/ BY ROY BERENDSOHN /↓ASKROY
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@askroypm26 March 2019 _ PopularMechanics.comPRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE
There’s a big pile
of dirt in the crawl
space under our
home. Any reason
I can’t just
leave it there?
eventually it will start to stink. I don’t
know of an easy way to get rid of it other
than shoveling it into five-gallon buckets and
hauling them out one at a time. Years ago, I was part
of a three-man squad that removed a large part of
a concrete basement floor that way. It’s hard work,
but it can be done.
If you can’t remove it, cover it. There are ait up tight will reduce
the moisture vapor
mov i ng t h roug h
the dirt into the
home’s air.In the October issue,
we showed you a
terrible repair job and
asked you to send
us the worst things
you’d seen. Kerry
Bauer of Pottstown,
Pennsylvania, sent us
a shot of creative
wiring for a ceiling
fan. And a fire hazard.I patched and
painted two holes
in my walls, but the
patches still show up
as shiny spots. What
did I do wrong?
Ian K., West Lafayette, Indiana
It’s a common problem called flash, as in the patch
“fla shes” through the pa int. It’s caused by unequa lIf
the entire wall. When select-
ing a primer, it’s wise to use a
product with high solids con-
tent, one labeled “high hide,”
or both. Those solids are less
likely to be absorbed into the
patches, and they’ll stop the
paint from being absorbed too.cutting” with carbide teeth that
have a triple-chip grind (TCG).
TCG teeth have low drag and good
movement of chips away from the
tooth, preventing clogging. Finally,
use a saw blade lubricant such as
Lube Tube by Lenox or, if you’reIf aluminum is a
soft metal, why is it
so difficult to cut?
Jennie P., Seal Beach, CaliforniaAluminum is a highly ductile
met a l, mea n i ng t h at it s t ret ches
and bends in response to stress.
Thus it has a tendency to gum
up saw blades, especially jig-
saw blades. The first step is
using the correct blade. Inspeed steel for durability. In a
miter saw or a circular saw, use
a blade labeled “non-ferrous