DIY tire patch saved me a tow!

As I got out of my truck this morning, ready to get to work on the house, I heard a telltale sound. The hiss of air leaking from a tire just about spilled my coffee.

I've been putting off replacing these tires until after house closed, knowing it was only a matter of time.

I did a triage to find the source of the leak and make a plan of action. I quickly saw that there was a pretty decent sized hole in the tread and a small worn down sheet metal screw laying near it.

If I could keep air in it, I could drive to the used tire shop 12 blocks away and just replace it.

Turns out I did have an old patch kit with a dried up glue tu e in a crate in the garage. I gambled and took a piece of rubber patch and jammed it ot in the hole. The hole got bigger! I wiggled it an twisted and forced it in uhtil the hissing stopped and after a sigh, let it set for awhile and bond, without glue.

I called the tire place and they said they had the tires i needed used and could get me in right away!

I managed to wiggle the tool out and keep the patch in by holding a screwdriver against it, then clipped it close to the tread length. Finally I mashed it flat in an effort to Increase the surface area and keep in in the hole to buy enough time to get a replacement.

It worked! The shop was great and got me two almost new tires mounted and balanced for $110. Whew. No tow, no roadside assistance, no hours of waiting or swapping out a flat for a doughnut.

Thanks, old trusty DIY tire patch kit, that I hadn't thrown away after all.

Cheers,
DIY Dads With Beards

Long time, no post!

Due to a sudden swing of events, we are making some major changes. Stay tuned, after a short break, we will be back!

Kitchen sink redo: Cutting the countertop to size and fitting sink

In this post, I am cutting the countertop to size and making the new sink cut out.

This is an exciting step, it means we are close to getting things back together and should soon have a functioning kitchen.

First, I had measured the amount of cut off I needed to get the sink right where we want it to sit. I also want to use the cut offs for the backsplash, so I settled on 1" strip from the back and inside edge.

I simply ran the long end down a table saw with the guard set to 1", then clamped a straight edge and ran a circular saw down the short edge. After the cuts, I took a hand sander and smoothed out the sides and rounded the edges.  Voila!

Next, I traced the sink right where we want it to set and used a paddle bit to cut lead ins for the jigsaw.

The jigsaw wasn't quite 'cutting' it, so a little readjusting allowed for the circular saw to run along the straight edge, and within minutes the sink hole was cut.

After rounding and smoothing the edges with a small power sander, we did a dry fit to make sure we didnt need to make any adjustments.

Everything looked right, so it was time to set it back on the sawhorseys and oil it up.

At this point, we are are getting very close to having water back in our kitchen!

Everything, and the kitchen sink...

Years ago, we knew that someday we'd have to tear out the kitchen sink, counter, and cabinet and address the rot that had been persisting in that area. When water started dripping into the basement from inside the wall, we knew it was time.

I know I haven't taken the best pictures so far, but I will do my best to explain the steps, and as always, feel free to ask for clarifications in the comments section.

This project will take weeks to finish, so it will be broken down i to several posts. Here we go:

Step 1: Assess damage and tear out anything with water damage or mold

We could see mold in the cabinet, sub floor and wall plaster, so we tore it all out.

Water damage is typically appearance through discoloration or bulging & peeling of materials. Mold is identifiable as it makes black or dark speckled stains.

Step 2: Check the condition of existing plumming and electrical

Some of our cast iron pipes had rusted through at the joints, which would explain the water in the basement. I tore that out and set it aside to replicate with pvc.

We decided to move an outlet and upgrade our gfci. Also put in a couple switches, one for our cabinet lighting and one for a future in sinkerator. We also needed to add a dedicated outlet for the dishwasher.

The wall cabinets and tile needed to be removed to rearrange them for the new kitchen sink position, so we cut the plaster out 4 feet to replace it with sheetrock.

Happy father's day! Strawberry iced tea recipe

On a hot day like today, nothing beats the heat like a killer iced drink. A little caffeine always helps too ;)

Start by making sun tea in a ajar using 24 oz of water and three organic black tea bags.

Once it has brewed, stir in a couple teaspoons of sugar to taste, and pour a few onces in the blender with a handful of fresh or frozen strawberries. Add about half the tea and set the rest aside for later, or make mom up a drink.

Blend it up and add ice, or crush ice first then ad the liquid. Squeeze in a few drops of lemon. Drink!

Enjoy your day in the in sun, Dad. You earned it!

Home/Food: Roasting Your Own Coffee From Green Beans

DIY Home Coffee Roasting: Who new it was so easy?

I went to make coffee this morning and, as in many nightmarish dreams, there was no coffee to make. After pinching myself, then searching every nook and cranny, I found the answer. There was a bag of organic green beans purchased a while back to try roasting our own coffee. (they were about half the price of locally roasted beans)

The lesson learned: this is a really fun and rewarding DIY project. The final result for me was a nice fresh dark cup of hot coffee. There's not a much better reward than this. We will now always keep an extra stash of green beans in cupboard in case of emergencies.

Green organic coffee beans from a local food co-op

What I used:
 - 1 bag of green coffee beans, half pound
 - 1 large skillet, 11.5 inch heavyweight
 - 1 oven, preheated to 500 degrees
 - 1 oven timer, set to 15 minutes

Pre heat the oven to 500 degrees. At this temperature, the oven may smoke, so make sure you can crack a window. Also, don't forget any pans or old pizza in the oven, cause it will be very hot/burnt!

Set the skillet in the oven after a few minutes to preheat it. once the oven is ready, scoop enough beans for your morning coffee (2/3 cup at our house) or at most, cover the skillet with no more than 1 layer of beans.

Close the oven tight and turn the timer on for 15 minutes. You should hear cracking start around 5 min.

Check for color at about 10 minutes. I prefer about 12 minutes with my setup.

When you are happy with the color, turn off the oven and set your skillet on the back porch to cool.

Once they are cooled, blow off the chaff with a firm breath and take them inside to grind and brew.

Sit down, relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy the best coffee you've ever made yourself at home.

Mmmmmmmmm....

Thanks for tuning in,
DIY Dads with Beards

NPR News Story: Beards Are Back!

I heard this story on NPR the other morning and had to share it:

Beards Are Back! on NPR.org  <<<--Click to listen!

Gotta love the section on bearded radicals!

Send us YOUR FAVORITE beard pics and we will post them on our blog!!

#diydadswithbeards

Bikes: Swapping in Studded Winter Tires

Swapping in Studded Tires for a winter bicycle
   Its time, well a little past even. With that last Minnesota thaw, I was happy that I still had snow tires on, but with the latest cold blast, it seems the ice is here to stay. This week I swapped out my front tire on the snow bike for a studded tire, making it a snow and ice champion. This is a 'can swing a hammer' project, fer sure. Here's how to do it:

1) Remove the wheel.
   -let the air out of the tube. you can either use a tool to push in a schreoder valve (shown) or unscrew the valve on a presta and push it in with your finger.
   -you may still need to loosen the brakes to remove the wheel. For linear pull, remove the metal 'noodle' from its harness, or for cantilever, pull the metal quick release end of the straddle cable.

2 ) Remove the old tire.


   -insert a tire lever under the tire and pop it off the rim with the 'spoon.'
   -run the lever all the way around the rest of the tire bead/rim so that one side is completely off.
   -the other side should come off easily with only the force of your thumbs. Finally, pull the valve from the valve hole, and set the tire aside.

3) Install the new tire

   -set the new tire/tube up next the rim and start the new tire installation by doing the reverse of removal. install the valve into the valve hole, push one side on with your thumbs, then use the lever to 'pop' in the other side.
   -make sure to reattach the brake cable and check that the wheel is centered.




4) Pump it up!

   -double check to verify the valve is sitting in a 90 degree position perpendicular to the rim. that way the valve hole can't dig into the valve and cause air leakage later.
   -refer to the tire casing for the proper amount of air the tire should be pumped to. I generally leave it at the lowest end for snow/ice winter riding.

5) Get out and ride!
   You can find a handy multi-tool like the one shown for a bout $30 from your friendly local bike shop, and studded winter tires like these generally run for $60-$100 depending on size, quality, and availability.

Thanks for tuning in,
DIY Dads with Beards

Kid approved!