▶A few years ago, several friends and I went for
a boat ride off the coast of Maine. We wanted
to explore an interesting-looking island, but
we needed permission to land. There was a
sign onshore with visiting instructions, but we
couldn’t get close enough in the boat to make out
what it said. So I took a picture with my camera,
then zoomed in until I could read it.
I often use the same trick at home. I broke
the glass globe of the light fixture on the ceiling
in our laundry room, and in order to replace it I
needed to know the model number of the fixture.I was too lazy to go downstairs for a step stool,
so I held my phone over my head and clicked.
You find applications everywhere: checking
the score of the World Series on the TV above
the bar on the far side of the restaurant; explor-
ing wall cavities and other tight spaces that you
can’t peer into because your forehead gets in the
way; remembering where you parked at the air-
port; and making a step-by-step visual record of
what the inside of your clothes dryer looked like
before you foolishly began unscrewing things.
—David OwenEasiest Way to
Carry a Carpet
▶Next time you clean house, try
rolling the large rugs diagonally
before picking them up. In this
way, they can be carried without
buckling.To join boards at an
angle, tack boards
together and cut them
simultaneously.
Cut this way, boards
will fit perfectly, even
if you stray from
the cutting line.Automotive Radiator Repair, in a Pinch
A PERFECT FIT
EVERY TIMEMake Your Camera a Tool
▶When pouring from
a square or rectangular
can with an off-center
spout, like some brands
of camp-stove fuel,
mineral spirits, or paint
thinner, position the
spout at the top. Air en-
ters smoothly, prevent-
ing gurgling and the
waste of material.PROPER WAY
TO POUR
LIQUID▶L.H. Kunkel of Ridgewood, New York, has a son who had a problem. A hole popped in one of his car’s
radiator tubes as he was driving on the New York State Thruway miles from home. All the coolant was lost,
and the engine overheated just as he pulled into a thruway gas stop—one which didn’t have the facilities to
replace the radiator. What to do, the son asked the father when he called home.
“Take a pair of pliers,” L.H. advised, “and tear away the radiator fins around the leak in the tube. Then
use the pliers to crimp the tube closed, or split the tube in two and bend the ends closed.” Those tubes run-
ning from one radiator tank to another are individual—it’s possible to plug several by crimping them and
still have plenty of cooling capacity left.NOVEMBERNOVEMBERJUNEJULYSEPTEMBERPH
ON
E:
M
OR
NI
NG
B
RE
AT
H;^
BOARDS:HARRYWICKS@PopularMechanics _ March 2019 29