Basic Handy Repair Tips 2

Removing a Broken Bulb That's Stuck - When a burned-out bulb is stuck in its socket, your only option is to try to turn it until it either unscrews or shatters.

When a burned-out bulb is stuck in its socket, you're only option is to try to turn it until it either unscrews or shatters. First, unplug the fixture or switch off current at the main panel. Then, wearing leatherwork gloves and safety goggles, carefully twist the bulb until it loosens. (Cover it with a rag for extra protection.) If it shatters, remove the glass shards. Then unscrew the base of the bulb by firmly pressing a raw, unpeeled potato or a bar of soap into the socket and giving it a good twist. If the spud or soap slips, press it in harder and try again until the base breaks free.

To prevent the new bulb from sticking, clean off any rust or corrosion from inside the socket with emery cloth. Then lightly coat or mist its internal threads with an electrically conductive lubricant.

Sledgehammer Helper - Nailing together boards that aren't solidly supported can be frustrating. The wood tends to bounce away each time the nail is struck. Try this simple tip.

Nailing together boards that aren't solidly supported can be frustrating. The wood tends to bounce away each time the nail is struck; such as when nailing fence pickets to a horizontal rail or tacking thin wood trim to a lattice panel. The solution is to hold a sledgehammer against the backside of the bottom board, then hammer the nail through the top board. The heavy head of the sledge will absorb the hammer blows, support the boards and prevent bouncing.

Drilling Holes In Tile - Installing a towel bar or toilet paper holder often requires drilling through glazed ceramic tile - no easy task.

Installing a towel bar or toilet-paper holder often requires drilling through glazed ceramic tile - no easy task. Use a carbide-tipped masonry bit; regular twist-drill bits can't cut through the fire-hardened glaze. You'll also need to keep the bit from slipping off the glossy surface.

The secret: Put two strips of masking tape onto the tile in an X pattern as shown above. Then drill through the tape - you'll feel the bit grind as it goes through the glazing. Drill through the tile and into the drywall or backerboard. Just be sure to lighten pressure at the end to ensure a clean hole at the rear of the drywall or backerboard to accommodate a hollow-wall fastener.

Getting Out the Grease - Most greasy, grimy stains and spots can be drawn out of nonwashable wallcoverings with a standard electric clothes iron.

Most washable wallcoverings can be scrubbed clean with a sponge and nonabrasive cleanser. Try that with a nonwashable wallcovering, and you'll ruin the surface. A little-known secret: Most greasy, grimy stains and spots can be drawn out of nonwashable wallcoverings with a standard electric clothes iron.

Place both layers of a regular brown grocery bag right over the stain. Press the paper with a warm iron - no steam - for a minute or two. The paper will absorb the heated grease. If necessary, repeat the process with clean paper until the stain lifts out.

Cutting Fair and Square - A foolproof way to make perfectly square, 90-degree crosscuts with a circular saw.

Here's a fast, foolproof way to make perfectly square, 90-degree crosscuts with a circular saw. Mark the cut line on the board and position the saw with its blade on the line. Hold a framing square with its long, wide blade against the edge of the board and its shorter, narrow tongue against the shoe plate on the saw. Then squeeze the trigger and guide the saw along the framing square to produce a straight, square cut.

This technique makes crosscuts up to 14 in. For crosscuts up to 22 1/2 in., flip the square around and place its long blade against the saw shoe.

No-Mess Painting for Ceiling Fixtures - Protect fixtures from messy spatters while painting ceilings.

Need to paint the ceiling in a room with a hanging light? You don't have to take down the fixture to protect it from messy paint spatters. Simply slip a large plastic trash bag over the light and seal it closed with a twist tie. Do the same to seal out dust and dirt during demolition and renovation projects. Just be sure to turn off the light while it's sealed so heat from its bulbs won't melt or ignite the plastic bag

John Michael - "Building Wealth Together"