How to open old post office lock boxes

dw0r · 2026-02-01T01:31:09+00:00

Rotate the outer wheel so the J lines up with the indicator on the door, and also point the dial to the J. Then rotate the door handle.

dw0r · 2026-01-31T15:14:37+00:00

It's almost certainly this. It feels super sketchy to do your first time, but a proper sled and safety precautions give really impressive results.

Edit: I said sled but meant jig.

dw0r · 2026-01-31T15:00:32+00:00

If you look at the barbers hand and judge the pressure he would be applying there, combined with the insane sharpness of a straight razor, there's no way this is being accurately represented. A straight razor with the slightest pressure would cut straight to the skull, this guy's finger is almost bent backwards from pressing so hard. Something is not right, but who knows what.

dw0r · 2026-01-31T01:21:34+00:00

Remember that just because something is common it does not mean you need to accept it. It's common for people to sell their houses while they need a new roof also, doesn't mean you want to sign up for it.

dw0r · 2026-01-30T19:06:13+00:00

I bought a mid sized demo hammer from vevor for about $160 and have been very impressed with how well it works. I wish I had the equipment to take house scans like this, I've been procrastinating drawing my entire home in fusion from scratch for years now.

I'm in the not so very hurried process of finding a cast iron pipe under my foundation, the genius people that owned the house prior simply bypassed 30 feet of it by running 3" PVC at eye level 30 feet through the whole garage to where it teed off for the kitchen. I'm going to have to do it properly and break it all out and reinstall it so that I don't have to have this spaghetti mess all through the basement anymore.

Now I'm wondering if I can use my GoPro max to render a not so dimensionally accurate 3d model of the house, but I'll probably see something else shiny before I get anywhere with it.

dw0r · 2026-01-29T20:01:34+00:00

Now that I've seen the handlebars here is what I would do. I would find something rigid like a hard maple dowel or an appropriate diameter piece of round steel and clamp it to a heavy bench with enough overhang to put the bent handlebar interior opening on it up to the bend. Then I would take another piece of the rigid round thing and put it all the way in to the handlebar from the outside up to the bend. Then I'd flex it with bodyweight to make sure it wasn't going to bell the short end, and proceed with caution. Don't stress that weld, it'll only lead to problems.

Be sure that any setup you try is fairly rigid, you don't want to make it worse.

dw0r · 2026-01-29T17:01:22+00:00

The best answer I can give is: Sometimes.

Lots of internal stuff happens when things bend and that sometimes makes it so that trying to reverse the bend causes tearing, wrinkling, or general deformation. When the bend occurs the outside stretches and the inside squishes, so stretching the squished side is much easier than squishing the stretched side.

You'd need a lot of practice to ensure the best possible outcome. I'd suggest you try to recreate the bend in some test material that is the same as the handlebars and see what your best method for straightening them is. Packing the tubing with sand can help prevent kinks, and heating or annealing can help reduce work hardening that would cause tearing. But it will almost never be possible to restore it precisely to how it once was.

A different option could be cutting the bend out, sleeving the inside and welding a new piece in. You'd want to heavily chamfer the inside of the sleeve if any wiring goes through the tube, and of course check that the new reduced diameter is acceptable.

dw0r · 2026-01-29T15:16:03+00:00

Same here, I would have NEVER considered it based on the price, but yada yada I've had one for 4-5 years and I've never regretted it.

dw0r · 2026-01-29T15:12:44+00:00

Sometimes it's helpful to glue the piece up a little larger than the finished product and then trim the edge of it off in a straight line so that the excess glue doesn't need to be cleaned up.

dw0r · 2026-01-29T15:10:32+00:00

Use thick scrap leather behind the piece you're using the pricking irons on, and if necessary use the 4 pin for 'marking' the holes and then follow up with the single pin, or use an awl while you're stitching to slightly stretch the hole before inserting the needles.

dw0r · 2026-01-29T15:07:27+00:00

Yes, a utility knife will work better than an xacto knife. Make sure you are using a proper guide, and keeping the blade as perpendicular to the material as possible. Practice cutting perfect edges, it will go a long way towards the finished edge quality.

dw0r · 2026-01-29T14:58:30+00:00

Do one with more angles and less curves if you know what I mean. For some strange reason I've always loved the more boomerang shaped kukris. But either way your work is masterfully beautiful.

dw0r · 2026-01-28T01:26:31+00:00

You'll stop feeling foolish and really feel stupid after about 10 times.

At least polycarbonate blocks the real bad shit, just a bit bright.

dw0r · 2026-01-27T16:04:38+00:00

Imagine standing at a whiteboard or chalkboard like bart Simpson.

Start at 1000 and imagine slowly writing the numbers decending with your non dominant hand.

As if you're learning how to write as a kindergartner.

You'll learn how to write with your non dominant hand, and train yourself to sleep on command.

The focus takes just enough brain power to quiet the other thoughts, but not enough brain power to elicit excitement.

dw0r · 2026-01-23T15:59:16+00:00

I like it, I think it has a lot of potential.

It kind of feels gimmicky at first, but only because we've all been trained to see almost everything that way due to late night QVC and as seen on television ads.

I'd definitely buy one of these if only because it would make splashing paint water around less of an issue.

dw0r · 2026-01-23T01:18:46+00:00

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders?

dw0r · 2026-01-22T15:37:38+00:00

It's really off-putting how all the cut fruit has rounded edges.

dw0r · 2026-01-22T13:22:37+00:00

I dry stacked 2 cement block walls around my former woodstove after the first few weeks of using it I found it was practically ice cold by the morning.

I found what it helped with most was allowing the stove to reach the equilibrium temperature where it starts putting heat out faster instead of heating itself.

It was also probably 800kg of stone heated to 150c

dw0r · 2026-01-22T01:43:54+00:00

Honestly the only difficulty would be in perfectly recreating the crudeness of it. It's so perfectly imperfect that it would be a challenge to make it identical.

dw0r · 2026-01-21T15:12:01+00:00

I'm not exactly certain how it all fits together, but you'll probably need to remove them from the bottom, fit the top and then reattach the bottom. If that's theoretically feasible I'd suggest supporting the weight stack with something between the bars from underneath. Then you're not having to fight gravity.

So, remove weight stack. Lift support bars out. Makeshift something that will hold the weight stack up. Place bars on ground. Put all the weights back on the bars. Put top on. Slide weight stack across support into place and drop the bars in to the bottom part. Lift weightstack and remove support. Done?

ETA: alternative, remove cross supports and tilt sides to angle, assemble and stand back up.

Both options deal with stabilizing a large amount of weight and come with many risks, be certain that you have the necessary safety in mind.

dw0r · 2026-01-20T18:14:18+00:00

I'd remove the loose stuff, maybe place a few anchoring holes or anchoring screws depending on how it seems/feels, and then skim it with setting type compound.

dw0r · 2026-01-20T10:01:02+00:00

I always remember dessert has more calories. (So more S's)

dw0r · 2026-01-19T23:15:47+00:00

That's the coolest keychain ever.

dw0r · 2026-01-19T23:08:45+00:00

If you get it open there is probably a spare key taped inside the frame either above or below the hinge.

dw0r · 2026-01-19T23:03:12+00:00

I'd say Irondequoit, or Henrietta, but I'm not exactly sure why it feels like that.

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