An ADHD Handyman

 One of the "one-upsmanship" put downs used on social media and when among the folks desperate for everyone to think they are somebody,  is to say, "what, you get paid by the hour?" 🙄 And, they say this un-ironically as if the vast majority of builder/fixer/maker professionals don't get paid hourly by the company they work for. The obvious implication is that hourly paid people are slow, lazy, and unmotivated.  But, as usual, the idea is skewed. The only people who get paid by the job are contractors.  Who then pay their employees by the hour, or by piece work.  In fact, there is a legitimate argument for increased quality of work when paid or billed hourly.  Truth be told, most estimates given for work already have time factored in. Both formats have legitimate reasons to support them and be used.  Both formats, unfortunately,  are all to often abused to the detriment of the customer.  The most important thing is to charge for what one does...

 In the electrical world, how wiring connections are made is a big deal.  Current through wires generates heat and any exposed wiring can lead to unexpected contacts with things that shouldn't be contacting and that's a BIG problem. So when intentional and necessary connections are made, they need to be done right and well.  For a very long time now, traditional wire nuts, you know, those cone-shaped devices, have been the defacto standard of "doing it right." At one point in time, those wire nuts were the new thing.  The technological "latest greatest" and also looked at with a side eye by electricians everywhere.  The first of the type were invented as early as 1914 and the modern ones we see now have been around since the early 1930's. What did they replace? Solder and tape.  And yes, there was, pardon the pun, some resistance. It's human nature.  We get used to things that become "tried and true" even when we know they have limitations....

 Sometimes it seems like social media excels mostly at perpetuating wrong information.  You find videos everywhere that tell you how to do something like a "Pro", then go on to discuss skill mastery.  In fact, great skill mastery takes time.  The application of high skill mastery takes time.  Most professionals do not usually have that much time to work in.   Being a Professional is all about getting more done in less time.  It's about expediency.  That's how they are profitable.  Skill mastery is getting things done with what one of my favorite instructors called, "gnats ass accuracy".  Meaning that there is a very specific result to be achieved with a very low tolerance of range.  It's very exact work.  Speed is achieved only by having done something so many times that's become a matter of muscle memory and familiarity.  The goal is not necessarily to be fast at it, it's to get it right without wasting time, movemen...

 Sometimes when you take care of rental properties and they throw a new one at you that hasn't had any care for awhile, you start from a not so great place.   BUT!  With some time, proper attention and a fair bit of elbow grease, even mowing a yard thats been allowed to become overgrown, you can get it back on track.  I'll be working this property up over the next month or so to looking the way it ought to.  Owner, tenant, and the neighbors are already happy with the basic improvements.   Just wait till they see it when it's all back in shape!  

 So many handyman types and other professional trades or work people will list being "licensed" in their advertising or marketing.   One reason is because consumer expectations have been trained to look for things like licenses as a provenance for ability. Let's examine the facts though. licensing is primarily two things; permission to do business by state or local governments and demonstration of ability via that government's testing. Many government agencies designated to oversee such things often do not have a license for certain areas.  They might require registering with their office.  But a registration is not a license.   It has little or nothing to do with provenance via testing.  It simply means the individual or business complied with a request or requirement to provide information and paid a fee.  Registration is buying permission to do business. That doesn't stop many businesses or individuals from claiming that they are licensed ...

 I'm seeing a unusually weird number of posts online by so-called "trade pro's" that , in their usual "trade bro" weirdness,  are trying to shame people for not using a tool, could be any tool, 30 different ways. Because, ya know, you can't POSSIBLY be a "real" fill-in-the-blank, if you can't/ don't use that tool in every way possible.   As I write this, my eyes have rolled so far back in my head that I'm can see behind me. I don't care what type of tool it is, what brand it is.  If you find even one good use to apply that tool, you are doing fine.  In fact, until sometime in the last, what?  10 to 15 years or so, that's pretty much how EVERYONE used tools. You are doing one particular task or project, and you see yourself doing it enough that "making do" with the manual tool or not-quite-appropriate-but-it-can-be-done tool isn't going to cut it anymore, so, you get the new, designed for that purpose tool. Some...

 Even though the question, when asked, of ,"Do you know what you're doing?" is often used in a condescending or insulting way by a lot of people, there actually is a purpose to the question when asked by people in a situation where they don't know exactly how to ask what they really want to know and aren't meaning to be insulting.  It's actually 2 questions in most cases.  "What is the procedure to use or be used here?" and "What is the methodology being used in this project?" Most people think that procedure and methodology are the same thing. As usual though, they are not.  And, it's an important distinction for a handyman or anyone in a trade or busy at a project building,  making, or fixing something.  In our situation,  a procedure is basically an outline or the steps and order of things to be done for a general project. Like, say, "Fix the roof." That is the project and there is a procedure to be established and followed...

 When I was getting into making, building, and fixing things back in the early 1980's, there were tool brands known for being the best at certain types of tools and a few brands that were universally known to be the tools that the Pro's used. For example,  Craftsman was nearly universal as the "Go To" tool brand.  If you were really serious in terms of industrial use, Bosch was a big dog.  At least, around here, you couldn't go wrong with Bosch. Now, if you wanted "the best" reciprocating tool, you wanted a Milwaukee "Sawzall".  Some brands were tied to specific trades or tasks. Nowadays,  especially due in largest part to dependence on battery platforms, some people, thanks in part to clever marketing,  think that Milwaukee and Dewalt (a few include Makita) as the defacto "pro" level tools. However, what really makes a work use quality tool?  Is it really "moar power"? Honestly no.   I mean, power is always important but du...

 One thing that gets people all caught up is getting too focused on the wrong things.  For example, when many people try to generally criticize "the handyman" in general,  they often point to distinctions about precision work. Never-ending that they themselves can't do it or do it well either.   But, and this also goes hand in hand with my discussions about us handyman types "staying in our lane", it's typically not in our wheelhouse to be doing precision work to begin with. Precision is for specialists.  Machinists, finish carpenters, professional painters, and folks them that. What EVERY person, handyman or not, does need to pay attention to is accuracy in our work. Accuracy in most cases, can be more important,  or at least go hand in hand,  with precision.  For example, if the holes to be drilled into a concrete wall need to be located at 8 inches from the top and 16 inches from the side, then we need to drill those holes accurately....

 On the old Red Green show, the title character,  Red Green, had a part of the show called, "Handyman Corner".  During every installment,  he would say at some point that duct tape was the handyman's secret weapon. While funny, it actually is an illustration and excellent representation of what actually is the handyman's secret weapon, ingenuity. Because,  there are so many creative and useful ways that one can implement duct tape.  At least in temporary situations certainly.   Most the ways Red used it, well... they were funny, but not recommended.  But the handyman that's out there in the field every day.  The person who is encountering unique situations and problems and needs to find unique solutions.  That person has to be able to see new and alternate ways to use existing tools, hardware and products in new and useful ways.  We run into situations with old houses and buildings,  old machines, things that have been wor...

 Is how fast you do a given job considered a positive example of being a professional?   There are a LOT of people who would swear by it.   I'm here to tell you why they are wrong. It not really about how fast they job gets one that makes it professional.   A skilled, experienced person often gets to a point where thy are able to do things quickly.  Routine and repetition often lead to that result. But... that usually is not the goal of those folks.  The true "Masters" of their craft will often say it has less to do with how quickly it gets done as to that it gets done the right way.  So it's not really a matter or doing things fast.  It's about doing thing expediently to the intended results. It's more about unwasted efforts.   Doing things, but doing them with the least errors. Using techniques that don't waste energy or resources. And of course it making use of the accumulated knowledge one has gained in learning the ta...

 If you find yourself needing to cut glass, whether it be to replace broken panes in a window ir maybe as part of some craft activity you are interested in, you need to use a glass cutting tool. There are a number of different types.  But perhaps the most common is the "skeleton key" looking tool found in most hardware stores.  Usually they can be picked up pretty low cost. In this post, I'm not really discussing the actual technique of cutting glass.  What I want to touch on is maintenance of the tool.  If you read the instructions on the package,  it says to keep it oiled.  What oil?  I prefer 3 in 1 oil. It's very light, not very tacky or sticky and a small bottle goes a long way.  Plus, it has so many other uses. But, you might ask, why exactly are we putting oil on a glass cutting tool?  Well, for one, the cutting wheel is metal and it rotates.  That alone is a case for keeping it oiled.   Two, the tool sits in a tool...

 I try not to describe products as all bad, good or whatever.   Usually,  they are best in a particular niche and range down outside of that niche. Sometimes, yes,there are a rare few that truly excel in all areas or truly suck in all areas. The DAP brand window glazing in a tube is typical of most I think.  In my opinion and experience,  I don't prefer to use it in the field, especially on windows in situ.  It's just not the right place to use it. It's a thin, easy flowing material.  It requires a practiced pace to apply it and based on the nozzle tip of the tube, it's meant not only as applicator,  but to be "finished" in a continuous movement.   Which means you need to practice with whichever tool you use. Whether that's a manual caulk gun or a powered one. It really doesn't have the feel or workability of a product meant to be manipulated or finished after application.   If so, you don't have a long time to do it....

 I've seen a lot of comments by people curious, even complaining about the painting tips or "hacks" they see suggesting that simply taping the edges off when painting isn't "good enough".  The tip is in response to people unhappy with lines not being as clean and sharp as they hoped for. The issue with tape, even the best tapes out there is that pressure on the sides and ends isn't evenly applied when laying the tape down.  So that edges and ends often don't have a fully complete attachment and allow a bit of bleed-under when painting over them. It's physics.  One tip is to apply a coat of the "base" color or the color you are covering over.  What that does is giving you a seal over the edge of the tape in which the paint will bleed under but is basically "invisible" because it's the same color that's already there.  That seals the edge of the tape so that when you apply the new color paint over it, the line will be th...

 There seems to be a battery powered version of every tool ever made available now.  Caulking guns are no exception.   The question I get about these is, "are these necessary?" My answer is always, "It depends."  For certain people, in certain circumstances,  absolutely.  For some other people in other circumstances,  the answer is, "Never." Then there are all those possible situations for anyone, in between. I think the most important questions that need to be asked first are,  "how often will it be used?", "For what durations will it be used?", and, "For what materials and tasks will it be used?" Maybe even before those questions though, do you even know how to use a caulk gun to begin with?  A lot of people think they do. A lot of those people actually do not. First things first.  A caulk gun is for the application of sealants, adhesives, and other such types of materials.  That is, put the putty where it needs to be in a ...

 When it comes to hiring someone to work on your property, here's a bit of Q&A to think about... Q: Does not having any licenses, certifications, or registrations mean the person or company isn't capable or qualified? A: No. It generally means they may not have had the money to pay for those things or access to resources to obtain them.  It does NOT necessarily mean they are incapable or unqualified.  Too many times, these items are more about an agency selling their permission or approval instead of actually ensuring capability or professionalism. Having said that... If they are indeed serious about presenting themself as a professional,  they will try to obtain whichever of those items that are able to.  Always ask questions about their background and experience.   If what what they suggest to do for you seems shady, questionable, or too good to be true, it probably is. In fact, most actual professionals prefer to have credentials that show they ...