[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Arfcom's Lifehacking Thread (Page 1 of 7)
Posted: 8/8/2014 7:28:48 PM EDT
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For the uninitiated...
Life hacking refers to any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life.
-Wikipedia There's Lifehacker.com, but most of what's posted there is consumer advice and "how to organize your thoughts" type stuff. They also have posts about gadgety go bags for various fields, and they sometimes post something applied, like how to clean a certain type of stain or optimize energy usage. I feel like I've seen multiple posts about changing tires there. Apparently, that's complicated business. I'd like to do our own version. I'd like to keep it mostly on straightforward, applied tips, and they don't necessarily need to be firearms specific. For example, how to rinse out a soapy cup or bowl faster- Instead of filling it and dumping it a few times, hold it upside down, and use the sink's hose to spray it out. You'll get a much more effective flow of water across the soapy surface of the cup. Or how about something firearms related? A 20ga shotgun bore brush fits the chamber of 7.62x54r firearms nicely, and can be handy for removing cosmo or lacquer from certain types of surplus ammo. For additional awesome, put the cleaning rod in the chuck of a drill. And a tire-changing tip, just to get one last hit in on the ole dead horse... Before you lift the vehicle, put your spare under the frame next to the jack. When you remove the flat, swap it with the spare, keeping a tire under the vehicle during the whole job. If the vehicle falls off the jack, it'll land on the tire saving it from damage and you from injury. As a bonus, it gives you good standoff to fit the jack and re-lift the vehicle. I've actually had that happen, and this trick probably saved me from much bigger problems. What's your trick? |
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https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-se4u3EbhVJE/UGDoOkBpYzI/AAAAAAAAAXY/wI0GwDYOEtc/s320/0011-001.jpg Seriously...... this was a game changer Mother of God..... |
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https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-se4u3EbhVJE/UGDoOkBpYzI/AAAAAAAAAXY/wI0GwDYOEtc/s320/0011-001.jpg Seriously...... this was a game changer 
Yes. |
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The easiest way to clean a loaded file is not with a brush or file card, but with a small piece of brass, nylon, or other soft material. Put the corner of your brass against the file and push it across with the teeth of the file. The soft material will not dull the file teeth, and after a couple passes the file will cut it's tooth pattern into the corner of your block. You can then move down the length of the file making a single pass with the teeth and remove all the debris quickly. Hang on to the piece of brass so you don't have to cut new tooth geometry next time.
To clean loaded stones, put them in your blast cabinet and sand blast them. If you don't have a sand blaster, all but the most over loaded stones can usually be cleaned by pressure washing them with contact cleaner or brake cleaner. If you're trying to polish a special contour and you only have flat stones, you can grind the desired contour into your stone with your bench grinder quickly and easily. If all you have is a little 120v MIG welder and that really ambitious project just isn't getting the weld penetration you'd like, preheat your joints with a propane torch and watch your little MIG weld way out of it's league. |
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How do you dispense it? Can a regular spray bottle pump it, or is it too thick? Quoted:
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Mobil 1 works just as good as "gun oil" that costs 20x as much. How do you dispense it? Can a regular spray bottle pump it, or is it too thick? Little Nalgene bottle like this works great: 
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For a quick way to make soup for a week to take for lunch: freeze about a gallon of soup in an empty water or milk jug, cut the jug away, and cut the block into roughly cup sized portions. Wrap each block individually and store in the freezer. Just grab a block and throw it in a covered microwave safe bowl to take to work. |
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For those who don't know, your vehicle's gas gauge will have an arrow near it indicating which side you fill on. http://serentipity.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/gas-tank.jpg It's also the opposite of your exhaust pipe exit. Is this reversed in England and Australia? |
The short bristles on the skinny end of the M16 cleaning brush aren't only useful for scrubbing in tight spaces. Due to their short length, they are very rigid. They are very effective at scrubbing most carbon deposits and light surface rust. Consider this an intermediate alternative before moving up to a brush with metallic bristles or steel wool. |
Like Hoppe's, but hate the useless little bottles it comes in? Get one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Brushed-Aluminum-Olive-Sprayer/dp/B00004SPZV I've been using mine for probably 2 years now, and the Hoppe's hasn't ruined it yet. When that happens, I'll happily buy another. |
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If you want to get rid of a lot of paint and with minimal hassle, just dump it in a large Rubbermaid type tub. Leave it in the corner of your garage and within a week or so (depending on your conditions), it will be dry. It won't stick to the tub and you can just peel it out and dump it in the trash. If you have multiple gallons that you're trying to get rid of, just dump the next one on top of the old one. Don't put too much in at one time though or it will take too long to dry. |
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The magnets found in a hard drive are small but very strong. I have a friend who tears down old computers. He gives me the magnets, which I have put on the inside doors of my reloading cabinet. The are strong enough to hold reloading dies, tins of Imperial wax, progressive press shell plates, pistol magazines--including Glock magazines--or whatever other tools I wish to hang.
It has cleared a huge amount of shelf space inside my cabinet. |
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I fold up several squares of toilet paper and stow it in a drawer within reach of the toilet. It's my emergency reserve for if I forget that my main roll of TP is empty after I am on the throne. I hide a "bonus roll" behind some bric-a-brac on the shelves behind the toilet. Girlfriend does not know it is there |
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The DIP To clean Suppressors, NOT aluminum!!!! It will dissolve aluminum! 1/2 hydro peroxide, 1/2 vinegar Let sit over night, then wash with water and wipe clean. Fumes and mix are highly toxic once mixed with lead (lead buildup)! Dispose of properly! Like over the fence to the neighbors yard? |
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Quoted:
How do you dispense it? Can a regular spray bottle pump it, or is it too thick? Quoted:
Quoted:
Mobil 1 works just as good as "gun oil" that costs 20x as much. How do you dispense it? Can a regular spray bottle pump it, or is it too thick? Something like this. http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-3-8-oz-storage-bottles-with-twist-caps-66170.html I got a 6 pack of flip to bottles but they don't seem to still have them. |
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You can open a beer can with a quarter if you have a refrigerator magnet. Just place the magnet over the cap and tap the bottle with the quarter, the cap will pop off with a few taps. If you heat up a small amount of shampoo (so it's about 102 degrees give or take) it will wash out peanut butter, Vaseline, baby oil and just about anything your kids dump in their hair, your hair or your dogs hair. |
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great tips. I have a pair of safety goggles I keep in my kitchen for when I cut onions, this keeps me from having weeping eyes. |