Category: DIY

The Secrets of Painting and Maintaining a Water Tower | June 05 2026, 20:02

Why does the water tower (next to the house) have a tent during the day in thirty-degree heat, but not at night? That’s what I thought too. It turns out – I thought wrong.

It turns out that the tent is temporary, necessary for painting the tower. Once painted, it will be removed. At night, the paint is aired out and dries.

By the way, the tower is metallic, which means it changes size with temperature fluctuations. Hence, the paint is elastic.

Interestingly, how they check if everything has been covered with paint (because otherwise it will start rusting). They use a method, amusingly still called Holiday Detection since the early days of shipbuilding, which is essentially spark testing for defects.

A specialist takes a device that looks like a mop with a metal brush, to which a high voltage is applied (up to several thousand volts). Since dry epoxy resin is a dielectric and the steel wall behind it is a conductor, the inspector slowly moves the brush over the freshly painted wall. If there is even the slightest microscopic defect in the coating, the electrical circuit is completed, a loud beep sounds and a spark jumps. This spot is immediately marked and repainted.

Also, by the way, just in case someone didn’t know, these towers don’t even come close to creating enough pressure for the water to reach your faucet. They act as accumulators, softening the uneven consumption. And at the same time, they serve as a shock absorber.

And another interesting fact is that in the northern states the problem is not with heating but with freezing in the winter. A layer of ice forms on the surface and along the walls, comparable to a meter or two in thickness. And there, they really do have water heaters.

Scripting Letter-Matched Phrase Translations | May 27 2026, 18:28

Made a script that creates stuff like this. You can translate different phrases into each other, as long as the number of letters matches. Now thinking about printing it on a 3D printer, it’s all ready

Repurposing Components from a Broken Air Purifier | May 03 2026, 15:00

The air purifier broke down, so I bought a used one with a new cartridge for the price of a replacement cartridge plus $40. I completely disassembled the old one, extracted the reusable components, and figured out how it works. Just like in school 🙂

Inside, it comprises:

– an ESP32-WROOM-32D controller. But a part of the board responsible for voltage burned out, so it’s trash now.

– a CO sensor MQ-7 (unfortunately soldered to the board, but can be desoldered). Though, it needs a heating cycle for correct operation. First 5V (60 sec) for sensor cleaning, then 1.5V (90 sec) for measurement. But, it can also be used elsewhere.

– Plantower PMS9103M — a high-precision laser sensor for measuring airborne particulate matter concentrations (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10). Can be connected to Arduino, specification available.

– a microwave motion sensor (radar), model RCWL-0516. Can be connected to Arduino, very simple interface. Detects motion up to 5-7 meters around within 360 degrees.

– 200W Snowfan YY225H310B motor. Also quite simple to connect, but it requires 310V DC plus 15V for speed control. But that’s all.

– a Hall sensor (magnet)

The motor is the most valuable part. It’s priced at $100 on eBay. Though, it should probably be tested first to see if it hasn’t burned out.

Unlocking the Mystery: Dual Voltage Needs in Smart Locks | March 07 2026, 22:43

Update: figured it out, looks like the lock needs 6v + 6v for different purposes. Maybe the power part and electronics.

Anyone who knows electronics, help me understand. Red wires are connected to contacts that respond to the tester. A total of 8 batteries. I can’t see a classic snake configuration here. Can’t understand why the lower right ones are responding. I want to connect an external adapter

Decoding Leather Products: From Genuine to Synthetic | February 23 2026, 18:11

Today I learned how the hierarchy of leather products is actually structured. Everyone knows that faux leather is completely synthetic; it’s a layer of polymer on a fabric base. There is also cheap leather, often labeled as Genuine Leather, which technically remains an animal-derived product. It turns out to be the lower, looser layer of the hide, which on its own lacks strength or aesthetics, so it’s turned into a sort of sandwich, encased in a thick layer of plastic (polyurethane) with embossing. Essentially, cheap leather is split or compressed leather scraps (Bonded leather or bi-cast/tri-cast), glued together with plastic. It’s essentially akin to plywood or particle board.

How such leather is produced: 1) Leather scraps and waste are taken 2) they are shredded into small fibers 3) mixed with a binder – polyurethane or latex – resulting in a mass similar to pulp 4) this mixture is evenly distributed on a substrate, which typically serves as fabric or paper material 5) a roller or plate with a pattern mimicking natural leather is then pressed onto the surface of the mixture, creating a texture reminiscent of real leather. 6) After drying, a protective coating is applied to enhance the strength, wear resistance, and appearance of the material.

Expensive leather is called Aniline or Full Grain. Essentially, it is made from the top part of the hide (which is exposed to air on the animal). It is dyed with transparent dyes, and contains no plastic. Nubuck or suede is part of the hide which, excuse me, comes in contact with the flesh.

Many also judge the quality of leather by its smell, thinking that a distinctive aroma is the main sign of authenticity and high class. This is easily mistaken. The scent we associate with expensive leather is often the result of chemists’ work. Manufacturers of cheap bonded leather products use special fragrance sprays that mimic the smell of expensive tanning. Real high-quality leather, such as vegetable-tanned leather, smells more like wood, oak bark, or mimosa, because these substances are used in its processing.

Another professional secret concerns the edges of the product. If you see that the edge of a bag or belt is neatly filled with a thick layer of “rubber” or paint so that the structure of the layers is not visible, this is often not done for design’s sake. Such a technique helps to conceal that very plastic sandwich which makes up the material. Craftsmen working with truly high-quality Full Grain leather often leave the cuts open or just slightly polish them with wax, because they have nothing to hide — the fiber structure of such leather is equally dense throughout its thickness.

Building a Plotter from Scratch: My DIY Journey | January 30 2026, 05:43

I assembled a plotter from a kit. It’s practically a Lego set – you spill out the parts from the box and then read the manual. It worked right away. I have some ideas about what to do with this thing, I’ll tell you sometime.

From Freezer to Fridge: A DIY Cooling Hack | December 19 2025, 00:56

Today I sold a refrigerator. It has a story. The essence of it is that it’s not a refrigerator, although it looks like one. It’s a freezer. And it freezes on average to minus 18 degrees. I bought it second-hand, thinking it was a refrigerator. The buyer also came today thinking it was a refrigerator.

And here I realize that minus 18 degrees is not at all what I need.

Well, I am a Solution Architect. I didn’t want to dig into it, I just drove to Lowe’s and bought a simple blinker. It turns on and off according to schedule whatever is plugged into it. I stuck a radio thermometer inside (I had one) and adjusted the blinking frequency (20 minutes) so that the internal temperature was on average +4 degrees Celsius. The radio thermometer showed that the temperature fluctuations were very small – nominally plus or minus 0.5 degrees from +4, even less. And so it worked for me for some months until I realized that I just didn’t need it.

Sold it today with the adapter. It’s gone to the people.