Your car’s interior



  •  An odour-eating pair



Deodorize the interior of your car by sprinkling bicarbonate of soda over everything but the electronic equipment. Take a soft-bristled brush and work the bicarbonate of soda in well. Close the car up for an hour or so and then thoroughly vacuum the interior. To keep the car smelling fresh and clean, place a small open container filled with freshly ground coffee beans where it won't get knocked over. The grounds will absorb any strong odours that you bring into the car.




  •  No butts about bicarbonate of soda



Make good use of the ashtrays in your car by placing about 2cm bicarbonate of soda in the bottom of each one. If you smoke, it will keep cigarettes from smoldering and stinking up the car even after you've put them out. If you're a nonsmoker, the bicarbonate of soda will also absorb other stale smells.




  •  Baby-wipe your dash



If your car dashboard gets sticky from spilled drinks or greasy hands, clean it with baby wipes. Once it's clean, you can bring a shine to the dashboard with a little baby oil.




  •  Sweeten bad smells with vinegar



To remove the odour left when someone is carsick, wipe down vinyl upholstery (all of it) with a cloth soaked in a 50:50 solution of white vinegar and water. Then place a bowl of vinegar on the car floor and keep the car closed up tight overnight. In the morning, wipe everything down with a damp cloth.




  •  Hold taping sessions



Carry a roll of tape in your glove box and use it for the following jobs, among others:




  1.  Tape your garage door opener to the under-side of the visor on the driver's side of the car. It will be handy, yet out of the way, and it won't fall into your lap as you drive.

  2.  Tape a pen to the dashboard just in case you need one; taping it will keep it from rolling around and getting lost.

  3.  Whenever you park in a busy supermarket car park, temporarily tape a distinctive paper or cloth flag to the top of your car’s antenna. When you come out laden with bags, you should be able to spot the car without going on a lengthy hunt.




  •  Magic carpet cleaner



No matter how meticulous you are, somehow or other greasy stains seem to always appear on car carpet. Luckily, they're not hard to fix. Mix equal parts salt and bicarbonate of soda and sprinkle the mixture over the grease spot. Use a stiff brush to work the mixture into the spot and let it sit for 4-5 hours. Vacuum it up and the stain should be gone.




  •  Prevent a flat battery with a tennis ball



If for some reason you need to keep a car door open for a while — and the internal light is one of those that you can't switch off — turn to a tennis ball. Just wedge the ball between the door and the switch. The switch will stay off, your battery will stay charged and your jump leads will stay where they belong — in the boot. If you don't have a tennis ball, substitute any soft-surfaced small object, such as a triangular wedge of scrap wood padded with rags.




  •  Bag a steering wheel



 If you have to park in the sun on a really hot summer's day, tear a 30-cm strip from one side of a large paper bag and slip it over the top of the steering wheel, securing it with a piece of tape if necessary. When you return to the car, the wheel should still be cool enough to touch.




  •  Adjust air temperature with tape



 If you have difficulty keeping your car's heating or air conditioning from blowing directly into your face, cover the part of the air vent that's directed at you with gaffer tape. Just be careful not to cover the entire vent.
















Checking under the bonnet



  •  Prevent corrosion



It's not unusual for a car's battery terminals to become so corroded that you can't get a proper connection to jump-start the car. So take a little preventive action. Occasionally coat the terminals with a bit of petroleum jelly to keep them from corroding. Alternatively, tape a copper coin — if you have one — to the top of the battery so that the corrosion is drawn to the coin and not the battery terminals.




  •  A cola loosener-upper



If you need to get at the engine of your car but the nuts and bolts under the bonnet refuse to budge, pour a little cola over the connections or loosen them with a few squirts of WD-40. Give either substance 2-3 minutes to penetrate, after which you should be able to loosen the hardware with a wrench. Most jammed metal fixings respond well to the cola trick; if you can soak the seized-up object, so much the better. Sponge off the cola once you've loosened the hardware.




  •  Clean corrosion with bicarbonate of soda



If you don't keep your battery terminals clean, you will have to deal with corrosion. To clean the terminals, stir 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda into 1 cup (250ml) water, then pour the solution over the terminals. Leave for 4-5 minutes, and then rinse with clear water.




  •  A sporty shock protector



When you are working on your car and have to disconnect the negative battery cable, don't let the cable come into contact with the car's metal frame or you may suffer a shock. One safe way of handling the cable is to make a slit in a tennis ball and push the ball over the end of the cable.




  •  Foot powder leak-spotter



If oil is leaking from your engine and you can't find the leak's source, clean the engine with an aerosol degreaser, such as a silicone spray like WD-40, and then spray its sides and bottom with spray-on foot powder. The leak will reveal itself by turning white.




  •  Dislodge a stubborn oil filter



If you are quite happy to change the oil filter yourself but find that for once it won't budge, a screwdriver and hammer could do the trick. Hammer the screwdriver right through the filter about 5cm from the engine block. Then take the screwdriver and use it as a lever to turn the filter anticlockwise. Once you get it started, remove the screwdriver and spin the filter off, making sure that there is a tray underneath to catch the leaking oil that inevitably ensues.




  •  Gum up the works



If the radiator hose in your car springs a leak while you are driving, chew a piece of gum and stick the wad over the leak. Secure it with a bit of strong adhesive tape. It will hold until you can have a proper repair made, but get the car booked in for repair as quickly as possible.




  •  First aid for a fan belt



If the fan belt in your car becomes dry, lubricate it with a little petroleum jelly. With the engine off, dab the inside edges of the belt with the jelly, then start the engine and let it idle for a couple of minutes. Not only will the petroleum jelly lubricate the belt and keep it from cracking but it will eliminate squealing and slippage.




  •  Extend a wrench handle with pipe



Some socket wrenches are so short that it takes a muscleman to turn them. If you prefer not to waste a lot of energy when you tighten a bolt under the bonnet, slip a short length of slender metal pipe over the wrench handle and you will get more than enough leverage to use the tool without straining.




  •  Tape a noisy horn



If your car horn gets stuck and won't stop bleating, tap the horn button a few times. If that doesn't stop the din, a piece of tape is the solution. Open the bonnet, disconnect the wire to the horn and tape down the terminal screw. You should enjoy blessed silence until you have the horn repaired.














Wave goodbye to winter worries and cares



  •  Gain traction with bleach



If your car has become stuck on an icy patch and can't get enough traction, pour a small amount of undiluted chlorine-based bleach over the tyres. The bleach will react chemically to soften both the ice and the rubber, thereby improving traction. Wait for a minute to let the chemical reaction take place and then try driving away. You can also get traction by spreading sand, salt or cat litter over snow in front of the tyres. (Because bleach accelerates the wear on tyre treads, you should only do this in emergency situations.)




  •  Shovel snow with a hub cap



If your car gets stuck in snow, ice or mud and you don't have a shovel handy, take off a hubcap and use it to dig the car free.




  • Use oil to prevent stuck doors



Prevent car and boot doors from freezing shut in winter by spraying or wiping the rubber gaskets with a light coating of WD-40 or vegetable oil. The oil will seal out any water that could later freeze, while causing no harm to the rubber gaskets.




  •  Tape a door lock in a car wash



Put a strip of tape over your car's door lock before going through a car wash in cold weather. This will keep out water that could later freeze and make the lock inoperable. Once you're out of the car wash, remove the tape.




  •  Thaw door locks with a straw



If the lock on your car door freezes and you can't insert the key, don't get left out in the cold. Try blowing your warm breath into the keyhole through a straw. The ice should quickly melt, after which you can unlock the door.




  •  Flame frozen locks



If the lock on your car door is frozen, hold the key in your (ideally gloved) hand and heat it with a match or cigarette lighter. Press the key into the lock and turn it gently without forcing.



After a few seconds, the hot metal key will melt the ice and you will be able to open the door. Better still, if you have electrical power handy, use a hair dryer to direct hot air into the lock to melt the ice and free it up.




  •  Keep ice off wipers



To keep ice from forming on the blades of your car's windscreen wipers and from stopping them working in cold weather, wipe each blade with a soft cloth soaked in full-strength surgical spirit.




  •  Raw onion windscreen rubs



To avoid the tedious job of scraping ice off your windscreen on a chilly morning, slice an onion in half and rub the cut sides against your windscreen and car windows the night before to stop frost from forming.




  •  Shield a windscreen with rubber bath mats



To keep your windscreen from frosting over-night, position inexpensive rubber bath mats over the glass. Hold them in place with the windscreen wipers.




  •  Yogurt-tub scraper and scooper



Scrape ice from windows and the windscreen using an empty yogurt tub. When you scrape with the edge of the rim, the pot will scoop up the ice. As you scrape, empty the ice onto the ground with a quick flick of the wrist.




  •  Bag your side mirrors



On cold nights, slip plastic bags over the car's side mirrors and hold them in place with clothes pegs. In the morning, remove the bags and your mirrors will be ice-free.




  • Don't get steamed up



Winter driving can be dangerous when the inside of a windscreen keeps steaming up. Here are three ways to deal with foggy glass:




  1.  Use a clean whiteboard eraser to wipe the inside of the windscreen clean.

  2.   Squirt a little shampoo onto a cloth and wipe the glass with it.

  3. Use 'outside air' instead of 'recirculated air' and run the de-froster.












Dealing with dents and scratches



  •  Pop goes the dent



If the body of your car has a dent, but the surface is otherwise unblemished, you may be able to pull out the dent with a little suction. Look around your house and find anything that has a large suction cup attached — a sink plunger, for example. Place the cup directly over the dent and push it in straight so that the suction engages the metal. Then pull gently but firmly outwards. If you are lucky, you should hear the popping sound that is a signal that the dent is gone.




  •  White-out scratches



If you have a white car and it gets scratched, use correction fluid such as Liquid Paper for a quick touch-up. If your car is another colour, try to find a correction fluid or nail polish colour to match and apply it as a temporary fix.




  •  Brush out scratches



You can often polish out small scratches in a car's finish with a bit of non-gel toothpaste. Squeeze a dollop onto a clean soft cloth and work the paste into the scratch. Buff the area with a clean cloth.




  •  Brighten old paint with scouring powder



If your car is old and painted with oxidized paint that's looking dull, try washing it with a low-grit bathroom cleanser such as Jif. Apply the cleanser, wet it with a light spray and then rub gently with a car-washing mitt. (Test this first on a small area of the duco that isn't prominent, to check that it doesn't remove the paint.) When you have finished, wash the car well and wax it.










Get gleaming metal trim




  •  Rid chrome of wax



It's easy to get so excited about waxing your car that you go too far: wax can spoil a shiny chrome bumper with smudges that harden and won't come off. Use a bit of WD-40 to fix the problem. Spray a little of the lubricant over the dried wax, then wipe it off with a clean soft cloth. The wax will dissolve like magic.




  •  De-wax metal trim with ammonia



Car wax mistakenly applied to metal trim can spoil the effect that a keen car cleaner strives for. To rid the trim of wax, wipe it with a rag dampened with household ammonia. The trim will soon sparkle like new.




  •  Oil the trim



When the metal trim on your car is still not shiny enough, squirt a little baby oil onto a paper towel and polish the metal for a shine worthy of a sterling silver trophy.




  •  Get wax off rubber with peanut butter



If you are waxing your car and accidentally get white wax on black rubber trim or mouldings, wipe the area with a bit of peanut butter. The rubber will revert to its original blackness.




  •  Make chrome glisten



Brighten chrome trim on your car by wiping it with a small amount of nail varnish remover. (Just be sure to keep it away from the paint.)








Superb solutions for a sparkling car



  •  Bicarbonate-of-soda car cleaner



Prepare in advance for your next few car washes by making your own condensed cleaner base. Pour ¼ cup (45g) bicarbonate of soda into a 4-litre bottle, then add ¼ cup (60ml) washing-up liquid and enough water to fill the bottle almost to the top. Screw on the cap, shake well and store the concentrate for later use. When it is time to wash the car, shake the bottle vigorously and then pour 1 cup (250ml) of the cleaner base into an 8-litre bucket. Fill the bucket with warm water, stir to mix and your homemade cleaning solution is ready to use.




  •  A no-wax wash for the chassis



Get rid of tar and road debris that sticks to the underside of a car by washing with a kerosene solution. Add 1 cup (250ml) kerosene to a 12-litre bucket filled with water and then sponge the solution onto the chassis. You won't have to rinse or wax it once you're done. And the next time it rains, you'll find that water beads up and rolls off, decreasing the likelihood of rusting, which can be a problem on the chassis because it's not easily visible. Caution: kerosene is a highly flammable liquid, so make sure that you use it away from a direct source of heat, and don't smoke while washing your car.




  •  Hair conditioner for shine



Next time you wash your car, think about using a cheap hair conditioner containing lanolin. You'll be amazed by the freshly waxed look and how well the surface repels rain. And it costs a lot less than commercial car cleaners.




  •  You can see clearly now



Add ¼ cup (60ml) household ammonia to 1 litre water, pour it into a plastic bottle with a watertight cap and keep it in your car for washing the windscreen and windows. As soon as your windscreen starts to look dirty, take out the solution and apply it with a sponge; then dry the windscreen with a soft cloth or paper towels.




  •  A one-step window cleaner



Clean your windscreen and car windows by rubbing them with baby wipes stored in your glove compartment. What could be easier?




  •  Clean your blades



 If your windscreen wiper blades get dirty, they'll streak the glass instead of keeping it clean and clear, which can be dangerous if your visibility is compromised while driving. Make a solution of ¼ cup (60ml) household ammonia to 1 litre cold water. Gently lift the blades and wipe both sides with a soft cloth or paper towel soaked in the solution. Then wipe the blades with a dry cloth before lowering them into place.




  •  Fizz windscreens clean with cola



When there's a storm after a long dry spell, car windscreens often end up being completely filthy, attracting dirt and leaf debris. An easy way to get rid of the streaks and blotches left behind after a storm is by pouring cola over the glass. (Stretch a towel along the bottom of the windscreen to protect the paint on the bonnet.) The bubbles in cola will fizz away the grime. Just make sure that you rinse the sticky cola off thoroughly or your cleaning efforts will end up attracting more dust and dirt. A quick hose down should finish the job properly.




  •  Shine your headlights



Keep your car headlights polished (and yourself safe at night) by spraying on some window cleaner, then rubbing vigorously with an old pair of pantihose.




  •  Vodka on the job



When the windscreen-washer reservoir needs filling, raid the drinks cabinet to make your own washing fluid. In a screw-top 4-litre bottle, mix 3 cups (750ml) vodka with 1 litre water and 2 teaspoons washing-up liquid. Screw on the cap and shake well, then pour as much fluid as needed into the reservoir.






Insects, noxious smells and other sticky issues



  •  Counterattack on insect splats



If you're constantly at battle with insects getting splattered on the front of your car, try a preventative strategy instead and spray the front of your car with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil, or wipe it down with baby oil. Most insects won't stick around and the ones that do can be hosed or wiped off more easily.




  •  Mesh away insect mess



Get rid of the dead insects on your car by squirting a little washing-up liquid over the spot and scrubbing with a mesh bag — the kind that onions are sold in. The mesh is sufficiently rough that it will remove insects, but not so rough that it will scratch the finish or windscreen. Once you have scrubbed away the bugs, wipe the surface with a clean cloth.




  •  An easy debugger



To get rid of dead insects on your windscreen or bumper, use an old, balled-up pair of pantihose dipped in washing suds. Remove the insects by rubbing gently, then wash off the mess with a cloth soaked in soapy water.




  •  Keep a radio antenna clean



 If grime is clogging your radio antenna and it becomes stuck in an up or down position, try to extend the antenna to its full height and rub along its length with waxed paper. It will be so smooth that it should glide up and down as cleanly as the arm on a trombone.




  •  Rub Christmas tree sap off the car roof



If you've had a fresh Christmas tree strapped to the roof of your car, you'll probably end up with sap stuck to the surface — and soap and water won't do the job. Pour a few drops of surgical spirit over the sap and rub it with your fingertips. Then wipe it off with an alcohol-dampened rag and let the area air-dry.




  •  Freeze the sticky stuff



Another way of getting rid of sap is to press an ice cube over it for a minute or so. When the sap hardens, simply peel it off your car, bicycle or other surface.




  •  Oil away a sticker



To remove a sticker from your windscreen, spray it with vegetable oil or WD-40 and let he spray soak in for a while. Then scrape the sticker off using the edge of a credit card. If bits of it stick fast, heat the area gently with a blast from a hair dryer and then try again.




  •  Removing tar



Tar can be difficult to remove from your car, but you'll win the battle over black goo fast when you try one of these removal methods, rinsing and drying after each one.




  1.  Try spraying the tar with a laundry prewash stain remover. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then wipe it off thoroughly.

  2.  Wet a cloth with linseed oil and apply it to the spots of tar. Let the oil soak in for about 10 minutes. Once the tar softens, douse another cloth with linseed oil and wipe the tar away.

  3.  Rub the tar with a bit of peanut butter, leave it on for 10 minutes and then wipe it away with a soft cloth.

  4.  Spray the spots with a squirt of WD-40 and let it soak in for 5 minutes. Then wipe the tar away with a soft cloth.

  5.  Pour a cup of cola on a clean cloth and rub the tar off the car surface.

  6.  Mix 1 cup (250ml) kerosene with 5 litres water and scrub the tar away with a rag soaked in the potent solution.










What is Steam catapult?



Without steam catapults most modern, heavy aircrafts would be unable to take off from their carriers. Today, every aircraft carrier has them.



In operation, the aircraft taxis into position and a wire loop called a hold back is connected between the rear of the aircraft and a strong point on the deck; it has a weak link in its centre.



A towbar near the aircraft’s front wheel is lowered into a shuttle that attaches the aircraft to the catapult with a hook mechanism. It is the only part of the catapult visible on the flight deck.



Two parallel cylinders at least 150ft (45m) long, run under the deck ahead of the aircraft. The cylinders house two pistons which are both fixed to the shuttle. Steam is supplied to the cylinders from the ship’s boilers via an accumulator where pressure is built up. Pressure is varied for launching aircraft of differing weight.



At launch, the aircraft selects full power, but is restrained by the hold back. When the catapult is fired the combined force of the engines and steam pressure break the weak link and the aircraft hurtles forward, reaching about 135 knots (250km/h) 50yds (45m).



At the end of the launch the aircraft flies out of the shuttle. Probes on the front of the pistons ram into a water reservoir, bringing them to rest in a few feet. The shuttle is then res-positioned for the next launch – carriers can launch an aircaft every 2 minutes per catapult. American carriers have up to four catapults, so a plane can be launched every 30 seconds.



The steam catapult was invented by Commander C.C. Mitchell, of Britain's Royal Navy, an in 1949 it was installed for trails in HMS Perseus. Steam catapults were installed on carriers worldwide after the US Navy adopted the equipment in 1954.



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is gondola?



Gondolas (long narrow boats), the signature feature of Venice, used to be colourful and lavishly decorated until a 16th Century law made it mandatory that they be painted black. Modern handmade gondolas all weigh 700kg, have 280 component pieces and use eight types of wood – oak, elm, lime, larch, fir, cherry, walnut and mahogany.



Various types of gondola boats are also used in special regattas (rowing races) held amongst gondoliers. Their primary role today, however, is to carry tourists on rides at fixed rates. There are approximately 400 licensed gondoliers in Venice and a similar number of boats, down from the thousands that travelled the canals centuries ago. However, they are now elegant craft, instead of the various types of shabby homemade boats of the distant past.



 



Picture Credit : Google


How do helicopters fly?


 



               Helicopters are lifted into the air by their large rotating propellers, or rotors. These work like long narrow wings, generating lift as they spin rapidly through the air. The tail rotor generates enough thrust to stop the fuselage spinning.



               A helicopter turns by increasing or decreasing the thrust of its tail rotor. It climbs by increasing the angle of attack of the rotor blades. It moves forwards by increasing the angle of the blade moving back on every rotation so that it pushes against the air.



Picture credit: google



 

How does a hovercraft work?


               The hovercraft is an ingenious machine that rides on a cushion of air. It looks like a flat-bottomed ship, and is usually powered with huge propellers like those of an aeroplane. Engines draw in large amounts of air, which is pumped out under the hovercraft and kept in by flexible rubber skirts. The craft rises up, supported on the column of air, and is then able to travel quickly over the water or over land. There is little friction because the bottom of the hovercraft does not actually touch the water.



               Hovercrafts have a number of uses, but have never replaced ordinary ships because they are expensive to run, very noisy and are unable to operate in stormy seas.




Picture credit: google



 


 



 


Why doesn’t a steel ship sink?


 



               A ship, or any other floating object, displaces (pushes away) water. You can see this for yourself if you fill a bowl with water right up to the brim, and then float a smaller dish inside it. Water will spill over, and the amount spilled will be the same as the volume of the smaller dish. A vessel will float if it is lighter than the amount of water it displaces.



               A very small boat built of steel would probably sink like a stone. However, a very large ship built of steel would be so buoyant that it could also carry huge amounts of oil or other cargo. The capacity of a cargo ship is measured by the weight of water that it displaces.




Picture credit: google



 



 



What is the difference between petrol and a diesel engine?


            Engines that burn fuel inside them are called internal combustion engines. A petrol engine injects fuel into a cylinder and ignites it with a spark. The mixture of fuel and air explodes and drives a piston down the cylinder. The piston is connected to a crankshaft, which turns as the piston moves down. As the crankshaft continues to revolve, it pushes the piston up again.



            A diesel engine works in the same way, except that a spark is not needed to ignite the fuel. Instead, the engine is spun over by a starter. As the piston comes up the cylinder it compresses the mixture of diesel oil and air. Compressing the mixture heats it up and it explodes, driving the piston down.



Picture credit: google


How do jet engines work?


            Like rockets, jet engines propel an aeroplane with a stream of hot gases. Unlike rockets, which produce hot gas as a result of burning an explosive mixture, jet engines burn fuel in the air that they draw in at the front of the engine?



            Air enters the front of the engine and is compressor wheel. Fuel is injected into the compressed air, burns fiercely and expands. The hot gas rushes out of the jet pipe at the rear of the engine. The hot gas passes through a turbine, which drives the compressor at the front of the engine.



Picture credit: google


How does an aeroplane fly?


               As an aeroplane moves though the air, the air passes over the surface of the wings. These are shaped with a curved top surface and a flatter lower surface, which means that air passing over the top of the wing, has to travel a little faster than that below the wing. This lowers the pressure above the wing, while the air pressure below pushes up, and the end result is the lift that keeps the aeroplane in the air.



               The tail surfaces keep the wing at the proper angle to provide the right amount of lift. The power to propel the aeroplane can come from the engines or, in the case of gliders, from rising air currents.




Picture credit: google