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The Handyman Letter, Dec 2005 - Jan 2006
Since 1997, the official newsletter of "The Natural Handyman" website
Read this newsletter online: http://www.handymanletter.com/20060101.html
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In This Issue:

1) Secretive Santas… a message from the Natural Handyman

2) Sweepstakes Central... Win great home repair stuff!!

3) News from the Basement Annex!!

4) Q&A with our readers

5) Linkmaster's Corner

6) Featured in the Natural Handyman Bookshop...
"Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things" by Cy Tymony

If you love being a "Do-It-Yourselfer"...

...or you want to learn to be a better home handyman, the Handyman Club of America can give you the home improvement expertise to be the best you can be! The club's wonderful magazine, HANDY, is a top notch home repair resource covering both indoor and outdoor projects such as walkways, attic or basement renovations, countertops... and even little jobs!

Click HERE to sample a free copy of HANDY with a trial membership, plus become eligible for a FREE 14-in-1 multi-tool. You take absolutely no risk since no credit card is needed!  

Secretive Santas… a message from the Natural Handyman

One thing about the Christmas season.  There may be a shortage of spending cash, but there is no lack of wishes!  We write wish lists and send them to Mom, Dad, our kids, the friends with whom we exchange presents... and, of course, to Mr. Claus (just in case!)

The fun and fantasy of Santa Claus stays with me, even with my unconditional childhood belief  long-buried under sawdust.  I can still recall the day I realized that Santa was not exactly... shhh... a person.  The basement in our turn-of-the-20th-century house has a small area underneath part of the living room that was about half as deep as the basement.  It housed the oil tank, spiders, mice and other unspeakables by Father called "collectibles".  I can't say he was a packrat, Mother's firm hand keeping him from reaching his full hoarding potential!

I remember the old wooden wide-slat Venetian blind, rather chipped and grey, that once hung across the picture window in the living room till its appearance became an embarrassment.  Mom's orders: one blind to basement, yes Sir!  As always, Father's whim was to put an old dog to good use.  So voila!  The secret room became invisible; an imaginary window and hiding place crouching behind that ancient window dressing.

But I digress.  Even with a belief in magical Santa, EVERY kid knows that at least some of the presents under the tree come from natural people.  But where are they hidden?  My mother was the stay-at-home type (but to say she didn't work would be at my peril).  Needless to say, this made searching for presents more of a  challenge.  Especially in her room, which lay above the living room with a full complement of squeaky floors and equally noisy door hinges!  Factor in her motherly "extra" eyes (front and rear of head) and it became a mission worthy of James Bond!

I found them, of course, but not where I expected.  They were in the secret room, behind the ancient blind.  Though the full list of found booty fades into my ancient brain cells, thoughts of a specific gift remain.  It was a race car set (one of those old-style real electric setups that would probably be illegal today) complete with tracks in a fancy, colorful box.  I hadn't remembered asking for it when bouncing on Santa's knee, but I've always (and still do) enjoy the surprise of an unexpected toy! 

Of course, forbidden knowledge of Christmas soon-to-come can cause time to move with a painful creep.  The weeks remaining till Christmas seemed like months!  But time slid slowly onward and soon the happy day arrived.  Presents were opened, pleasantries exchanged, but an odd thing happened.  There was no race car set!  For a second I nearly blurted out, "Something is missing!"  But wise even in my youth, I stayed silent.  Disappointed.  Confused.  Perhaps this was punishment for finding the booty?  A little wake-up call from the old furry fellow himself, letting me know that doubting him can have unexpected results?  When no one was looking, I crept into the basement and, behind the ancient blind, was nothing aside from the usual residents.  Questions begging questions, answers not forthcoming.

Christmas day moved forward.  One of the worst parts of Chrismas day was having to go visiting.  All I wanted to do is play and play.  But at least the major stop was an enjoyable one.  We visited my cousins Carol and Joey, who were like the sister and brother I never had.  Of course, it was never pleasant to have to spend hours watching other kids play with their toys, while yours gathered dust and pine needles.

To this day, I don't know if anyone heard the audible gasp when I saw the race car set, spread out majestically on their tiny, WWII vintage living room floor.  You could have knocked me over with a snowflake, the tricksters!  Suddenly, I realized then how wise indeed parents can be.  They had swapped presents to keep the surprise alive, a secret carried with me to my own parenthood as a lesson well learned.

But what about Santa?  Okay, maybe he wasn't a real person.  But he might as well have been.  Sometimes, symbolism has more power than reality.  And who can fault the image of a friendly, giving old man who asks nothing more than reasonably good behavior? 

Or fault a legacy of good thoughts and hope.  Of wishes and dreams.  Of joys and toys.  And a teacher of how the best gift can be a simple surprise.  Shhhh!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

NH

Get NH's Favorite Woodworking Catalog... Absolutely FREE!

If you'd like a free catalog that will get your do-it-yourself juices flowing, the Rockler Woodworking Catalog is for you.

This unique catalog features loads of useful supplies, parts, tools, gizmos and gadgets... even hard-to-find specialty items that will save time and money on your next woodworking or carpentry project! Great gifts, too!!

Click HERE to have a copy delivered BY MAIL to your home FREE with no obligation of any kind.

Oh... can't wait for a catalog?  Shop online today at Rockler Woodworking's great website.

2) SWEEPSTAKES CENTRAL

New Contests...

Win a deluxe set of instructional CD’s from Custom Built Spas! Learn how to save money building your own spa, hot tub or swim spa… plus get a $100.00 discount off supplies!

Contests closed...

Two contests closed this month… the Hydrostopper flood protector giveaway and the Concrete Countertop instructional DVD giveaway! We will announce the winners in a future newsletter!

Congrats to our latest contest winners...

The winner of a NATURAL HANDYMAN BASEBALL CAP for November was:
     B. Kowalski of Luling, TX

The winners of the last CUSTOM BUILT SPAS CD giveaway were:
     B. Kiernan of Knoxville, TN
     R. Stephens of Chickasha, OK
     T. Rollins of Medina, OH
     R. Rhodes of Cibolo, TX

For the best info on do-it-yourself spas, hot tubs and swim spas, plus discounted supplies, visit CustomBuiltSpas.com

OTHER CURRENT CONTESTS

(1) Win a $50.00 gift certificate from Lamps-Lighting.com (ends 7/1/06)
(2) Win a $100.00 SHOPPING SPREE from BOLTDEPOT.COM (ends 6/1/06)
(3) Win a fully-assembled 5’x2’ REDWOOD GARDEN BRIDGE from Handcrafted Garden Bridges! (ends 3/1/06)
(4) Win a copy of “Room for Improvement” by Barbara K! (ends 1/1/06)
(5) Win a NATURAL HANDYMAN LOGO BASEBALL CAP! (monthly)

To visit Sweepstakes Central, click HERE!
 

Looking for a Handyman?  We can help...

Our growing Natural Handyman Network now has over 950 handymen, reaching thousands of cities and towns from sea to shining sea. Yes, even Hawaii and Alaska! Get your own devoted and skilled handyman ready, willing and able to help you with those pesky home repair chores! Does it get any better than that?

The Natural Handyman Network has NO FEES charged to you or our listed handymen, so their prices don't need to include them!!  And we don't ask for any personal information from you to view our listings.

Simply, our single-minded goal is to help you find the home repair assistance you need!

Visit the Natural Handyman Network!

3) News from the "Basement Annex"

All the hard working grunts, go-fers and assorted maniacs at Naturalhandyman.com want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year! 

We can't thank our readers enough for their feedback, their loyalty and their patience with the weirdness that is this newsletter and NaturalHandyman.com.  We hope the holiday season is one you can treasure, and that the New Year brings new hope to those of us at home, and at war, in this often chaotic world.

Now, on to business!  A few new articles were posted this month that you might be interested in!

Mistletoe:  The Other Evergreen explores the biology of mistletoe.  These handy facts may give you the ammunition to "change the subject" in case you get caught under a sprig by an over-affectionate worker at the office party!

Sneaky Re-Uses For Common Toys answers the question, "I paid so much for this piece of crap and now I have to throw it away?"  This short article offers some cool suggestions, plus links to a number of resources to help turn that chicken-$%# broken toy into chicken salad! (Or soup, if you're a little under the weather.)

Fighting Holiday Grime and Slime!  When the guests have gone home and you've recovered from your "holiday high", it's time to get serious... about cleanup!  Here are a few tips from the pros to ease the inevitable pain of post-holiday yuck!

4) Q&A with our readers

Dear NH,

How do I get rid of my shower glass door from staining/streaking. We us a shower spray Tilex. However, we now after 5 years have streaks in the glass we cannot get out. we use the commerical product such as CLR with no results.

GC from Oakville, Ontario, Canada

GC,

Welcome to the club! I had a similar situation and, frankly, there is no solution. According to glazing experts, the tempered glass that is used in shower doors can, over time, become permanently stained from both cleaning chemicals and the minerals present in water which permanently change the glass. No amount of cleaning chemicals or so-called mineral "scale" removers will help.

To give you an idea of what I tried on my doors, here are the unsuccessful attempts:

Thorough cleaning with a variety of household chemicals such as Mr. Clean, Fantastik, etc.
Use of commercial and household mineralization removers such as CLR, LimeAway, phosphoric acid (masonry cleaner), and muriatic acid (a last chance desperate attempt).   I even removed them and laid them across sawhorses in the yard so the chemicals would have a chance to work.

Yet, still no success! Muriatic acid will dissolve masonry, so when it did not even affect the streaks on my doors, I had to accept that the stains were indeed permanent.

Perhaps the best advise I can give to owners of glass shower doors is to use a squeegee after every use to remove standing water from the glass. That, plus cleaning them with a real glass cleaner, is the best chance of keeping them clear and clean-looking for their lifetime.

Or, the other alternative... get opaque as opposed to clear glass door... they will hide the inevitable streaking!

Dear NH,

We just moved into a new house and I have noticed they did not caulk around the toilets, shower faucets, or kitchen sink. I feel they should be caulked but have been told it is not required. Should it be done?

JW from Sumter, SC

JW,

First and foremost, congrats on your new home. I'm sure you'll find it both a joy and an adventure in the coming New Year!

Caulking is necessary to seal joints or seams between materials where there is a significant chance of water leakage. The most common interior use of caulking is within the shower or tub enclosure. Though it may seem sensible to caulk around toilets, shower faucets and the kitchen sink, it is usually unnecessary.

1) Toilets are usually not sealed against the floor unless there is a compelling reason, since it makes removal for repair much more difficult. Occasionally, toilet bases are caulked if there are special moisture issues. For example, caulk can prevent excessive condensation on the toilet tank from creeping underneath the toilet, which can rot the floor. Another use would be to help steady a toilet that wobbles excessively, though thin plastic shims can also solve this problem.

2) The decorative cover plates on shower and tub faucets are typically sealed against the shower wall on their "back-side" (either with a rubber gasket, o-ring or plumber's putty) during installation. Since some caulks are fairly strong adhesives, it's not a good idea to apply caulk behind these covers unless called for by the manufacturer. It will make removal for repairs very difficult!

3) Stainless steel kitchen sinks are always sealed to the countertop with either plumber's putty or caulk, but the sealant is underneath the rim of sink and not visible. Cast iron kitchen and ceramic bathroom sinks often have a neat bead of caulk around the perimeter, but their design allows it to be very smooth and unobtrusive. Undercounter sinks are also sealed invisibly to the underside of the countertop. As a rule, you don't want to smear caulk atop your countertop unless the original sealant fails and you don't want to remove-and-reinstall the sink to replace the original sealant.

Caulk is not a permanent material by any stretch of the imagination. It requires regular replacement as it loses its elasticity and/or adhesion on the material it’s sealing. It also begins to look quite obnoxious, turning beautiful shades of gray and black as it ages from a combination of mold and reactions to cleaning chemicals. So anywhere you can avoid using it without incurring moisture damage, the less regular maintenance you'll need to do.

Dear NH,

How will pressure treated wood do if sprinkled with salt during a snowy time. We spent $2000 on stairs and a deck and want to respond properly to recent snow!

Your site is A-1!

ED of Chillilwack, BC, Canada

ED,

Thanks, ED.  And by all means, make sure your deck and stairs are properly sealed! "Raw" pressure treated wood is vulnerable to the elements, and sun, moisture and chemicals will damage it. The "treatment" part of pressure-treatment is a fungicide and preservative meant prevent rot and  insect infestation, not surface damage.

Since it is getting pretty cold in your neck of the woods, be sure to apply an oil-based product (to the tune of  "Jingle Bells", no doubt).  Oil-based wood preservatives can be applied in cold weather, though I would not do so if the temperature has been below freezing for a number of days since the frozen wood will not absorb the product. 

Naturally speaking, the warmer the outside temperature, the more quickly the product will dry to the touch.  Under duress, I've personally applied oil-based deck sealant a few days before a snowfall and, though this is not the most desirable situation, the finish not only adhered but showed no problems the following summer.  Rain beaded on the surface like a champ!

About the only thing I noticed was, when the temperature warmed up again, the odor of fresh finish was evident.  However, after a few weeks of warmer weather the odor disappeared and the deck was still well protected.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

NH

5) Linkmeister's Corner

These are the latest additions to our "Links Library":

American Steel Span Buildings

American Steel Span Buildings are proudly made in the US. For almost 40 years, American Steel Span has been the world's leading manufacturer of pre-engineered, easy to assemble, arch-style steel buildings for a variety of uses including storage sheds, garage kits, workshops, livestock shelters, air craft hangars, barns, equipment storage, military & government buildings, alternative housing and more. 

Excel Water Technologies

Excel Water Technologies proudly offers the Niagara™ Family of Home Water Filter Products, including under-the-counter water purifiers using Reverse Osmosis (RO) and/or Ultraviolet (UV) technologies. We also have Whole House Water Filters and Water Softeners to help provide healthy, good-tasting and ultra-pure water.

Healthy Heating

Healthy Heating is a not-for-profit resource used by consumers, contractors and designers to learn about indoor comfort quality. It has a full section on conditioning occupants vs. conditioning buildings plus a library of articles written by recognized industry authorities. There is a full resource of architectural and mechanical schematics plus numerous slide shows explaining design concepts for HVAC systems. A daily blog features articles from the world of comfort conditioning and there is an online help forum for visitors.

Denver Fabrics

Denver Fabrics is a well established, family owned business with a 24 year history. Our main store is the largest fabric store in the Rocky Mountain region! They feature a large selection of decorator fabric including "Waverly" fabric for drapery and upholstery at discounted prices.

Bay Breakers

Bay Breakers specializes in providing our customers with quality new, used, and obsolete circuit breakers and circuit breaker hardware. Browse their comprehensive online catalog to find great deals on a wide variety of electrical circuit breakers, motor controls, safety disconnects, bus plugs, panel board switches, and more.

Java Gallery - Indonesian Ethnic Designs Furniture

Java Gallery is a wholly-owned Indonesian-American business that both manufactures and distributes their own quality products.  Their vast catalog includes hand-carved statues and crafts, masks, musical instruments, fabrics, authentic antiques, custom productions, teak furniture and more.
 

Have a great link you’d like to share? Click HERE and let us know about it! 

6) Featured in the Natural Handyman Bookshop

"Sneaky Uses For Everyday Things" by Cy Tymony

(Deja vu, again?  You're right... we liked Cy's book so much we decided to also feature it this month!)

More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun.

Transform a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations! Or create your own personalized electronic greeting cards! Or make a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry! Or thwart intruders with a single rubber band!

Whether you use Sneaky Uses For Everyday Things as a practical tool to build useful devices, a fun little fantasy escape, or as a trivia guide to impress friends and family, this book is sure to be a reference favorite for years to come.

See this and other fine home repair books in the Natural Handyman Bookshop.

Help us to help you!

Like to shop online?  Purchase your Amazon.com books, electronics and other goodies through us! You will pay exactly the same price, but your purchase will help our website grow bigger and better!
Click HERE to visit Amazon.com today!!

"The Handyman Letter", formerly the "Natural Handyman Newsletter", is a publication of The Natural Handyman website.  This newsletter is sent to subscribers only by request.  Our mailing address is:   Natural Handyman; 16 Hilltop Drive; Canton, CT 06019

The Natural Handyman is a project of G. George Ventures, Inc.   Please visit the The Natural Handyman for information concerning terms of use, copyrights, liability, and other such information.

This newsletter and its contents are for informational purposes only. Because we cannot control the conditions under which our advice or suggestions are implemented and we cannot anticipate any unusual or unique circumstances of your situation, we cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage that may occur because of their use.

Home repair can involve dangers from tools and situations that can cause severe bodily harm or death. Many chemicals used in home repair can be dangerous or deadly. Please use good judgment and caution in undertaking any home repair, read all product instructions and cautions, and do not attempt any repair or project that you are not mentally or physically capable of doing. Not even professionals are immune to injury!

All advertisements, sponsors, website links and their descriptions are for informational or educational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of the products, services or information offered at those sites. Each site is responsible for its own content, design, software and privacy policies.

To send comments or questions about this newsletter or our websites, click HERE. You may also mail positive comments, helpful suggestions, or donations to:
The Natural Handyman; 16 Hilltop Drive; Canton, CT 06019

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 COPYRIGHT 2006 G. George Ventures, Inc., All rights reserved.

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