Step-by-step
fixes and how-tos.
Each guide answers one common question, drawn straight from one of the books. Start with the problem in front of you.
Sourdough
From Sourdough Starter Rescue →Sourdough Starter Hooch: What to Do
Gray or brown liquid on top of your sourdough starter is hooch. It means your starter is hungry, not ruined. Here's how to fix it and keep it from coming back.
How to Revive a Sourdough Starter
Forgot your sourdough starter in the fridge for weeks? Most neglected starters come back. Here is the day-by-day plan to revive it in about a week.
Sourdough Starter Mold or Kahm Yeast?
Is that white layer on your sourdough starter mold? Learn to tell harmless kahm yeast from real mold in seconds, and what to do about each.
Sourdough Starter Not Rising? Why, and the Fix
Sourdough starter not rising or bubbling? It's usually cold, hungry, too wet, or too acidic. Here's how to tell which, and the warm-and-feed fix.
How to Make Kombucha: A Beginner Recipe
How to make kombucha at home: the one-gallon recipe, the steps, when to taste, and the few rules that keep a first batch safe and tasting good.
Kombucha Mold or Normal? How to Tell
Is that kombucha mold, or normal SCOBY growth? How to tell by texture, what is harmless, and the signs that mean discarding the batch.
How to Make a SCOBY and Keep a SCOBY Hotel
How to grow a kombucha SCOBY from one store-bought bottle, how long it takes, and how to store spare SCOBYs in a SCOBY hotel.
Kombucha Second Fermentation and Flavors
How to do a kombucha second fermentation for flavor and fizz: the bottling steps, six flavor pairings that work, and how to handle bottle pressure safely.
Turntables and Record Players
From DIY Vintage Turntable Repair →How to Replace a Turntable Belt
Turntable slow to start, drifting off speed, or slipping? It is usually the belt. How to check it, measure for the right size, and fit a new one.
Turntable Hum? How to Fix the Ground Wire
Turntable humming or buzzing through the speakers? How to tell a ground problem from motor rumble, connect the ground wire, and stop the hum.
Record Player Skipping? Set the Tonearm Right
Record player skipping or distorting toward the label? How to balance the tonearm, set tracking force with a gauge, and match anti-skate.
Record Player Too Fast or Slow? Fix the Speed
Record player playing too fast, too slow, or with wobbly pitch? How to check the speed with a strobe, find the cause, and fix it.
Vintage Radios and Amps
From DIY Vintage Audio Repair →How to Discharge a Capacitor Safely
How to discharge a capacitor in a tube radio or amplifier: build a 10k, 5 W discharge tool, clip it on, measure, and handle multi-section cans safely.
Recapping a Vintage Radio or Amp Power Supply
Recapping a vintage tube radio or amp: when it is needed, how to choose filter capacitors, the rectifier limit, the mains capacitor, and a safe first power-up.
Resistor Color Code and Capacitor Markings
How to read a resistor color code and the markings on capacitors in vintage radios and amps, with tables, a worked example, and what fails with age.
Vintage Radio Repair: Where to Start Safely
Vintage tube radio repair for beginners: the All-American Five, a dim bulb tester, the symptom checklist, finding where the signal stops, and what fails.
Guitar Amps
From DIY Guitar Amp Repair →Guitar Amp Fuse Keeps Blowing? What It Means
Why a guitar amp fuse blows, how to read the rating (T vs F), why you never fit a bigger fuse, and what an instant blow vs a delayed blow is telling you.
Guitar Amp Tubes: When and How to Replace
How to tell if a guitar amp tube is bad, preamp vs power tubes, how to swap tubes without breaking them, and when new power tubes need a bias check.
How to Bias a Tube Amp: The Safe Method
How to bias a tube amp: fixed vs cathode bias, reading a bias probe, and the 70 percent formula, with target currents for 6L6, EL34, EL84, 6V6, and KT88.
Guitar Amp Repair: Where to Start Safely
DIY guitar amp repair for tube and solid-state amps: the safety rules, the three tools you need, and the checks that track down no sound, crackling, and hum.
How to Cut a Cabochon by Hand, Step by Step
How to cut a cabochon by hand with files and sandpaper: pick a forgiving stone, shape the outline, cut the bevel, raise the dome, then sand and polish.
How to Polish Stones by Hand to a High Gloss
How to polish stones by hand: the grit ladder from 80 to 2000, a firm pad, and the right oxide for each stone, plus fixes for haze, scratches, and orange peel.
Lapidary Tools for Beginners: A Hand-Tool Kit
The lapidary tools a beginner needs to cut cabochons by hand: files, wet-or-dry paper, a flat tile, dops, and polish, for about $35 to $55 and no machines.
Mohs Hardness for Cutting Stones by Hand
What the Mohs hardness scale means when you shape stone by hand: the beginner sweet spot, quick file, coin, and nail tests, and why toughness matters too.
Old-World Tools and Skills
From The Lost Tools Handbook →How to Season and Clean Cast Iron
How to season and clean cast iron the old way: build the seasoning, clean it while warm, fix rust, and cook with steady heat so the pan lasts generations.
How to Sharpen Knives and Tools by Hand
How to sharpen knives, axes, chisels, and garden tools by hand: read the edge, file and stone to a burr, strop it clean, and keep it sharp with a routine.
How to Use a Scythe: Fit, Mowing, and Peening
How to use a scythe: fit the snath to your height, mow with a smooth low arc, keep the edge with a whetstone and peening, and stay safe in the field.
Root Cellar Basics: Build, Stock, and Use One
How a root cellar works, how to build a simple one, the temperature and humidity your crops need, and how to store and check produce through winter.
Welding
From Modern Welding for Makers →MIG Welding for Beginners: Setup to First Bead
MIG welding for beginners: power, safety gear, wire and gas, starting settings by thickness, and the arc length, angle, and speed habits behind a good bead.
Weld Porosity: Causes and How to Fix It
What causes porosity in a weld and how to fix it: shielding gas flow, leaks, drafts, plus oil, rust, and damp filler. Find the source, then grind and reweld.
Weld Undercut: Causes and How to Fix It
What weld undercut looks like, why it happens (too much current, too long an arc, travel speed), and how to fix it, including when to blend it or reweld.
Common Weld Defects and How to Fix Them
How to read a weld: porosity, lack of fusion, undercut, burn-through, and cracking. What causes each, the fix, simple checks, and when to grind it out and redo.
Blacksmithing
From Modern Blacksmithing for Makers →Blacksmith Anvil: How to Choose and Mount One
How to choose a blacksmith anvil: what weight to buy, cast iron vs steel, checking a used anvil, cheap substitutes, and how to mount it at the right height.
Blacksmith Forge: Coal, Propane, or Electric?
How to choose a blacksmith forge: propane vs coal vs electric, the right size for your work, ventilation and fuel safety, and the setup and upkeep each needs.
Forge Welding: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to forge weld: clean and scarf the joint, flux with borax, read welding heat, and land the first blow. Plus the bend test and fixes for welds that fail.
How to Harden and Temper Steel at the Forge
How to heat treat steel in a small shop: normalize, harden, quench in oil or water, then temper by color or in an oven, with temperatures, colors, and fixes.