HOLIDAY GIFT SUGGESTION! SHE NEEDS THIS!!!

Frank L. Di Gioia

True Classic
If holiday shopping has you in a quandary I suggest this unique gift. Very reasonably priced at Harbor Freight Tools she's sure to like it! Has other uses also, possibly jewelry....
DSCI0959.JPG
 
How do you guys stay married? o_O

Just a suggestion on the pictured ultrasonic cleaner. Quite some time back I wanted to try a US unit so I bought one just like that. Being made of plastic, I found out (the hard way) that it will not hold up to even water based degreaser cleaning solutions. Evidently the US action creates a lot of vapors, because even the outside housing started falling apart after a few uses. I tried to patch it back together but more and more it kept disintegrating. At one point I even made a steel frame to hold just the essential components so I could continue to use it, but that also did not last long. Finally I bought one that is completely stainless steel. It is much larger capacity, has more control features, and offerers a significantly greater amount of US and heating action. I've used some rather harsh chemicals and solvents in it with no ill effect. Definitely worth the additional cost if you plan to use it more than a couple of times. The one I got was the lowest priced unit from China I could find (for its size/features), and is still holding up like new. So I recommend giving that plastic one to your wife for her jewelry and getting a more robust one for your garage. They do wonders at cleaning parts, wish I had one years ago. The plastic one should be fine with just distilled water or maybe a little soap, but nothing more aggressive.

As for the dishwasher. I've often thought about getting one for the garage. How did it do with cleaning larger parts?

By the way. The "Crock Pot" makes a great hot solvent tank for small items. Just trying to help out you married guys a little more.
 
While we've veered off into the use of kitchen utensils in the garage - a FryDaddy makes a great bearing heater upper. The're a typical $5 garage sale or thrift shop item.
 
I had to Google it to see what a FryDaddy was (I don't eat fried foods). Do you use oil and heat the bearing in the oil? For precision or delicate parts I like indirect heating like this rather than a torch.
 
How do you guys stay married? o_O

Just a suggestion on the pictured ultrasonic cleaner. Quite some time back I wanted to try a US unit so I bought one just like that. Being made of plastic, I found out (the hard way) that it will not hold up to even water based degreaser cleaning solutions. Evidently the US action creates a lot of vapors, because even the outside housing started falling apart after a few uses. I tried to patch it back together but more and more it kept disintegrating. At one point I even made a steel frame to hold just the essential components so I could continue to use it, but that also did not last long. Finally I bought one that is completely stainless steel. It is much larger capacity, has more control features, and offerers a significantly greater amount of US and heating action. I've used some rather harsh chemicals and solvents in it with no ill effect. Definitely worth the additional cost if you plan to use it more than a couple of times. The one I got was the lowest priced unit from China I could find (for its size/features), and is still holding up like new. So I recommend giving that plastic one to your wife for her jewelry and getting a more robust one for your garage. They do wonders at cleaning parts, wish I had one years ago. The plastic one should be fine with just distilled water or maybe a little soap, but nothing more aggressive.

As for the dishwasher. I've often thought about getting one for the garage. How did it do with cleaning larger parts?

By the way. The "Crock Pot" makes a great hot solvent tank for small items. Just trying to help out you married guys a little more.

I tried the dishwasher for some larger grime covered parts. Can't remember exactly what but it did a fair job of transferring the oil based dirt to the sides of the dishwasher where it stayed. TSP did a fair job of removing it from there with a lot of elbow grease. A used stainless steel dishwasher might be perfect! I was wondering how the plastic parts cleaner would hold up to solvent as I hadn't tried anything stronger that the jewelry cleaning powder on the carb parts. Thanks for saving me from having to buy another as it works quite well on rings and other intricate jewelry items. If I was ever going to restore another car I'd get the larger cleaner you're talking about. But I swore in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, and last year to NEVER restore another car. That doesn't include the occasional motorcycle... I need to look up what a FryDaddy is also. Cheers!
 
Actually that has been another advantage to getting the larger SS ultrasound cleaner; when I go through the carbs on old motorcycles I can put all of the carb pieces for all of the carbs in it at one time, rather than having to run a few batches in the smaller cleaning unit. Seems like it was a little over a hundred dollars, so it really depends how often you would use it.
 
How do you guys stay married? o_O

You are a responsible man Doc so you do not need a woman to constantly supervise you unlike it is obvious others here do.

Women like to nurture so when we less responsible types pull something, our significant others will fuss at us then secretly think "he is so dam cute, what would he do with out me" and learn to put up with us.

When I was first married one source of contention was missing Tupperware.
Great for nuts and bolts and larger containers for oil.

To solve the missing kitchen utensil dilemma my sweetheart had me open charge accounts at NAPA,the hardware store and lumber yard, then she just pays the bills at the end of each month.
She used to do the same with my bar tab but that is another story.

When ever I pulled an adorable guy thing in my twenties my wife would say I'll give you till 30 and at 30 until 40 and so on.
Now in my 70's and a few months shy of our 50th she is saying the jury is still out.

The cool thing about this forum is we can share these wonderful ideas that will further endear us to our spouses.

A joke...

A couple was shopping at the mall and got separated.
The wife calls her husband on the cell and asks where he is.
The husband said, You remember that jewelry store we was in years ago and you feel in love with that necklace we couldn't afford and I said someday I will get it for you?
With tears welling in her eyes she said yes.
The husband said "I'm in the gun store right next door"'
 
I had to Google it to see what a FryDaddy was (I don't eat fried foods). Do you use oil and heat the bearing in the oil? For precision or delicate parts I like indirect heating like this rather than a torch.
Yes, heat the bearing in oil. Common practice. The Fry Daddy (and Fry Baby) enjoyed a brief stint as a go-to gift item, much like a George Foreman sandwich grill or a bread maker. Like you many folks avoid fried foods, that's one reason they are found used - cheap. Now if we could only figure out how to use a bread maker in the garage...
 
Now if we could only figure out how to use a bread maker in the garage...
And a George Foreman Grill.

Heating the oil to heat the bearing makes sense. Not knowing what the fryer was I wasn't sure how it could be used.
I have a electric cooker that is kind of like a crock pot but much larger, all metal, and has a temp control that can get much hotter (I think 500*). I believe it might be referred to as a turkey cooker, not sure. But I've used it to heat larger volumes of liquids for similar purposes, with bigger parts. It was found at a thrift store for a couple dollars, similar to what you describe. Have to admit that a couple of times when I've gone there to drop off donations I'll stop and take a quick look around. Rather amazing what can be found for almost nothing. Saw a set of four really nice looking custom alloy wheels for $20.

Funny how many kitchen appliances make good garage equipment. A electric oven works well for several processes; curing powder coat or ceramic coating, slightly preheat items before painting, cooking off contaminants prior to certain processes, forming plastics, expanding parts while the opposite mating item is in the freezer, etc. Once in college I wanted to do a quick black spray paint coating of something but it was very cold out and the cheap can of spray paint wasn't going on well. So I decided to warm the can a little in the kitchen ovn. After being distracted for a moment I heard a loud bang. Yes, the inside of the oven was now black instead of grey. Fortunately I never used the oven before or after that.
 
When in your 20s you assume your ideal woman will share your hobbies and interests, mine will go to the races with me when I race my motorcycles, will love to go for rides with me on my street bike and think sports cars are cool. But love gets in the way and you marry someone who thinks cars are appliances, racetracks with porta potties are a non-starter, guys walking around in racing leathers in 90 degree heat are morons and there are much better ways to spend my paycheck than on bikes and cars...although we did go on rides on the street bike and even commuted to work on my CBX till she was three months pregnant with our first child. That was over 30 years ago and nothing much has changed other than putting an end to motorcycles for me in the late 90s and she might go for rides in a spider but won't eve walk near my X.
 
Carl,
We undestand the wife. In this forum we all know your X1/9 and most of us wouldn't walk in the same driveway it is parked. I'm also sure relatives are making détours to come to your place to be sure to come in DOWNHILL in case cars riding alone could go after them.
 
I'm sure the only reason any of my girlfriends would go watch me race was because they were secretly hoping I would not survive, leaving everything I had to them. Silly girls, I don't have anything to leave behind.
 
And a George Foreman Grill.

Heating the oil to heat the bearing makes sense. Not knowing what the fryer was I wasn't sure how it could be used.
I have a electric cooker that is kind of like a crock pot but much larger, all metal, and has a temp control that can get much hotter (I think 500*). I believe it might be referred to as a turkey cooker, not sure. But I've used it to heat larger volumes of liquids for similar purposes, with bigger parts. It was found at a thrift store for a couple dollars, similar to what you describe. Have to admit that a couple of times when I've gone there to drop off donations I'll stop and take a quick look around. Rather amazing what can be found for almost nothing. Saw a set of four really nice looking custom alloy wheels for $20.

Funny how many kitchen appliances make good garage equipment. A electric oven works well for several processes; curing powder coat or ceramic coating, slightly preheat items before painting, cooking off contaminants prior to certain processes, forming plastics, expanding parts while the opposite mating item is in the freezer, etc. Once in college I wanted to do a quick black spray paint coating of something but it was very cold out and the cheap can of spray paint wasn't going on well. So I decided to warm the can a little in the kitchen ovn. After being distracted for a moment I heard a loud bang. Yes, the inside of the oven was now black instead of grey. Fortunately I never used the oven before or after that.
I use cake and cookie pans for many things like cleaning parts.
 
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