|
Builders' Tip: Making A Grit-Free Cap for Pneumatic Tools
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
Click for larger image. |
As I was trying out a new nailer, it occurred to me that the nailer would probably last longer if I just could keep dirt and grit out of its innards while the tool wasn’t in use.
So, I decided to make some plastic caps to cover the nailer’s hose coupling.
- I made the caps using 3/8-inch ID plastic tubing, the kind that is often used for water levels.
- With a butane lighter, I flamed the end of the tubing until it melted.
- Then I squished the end shut with a pair of wide-lipped pliers.
- After waiting a half-minute or so, I removed the pliers and cut off the end of the tube. The resulting cap is about 1 inch long.
- As shown in the accompanying drawing, I used a large sewing needle to thread a loop of braided fishing line through the side of the cap.
- The line wraps around the nailer’s handle, keeping the cap where I need it.
This technique can be used with larger or smaller diameter tubing, cut to different lengths, to make caps for innumerable items that have lost their original caps or didn’t come with them.
I’ve even used them to cap tubes of partially-used caulk. By the way, filling the cap with the appropriate solvent before slipping it onto the caulk nozzle will prevent the caulk from hardening.
— Ted Vish, Weaverville, N. C.
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2005 The Taunton Press
To request a reprint of this feature, e-mail Christina Glennon at Fine Homebuilding.
 BuilderBooks.com Offers More Than 250 Books That Help You Build Your Business
BuilderBooks.com is your source for training and education products for the building industry. The official bookstore for NAHB, BuilderBooks.com offers award-winning publications, software, brochures and more available in both English and Spanish.
To view these publications online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
Free
 NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips in Cooling Market
With the current cooling of the nation’s housing market expected to persist into the middle of the year, NAHB has developed a comprehensive online toolkit geared to providing association members with information that will help them prosper in today’s changing business environment.
To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar on the NAHB Web site.
For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.
|
