eBay Pard Deux

I got my second eBay tool purchase in the mail the other day. I ordered this set of Black and Decker drill bits for a total of five dollars, including shipping. It's 18 bits ranging from 1/16 to 1/2 inch (two sets of some of the smaller ones). Included is a small compartment beneath the set for miscellaneous small parts.

I'd say that I got my $5 worth. B&D is about mid-range quality. This set probably sold for about 10-15 dollars at retail.

It looks like eBay was a good choice again. I think I'll get much more use out of this than I did with the Bat Out of Hell CD...

Guest Blog: Vacuum Fix.

How many broken vacuums do you have? We discovered one in our garage, and my girlfriend took it upon herself to handywoman it. Here's her story:


Vacuum cleaners, like office chairs in a college environment, tend to have a short life span. Even the smartest bag-less that boasts 12 amps and has a washable filter isn’t invincible to the demands of a collegiate household.

Recently, I was perusing the shop outside the house, which is home to a random assortment of dilapidated washing machines, office chairs and furniture that we inherited upon moving into our house and I saw a black vacuum, standing neatly against the wall.

Upon first inspection, the vacuum looked fairly new, just a little dusty. So I plugged it in, and tried to vacuum some dirt, but realized not only was the vacuum not sucking, it was blowing! I flipped it upside-down and examined what might be the problem, and noticed a large buildup of hair and lint behind the brushes.

I traced where a tube, leading to the bag-less dirt chamber, connected to the underside of the vacuum, and realized there was major clogage. I unscrewed a screw that was holding the tube in a curve, and was able to shove a long metal skewer (mmm anyone want to BBQ?), through the tube, unearthing about 4 solid inches of sawdust, hair clippings and lint. I put all the pieces back together, plugged it in, and viola, it sucked in a good way.

TOOLS NEEDED
-multi tool or drill

-skewer or plumberesque tool

eBay

Lately, I've been perusing eBay for some tools. I thought I'd share with you some of my past experiences on the popular online auction site, as well as my current dealings.

I generally have pretty mixed feelings about eBay. On one hand, just today I received an order in the mail. I had bid on and won two 1/2" step drill bits (used for drilling holes in sheet metal). I got them at a great price of 99 cents each, and just $1.50 shipping.

Apparently this seller must have robbed home depot because he had about a dozen identical ones. I just picked up two. I'm a sucker for a good deal, but chances are I'll only ever use them once or twice. I don't know what I'll do with two of them.

The trick to buying on eBay, or buying anything online for that matter, is to be sure that you need it. Again, I probably don't need two of those step bits. Ok, I really don't need two of them. Nor do I need any of my past eBay purchases: a Choose Your Own Adventure book (I guess I forgot about these things called 'libraries', oh and I'm not 12 years old anymore), and my second purchase, a Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell CD single.

So the other thing about eBay... Damn, I have Bat Outta Hell stuck in my head... Um, oh, the other thing is to check other online places for the same item to see if you're really getting a deal. It seems like 75% of the time you get overcharged for shipping. So you might spend $2.00 on that sweet George Foreman grill, but shipping could be $15. A quick check on Google might show that Target has it for $10 in the store.

Before I bought those two bits, I checked online to see what the best price I could get them at was. The description on eBay said they were $30, but I found them on sale at an online store for $15. Either way, 99 cents was a great deal so I bought them.

It's also a good idea to make sure you are getting a quality item. I've been looking for drill bits, so I check to make sure they are a name brand, and that they have never been used before. Dull drill bits are pretty much useless. So are crappy Chinese no-name brand bits. Remember, you get what you pay for, well not exactly on eBay, but you know what I mean.

Ceiling Fan Fix.

Our bathroom kind of sucks. Well, that's not fair, it's the whole house that kind of sucks, but the bathroom notably sucks. First of all, when I moved in, it was covered in mold. Three girls use the bathroom, and they could somehow tolerate it. I couldn't.

Not long after I eradicated most of the mold (can't do much with the stuff that was clearly painted over; thanks, Slumlords), a much-needed, working bathroom fan was finally put in. A large part of the problem was the lack of a fan, specifically, the fact that all the humidity just stayed there after a shower.

So this was what the landlord provided. As you might imagine, the Collegiate Handyman is not impressed. Instead of a gaping hole in the ceiling, an exhaust fan now 'mostly' resides there. It doesn't quite fill the gap that the old fan filled.

I also suspected those gaps on the sides were affecting the efficiency of the fan. But then again, if I know my landlord, it's likely that is the cheapest fan anyone makes. It's probably intended for a much smaller room. I'd guess a porta-potty.

A quick trip to the local hardware store got me a six-foot strip of pre-painted mdf trim. I had a few problems with getting the 45 degree angles to fit together nicely. It seems my motto is "measure once, cut a bunch of times" instead of the more tried and true "measure twice, cut once."

A little bit of white caulk fixed the joint problems. I gave it a day to dry then attached it to the ceiling with some screws.

Altogether, it took maybe an hour or two and cost just $3. I'd say it adds a nice touch to the bathroom. Hmm, I wonder if the landlords will reimburse me for it? I really doubt it. But hey, if they don't, I'll just pull it off on the final walk through and see what they say. That should be interesting.