Everything but what you need
My local hardware store is trying to drive me nuts. This evening, I needed a certain quantity of machine screws, with the right size of nut. I think they may have had every variation possible except what I wanted. Lots of screws, lots of screws and nuts together (parading under the label of “stove bolt”), and in an expensive part of the department, nuts in single quantities.
My needs were simple; I wanted about 40 one inch long steel screws with nuts. I didn’t even come close. And there’s the rub, as Will used to say. These big stores have variety, but rarely what fits your shopping list. So, you compromise, accepting the inflated bill of sale as your scourge. I also wanted about twenty-five feet of one inch ABS pipe. I could have MANY other sizes. Nothing in one inch, though. I could have had pieces that were integral in their twenty-five foot longishness (guess what – my van is not that long). I could have much wider pieces, but then it wouldn’t fit my project, so I simply abandoned my plan.
Then, there was the untested technique of soldering copper pipe. I’ve never done it, but I have an idea about what might be involved. The trick, it seems, is to buy much larger quantities of things than you might actually need. Lots of solder. Lots of paste. Lots of abrasive pads and brushes. My answer will be to drill a couple of holes at each end and bolt things together. No, for the curious, this has nothing to do with running water. I’m simply trying to conduct some electricity, cheaply. Bolted together sections of copper pipe will work just fine. Wait a few days, and I’ll take some pictures. I promise.
