Tag: Repair

January was not a fun month. I had to do and spend a lot of money on things I consider chores. Plus it’s cold. January in Quebec averages around -15C and it goes beyond that when you take into account the wind (which is so well known around here they had a local semi-pro hockey team named after it). Because of the frigid temperatures I only earned $29.70 this month by canning.

My birthday is also this month and it was spent doing family medical stuff. Woopee! I did receive a gift (that relates to this project) from my mom which I do appreciate. It’s a Husky branded 10 piece pack of pliers & wrenches. I did not have a pair of slip joint or groove joint pliers and the rest of the kit will come in handy as well.

The Tools

The first couple of purchases were all made at a thrift store. They’re a crowbar for $5, a pry bar for $3 and mini paint roller handle for $0.50 (for hooking trash bags out of dumpsters). The bars are unbranded as far as I can tell but they say made in Canada so I don’t doubt they have a lot of life left in them.

The next purchase was to make my life easier. When I do work for my mom she has a variety of screwdrivers strewn about in a junk drawer that I have to always sort through to find the type I need. I got sick of doing that so I purchased a multi-bit Picquic screwdriver to leave with her. It came in a pack of 3 so I kept the medium sized one and the small “teeny turner”. The cost of the multipack was $27.90 off of Amazon after tax.

In this vein I also had to sharpen a bunch of kitchen knives for her because they were dull so I purchased a Lansky Blade Sharpener off of Amazon for $15.19. It’s a quick and dirty sharpening method but it gets the job done.

The next was an impulse purchase that was made after assembling a flat pack piece of furniture. It was a Wiha branded magnetizer/de-magnetizer also from Amazon for $13.61. It should be pretty easy to guess why I bought this.

The last thing I bought this month was a set of dental tools from Amazon for $11.89. I don’t plan on doing my own dentistry but I have found myself in need of some of the kit when cleaning recently. Sometimes things like your fingernail, toothpicks or a paint scraper do not work and you require a specialized tool to get into hard to reach places

Assets

Cash (on hand): $99.61

Revenue

1. Cans/Bottles: $29.70

Total Revenue: $29.70

Expenses

1. Crowbar $5.00
2. Pry Bar $3.00
3. Mini Paint Roller Handle $0.50
4. Picquic screwdriver set $27.90
5. Lansky Blade Sharpener $15.90
6. Wiha Magnetizer/De-Magnetizer $13.61
7. Dental Tool Set $11.89

Total Expenses: $77.80

Net Revenue :-$48.10

Summary

I spent way too much money this month born of frustration and impatience. I’m also kind of sick of spending money on tools and I would actually like to do some DIY stuff that’s fun, useful or at least interesting to me. I still cannot believe I haven’t done any soldering. It’s like living in a bad dream where something always seems to pop up or has to get done first.

October passed by in a flash. I got sick at the very beginning of the month with a cold and it lingered for 2 1/2 weeks. The rest of the month was spent catching up on chores I had put off and getting back up to my usual speed with life in general.

Despite these setbacks I still somehow managed to earn $27.10 from canning. That number got a boost one day as I was taking my cans to the grocery store a woman from a house near it got my attention by yelling at me and gave me a large garbage full of cans/bottles that she was otherwise putting out to the recycling. It was a very kind gesture on her part and quite unusual as I normally get yelled for the different reasons.

I managed to sell the Snap On tools that I had purchased the previous month on eBay. I do not plan to sell tool related items to fund my purchases for this project on eBay as it intersects too much with other areas of my life. I earned $48.95 from the sale which I will add to the kitty as a one time thing.

The Tools

The first tool I purchased at the beginning of the month was a full sized Stanley brand hacksaw from Home Depot for $5.70 delivered. I’m not sure if they were clearing out the model or it was a sale but I couldn’t pass it up at this price.

The second tool I purchased was a small pair of Mastercraft bolt cutters from the thrift store for $3.75. I don’t think they were ever used as they still had the cardboard back from Canadian Tire with them and no wear on the blades.

The third and final purchase I made for October was the largest. Early in the month while I was out running an errand while sick I happened upon a garage sale. October is very late for garage sales in this area but the fall weather that day was fantastic. I got super excited because I love garage sales and I despite that haven’t been to one yet this year. It wasn’t a great sale as it turns out because I found the prices high but I found a plastic molded case under a stack of DVD’s that caught my interest. In my feverish state I saw an angle grinder inside the case when I checked it out and was determined to buy something since it was probably going to be the only sale that I attended this year. The old lady running the sale and I negotiated a bit and I got the price down to $20. So what did I get?

When I got home I realized that the angle grinder I just bought turned out to be a Rockwell Sonicraft Oscillating Tool Model RK5105K and some accessories.

As I came to find out it was an early model and the problem was that when oscillating tools first came to market each manufacturer had their own proprietary attachment head. Each company sold their own brand of accessories that came molded with that proprietary attachment style. That way companies could charge high prices for their accessories that would only fit their brand of tools.

As years passed this destructive practice had eventually weakened the market demand for all oscillating tools among consumers. It was confusing to find the right blades you needed and when you did you were faced with high prices as you had no alternatives available to you.

Faced with slumping sales all the companies got together and adopted a universal head attachment that every manufacturer could use rectifying this problem. Now going forward any accessory produced for an oscillating tool no matter the manufacturer would fit.

Anyway all that is to say is that I had to buy a Rockwell universal adapter off Amazon for $16.64 so I can attach any blade now that’s currently being sold since the change. In retrospect maybe my purchase wasn’t such a great deal with that added expense factored in.

Financial Summary for October 2025

Revenue

1. Amount carried over from previous month: $13.35
2. Cans/Bottles: $27.10
3. Snap on Tool Sale: $48.95

Total Amount: $89.40

Expenses

1. Stanley Hacksaw: $5.70
2. Mastercraft Bolt Cutter: $3.75
3. Rockwell Sonicraft Oscillating Tool: $20
4. Rockwell Oscillating Tool Adapter: $16.64

Total Expenses: $46.09

Summary

If I’m honest I hardly remember October. The combination of being sick, catching up afterwards and just being busy all the time, it feels like I just got back to being normal again. I know I did some DIY stuff this month but I can’t for the life of me remember anything specific as I write this post. I’m going to have to put stuff down on paper as I do them in November so I can write about them next month.

September was a bit of a milestone month as it marked the first time since I started to learn about home improvement that I actually got paid for something I did. A client of my mom’s asked her to ask me if I could fix her vacuum cleaner. This is the vacuum:

The client owns a Hoover Constellation Eight Sixty Nine that she received as a wedding gift that stopped working. I didn’t actually know if I could get it working again but agreed to take a look at it. It turned out that the plug of the cord had become brittle with age and had snapped.

I explained the fault to her and we came to an agreement that I would replace the plug and buy her new vacuum bags (as I discovered hers was filled to the top as well). She ended up giving me $50 for the hardware I needed.

Once I got the replacement plug I installed it and the vacuum worked again. The vacuum bags are currently stuck in limbo since Canada Post has gone on strike while they were in transit so that will have to wait a bit. I tried giving back her change but she insisted I keep the rest for my effort which was appreciated but not expected in any way. The net amount I ended up keeping was $18.26.

Besides that I surprised myself by earning a total of $29.25 from canning this month. I didn’t think that I had raised that much but I guess it adds up.

The Tools

With the unexpected boost of the vacuum repair money I purchased an automatic wire stripper and a digital multimeter from Aliexpress.

The wire stripper is extremely useful as it’s a complete pain in the ass to strip a wire properly with a knife. Equally the multimeter is just as useful in its own way for other projects.

The third thing I purchased was a bit of a luxury item. I bought 2 bags of 50 plastic food prep gloves from Dollarama. Canning is dirty and these gloves save me from having grubby hands when I’m out and about.

The fourth and fifth things I bought this month was a speculative buy. They are a Snap On ignition tune up set and 4 Snap On nail punch/chisels.

I paid $12.50 for the wrench set and $3.00 for the punches from a thrift store.

I don’t have a need for the tools right now but I’ve heard that Snap-On is a well regarded and expensive brand. I’m going to try to flip them on eBay and if I make any money I’ll put that towards other tools I do need. Worst case scenario is if I don’t sell them I’ll just clean them up and keep them.

The last thing I bought this month was a pair of G8 LED bulbs from Amazon.

I found an articulated desk lamp in the trash earlier this month. It’s one of those desk lamps with a swing arm that you can put into almost any position. It looks like one of those Pixar lamps they always have in their opening animations on movies. Anyway, it had a halogen bulb in it that had burnt out and I replaced it with an LED version since it will run at 3W vs halogen at 20W with the same or better light output. It was more expensive per unit than ordering a 10 pack of halogen bulbs but I figured I will make it up with the energy savings over time. It’s actually very convenient that I found a lamp because now that I’ve taken out the AC for the year I have my workspace back and the old lamp I had on the desk has been moved to another part of the house so I had nothing to replace it with.

Financial Summary for September 2025

Revenue

1. Amount carried over from previous month: $10.09
2. Cans/Bottles: $29.25
3. Working Money: $18.26

Total Amount: $57.59

Expenses

1. Wire Strippers: $8.84
2. Digital Multimeter: $7.99
3. Poly Gloves $2.88
4. Snap on Ignition Wrench Set: $12.50
5. Snap on Punches: $3.00
6. G8 LED bulbs x 2: $8.04

Total Expenses: $44.24

Summary

September went better than expected. I have hope that every month will be as positive as this one but I’m not naive.

August was another decent month but it’s the last I have extra time to do scrounging on my errands since my semi vacation is now over. I did get lucky however and found a large plastic water bottle that normally goes on a water dispenser in a recycling bin behind an office building. These are worth $10 empty at the grocery store so it was a nice boost in addition to the cans I scavenged.

With that boon I managed to raise a total of $37.30 for August.

The Tools

I’ve been doing work without proper safety equipment and I figured that although the risks have been minimal so far I had better smarten up before something bad happens. The first thing I bought this month was a set of 50 masks for $2.00 from the thrift store.

Now that nobody cares about COVID anymore PPE has come way down in price. I remember all the anti mask bullshit that was floating around during the pandemic. You can debate all the nuance about freedom wearing them and their effectiveness but it’s my first hand experience that they work. Don’t believe me then look at the scientific studies. Sure they aren’t N95 but they don’t need to be since I’m not spending all day in a COVID ward.

The second thing I bought was work gloves off of Amazon for $5.75. The gloves work extremely well and have great grip. I should have owned a pair long ago.

The third thing I bought was some 3M safety glasses that go over my own prescription ones from Amazon for $3.01.

The fourth thing I bought was a magnetic pickup tool from Aliexpress for $3.79. Aluminum cans aren’t very magnetic but it’s the rest of the metal stuff that can often be found in the garbage that makes this tool come in useful.

The fifth thing I bought was a magnetic bowl from Walmart for $4.00. Do almost anything related to electronics and you’ll want one of these things when it comes to disassembly. I’ve found often it’s either this or a headache most of the time so I opted to just buy one.

The last thing I bought this month was a Picquic multi bit screwdriver from Amazon for $12.25. I needed a Schrader Valve bit to help someone and didn’t have one on my current screwdriver. It turned out that factoring in time there was only like a $2 difference between ordering a whole screwdriver on Amazon with the bit and just the bit itself at the hardware stores near me.

I didn’t really need a whole other screwdriver but can you ever have too many? I’m conflicted whether I made the right choice but it’s done now.

Financial Summary for August 2025

Revenue

1. Amount Carried Over From Previous Month: $3.16
2. Cans/Bottles: $37.30

Total: $40.46

Expenses

1. 50 Facemasks $2.00
2. Work Gloves $5.75
3. 3M Safety Glasses $3.01
4. Magnetic Pick-Up Tool $3.79
5. Magnetic Bowl $4.00
6. Picquic Multi Bit Screwdriver $12.25

Total Expenses: $30.80

Summary

It wasn’t a flashy month but I bought a bunch of stuff that I needed.

July is not my favorite month but at least it’s good for canning. I would bet it’s going to be my best month earning money this way. I was out and about sweating a lot in July so I did a bunch of canning because of the opportunity and managed to raise $36.50.

The Tools

I have to start with a review of the grabber I picked up on Aliexpress. It’s not great. I like that it’s foldable so I can conceal it in a reusable grocery bag but that’s where my appreciation ends. The way the jaws clench means it struggles to hold onto any can or bottle and it’s frustrating as hell to use because the cans slip out of the grip all the time. I’m going to have to modify it somehow so the jaws close tighter. They are plastic riveted in place so I can’t disassemble them. What I will have to do is put some combination of a foam weather stripping (usually used to seal air leaks in windows when installing air conditioners for example) and a grippy piece of material like rubber. I was thinking that one side of the jaws will have the weather stripping while the other will have the rubber giving me the ideal balance of grip and holding power. Either way it’s been filed away in my mind for a future project because I don’t plan on purchasing anything to make the modification anyway.

I’ve also put it on the back burner because I was discussing the grabber problem with my mom and unbeknownst to me she went out and purchased a grabber for me from a Dollarama.

I was a bit annoyed with her for having done so (and secretly annoyed with myself for not having done so already and instead paying up the ass at Aliexpress). I tried to pay her back a few times but she was unwilling to accept any money from me on any of occasions I tried. I’m thankful she’s an understanding and kind person because even though I’m middle aged now my guess is that it’s rare for a parent to have to deal with their offspring digging around in the trash. She knows that I’m doing it because I want to pay my debt off first and using this separate money to buy tools so I don’t accumulate more debt. She’s always been a great mother to me and even if I lived a 1000 lives I wouldn’t choose to have anyone different. So I have another grabber now and suffice to say it works much better thank jebus.

The first thing I’ve come to realize is that the way I’ve been buying tools isn’t ideal. My preference is to save money and buy higher quality tools. The problem is that higher quality tools are more expensive and getting them at discounted prices will take time. In the interim I’m facing the issue of needing a tool but not having one. Instead of framing it in my mind as a high quality tool purchase vs a low quality tool purchase I should have been thinking of having no tool vs having the tool I needed regardless of quality. So I decided at least until I have the tools that I need I will try just to get SOMETHING whether or not it is cheap or high quality just so that I can just get the job done with it.

The second thing I’ve come to realize is that purchasing individual tools is more expensive than just buying a kit. I did not know that retailers like Home Depot, Canadian Tire or Wal-Mart sell “Project Kits” which are basically small toolkits with most common tools that someone might need and they are priced competitively. Which leads me to my one and only purchase for July:

The only thing I bought for July was a drill toolkit from Wal-mart for $33.34. I happened across it online when I was buying litter for my cats. I thought it was a fantastic deal. It had all the basic tools I was looking for in addition to a cordless drill which is something I thought I would acquire way down the line.

Financial Summary For July 2025

Revenue

1. Amount carried over from previous month: $0.02
2. Cans/Bottles: $36.50

Total: $36.52

Expenses

1. Cordless Drill kit $33.34

Total: $33.34

Summary

I know that the drill kit I purchased is considered by some to be cheap Chinese tools but to me being able to get a task finished no matter what I use is more important that not being able to at all.