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Dumb Home Projects
Sparty_76
Member Posts: 714 ✭✭
What are the dumbest home projects you ever did? Two come to my mind:
1. I tried to solder in a faucet with an inclined water line with water still in the line. I had seen my father in law sweat pipes together and it seemed like a snap. After trying and trying, using up a coil of solder, two hours, and saying many nasty words, I finally asked my neighbor for help. He came over laughed at me, drilled a small hole at the low elbow, sweated the faucet on to the line and soldered up the small hole all in about 5 minutes. I felt pretty stupid.
2. I had never changed drum brakes and had to replace my rear brakes on my old Ford Pickup. I put the truck up on jack stands and took the brakes off both wheels at the same time. As I started to reinstall the brakes I found I did not know what order to reinstall the springs. I grabbed my Chilton's book and the first paragraph it say in bold letters, "Do Not Change Both Brakes at the Same Time, Use One as a Guide to Reinstall the Other!" After several cuts on my fingers and hands, lots and lots of bad words, and pulling out what little hair I have left, words I got the job done but it sure was a hassle!"
Now I read directions before I start projects!
1. I tried to solder in a faucet with an inclined water line with water still in the line. I had seen my father in law sweat pipes together and it seemed like a snap. After trying and trying, using up a coil of solder, two hours, and saying many nasty words, I finally asked my neighbor for help. He came over laughed at me, drilled a small hole at the low elbow, sweated the faucet on to the line and soldered up the small hole all in about 5 minutes. I felt pretty stupid.
2. I had never changed drum brakes and had to replace my rear brakes on my old Ford Pickup. I put the truck up on jack stands and took the brakes off both wheels at the same time. As I started to reinstall the brakes I found I did not know what order to reinstall the springs. I grabbed my Chilton's book and the first paragraph it say in bold letters, "Do Not Change Both Brakes at the Same Time, Use One as a Guide to Reinstall the Other!" After several cuts on my fingers and hands, lots and lots of bad words, and pulling out what little hair I have left, words I got the job done but it sure was a hassle!"
Now I read directions before I start projects!
Comments
Merc
quote:Originally posted by tfitz54
What are the dumbest home projects you ever did? Two come to my mind:
1. I tried to solder in a faucet with an inclined water line with water still in the line. I had seen my father in law sweat pipes together and it seemed like a snap. After trying and trying, using up a coil of solder, two hours, and saying many nasty words, I finally asked my neighbor for help. He came over laughed at me, drilled a small hole at the low elbow, sweated the faucet on to the line and soldered up the small hole all in about 5 minutes. I felt pretty stupid.
2. I had never changed drum brakes and had to replace my rear brakes on my old Ford Pickup. I put the truck up on jack stands and took the brakes off both wheels at the same time. As I started to reinstall the brakes I found I did not know what order to reinstall the springs. I grabbed my Chilton's book and the first paragraph it say in bold letters, "Do Not Change Both Brakes at the Same Time, Use One as a Guide to Reinstall the Other!" After several cuts on my fingers and hands, lots and lots of bad words, and pulling out what little hair I have left, words I got the job done but it sure was a hassle!"
Now I read directions before I start projects!
Easiest way to do the first job is to jam the pipe full of bread. It'll hold the water back long enough to solder the pipe, and will dissolve when you turn the water back on. Works great!
Merc
quote:Originally posted by tfitz54
What are the dumbest home projects you ever did? Two come to my mind:
1. I tried to solder in a faucet with an inclined water line with water still in the line. I had seen my father in law sweat pipes together and it seemed like a snap. After trying and trying, using up a coil of solder, two hours, and saying many nasty words, I finally asked my neighbor for help. He came over laughed at me, drilled a small hole at the low elbow, sweated the faucet on to the line and soldered up the small hole all in about 5 minutes. I felt pretty stupid.
2. I had never changed drum brakes and had to replace my rear brakes on my old Ford Pickup. I put the truck up on jack stands and took the brakes off both wheels at the same time. As I started to reinstall the brakes I found I did not know what order to reinstall the springs. I grabbed my Chilton's book and the first paragraph it say in bold letters, "Do Not Change Both Brakes at the Same Time, Use One as a Guide to Reinstall the Other!" After several cuts on my fingers and hands, lots and lots of bad words, and pulling out what little hair I have left, words I got the job done but it sure was a hassle!"
Now I read directions before I start projects!
YEP. +1000[^][^]
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Building an addition; I carefully planned and budgeted $28,000, estimating seven months to do it. Over $50,000 and four and a half years later....... it is done except for landscaping.
Do you work for the government?
quote:Originally posted by bpost
Building an addition; I carefully planned and budgeted $28,000, estimating seven months to do it. Over $50,000 and four and a half years later....... it is done except for landscaping.
Do you work for the government?thats funny right there[:D]
He built an entire Willys Coupe dragster. Beautify craftsmanship and lots of handmade items and hours and hours of custom machine work. After 4 years of working on the gorgeous car, he decided it was time to take it to the track and test it.
That's when he had to break a hole in his house's foundation, to get it out of his BASEMENT.[:0]
common ford drum brake
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Building an addition; I carefully planned and budgeted $28,000, estimating seven months to do it. Over $50,000 and four and a half years later....... it is done except for landscaping.
So... Y'er STILL Not Done Are ya... [:D]
quote:Originally posted by mlincoln
quote:Originally posted by bpost
Building an addition; I carefully planned and budgeted $28,000, estimating seven months to do it. Over $50,000 and four and a half years later....... it is done except for landscaping.
Do you work for the government?thats funny right there[:D]
[:D][:D][:D]
Makes it much easier to reverse my resulting 'stoopidity' [and that ain't a spellin'error either]...
Take a snap shot of what it's 'supposed' to look like before you take it apart... Helps much.
Then review any available You'Tube videos along with your 'printed picture'.. to assure that it's still doable...
THEN attempt the fix on your own... When you're done... Say "Oh Yeah... I did it... That's right... ME!"
Saves the embarrassing comment to the guy who actually fixes it...
"Yeah it was me alright..." While he's laughing and shaking his head...
Not me but an old friend did this:
He built an entire Willys Coupe dragster. Beautify craftsmanship and lots of handmade items and hours and hours of custom machine work. After 4 years of working on the gorgeous car, he decided it was time to take it to the track and test it.
That's when he had to break a hole in his house's foundation, to get it out of his BASEMENT.[:0]
Kinda like building a boat in there... It works great until it's time to float her...
And that was 8 years ago.
Margaret Thatcher
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Mark Twain