass paper around a piece of 2 x 4 and keep it on your bench as a stationary sanding block to rub against.

Possibly everyone already knows this but it has been very useful for me.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Jinx!!

I also have a friend who's a luthier and while in my workshop some years ago, he had me glue 3 separate grades of sandpaper strips on a block of wood He then went and put feeler gauges next to it so I thought hey ho, this is likely to be a bit more precise than my usual stuff!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I mentioned a similar one on another thread. For rough shaping get a strip of very coarse abrasive a couple of feet long, cut it down lengthways to fit around a broomstick and glue it on. It's surprising how quick it is and how long it lasts.
An extension of your tip above is to get some small mouldings and glue fine wet and dry to it for polishing small metalwork and jewellery. If you use a something like an ogee architrave shape it has a nice gentle internal curve, and take a very, very light shaving off it so you can get into a square corner. Do various grits for proper polishing.
Another is to get a carpet tile and stick it (pva) to a piece of waste ply or MDF and cut down on a bandsaw to make sanding blocks. There is just enough "give" in the carpet if you use a hard one or a cord, a bit more with a softer carpet. I've used them for 30+ years - I make a dozen or so every five years or thereabouts.

Is it worth editing the title of this thread to something more appropriate? it might have been done before?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Jinx!!

I also have a friend who's a luthier and while in my workshop some years ago, he had me glue 3 separate grades of sandpaper strips on a block of wood He then went and put feeler gauges next to it so I thought hey ho, this is likely to be a bit more precise than my usual stuff!

I thought you were going to say he did as a friend did years ago - he used emery to clean the rust off his feeler gauges. :?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Another is to glue strips of fine emery, AO or wet and dry to lollipop sticks, a bit like women's nail boards. very useful for tiny clean up jobs.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Can I suggest that this gets moved to the Tips forum please?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Good idea - Mods can you oblige, please? The thread's purpose seems to have changed a little.