Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tube

Quick! Release this tube.

cellura p — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:29:27 -0800

I need an easy, sturdy, quick release method for connecting two parallel pieces of aluminum tube for a bike trailer rebuilding project. I haven't been able to come up with the right design by myself and I'm hoping someone out there can help me. I'm rebuilding a bike trailer and had to make it narrower to fit my purpose. It's similar to this project but I have a specific requirement that I want to be able to remove the hitch from the trailer if I'm stranded in terrible weather and want to catch a ride in a car. (The bike will go on a rack.) What is a sturdy, simple but cheap way to create a connection that will let me quickly and easily remove the hitch from the trailer?

i know you googled me, but i swear that isn't me throwing up gang signs or pitching for AAA baseball in Cincinnati.

ps_im_awesome — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:57:04 -0800

i share a somewhat random name with a miscreant from the midwest. when i google my name, i get a mixed return of my stats and his; his being mostly juvenile youtube vids of him skateboarding and flipping off the camera. i KNOW employers in my field google search/research online profiles heavily. what to do? this kid is somewhere in the range of 18-22 and he has a pretty strong online presence, as most in his age range are apt to. i do as well, and 99.99% of my googleable images/online profiles are locked down and clean. don't talk to me about privacy settings, i'm already there. it's the fact that a google search of my name turns up this dbag with tag lines such as: "the mutha fuckin dirty bros!", or..."ps_im_awesome is in jail after landing in a scuffle with local police". i am SO worried that recruiters, etc. will see these tags and immediately discredit me. has anyone dealt with this issue specifically? i know i can't really write the kid a cease and desist letter because he's just living his 20 yr old life. ultimately wondering if there is a way to distance myself online or what to say to a potential recruiter during the job application process. do i bring it up first? do i let them ask me?

Where there's brass...

tigrefacile — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:59:03 -0800

What is the smell at Bank station? Westbound on the Central Line, approaching Bank station there has been, for the last few months a smell of burned garlic, with a faint medicinal note. What is it and when will it go away?

Is ground beef that's packed in a tube as good as the stuff that comes in a tray?

aerotive — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:24:25 -0800

Is ground beef that's packed in a tube as good as the stuff that comes in a tray? This is a refrigerated item, marked as 93/7, and has the same "no fillers" text as the regular ground beef beside it. Costs $0.75 less per lb. Any more likely to have contaminants? Is it made/processed the same? What about taste? Anyone have experience with similar products?

I tried something quasi-similar long ago--but frozen, like 75/25, store brand--it was ghastly and I don't want to make the same mistake.

I will post the brand and retailer if it's relevant.

Tube guitar amp blowing fuses - suggestions?

unSane — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:51:16 -0800

My Egnater Tweaker 40w head is blowing fuses. Possibly lightning-related, or possibly not, but I need to fix it. More details inside. My fairly new Egnater Tweaker 40w head was accidentally left on in my outbuilding rehearsal room during a thunderstorm. We had a lightning related power outage during it.

When power came back the amp was dead, although it was at least 24 hours before I noticed so it may be unrelated to the storm.

I tracked this down to a blown 3A fuse in the mains socket, which I replaced. I powered it back on with all the tubes out to rule out a dead tube, and the fuse instantly blew again.

I live a couple of hours from anyone I trust to service amps, which is also how far I am from an Egnater service dealer, so if I can solve this myself so much the better. I'm happy working on tube amps and I know how not to kill myself.

Presumably this has to be a problem in the power section. Any clues? There's a surge protection cap which looks fine but is my main suspect at this point.

Poor patching job on a bike inner turb

thecaddy — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:01:22 -0800

So I tried to patch a bike tube on my lunch break and I apparently didn't spread enough of the vulcanizing agent. Is the tube ruined? Because I didn't spread enough of the vulcanizing stuff, the edges of the patch are still free--as a result, the plastic on the back of the patch won't come off without taking the patch with it. I figure I have a few options, but I don't know which one is best.

1. Rip the patch off, and reapply the vulcanizing agent and a new patch, after re-roughing the area.

2. Apply more of the vulcanizing agent around the edges of the patch. Given that you're supposed to wait five minutes before applying the patch, I'm not sure if this will work.

3. Just leave the plastic on the patch and keep this tube in my office as a "worst-case scenario" option.

4. Get rid of the tube.

Any ideas on which one of these options is the best? Anything I'm missing here?

How do you refill empty squeeze tubes?

GlassHeart — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:23:48 -0800

How do you refill empty squeeze tubes? I'd like to refill empty squeeze tubes with lip balm. What would be the best way to do this? You'd have to use a syringe, I presume? If so, what type of syringe should I get for the task of doing this?

Looking for instructions for a magic trick/puzzle involving rope, tube, & washers.

chr1sb0y — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:52:07 -0800

Can you help me find instructions for a magic trick or illusion that involves 2 or more ropes going through a large tube? (I believe the ropes are linked by washers inside, and so by discreet pinching, the user can produce baffling effects when a mark pulls on a rope.) It was described to me by a science teacher, and used with great success for years in a demonstration on observation, evidence, inference, etc.

Prevent a Tube of Goop or E6000 From Drying Up Before You Can Use It All

purefusion — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:12:52 -0800

How do you extend the shelf-life of a tube of adhesive, such as Goop or E-6000 by preventing it from drying out during long periods without use? I'm curious about how to get the most value from a large tube of partially used adhesive such as Goop, E-6000 or other epoxy-like adhesives? It usually dries up before it's all used up. How do you prevent it from drying out, thus extending its shelf-life until you've used it all up?

Someone has to have come up with a creative solution to this issue of tubes drying up after long periods without use. There's gotta be a secret technique for increasing the longevity of these adhesive tubes after their initial use, because they always manage to be dried up at the most inconvenient of times!

Of course, I'm aware that smaller tubes of the stuff exist, but they generally only come in tubes that are often just too tiny to do much good (0.18oz and 0.5oz). 1oz would be more ideal, but I haven't seen them around, and as such I want to get the full value from the large 2oz tube!

So I'm looking for any tips or tricks to extend the shelf-life of these tubes of Goop. Anyone have any successful experience doing this?

Help me move to London

PercussivePaul — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:40:09 -0800

I'm moving to London! Help me figure out where to live and how I'm going to get to work and back. Especially curious about commuting by bike. I got a 6-month contract job starting in October (yay!). I have only been to London as a tourist and never left the city center. I need advice about what neighborhoods I should look for and what to expect on the commute. Work is in the Shepherd's Bush area which is on the Central and Hammersmith & City tube lines.

Neighborhood wise I would like to live somewhere with a lot of energy and character -- music and art and creativity and interesting people. Though I favour a relaxed vibe over prestige. Mission District in San Francisco, if that helps. Hipstery I guess though it stings to admit it. A good friend lives in Hackney and says the east is where I want to be, though of course it's changing rapidly. I keep reading about Shoreditch online but it kind of sounds like it's super-famous and fashionable now and I'm not too interested in that kind of scene and paying a premium to be part of it. Places with cheaper rents are better, though mostly because such neighborhoods tend to be more interesting to me. I don't want to throw money away but I can afford to pay above the bare minimum.

Anyway somewhere in "the east" sounds great, except that area is under-served by the tube. However the same friend says the bike commute would be 30 minutes. I would love to bike to work as I could get my exercise and see the city every day instead of an underground tunnel. I'm an avid cyclist in Vancouver and ride 45 minutes each way a few times a week over some fairly hilly terrain. I have heard that cycling in London is pretty good and the terrain is flat. How flat? How's the weather in winter? I can handle rain. If I lived in the east would it really only be 30 min each way? And how are the bike lanes, traffic, road conditions, etc? Do you think it would be great, or okay, or tolerable, or miserable if I had to do this every day?

I'm also pondering getting an electric bike, or maybe a scooter or vespa or something, if I can find one used at a reasonable price, as this might give me more mobility. Good idea? I have heard about the congestion charge in London but I assume it only applies to cars. Oh and I bet theft is a big problem for bikes right? Maybe for scooters too?

What if I want to take transit from the east? Are there buses I might take, instead of relying on the tube? How would that work? How reliable are the buses, and how packed are they in rush hour? So packed that you often can't get on?

What areas of "the east" should I look at? And what other neighborhoods might I consider that might be closer to work?

And finally, I am told I should look for a place on gumtree and that most rooms are available immediately. I will arrive in London probably on October 5 or 6 and start work on the following Monday the 10th. Is it realistic to find a room in the 3 or 4 days I will have before starting work? Any tips about this?

Whew. Thanks.

Help me fix a crackling guitar amp.

unSane — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 08:00:43 -0800

Help me diagnose my (probably user-induced) intermittently crackling tube guitar amp! Okay, here are the data points:

-- Brand new Blackheart BH15H head, worked fine out of the box

-- I installed the Bitmo Triple Bypass mod myself (which involves soldering in a three-way switch and couple of capacitors and resistors).

-- After the mod the amp works as expected -- overall tone much improved -- but produces a 'bacon frying' crackling and noisy volume pot when I first turn it on. After about 15 mins to half an hour, the noise goes away and it works silently.

-- I have checked all my solder joints and they seem solid

-- I have swapped out both the tubes and it makes no difference

-- I have cleaned the volume pot, no difference

At this point I'm suspecting either (1) a dry joint that I can't find which is closing once the innards of the amp warm up or (2) some DC across the pots from a leaky cap, but can't understand why this would clear up once the amp gets warm.

Any suggestions?

Mini Underground

Omnomnom — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:57:09 -0800

I am trying to make a list of short subway lines in the world. For instance, Leipzig is apparently planning a subway line with only three (!) stops. Do you know any examples for me to follow up? Thank you!

DIYfilter - What is this disk insert called?

watercarrier — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:49:22 -0800

I've got some cardboard tubes from plastic sheeting - in all different lengths and widths. I want to be able to put shelving on them - so I'll be needing a round disk that'll fit in about 1/2 an inch snugly and have a screw protruding so I can then bolt the wood to the screw and tube. What is this disk called and where can I get them online?

Elephant Straws

scose — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:14:14 -0800

What should I do with 30 10-foot, 1-inch diameter PVC pipes?

"It's gonna be clamp this, clamp that. Bada-climp, bada-clamp!"

supercres — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:09:54 -0800

Hardware question: is there a common sort of clamp for holding a round/tubular object? I want to build my own bike repair stand. Most of the materials are straightforward pipes and couplers, except for one crucial part: the clamp. On commercial stands, the clamp is a nice wide, padded set of jaws adjustable with a big ol' knob. If I have to, I'll just buy that part, but I can't find it by itself (at least not for less than the cost of a whole repair stand).

I need something like a burette clamp (I remembered that from chemistry class!), but more heavy-duty, and preferably with quick release.

Does such a thing exist in woodworking or plumbing? Someone must need to clamp stuff to pipes/clamp pipes to stuff, right?

Handle with care!

molecicco — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:14:48 -0800

Shipping a tube amp from Canada to Germany. Has anyone here ever shipped a tube amp? Recommendations/advice? I have a beautiful, well-maintained 1970's MesaBoogie head and would like to bring it to Germany instead of selling it back home. It came with a very nice flight case, so it should be safe - but I wonder if the tubes are likely to break if it is treated rough?

Is it possible to send it as 'Fragile'? And who would you recommend shipping with? It's going from Toronto to Berlin.

Additionally, should I change the power supply once I get it here, or is it safe just to use a regular converter (shape, not voltage converter)?

Thanks!

It's a giant erector set, or, a series of tubes

thewalrus — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:47:33 -0800

Giant erector set filter: I am looking for fittings used to join square tubular steel in various ways without welding, for purposes similar to a large erector set. This is for self-fabrication of a large solar panel mount. The pipes I am using are square in cross section measuring 4 inch x 4 inch or 3.5 inch x 3.5 inch. I'm looking for straight splice joints, T, L, X, and 45 degree angles. If any mechanical engineers want to take pity on a computer geek attempting to build a huge erector set, please point me in the right direction. First I'll say that I'm not attempting to build anything that will be inhabited by people or animals, individual pieces can be lifted into place by two people, and it won't rise to a great height off the ground, so the risks should be negligible.

I am working with square cross section 4" x 4" (4 mm wall) and 3.5" x 3.5" (3 mm wall) tubular steel in pieces not longer than 3 meters. It generally resembles the products found on the second page of this PDF file

To keep welding to a minimum and because the structure may need to be assembled and disassembled occasionally, I am working with M12 size bolts/washers and drilled holes for attachment of the tubes. The 3.5" tubes fit slide inside the 4" pipes like a sleeve, to create legs that can raise or lower in height by moving the position of the holes and bolts.

I know something like this exists but am not sure where to find it: Imagine I have three 4" square cross section hollow tubes and want to join them in a T shape using only drilled holes in the bolts, and bolts/washers/nuts. I am searching for the prefabricated welded "T" piece (other shapes) to accomplish this sort of thing ( in the same general way as this joint for round pipes ), and hopefully some basic CAD schematics for it...

Help us keep the baby safe from pulling the g button out at night

Snoogylips — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:53:45 -0800

Very active one year old with G button (MIC-key low profile) During night feeds and traveling in car how do I keep her Button from being pulled? It has come out once before in the crib by her moving so much the slack in the feeding tube got caught in crib and pulled out. It was painful for her since the balloon was fully inflated. I want to keep this from happening again. How do other parents keep thier kids g buttons and tube feeding cord protected at night. She is a wiggly thing and often turns in her sleep many times from belly to back and forth. The feeding is necessary and cannot be missed. Have a very active 16 month old LJ (adjusted age is 13 months for preemie birth) who has a MIC-key gastrostomy button used for feeding. She is dependent on the button during the day and night feeds. At night she gets a continuous feed that lasts 9 hours, the problem is she is so wiggly and toss and turns all night. I have tried many things to cover her button and feeding tube cord so it doesnt get caught or pulled by something. We have tried tapes, ace bandages, tucking the tube under a onesie and snapping it closed. None have been sucessful. She is allergic to adhesives, Ace bandages put too much pressure on the button and left marks and left her Grumpy and sore the next morning. She has had the g button since she was 5 months old. She sleeps in a playpen next to our bed and usually ends up co-sleeping with us by the end of the night. Just wondering what other parents do to keep the g button and extension of tubing from being pulled out at night? I have seen this product called a summers life guard. I have considered trying to re create something similar but have no idea where to start. the only difference is i would make it for her belly and not her chest. I have a sewing machine but not sure how to get started making a wrap for LJs belly. Any ideas to keep the button and tube protected during feedings at nite? any patterns or ideas how to make a wrap similar to summers life guard but for a belly? Any suggestions or expierences that you have had with any of this would be helpful.

What malleable substance can be shaped like clay for craft projects but turns out lighter like styrofoam once hardened and dried?

kookoobirdz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:39:10 -0800

Does this substance exist? Arts & crafts people or hardware store people: for a craft project, I want a material that is malleable like clay but winds up lighter-weight like styrofoam/polystyrene once it has set and hardened. Maybe it it's dispensed from a tube or can? I want to make some creative and whimsical frames for some irregularly sized/shaped art, which is too fun for regular frames. I'm looking for a material that is malleable like clay that I can form into fun shapes, which then dries and hardens and is lightweight like something approaching styrofoam, or at least a lot lighter than clay.

Have you ever seen somebody make a frame out of clay spirals? They roll the clay into long thin tubes or strips and then roll those up in to sweetroll spirals. Then they glue those spirals to a backing and/or to each other so that a border of those spirals squished tightly side by side goes all the way around whatever they're framing. Often they paint them and glue on other stuff.

I want to do that, but I don't want something as heavy as clay. I want something that is maybe sprayed out of a can or probably something thicker that is squeezed out of a tube like toothpaste or like caulk from a caulk gun. I want to aim and twist and prod and shape that stuff into various shapes and designs, the spirals are one example, maybe with some wavy tentacles to go along with them, and then leave it to set or dry. At the end of it I want something that is rigid and lightweight and holds its shape. Ideally the finished product would be lightweight like styrofoam and have a smooth surface that accepts paint nicely. A bit heavier than styrofoam is fine, particularly if it's stronger than styrofoam.

I understand that thanks to silly old physics, I may have to give up one or more of those qualities to get the others, but just shoot for the closest thing you can think of. It doesn't have to squirt out of a can or tube, that's just how I was thinking I might get a material that's lightweight.

I've found Versi-Foam, but it's more like spray insulation and requires a framework and special equipment and then sculpting and sanding. I'm looking more for something that can be dispensed in a more limited and controlled way that will stay in its toothpaste-like tube shape if I do nothing else to it. It's hard to imagine, but if it could be not so sticky like caulk, that would allow me to do other things with it than leave it in the tube shape. Basically I want something with the malleable properties of clay that winds up very lightweight.

Arts and crafts people in the house, or even hardware store materials people, what substance am I looking for?

I can hear the ocean

uncleozzy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:48:01 -0800

You are not my amp tech, but maybe you can help me diagnose the source of a strange noise on a brand new guitar amp. Yesterday, I got a tiny tube amp in the mail. After letting it come up to room temperature, I plugged it into a cab (yes, with the right impedance) and played away. No problems at all; made some really nice sounds, by the way.

The next time I turned it on (an hour or two later), there was an awful static noise--sort of like rushing water, or waves crashing--even with the volume all the way down and no guitar attached. Playing through it produced pops and crackles and unpredictable volume changes, and the static continued.

It's got 2 12AX7 tubes (and a funky setup--V1 and one triode of V2 are the preamp, and the other triode on V2 is the power tube). Best I can tell (which is not saying much), they both look normal, glow a healthy orange, aren't microphonic.

Now, the head is brand new, so there's a really good chance it's going back to the vendor as defective, but out of curiosity (and future diagnostic needs), what could the problem be?

What's the best way to protect a poster at a concert?

gchucky — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:53:44 -0800

What's the best way to protect a poster at a (general admission) concert? So I'm going to a show tomorrow night and I'm planning on buying a poster. The thing is, the show is all general admission, so the chance of the poster getting mangled is somewhat high. I'm not going to be in the pit by any means, but I'm being paranoid.

Obviously bringing a poster tube is the best way of protecting it, but I'm not really sure that the venue is going to let me in with one. (I'm going to call tomorrow to ask, but...)

So aside from a poster tube, what would be the best way to protect my poster for the few hours I'm at the show?

Presta valve adapter pains.

47triple2 — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:06:54 -0800

Is it a bad idea to ride my bicycle with my presta valves unscrewed and having a presta -> schrader valve adapter covering them? For me, it's a major inconvenience to unscrew the adapter, unscrew the presta valve (the little lock-nut thing), screw back on the adapter, inflate tires, unscrew adapter, tighten presta valve, then - finally - screw back on the adapter. Would it be safe to leave the lock-nut on the valve unscrewed with the adapter protecting the "pin"? (Yes, I could just leave the adapter in a pocket or something, but I'd be more likely to lose it that way.)

Thanks!

Is the London Pass worth getting?

jayder — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:38:51 -0800

Is the London Pass worth the price, for tourists who will be in London for six days? Two of my family members are going to London, and they tell me it's approximately $212 per person for a six-day pass. In addition to full access to the Tube, it covers the access fee to a list of ~50 attractions (and you get to bypass the lines at those attractions). The main attractions they are interested in are St Paul's, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Globe Theater, and Kew Gardens. They don't know whether they will visit enough attractions, or use the Tube enough to make it worthwhile --- the Tube is £4.00 for a single fare.

Do any of you have any advice, from your own experience, for whether the London Pass is worth getting? Any thoughts?

Looking for interesting London Underground Stations

still_wears_a_hat — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:58:04 -0800

I'm in the middle of my extended vacation in London, and am enjoying the Underground, especially how much personality some of the stations have. Which ones should I not miss while I'm here? I'm looking more for interesting design elements - things like all the Sherlock Holmeses at Baker Street, the lamps on the escalators at Swiss Cottage, the balloons at Finsbury Park, the elaborate mosaics at Tottenham Court Road, the series of alcove murals on some of the stations along the Victoria line - more than stations of particular historical or architectural interest, but those are OK too.

Top tube morphs into fender

brianogilvie — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:22:23 -0800

Recently I saw an unusual bike, one with a curved top tube that extended beyond the seat tube to support a rack. It had trekking bars, too. Please help me identify it! I was going downhill opposite its rider, so I didn't want to stop and ask. Lemon yellow frame, which seemed mostly pretty normal--I think the down tube and seat tube were both straight, what looked like normal seatstays and chainstays. But that curved top tube extended maybe a foot and a half behind the seat tube, almost as if it were a fender, and it had a rack mounted on it. My google-fu has failed; please help! If you know of a similar bike, please link to a photo so I can figure out if it's what I saw.