Your favorite DIY trick

[MegaHurts]

Here is something I’ve used a lot and it has helped me avoid crawling around on the floor looking for something small I dropped.
Don’t try to catch it. Watch where it goes instead. If you miss the catch you’ll lose it. If you watch were it goes you can pick it up. It’s not a perfect solution but it’s saved me many times.

I will use the flashlight on my phone right down against the floor to cast a long shadow on a screw or tiny piece that my failing eyes can't find. The shadow is visible, but make sure you have a clean floor.

 

[Luckyorleans]

Just got these pointy cotton swabs in and they are very handy for tight spots and corner cleaning. Not much cotton on the tips but at under $2 for 100 shipped they are inexpensive. A regular swab beside it for comparison.

 

[Quadman2]

There's another thing I do before taking on any task that I'm not 100% of...not really a "trick" but I do this more and more.

It is to either go into the forums on AK to see if someone has walked the path before me, or go to a site like YouTube and again, to take a look-see on how it might be done.

Q

 

[PhooBar]

There's another thing I do before taking on any task that I'm not 100% of...not really a "trick" but I do this more and more.

It is to either go into the forums on AK to see if someone has walked the path before me, or go to a site like YouTube and again, to take a look-see on how it might be done.

Q

That's exactly why I joined AK. Usually somebody on here has hands-on experience with the same problem, or can at least steer me in the right direction.

 

[ToyDoctor]

I wait until the wife is asleep to move new gear in, isn't that how everybody does it?

 

[MegaHurts]

I use a pair of locking cross tweezers to hold the ends of wire getting snipped to ensure stuff doesn't accidentally fall Nd get lost/forgotten onto a board only to short something later. Also use them to clamp plastic on wires being soldered to avoid melt/shrink jackets. Also handy for holding nuts while trying to screw them.

 

[OBMG74]

When replacing tube socket cut solder lugs from the bottom of the old socket (leave wiring/components in place) then solder to lugs on the new socket. May also work with terminal

Very clever, keeping this in mind for a socket that is on borrowed time.