Project Garage Part XII: Liquid Magic

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liquid cabinetSo here it is- nicely stocked and good to go!

– Air tool oil: removes harmful deposits, has rust inhibitors, and lubricates and protects pneumatic equipment like torque wrenches, sanders, grinders, and drills. Rust and corrosion are more likely to happen when the tool sits overnight so add a few drops to the tool's inlet, run a few seconds, and tuck it in. We went into specifics about air tools in Part VI, including the importance of oiling the air tools. Any air tool oil is sufficient from Kobalt and Lucas to Harbor Freight and Marvel Mystery Oil.

And while you may be tempted to throw any lubricating liquid in there (FYI, air tool oil is petroleum based), just stick to air tool oil. Detergent or paraffin (wax) based lubricants are too high viscosity and can gum up the tools, and just like using too much oil, they can flush the bearings of their grease.

– Cutting oil: lubricant for high speed metalworking or cutting machines to reduce friction and minimize heat generation. Use light cutting oil for small cutting machines and clean threads and dark cutting oil for high rpm machines or threading steel or brass pipes. The sulfur smell comes from the EP additive which keeps your cutters sharp. Don't use lubricating oil which deters metal to metal contact when you're trying to cut through metal.

– Plastic repair epoxy: works on most plastic pieces (ABS, fiberglass, PVC, etc) like automotive trim and bumpers to form a polymer compound that once cured (25 mins to 3 hours), can be sanded, drilled, carved, and painted. The epoxy is resistant to water, solvents, and contact.

– JB Weld: a cold weld two part epoxy system that creates a permanent bond. It can be used on metal among other surfaces and once cured (15-24 hours after application), can be shaped, tapped, filed, sanded, or drilled.

– Gojo or Goop: the bright orange bottle of tough hand cleaner that keeps from revealing my gearhead qualities at an office meeting like a tagger with Krylon colored fingertips.

Finally, along with a flux capacitor, a few things I don't have in the garage:

– Blinker fluid or headlight fluid

– Elbow grease

– Liquid Magnet

But they're always fun things to mention need replacing or send a friend looking for wink. What's in your garages?

Kitty litterI've narrowed it down to power steering fluid but it's dripping from all over- near the pump, down some hoses, and I swear it's coming out of the headlight… Such is a gearhead's life!

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