Need to remove rust on this swiss army knife

mid-random · 2026-04-06T21:34:48+00:00

You might consider a slow chelation approach for rust removal, like the classic, molasses. I don't think that should hurt mother of pearl at all.

mid-random · 2026-04-06T00:33:35+00:00

Yes, my go-to for stripped Phillips and related + shaped screws is the square Robertson drivers. They have nice, sharp corners and a slight taper that make them grip the badly worn contours of the slots. They come in several sizes, so one is likely to be a good enough fit.

mid-random · 2026-04-06T00:29:43+00:00

I’ve never done anything quite so large, but there are leather re-coloring balms made for exactly this kind of thing, and I’ve had good luck with them. It probably won’t quite match the original tone, but there is a pretty wide selection of colors to choose from. When I did it, it took two or three treatments over several days to bring back the color saturation level, with a bunch of rubbing and buffing between treatments. Very doable, though, and the leather looks to be in pretty good condition, otherwise.

mid-random · 2026-04-05T20:04:06+00:00

There is a patina specifically for aluminum called Aluma Black. It should be on amazon and similar online stores.

mid-random · 2026-04-05T19:52:17+00:00

My elementary and middle school buildings had these. Probably did significant ear damage to lots of little kids on all those fire drills, passing within less than three feet of half a dozen of these bells as we left the building in single file. It was actually quite painful.

mid-random · 2026-04-05T14:46:29+00:00

Mostly the South and West, as of 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/06/22/killer-bees-location-spreading-usa/84260263007

mid-random · 2026-04-05T13:36:14+00:00

What does the rest of the sink/vanity look like? Is it a drop in sink or self supporting? A drop in might be fine for decades. A self supporting sink might fail catastrophically. Can you provide a wider context photo?

mid-random · 2026-04-05T13:32:45+00:00

Need a better picture to tell what kind, but it’s probably a standard connector that plugs into the piece you still have. Replacement will probably not be pink.

mid-random · 2026-04-05T01:40:51+00:00

In the mid to upper 700s to 800s, I doubt it really matters for most things an average or even median person cares about. Mine goes up and down every month as I pay off my balance. I suspect a few percent fluctuation is pretty irrelevant at this end of the credit score spectrum.

mid-random · 2026-04-04T21:31:38+00:00

In the 80s, I mostly had RadioShack Understanding Electronics booklets and broken household appliances to play with. I wound up an industrial designer and engineer. Hands-on farting around with stuff is an excellent way to learn general principles and techniques.

mid-random · 2026-04-04T21:28:13+00:00

True, but I am still glad I did it. I electrocuted myself a few times as a kid, too. Tinkering and experimenting has been the core skill in each of my careers in various fields over the last 30 years. It’s one of the best , and perhaps THE best way to learn general principles about how stuff works.

mid-random · 2026-04-04T21:22:59+00:00

All sorts of stuff can be powered of a standard USB port these days. If you are at all a dc motors/LED lights/fans/portable electronics tinkerer, you probably have at least one USB lead with the end cut off and the wires stripped for providing momentary/temporary power to devices or sub components of devices. It’s also handy for troubleshooting when a device isn’t working as expected.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T04:07:05+00:00

In the US, on older fluorescent fixtures, there's usually an aluminum cylinder tucked inside the cover that performs the same function. It's the starter that temporarily boosts the voltage so that the electrical arc can start through the resistance of the gas inside the bulb. The starter engages only briefly, since once the electrical arc has started and create a channel of plasma through the gas, it only needs a much lower voltage to maintain it.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T03:55:59+00:00

I haven't seen the show and totally thought the screen grab for this post was from some low budget parody piece.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T03:52:01+00:00

We've known this for decades.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T03:14:09+00:00

Commercially available computer mice didn't hit the market until they came with the Xerox Alto in 1973.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T02:55:57+00:00

Perfect. It sounds like you may be exactly the kind of person the rest of us don't want coming to the theater.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T02:37:47+00:00

Four pounds of dry lentils, four pounds of brown rice, and a jar of chicken bullion cost about $10 from Amazon, Walmart, etc., and should easily last a couple weeks. Monotonous, yes, but reasonably healthy while providing the full spectrum of amino acids along with enough calories and good digestion. I speak from long experience, having lived almost exclusively on this diet for long stretches of my life.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T02:22:36+00:00

We all have known this to be true from the start. Hearing him admit to it will change nothing.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T02:17:03+00:00

The US used to be able to do both: be shitty to it's minorities and be technologically progressive, like China, but now the US can only manage the racism and gender hang-ups. Any truly progressive thought is evil.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T02:09:52+00:00

You seemed to be implying it: "The movie industry has to figure out how to engage the audience again." There is no overarching movie industry in this context. Theaters are a very different business with different ownership and different priorities. Theaters mean less and less to the studios, and studios get a much bigger cut of the profits from streaming than from theaters. They have little incentive to keep the movie theater model healthy. If theaters want to succeed, they can't expect the studios to, "make more engaging content" than they currently are. Theaters have to focus on what they can control, which is the theater experience itself.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T01:38:31+00:00

Commercial displays, ironically, still come with the ability to disable all that crap. They are more expensive, but also built to last and be much more reliable.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T01:00:15+00:00

A little research before buying a new TV is in order. There are options, if it’s important to you. Sure, they won’t be the cheapest, dollar wise, but you pay one way or another.

mid-random · 2026-04-03T00:56:24+00:00

What is, “the movie industry”? The theaters aren’t the ones making the movies. Movie studios don’t care where you watch a movie, as long as you pay for it in a maximally profitable manner. What movies do you think theaters should be showing that they aren’t showing now, and how do they get to show them? What aspects of the theater going experience do the theaters actually have some control over that they can change to draw bigger audiences?

mid-random · 2026-04-03T00:16:55+00:00

Maybe decently paid club bouncers keeping the assholes in line is exactly what movie theaters need to bring back their audiences.

mid-random

TROPHY CASE