patricia558•1mo agoTop Commenter

Just realized I still use the same seam tape trick an old guy taught me in a Denver hotel lobby

I was waiting out a snowstorm maybe ten years back, and this retired installer named Frank saw me struggling with a roll of tape. He said, 'Kid, warm it on the radiator first, the glue sets better.' We sat there for an hour just talking about seams. I still do that every cold job. Anyone else have a simple trick like that they picked up from someone?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_wilson791mo ago

Frank's radiator trick is solid, that glue really does bond better warm. I have to disagree with @harperg76 on the dish soap for drywall screws though. I tried that years ago and found it can mess with the corrosion coating. A little paste wax on the threads does the same job without the risk of rust later on. It's one of those things you learn the hard way after a callback.

reesel501mo ago

That hotel lobby story got me. I've got a whole list of these little things saved in my phone notes. My uncle showed me how to test a nine volt battery by touching it to your tongue, you know, the quick zap. A guy at the hardware store told me to keep a bar of soap in my toolbox to stop drawers from sticking. It's like @alex_wilson79 said, you learn some tricks the hard way, but the best ones just get passed along. These aren't in any manual, they're just how things actually get done. It feels like holding onto a piece of someone else's experience.

harperg761mo ago

That's a great story. Those little bits of shop talk from old timers are pure gold. My granddad used to put a dab of dish soap on a drywall screw thread before driving it. Said it cut the friction and kept the head from stripping out. Still do it to this day.