LockDoc's "Low Budget", "Low Maintenance" Project Thread

[LockDoc]

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Well, my day didn't start out too good this morning. I have been having trouble with Raccoons around here so I trap them in the live trap and re-locate them a long ways away. I went out to check the trap early this morning and lo and behold, there to greet me is a Skunk..... I got on the internet and looked up information on how to deal with it. One seemingly knowledgeable guy said to hold an old blanket up in front of you, walk up to the trap and lay the blanket over the trap. That way he won't be able to see you and it will be dark in there and the Skunk will feel safe. Then you pick the blanket and trap up and place it in the back of your vehicle. Take it to where you want to release it and put the opening of the trap up against some weeds so when the skunk comes out he can go straight into the weeds. It was a little hairy trying to get the door of the trap open and hold the blanket in place. When I finally got the door open he didn't come out. I'm standing there in this uncomfortable position saying "Come out of there you little sucker". I finally see a black nose poking out and hoping it will go into the weeds and not around the side of the trap. I move the door a little bit and he scurried straight ahead into the weeds. I stood still until I could see the weeds moving further down the embankment. I put the trap back into the back of the Dually, wiped the sweat off of my brow, and headed back home.


After the excitement was over I dug out a good pair of hood hinges and started cleaning them up. I wasn't happy with the way it was going so I decided to remove the springs. Removing the springs is the only sure way to check the tightness of the pivot points, so I killed two birds with one stone. I think I am going to soak them in White Vinegar for a few hours and pressure wash them to remove the rust.

White Vinegar and pressure washing worked good. You have to make sure you pressure wash them really good. I then blow them dry with the air hose. I just need to touch them up with a small wire brush before primer and paint. They will flash rust almost immediately if you don't blow the water off of them. That isn't a big deal for me since I am using Rustoleum primer and paint.

Sorry about the long post....

LockDoc