Seven top tips from makers so far this year

[garethb2]

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/02/13/seven-top-tips-from-makers-so.html

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[spudnyc]

That super glue/Baking soda method is good.

[grumbleputty]

That superglue hack is something my coworkers and I have been working with for 20 years, and there are a few important details to keep in mind.

First, and most important, when the superglue reacts with the baking soda it kicks off some pretty nasty fumes, which we’ve always assumed are toxic. I’ve seen conflicting things about that, but some ventilation is advised- even if it’s not toxic, it’s pretty irritating.

Second, you want a very liquid formulation of superglue- some of the superglues out there are more gel-like, and won’t wick into the baking soda well. You want your glue to be the consistency of water.

Last, if you need to fill a gap, you can pack superglue in it and dip the end of an Xacto blade into the superglue. If you touch it to the edge of your baking soda, the bead of glue at the end of the knife will get wicked into the baking soda. Just make sure there’s no baking soda on any areas you don’t want glued- the glue tends to travel to every bit of baking soda it can find.

[Lycopersicon]

In re the baking soda /super glue repair
I’m not sure I can respect someone who makes a 20 minute video about a technique and doesn’t even bother to find out why it works.

[sarc]

been a wondering about buying some baking soda but for what cake

post edit for crumbs sake

[lastchance]

[westcarleton]

Ha ha - came to the comments to post that exact video!

[Solderer]

In your fourth paragraph, should “pack super glue” be replaced with “pack baking powder”?

[Solderer]

I wonder if cleanup and forming would be a good application for those diamond-coated “Dremel” bits from Harbor Freight that barely get used.

[cjankelson]

Finding the center of a dowel that way does depend on you having a reasonably decent drill. Otherwise the dowel may not be well-centered to the axis of rotation. The latter is what will define the center that the sandpaper finds.
Unless the dowel is of very small diameter, try this: rotate a metal ruler about a point on the circumference and draw a diameter as close as you can estimate. Repeat 4 or 5 times starting at different locations. the center of where the lines cross is good enough.