How to Repair and Restore Antique Farm Tractors

Tractors have been used as farm implements since the time of steam engines. Classic tractors are restored and collected in the same way that people collect vintage automobiles. Depending on the starting condition of the vehicle, restoring a tractor can be a lengthy, labor-intensive process. It can also be a rewarding process that results in a collectible piece of history. Restoring classic farm tractors is a reasonable do-it-yourself project for anyone with basic mechanical knowledge.

Things You'll Need:

• Drive-socket set
• Wrench set
• Screwdrivers
• Adjustable pliers
• Jack
• Tractor manual
• Sandpaper
• Primer
• Paint

Step 1:

Replace the tires on the tractor. Many tractors that have been sitting for long periods of time have weather-rotted tires. Putting new tires on the tractor will not only make it look nicer, but easier to drive. The exception is if the tractor has antique metal wheels, in which case, they will be treated as the other metal parts.

Step 2:

Rebuild the engine. Take the engine apart and clean each part until it has been restored to original factory condition. Inspect each component for any cracks or other defects, and replace any parts that have physical damage. Put the engine back together and refill all fluids, including oil and engine coolant.

Step 3:

Restore the metal parts of the body. Classic farm tractors in need of restoration will often have damage from rust. Sand all rusted areas until the rust is gone and bare metal is showing. Apply a coat of primer, and then paint the metal to prevent rust from recurring. If the rust has eaten a hole all the way through the metal, you will need to either weld a new piece of metal in place or purchase a replacement part.


Tips:

Research the history of your tractor to discover what colors the manufacturer originally used. Using the original colors will increase the appeal of the tractor on the collector market.

References:

• Google Books: How to Restore Classic Farm Tractors
• Antique Tractor Internet Services: Frequently Asked Questions About Antique Tractors

How to Design Your Own Floor Plans and Blueprints

Building a dream home is easy if you plan well. Floors are the most attractive thing in the design of the whole house.  Making a floor plan is vital for home decoration.  Before setting up a floor plan, it is important to decide how you will set up your furniture and other things on the floor. There are two ways of working out floor plans and blueprints. One is drawing out the plan manually using paper, scale and pencil. The other is using a computer software to build and plan the floor to any design that you want.

The term house plan, blueprints, floor plans can be confusing for a new builder. But designing and creating your own floor plans and blueprints on a piece of paper can be easy if you follow these simple step by step guide.

Things You'll Need:

• Grid paper
• Pencil
• T-Square
• Triangle
• 6 Sided architect's ruler

Step 1:

Use the paper to draw the view of the whole home using scale of 1/4“ = 1’.  Get as much help as you can from the internet. There are websites that offer videos on how to draw the whole house using this scale measurement.

Use the formula to calculate the exact dimension of the floor.
Floor area = Length x Width of the room. 

Step 2:

Get the exact dimensions of each room, the total living space, the furniture, the closet, the electrical gadgets, telephones, and the other things that are to be placed on the floor. The room size should not be lesser than the minimum allotted by the Housing Authorities.  The recommend space is 125sq.ft while the minimum is 100sq.ft.  Living room should be at least 150sq.ft while the recommended value is 250sq.ft.  You can have the dining room as small as 120sq.ft.

Step 3:

Decide on the furniture to be placed on the floor.  Use the stickers.  You can even make your own pieces by cutting out furniture pieces from magazines.  Make sure they have common dimensions so that you can easily rearrange them.  Also allow some free space, in case you buy new furniture.

Step 4:

If your house is going to be a single story, then your plumbing fixtures can use a common wall.  Allow space for plumbing lines by making the wall 2X6.


Step 5:


Make photocopies of your plan and work it out with your building constructor. 

Using a software:
You can incorporate every conventional architectural floor design feature you need to make your home highly functional and beautiful for your lifestyle without any expertise from your side.  Software will come with pre-drawn shapes and furniture.  You can see your floor plan in 3D view as well.  You can save a copy of the file even in BMP, JPG and PDF formats. 




Tips:


Check the floor plan to see if you have utilized space wisely.  This will help a great deal when you start decorating the house.

There are home floor plan kits available in the market.  They are very easy to use and can be reused as well.  Some even come with Styrofoam miniature furniture.

Try to put closets near inner walls to provide insulation against noise.




References:

• My Construction Planner: Floor Plan Tips 
• Build Wisely: Floor Plan Tips
• eHouse Plans: Home Quick Planner
• Andy's How To: Room Design Floor Plans
• About: Architecture: Design Software

How to Buy Gold for Spot Price in Singapore

The value of gold is commonly measured by a number referred to as the spot price. This price represents the wholesale melt value of gold on the market. The average consumer typically pays a rate much higher than the spot price, which is typically only paid by institutional investors  dealing in thousands of ounces of gold. Singapore is one of the few places where any member of the public can buy gold at spot price, without having a minimum order size.

Things You'll Need:

• Investment Capital 

Step 1:

Select the price point at which you will buy gold. The value of gold changes slightly from day to day. Identify the target price at which you would like to buy gold. Monitor the market with a financial publication or financial news network and wait for your ideal purchase price.

Step 2:

Go to Little India. Although Singapore is predominantly Chinese, the Indian section of the city is most widely known for it's gold suppliers. Little India is situated along Serangoon Road, between Kitchener Road and Bukit Timah Road.

Step 3:

Visit one of the many gold vendors located along Serangoon Road. Jewelers are referred to as goldsmiths in Singapore. Any of these stores sell their gold according to the current spot price. Because much of the gold comes in the form of jewelry, sometimes even antique items, the actual value of the item may exceed the spot price.

Step 4:

Discuss the amount you would like to spend. The merchant will weigh an amount of gold for you, based on the spot price, measured against the purity of the metal. For example, 24k gold is pure and will be weighed according to the spot price. However, 14k gold is only 58 percent pure, so it takes a larger quantity to meet the spot weight.


Tips:

Gold can also be sold to the same goldsmith you buy from, allowing you to profit by buying and selling from day to day.


References:

• Street Directory: Map of Little India, Singapore 
• Street Directory: Goldsmith Shops in Little India 
• National Geographic: Singapore Walking Tour: Little India Temples 
• Virtual Tourist: Little India, Singapore 
• Metropolasia: Little India Shopping

Resources:

• Your Singapore: Little India 
• The World Around: Singapore's Little India 

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How to Test Streaming Media with Unix

Steaming media is a way of sharing audio and video content over the Internet. Often referred to as rich media, these files can be quite large. To stream the digital files, they are compressed and encoded. The end user then uses a media player to decompress and play the files. This compression and decompression technology is referred to as a codec. The codec must be tested periodically to make sure you are producing the highest quality media stream available.

Things You'll Need:

• Media Player
• Streaming Content

Step 1:

Run an "ipfw" test. Unix systems have an inbuilt test within the operating system. To begin testing the capability of your network in streaming, open the command console and type in the command "ipfw" (without the quotation marks).

Step 2:

From the ipfw window, add the following lines.

sudo ipfw pipe 1 config bw 400kbps
sudo ipfw add 10 pipe 1 tcp from any to me 1935
sudo ipfw add 11 pipe 1 tcp from any 1935 to me

Once these commands have been typed into the operating system, your bandwidth connections in Unix operating systems will open up and improve. This method also gives information on how well your computer can stream online media.

Step 3:

Print the results of your test. Restart the computer to clear the memory and return to normal operation.


Tips:

There are different forms of media available for streaming. The most common is the flash video (FLV) format, which allows users to create and upload average-quality videos. The bigger the file, the better the video and audio quality.


References:

• Hunter College: Manfred Kuechler: Streaming Video Server Test Page

Resources:

• Netlimiter 
• Spirent Federal: Streaming Media 
• Learning API: Tools for Testing Streaming Media 

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How to Locate a Bad Wire in a Wiring Harness

A wiring harness, also known as a cable harness, consists of a batch of wires and cables. These cables transmit signals containing information, as well as energy in the form of operating currents. They are generally bound together by things such as cable ties, conduits and electrical tape, and are then organized in the form of a wire harness. The harness organizes cables according to their purpose, making it easier to trace down problems with complex electrical systems.

Things You'll Need:

• Magnifying Glass
• Advanced Electric Meter
• Digital Multimeter

Step 1:

Visually inspect the wires in the harness. A magnifying glass can be used to give better perspective. Look for any places where the insulation has been damaged, or for obvious burn marks caused by exposed wiring. Also check to see if the contact points are contamination free and do not have any visible corrosion.

Step 2:

Prepare the harness for a continuity test by turning the power off, since an open circuit could result in the meter getting damaged. Use a fuse or breaker to cut off the power supply for the entire harness.

Step 3:

Perform a continuity test with the aid of a multimeter, as this helps to find breaks and resistances in a circuit. Place the settings on the digital multimeter to "Resistance" so that it can give an effective reading. If an Advance Electric Meter is used, change the settings to the lowest and reset the meter by ensuring the two probes touch together and then turning the thumbwheel until the meter shows zero.

Step 4:

Use the multimeter's probe tips to touch the surface or area which you wish to find a damaged wire in. A low reading means that the circuit is closed and has no bad wiring, but if it reads as "Infinite" it means that the circuit is open, indicating that a wire is damaged.


Tips:

Using a digital multimeter allows you to check each wire individually, allowing you to quickly identify which specific wire is causing the problem.


References:

• Crutchfield: How to Use a Multimeter 
• eTrailer: Trailer Wiring Harness Diagrams 

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