Thread: We Have Skills Too !!

Welcome to the Old Dinosaurs Club Tom and lots of luck trying to stop with just one lamp.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I have gotten a grip on myself and will be happy with my one heirloom lamp.

I hope!

Tom, you do realize that if you live long enough you become an heirloom yourself? You need to surround yourself with like objects and become the guru on the mountain top watching the ants scurry around while you say, "I told you so.":

HAR! I think I have overdone that already, Richard!

Originally Posted by Benz

Well Roy, I woke up last night close to midnight to take a whiz and the power was out. I said, "Screw it", and went back to bed. This morning at 4 am I got up, lit three Aladdins so I could see to call the power company on my ROTARY phone while I made coffee on my GAS stove. Before the lineman got here my house was toasty warm. When he was through fixing the blown fuse on their side of the line, I invited him inside for a cup of coffee. My Aladdins were still running at full throttle and he was amazed at the heat and light they give. I think I made another convert to early 20th century technology.

Congrats on your most recent Convert but darn 'MY' Luck! I didn't get to use my Aladdins last night The storm really petered out, oh well the time will come.

Don't worry it will happen Roy. Like Allan Funt used to say on Candid Camera---> "Sometime, some where, when you least expect it.....".

As I'd posted here:
https://straightrazorpalace.com/conv...ml#post1817576

I finally purchased a new lawnmower as I didn't feel that putting more money in the old one was a wise decision. A friend of mine is going to see what he can do to get it to run and run right Every Time and then sell it and keep all funds with my blessing.

It's a Craftsman with the KOHLER XT675 Engine. Before assembling I was a 'good boy' and read through the manuals. I found that the gap for the spark plug was supposed to be 0.03 or 0.76mm I decided to just pull the plug and see what the gap actually was. I found that it was 0.26. (More on this to follow) I was still confused So I dropped my buddy Benz a line asking him for some counsel. He figured that there were so Quality Control issues at the factory and the plug probably wasn't set correctly to start with.

So I get to thinking about the 0.76mm but I'm not bilingual with in/mm so I found an online calculator and found that 0.76mm is just a pinch under 0.30 so the factory has a Big Misprint in a Lot of manuals. (that 0.03 is in Every Language in the manual)

Now back to just pulling the plug. For the first time in my adult life I didn't have the correct socket to fit the plug. 5/8" was too small 15/16" was too big. With some trial and error I found that an 11/16" fit. However without the rubber insert the plug flopped around and there is very little 'finger' space to get the plug started so I could use the socket.

Again I got a hold of Benz and he had such an easy solution it wasn't funny. Take an old spark boot and cut it to size and put it in your socket.

Well I didn't have an 'old spark plug boot' but I did have a new one so here's the mini project.



The black line on the blue painter's tape shows where I'd used a Q-tip to put a small line of the contact cement on a flat spot to help hold the boot in place. I didn't apply the cement all around the socket or boot as I might want to remove it down the road.

The smaller socket on the extension was to quickly drive the rubber down to the depth that it needed to be. The two red pieces are spark plug boots/an original one and one cut to fit.





It all worked Great! My thanks to Benz :

Thanks for looking

Glad it worked Roy. I must confess that it's a little shop tip given to me from my Dad when I was a snot nosed kid working for him in his shop.

Here's another one from Dad----> Got a wobble socket that is worn at the joints and flopping all over? Take the spring from an old wheel brake cylinder and wrap it around the joints of your socket. It will hold the socket from flopping and yet remain flexible enough to get in those hard to reach spots.

Makes sense.
I have put them in spark-plug sockets when the rubber wears-out for quite a while now.
Works tons better than a piece of rubber hose.

I just give those worn wobblers back to the Snap-On man!

Still, the spring thing may help to get on some fasteners.

Tom, as often as the Snap-On man comes around these parts, I could be dead by that time.

Yeah...He quit coming around here. Goes to the Mexican fellows across the road once a week.


I got's tools. Trying not to wear them out or break them!
I do have his phone number...
OR I can catch him across the street.