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DIY Magnetic Sockets – Save Time – Don’t Drop Your Bolts!

 

SHOP SOCKET EXTENTIONS

 

DIY Magnetic Sockets

Socket Extension With Magnet Attached

Are you trying to install a fastener in a hard to reach area? Constantly dropping bolts when you go to tighten them?

We’ve all played the balancing game of trying to keep a bolt in a socket while we turn it over only to have it fall out of the socket and into the depths of you engine bay never to be seen again. We sat down (in frustration) with our fastener expert Bob and he gave us a quick tip on how to avoid this issue in most situations.

What You’ll Need

  • Crazy Glue
  • A Small Round Magnet
  • Socket Wrench Extension

How It Works

Take the socket wrench extension and place the magnet on top. Make sure the magnet, when seated in the middle of the extension allows the socket to still slide over the top and connect. At this point you have one of two options:

  1. Use this as a temporary solution so you can remove the magnet once completed
  2. Remove the magnet, coat the bottom in crazy glue and reapply it to the extension, creating a permanent solution.

Using It

Bolt Held Upside Down In The Socket Extension With Magnet

Now that your magnet is installed, all you need to do is choose the right socket for your bolt and place it on the extension. Slide the bolt into the socket and the magnet will grab the bolt. On some metals such as plain steel, the magnet should grip the bolt firmly, On stainless steels (which are all partially magnetic) there should be a light grip, but unfortunately on non-magnetic materials such as aluminum there still isn’t grip. These bolts are still going to be a pain for all of us.

Aside from non-magnetic fasteners, the only other time this fix will not work is when the extension is too long. Often, there is little space where the bolt needs to be installed so adding the extension to the wrench will make this task unlikely if not impossible to complete.

Conclusion

Overall, this easy and cheap trick can save us all a lot of time, searching for bolts that never hit the floor but seemingly vanish from existence and the frustration of dropping a bolt repeatedly. If you have a spare socket extension or a few bucks lying around, give this a try and let us know how it works out for you.

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How To Remove Scratches From A Car’s Interior Trim

 

SHOP ADHESIVES

 

How To Remove Scratches From A Car’s Interior TrimHow To Remove Scratches From A Car's Interior Trim - Scratched Surface

In many cars, especially luxury cars, there is an accented wood-like interior trim accenting the car. These surfaces scratches not only look unpleasant but can also hurt the value of your car whether you are attempting to sell it or returning a lease. So let’s learn how to remove scratches from a car’s interior trim.

Materials

  • Blue Painter’s Tape
  • Meguiar’s Scratch X 2.0: Fine Scratch and Blemish Remover
  • Meguiar’s Ultimate Paste Wax: Pure Synthetic Polymer
  • 2 Microfiber cloths (we recommend two colors to make distinguishing them easy)

(*Disclaimer: We chose these items and are not sponsored by Meguiars in any way.)

 

Step One

Applying scratch remover to the cars interior trim.

The first step is to take the blue painter’s tape and outline the trim of the car. You do not want to get these compounds onto the surrounding materials. It will be very difficult to remove and may stain the leather.

Step Two

Apply a small amount of the scratch remover to the first microfiber cloth. Make sure you don’t over do it here, there only needs to be enough on the cloth to lightly cover the entire trim area. Then simply rub the compound back and forth across the area until the compound is evenly dispersed and any swirl marks and scratches are no longer visible. If after a couple minutes you still see scratches, you may need to apply more of the compound. Once you have filled in all of the scratches, move to a dry area of the microfiber cloth and wipe down the area to remove any extra compound that was not used.

Step Three

Using wax on a cars interior trim.

Now switch to the other microfiber cloth and apply a small amount of compound wax to the cloth as well. Apply the wax in the same way you applied the scratch remover to the trim only. Remember not to get the wax on anything else, especially leather.

Step Four

Wait. Give the wax a minute or two to dry (maybe longer in shaded areas). You will start to see the excess wax starting to haze. Switch to a clean dry area on the microfiber cloth and with gentle pressure wipe off the excess wax. After you wipe it down the first time, choose another dry area and repeat the wipe down.

Conclusion

Cars interior trim after scratch removal.

Now that your scratch remover has been applied, the wax compound has be applied and excess has been cleaned off the only thing left to do is remove the blue painters tape and enjoy your brand new (looking) car trim. Now that you know how to remove scratches from a car’s interior trim, car enthusiasts and beginners alike can use to make their interior car trim look as beautiful as the day they bought it.



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