Tip for the week

[stewart woodParticipant @stewartwood82335]

Sort out the little black book that holds all your pass words , and remember to have it with you before you sit down with the iPad.

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

Sort out the little black book that holds all your pass words , and remember to have it with you before you sit down with the iPad.

Better still – use a password manager KeePass is a good one, and its free. There are variants for Windows, Mac, and Android.

Edited By JasonB on 01/07/2016 09:49:40

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The black book does have the advantage over Keepass etc in that it contains the security number that lets you into the device in the first place

[Anonymous]

I use surgical tweezers with curved tips, to extract splinters. If I need to start digging I use a scalpel. I have multiple sets of the tweezers, as I use them for holding surface mount components when prototyping circuits.

Andrew

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Tweezers, needles, scalpel, stanley knife… I've been paring away a corn on my heel for several days with a modelling knife.

I like Jason's calliper idea, they meet much better than most tweezers.

Neil

[Anonymous]

Medical tweezers have pretty good alignment. And anyway I don't have any digital calipers; I prefer to use micrometers.

Andrew

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Andrew Johnston on 01/07/2016 11:30:36:

Medical tweezers have pretty good alignment. And anyway I don't have any digital calipers; I prefer to use micrometers.

It's an ideal use for vernier callipers

[MM57Participant @mm57]

Better still – use a password manager KeePass is a good one, and its free. There are variants for Windows, Mac, and Android.

Edited By JasonB on 01/07/2016 09:49:40

Yes, I use it extensively, but be (obviously) aware that if you lose the file it stores them in/the PC dies etc you've lost all your passwords.

One mitigating action is to put the password file into your Dropbox folder (other cloud solutions exist) so it's stored offsite as well – yes, cloud is insecure blah blah blah, but I don't put my really valuable (and mentally remembered) passwords in it anyway.

The other mitigation is to use Keepass for ease-of-use (simple copy-paste of passwords to where you need them) and a black book as the master copy

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Back to splinter removal, a pal of mine who owned a bike shop picked up plenty in his hands, and he had medical-quality tweezers with an attached magnifying glass. Does anyone know where I can get one?

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Mike,

Plenty on Amazon and ebay. But if you're not into that than definitely worth looking in a sewing/fabric/crafting shop.

HTH,

Rod

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Loo rolls both cheap and absorbent, kitchen towel, commercial paper hand towels, phone wipes, old shirts in cotton, rayon, wool mix, etc All have different properties for different tasks.
I use old Christmas cards and some card packaging eg easter egg box for notes, templates, etc as it is self supporting and more robust than paper.
The bottom few inches of milk bottles are obvious containers but gentle warming can stretch one so it fits over another to make a full lidded box.

If you want to do the straw blowing trick this thread started with get an old ball point pen tube and heat it up with a paint stripper. Then you can stretch and bend it into a thin tube that doesn't blow the swarf back in your face.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I actually use a razor blade/ window scraper thin blade to dig splinters out, does the job, i'm not frightened of cutting tools so it's ok. You always remember you're in control of what you remove so it's not that dangerous so long as you keep that in mind.

Michael W

[Mike JosephParticipant @mikejoseph75242]

Splinters? Use a spade – just chop off the affected part.

I now resemble the Venus de Milo.

[Mike JosephParticipant @mikejoseph75242]

Without the b**bs

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

When I was a kid my dad swore by Yellow Basilicon for 'drawing' splinters. My needle-fearing wife uses magnesium sulphate.

Neil

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I keep all my passwords in a password protected excel file, I keep it backed up but my biggest problem is remembering the file password

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by martin perman on 01/07/2016 18:47:28:

I keep all my passwords in a password protected excel file, I keep it backed up but my biggest problem is remembering the file password

.

Post it here, Martin … Then one of us can remind you

MichaelG.

[Ian WelfordParticipant @ianwelford58739]

film pots ( remember them) for mixing flux and small batches of epoxy.

Rather than New Skin get some spray plaster, once muck is cleaned off you can rapidl;y cover the area and it's painless(unlike new skin!). Steri strips are useful to seal deep cuts quickly then a plaster over the top.

I keep iodine spray (brands are savlon dry or Betadine spray) in the workshop for rapid antiseptic cover.

Friends nicknames and ages make good passwords and are harder to forget! Enemies nicknames are even better!

[peak4Participant @peak4]

A copy of last years phone book or yellow pages.

Put it on the bench when you need a clean dust free surface, such as re-building car brake cylinders etc. When it gets dirty, pull the page out and go onto the next one.

Also useful when filling a bearing with grease, no need to clean up afterwards, just throw the page away and move on.

Spare clean pages also useful for putting under stuff on the milling table to save it sliding round.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Good tip I'm sure be we haven't had a copy of either the phone book or yellow pages for years and years!

Norman

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Having worked in the printing trade I can guarantee that paper is the dustiest thing ever invented

Roy

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I dunno Roy, anyone worked in a sawdust factory?

I think he means the laminate side but given how little i've picked up a yellow pages, mines got to be at least 1 inch thick layered with dust. 

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 01/07/2016 23:09:22

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Posted by roy entwistle on 01/07/2016 21:55:56:

Having worked in the printing trade I can guarantee that paper is the dustiest thing ever invented

Roy

Well, everything's relative, and inside a phone book is probably the cleanest thing in my workshop.

Well barring a cup of tea anyway, and even then only the top half, especially if I've been angle grinding.

I've been searching the local charity shops for one of those pottery imitation beer steins with the pewter lid for ages,but can't seem to find one anywhere round our way.

[Peter KroghParticipant @peterkrogh76576]

Those product cards that come in magazines? Approx. 3" x 5"? Gather up a stack and staple 'em together. Perfect for mixing small amounts of epoxy… tear off and toss to get a new surface.

Pete

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

Any advice on a 'wash proof' plaster which stays on after getting damp?

[Author]

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