12/28/2018

Riding Mower - Fix Flat Tire




How to Refill Riding Lawn Mower Tire That Fell Off Rim

https://youtu.be/RDvtTRtWJ3g


A common problem with riding law mowers is flat tires.  The PSI in lawn mower tires is actually pretty low, just around 15 PSI on average.
fix flat tire on riding mower, how to, murray

Also when you get a flat, it's common for the tire to come off the rim.  So when you try to fill it up with air, it just leaks out the side and the tire doesn't fill up.
fix flat tire come off rim, riding mower, how to fix a flat tire

The fix is to try and apply even outward pressure and seal the bead between the tire and the rim.  That can be done with a ratchet strap or a rope and pipe.
inflate riding mower tire off rim, new tire won't inflate

First, jack up the mower.  Second wrap the rope around the tire, then the pipe.  Then continue wrapping around a second time.  
how to get tire to not leak air from rim

You will then twist the pipe, which will tighten the rope.  This will push the middle of the tire in and the edge of the tire out.
how to fill up riding lawn mower tire with air

Do this all at the same time and then try adding air to the tire.  Hopefully you get a good seal with the tire bead and it will inflate.
riding lawn mower tire won't fill up with air, seal with rim

It takes a lot of force.  Also this is common when you get a brand new tire.  In my case it was with an old worn out tire that got a flat.
use rope and pipe and rachet strap to fill tire up with air

12/07/2018

Wine from Wild Grapes


Homemade Wine From Wild Grapes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7PJXEv5zOM

This was my first time making wine.  Here was the process i took.
homemade wine using wild grapes

Early in the year, these were the grapes that grew in my yard.
wild grapes, riverbank grapes, wine

They were classified as wild riverbank grapes.  Here they are after ripening.  Not that big.
wild red wine grapes, vine, united states, michigan

Animals and birds started eating the grapes and i figured that it's time to start picking them.
animals that eat grapes

This was their size.  Not huge.  It took a lot of picking to get 1.5 gallons.
how to make wine, wild grapes

Here was the amount of grapes i got.  About 3 gallons of grapes.
picking grapes, make wine, at home, diy, homemade, red wine, white wine

This was the stems and unripe grapes that i separated.
easy destem grapes, wine, wine making

I got 2 totes and some other stuff together for the tools.
tools, equipment, make wine, wine making

1 bucket for grapes, 1 bucket for the destemmed grapes, 1 bucket for the stems.
pick grapes to make wine, how much, grapes to wine

After all the stems were removed i added 0.5 liters of water and started crushing the grapes.
crush grapes to make wine

I bought this Yeast on amazon, heated up some water in the microwave, added the whole packet and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
how much yeast to add to grapes to make wine

Then i added the yeast, added about 3 pounds of sugar, and let it sit for 7 days.  This was primary fermentation.  I didn't have a hydrometer to measure any sugar/alcohol levels.
wine primary fermentation, how long, time

After 7 days i was ready to transfer to jugs.  Cleaned with soap and water first.
cheap container, ferment, beer, wine, carboy, jug

Scoop the grapes and liquid, strain through colander, and pour into the gallon jugs through a funnel.
how to make wine

It was a messy job, definitely something to do in the garage.
what needed to make wine, grapes, juice

I only ended up with a gallon and a half.  But i put the 1 way stoppers on top and will let these ferment for about a year.  Racking every 3 months to separate the wine from the sediment at the bottom.
secondary fermentation, how long, time, valve, stopper



Propagation of Tree Branches - Grow Tree from Cuttings

Grow Trees from Branch Cuttings - Propagation for Free Screen Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOdW-JtFPsA

We wanted a cheap or FREE screen wall by our back fence.  Turns out that willow trees via Propagation are the best answer.
propagation of willow trees

Here are some willow branches that have been soaking in water for 1 week.  Buds already starting to form.
how to grow tree from branch cutting

Here they are after about a month.  Roots and new branches.
grow a tree from a branch

Here are some other willow branches.  You can see the amount of roots that will grow in just a bucket of water.
can you grow a tree from cutting a branch

I also tried other trees.  These are white pines.  They didn't grow.
best trees for propagation

Here are cottonwood branches.  These tried to grow roots but not as well.
what type of trees will grow from branch cutting propagation

This was another tree branch that i tried propagation.  Nothing.
propagation

After planted, they grew very well.  The willow here was planted only 1 week to this point.
fast growing willow tree from cutting

I also transplanted bamboo to the fence.  This loves as much water as you can give it.
bamboo in michigan


Here's another willow that's been transplanted.
fast growing screen wall

Close-up of the willow buds after a week in water.  The willow tree has natural enzymes that facilitate propagation on it's own.
grow roots from willow tree

11/30/2018

Miter Saw LED Light


https://youtu.be/Hd_V4RQwKQw

I always wanted a laser line marking guide on my miter saw.  I was about to buy an add-on laser line, but didn't like the fact that it had to be spinning to turn on.
miter saw led light

This is what the laser line add-on looked like.  Not bad For $20.
miter saw laser line

This Milwaukee saw is one of the first ones that has an LED light on the tip of the blade.  It shins down and the shadow is visible on the board.
light line miter saw

It's pretty simple, a switch, 9v battery, resistor and LED light bulb.  That and all the wires.
free led light for miter saw

I used a hot glue gun to secure everything.  That way nothing was permanent and i could peel it all off and wouldn't leave a mark.
hot glue gun

This is the most critical part, where the LED light mounts on the end of the blade guard.
add led light to miter saw

Here's the LED bulb on the end of the metal mount.
marking light line to miter saw

And here's the original switch i wanted to use.  It's mounted on the handle so that the button can be pressed, the shadow line shows up, and then you make the cut.
switch for miter saw

Here's some of the parts.  Especially the 220 ohm resistor.  That's needed because the LED bulb only can handle 5v not the full 9v battery.
parts to add light to miter saw

Here's how the switch was mounted.
push button switch for miter saw

It turns out that the red button switch was always ON.  Pushing the button turned it OFF.  So i had to find a new switch.  This one's from an old arcade button.
switch for led light, marking line

So this one had to be replaced.
button for miter saw

This is what the shadow looks like.  Great for knowing exactly where the edge of your blade is.
light line for miter saw


11/29/2018

Oven Doesn't Heat - Replace Ignitor


https://youtu.be/77W2pK2sHI8

We had the problem one day where we preheated the oven, came back and the oven wasn't hot at all.  
gas oven igniter, ignitor

The next day it did eventually heat, the flame caught, but it took a long time to light the gas.
gas oven won't start

The problem with the gas oven was with the igniter.  It controls the gas flow and lighting of the flame.
oven won't heat

This is the old igniter.  You have to remove it from the frame and get to the 2 wires.
my oven won't get hot, won't heat

This is the new igniter.  Not too expensive and not that difficult to change out.
fix oven that won't heat, won't get hot, problem

I bought it on Amazon for $27.
igniter for oven

Comparing the old and the new igniter.  You can see that they match, but almost any generic igniter will work.
replace igniter

The hard part was to remove the sheet metal side walls, expose the wires and make the new connection.  Then just bolt the new part on.
gas oven won't heat

Overall it was pretty easy though.  And the new igniter worked great.  The flames lit in under 1 minute, vs 5 minutes or not at all.
replace igniter for gas oven