On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 23:58:51 GMT, "I Love Lucy"
wrote:



For the stuff already in the wood, try blotting with a dry paper towel
first then moisten with Alcohol (denatured or isopropyl) and blot
until dry, repeat until you are satisfied. Just clean the area
effected only.

OK, it's not that much, and I should have masked it as a precaution
having learned the stuff feels greasy already. I will blot out what I
can, but do you think scrubbing it with ammonia might help there too?
No, I'll use the alcohol and have almost a full bottle of isopropyl I

The alcohol has the advantage that it will evaporate preety quickly.
I don't know about ammonia.

If you're going to paint, I might sand the 40's area very lightly with
fine sandpaper, as the last step before painting (not counting dusting
the dust off)

use for cleaning my mouse. I was going to squirt the whole thing with a
hose and let it air dry, probably shade would be better, because it's
filthy from sitting around for so long, might be 100 yrs old.

You can't paint something that is filthy.

Try cutting a new slot in the screw with a dremel tool then use the
screwdriver again

Uh oh. More tools. I'll ask at the hardware store about that. A
deeper slot might help. It's got a pretty decent slot in it for such an
old screw but I can't wrest it loose. I'll try again tomorrow. I
wouldn't want to cut a new slot off center would I? Intuitively I
wouldn't think so.

I don't think so.

Another way out is to drill a hole into the center of the screw, and
then put in an easy-out -- I forget the official name, but it screws
in lefthandedly and after it grips as you continut to turn counter
clockwise it takes out the old screw. You start with a small drill
and work your way up to one that is big enough for the easy-out, but
always using a drills that are at list a bitt smaller than the shank
of the screw.

Easier than that, and not requiring easy-outs is to buy a couple
left-handed drill bits. Few stores have them -- I only know the big
hardware store hq'd in Dallas (but not Home Depot. I forget this one's
name). I once bought something from them in person (shelf pegs) and
when I needed more, I just sent them a sketch adn color etc and my
credit card # and they shipped them to me in a regular envelope and
charge me 37 cents for shipping and handling. That was the cost of
the stamp.

But it still might be easiest to get over the interneat. I think
Vermont American sells them in 2 or maybe 3 sizes. The small size is
about 2 dollars, but the large size is pretty expensive, and I didn't
get them.

You drill the hole like before, but you run the drill counter
clockwise. Eventually the hole doesn't go deeper, but instead the
screw is unscrewed. I used this to take the special screws out of
black and decker appliances, before I got the special tips that fit
the special screws. But wood is not that tight and I think it will
work here too.
If that fails, I'll have to ask some guy to help. Again. Actually if I
drag it to the hardware store, they'll do it for me for a small fee.
And some of the fancy pieces are really loose. Haven't figured out what
I'll do with those yet. I was thinking about getting some square metal
corner plates to reinforce the corners but hope I can find a way around
that because it's just more $ and more stuff to buy and will look ugly.

Instead of reinforcing the corners, which are subject to a lot of
leverage, maybe consider a preetty slat of wood diagonally accross the
door, so that 2 sides of the triangle are 24 inches and the new slat
is the hypotenuse. A slat at the bottom, and if it doesn't ruin the
view, a slat at the top, but the bottom might be enough. People
normally put 2 eyes and 2 wires and connect with a turnbuckle. That
enables you to tighten it, especially if the door continues to sag,
but the slat will be prettier, depending on how it is painted and
maybe decorated ** and maybe the door isn't saggging anyhow, and won't
any futher, but you should hold down the hinge side and push up a
little*** on the non-hinge side, while you attach the slat, and put
the bottom end of the the slat near the non-hinge side of the door.

***MOre than a little if it doesn't open cracks in the corners of the
door, or it doesn't open one crack more than it closes another crack.
I want you to emulate the crossbuckle at least the first time. That
it's 100 years old doens't mean it will sag a lot, but it may mean
that it is sagging some. Oh yeah, first measure with a carpenter's
square, or with a double page of the newspaper to see if all the
corners are square. Then arrange the door so they are and then nail
in the slat. I think they are 3/8 or maybe 1/4 by 1 or 1 1/2". Cut
a corner off each end of the slat so that that edge is parallel to
the door's edge.

**I don't live far from Amish country so I can't get their designs out
of my head now. Light pink, maybe with blue bonnets or some other
little design. Personally I can't paint, so I'd choose a color for
the slat that went with the door and the rest of the house.

I need a new can of WD40 though. It's about out :-).

Thanks much for the help.