BUY stainless steel ware, check for black residue

When buying brand new stainless steel kitchenware (e.g. pot, pans) I found out there is this black residue that is not visible to the naked. Nowadays I always do 2 different checks before buying any stainless steel ware e.g. wok, bowl, plate, kettle, spoon, water bottle, lunch box, etc.

1) First check, wipe the stainless steel ware's surface with a white tissue paper, and check if you can see any black residue on the tissue. The photo below shows a stainless steel lunch box purchased from Lazada, from a China seller that has no ratings. Just one hard wipe on its seemingly shiny surface, and the black residue can be seen on the tissue.

2) Second check, wipe the stainless steel ware's edges, especially if it has "folded edges" (the photo below shows the Ikea's Blanda Blank bowl). The "folded edges' is highlighted with the green arrow, the black residue is highlighted in the green circle. Now, if I see any black residue from the "folded edges", I may or may not buy this item, depending on - will the food come into contact with the folded edge at any stage of food preparation?

A closer look at the black residue

I was surprised that for many years, Google search returned only 1 result when you enter the term "stainless steel has black residue". Maybe nobody thought it was a big deal, maybe nobody noticed. Some online users suggested it is "carbon residual", "chromium rust", "polishing oil", but there is no way to tell for sure without sending it to a lab (I can't afford this).

Using the Endo stainless steel "Apple" Bento box (see photo below) as an example to take a closer look. The "bowl" and "cover" passed the 1st check, the "plate insert" did not, I tried to clean the plate's edges, because it does comes into contact with food - when I put hot food into the bowl, the steam would raise up, get trapped at, and condensed at the plate insert's edges, this condensed water will touch the black residue & flow back into the hot food - was my logic.

I poured and soaked the plate in boiling water for 10 minutes. You can see the black residue starting to come off in tiny bits, highlighted by the green circles.

I also used a toothpick to scrap into the folded edges, took the plate out of the boiling water, wipe it with a tissue - and the black residue is still there.

I used my fingers to pick up some of the black residue, then rub it. It smudges and felt like oil. Maybe it's harmless in the short term, but there is no way for us to know without lab testing. And I'm not sure manufacturers really care about people's health, e.g. Subway has been adding Azodicarbonamide into their bread for years, until consumers bring it to attention.

In the end I still use the Endo Bento box, but without the "plate insert".

How to get rid of stainless steel black residue

I did not find a effective way. I have tried washing with dish washing liquid more than once, scrubbing it with a sponge, pouring boiling water over it, nothing cleans it up completely, one tissue wipe later and it will show up again. Based on my own experience, even stainless steel ware from big name companies fails this simple tissue wipe test.

Some online users has suggest using "Bar Keepers Friend" a type of powder metal polish, some suggested boiling vinegar and water, it worked for some folks but not the others, because everyone has stainless steel wares from different manufacturers, who may use different materials. Since I now "wipe before I buy", I did not get to test out these 2 suggestions.

List of stainless steel wares that passed at least the 1st wipe test

These are items I have either purchased for my own use, or I gave it a wipe while shopping at the departmental store (but did not buy as some are too expensive). Maybe it's useful if you intend to buy them online, given the lockdown / circuit breaker closed most departmental stores. Do note manufacturing practices may change (cut cost, outsourcing), so this list may not be 100% accurate.

• Zebra 14 cm Mug with Lid
• Zebra Whistle Kettle Prima 2.5L
• Zebra Smart Whistling Kettle 3.5L
• Zebra oval lunch box 16cm
• WMF Select it! 30cm Wok with glass lid
• WMF Herb/ Tea Infuser ball
• Takahi Energy-Saving Thermal Cooker with Warmer 22.L+0.8L
• Philips Viva Collection Kettle 1.7L with Keep Warm Function HD9316
• Endo "Apple" Bento Lunch Box
• Fox Run Stainless Steel Popsicle Mold, Set of 6, Silver (from Amazon)
• AiYoo Three Sections Round Divided Dinner Plate Set of 2 (from Amazon)
• 3 level dish rack, with 3 trays (from Ezbuy), the translation is not very good - 304 bowl rack drain rack drying set table dishes, dish tray supplies storage box kitchen shelf 3 floor

All reviews are true, I'm not affiliated with any any entity, nor get payment in any shape or form, indirectly/ directly.

FIX casement window leaking through wall

A few years after replacing the casement windows, the window's wall starts to leak water whenever there is heavy rain, see photo below. This post is about fixing/ repairing the casement window leak.

Eventually the occasional leak will cause the paint to peel.

Checking the outside of the window, I saw that the side with the leak, has a gap between the casement window frame and the concrete wall. If it's hard to stretch out your head and look, use a hand held mirror to check. Or a camera to take photos. Be careful not to drop the mirror or camera.

Compared with the side with no leaks, there are no gaps - the photo below shows the paint covering the casement frame and concrete wall.

Assuming the gap is the problem, I bought a tube of silicone and gun (about $8) to cover the gap. Before starting:

• Check the weather forecast. I always try to let silicone dry for 24 hours.
• Wipe the surface with a moist rag, I use an expandable old sock with holes, use and throw it away. Let it dry out for a while.
• I used a wooden ice cream stick to try to spread out the silicone.

After application, the problem has ceased. From the photo below showing the uneven silicone application, you can see I'm no craftsman :) 

If your casement window is leaking, according to this forum's post, there could be a few other reasons. This other web page has a diagram showing the casement window structure and how the leak might flow. Might be useful.

BUY an old water tap key

The water tap key commonly sold (see picture below) in most hardware stores do not fit some water taps found in old HDB flats.

The following photo shows a typical water tap found in old HDB flats.

After much searching, I finally found an old water tap key that fits. It is hollow in the middle.

The old water tap key allows the tap's shaft to go through it. Some filing of the shaft might be required to ensure the key is able to grip the shaft.

The shop that I got it from is "Ng Hoe Hardware & Paints Shop" at Jurong East Street 24. It is probably the only shop in Singapore that still sells this type of water tap key.

MAKE a red-dot-sight mount for point-and-shoot camera

Bird photography enthusiast should find this post useful. It's about getting a red-dot-sight in Singapore (not illegal), then making a bracket to put the red-dot-sight and camera together. The cost for this project is around S$100.

I'm a photography dummy who doesn't own a DSLR camera, and this was my situation. To take photos of birds, which usually keep their distance, I bought a point-and-shoot camera (Panasonic DMC-TZ70) with 30x zoom factor. I had a hard time aiming at the birds at high zoom and just when I started to regretted buying this expensive camera, I chanced upon a online post about this issue. I emailed one helpful poster, Mr Erik Ohlson (thanks!), about how to make a bracket to attach a red-dot-sight for my TZ70.

The main obstacle about making this bracket is that I live in Singapore. There isn't a Radio Shack, Walmart, Bunnings where I can get the required parts easily. I also don't own a car, making the search for parts across Singapore really painful. The following guide is my solution for my specific problem. If you intend to attach a red-dot-sight to a DSLR that has a Hot Shoe, the solution is much easier. I will include this at the end of the post.

The photo below shows the bracket I made. Both the camera and red-dot-sight are removable from the bracket. In case you're wondering, the white stuff underneath the camera is not Plasticine - this is a sturdy bracket that I'm able to used under the hot sun.

Ensure you have all the items in list below.

	Item	Description	Source	Cost (in 2015)
1	Red-dot-sight (Brand: Field Sport red and green reflex sight with 4 reticles)	NA	Amazon, Vpost	US$18.62
2	Camera D-ring screws 1/4 inch	To screw the camera to the bracket	Amazon, Vpost	US$6.99
3	Camera strap	So that you can hang the bracket around your neck	Amazon, Vpost	US$12.95
4	Brass metal sheet (30x5cm), I chosen the thickest	Function as the base of the bracket	ArtFriend, Clementi	S$17.45
5	One long acrylic triangle rod, I forgot the size	Function as the “dovetail” rod for the red-dot-sight to clamp on	ArtFriend, Clementi	S$4?
6	Epoxy putty (Brand: Bondite)	Keep the camera in place in the bracket	Any hardware store	S$6
7	Cling wrap (Brand: Glad)	To wrap the camera, before applying Epoxy to it	Any supermarket	Forgot
8	Rubber tip for stool legs	To cushion between the D-ring and the brass metal sheet	Any hardware store	Forgot
9	Super glue	To glue the Acrylic triangle rods into a “dovetail” rod	Diaso	S$2
10	Tools: Hand saw that can cut acrylic and metal	To cut the acrylic rod and brass metal sheet	Most hardware store	S$6?
11	Tools: Drill press that can drill 1/4 inch or slightly larger holes in brass metal sheet.	To drill the brass metal sheet	Find a good friend that has access to a workshop with drill press.	NA

The photo below shows some of the items in the list above, in case the description above is non-obvious.

The photo below shows how the items comes together to form the bracket.

Step 1: Measure the red-dot-sight and camera. This is to determine the length of the brass sheet to cut. The measurement shown below may not work for you. Naturally you would go to hardware shops to buy metal sheets, but for weeks, I found none. In the end ArtFriend that sells arts and craft materials is my friend. Who knew?

• Mark on the brass sheet, on where the camera, its tripod screw mount hole, and the red-dot-sight should be at.
• Leave 1 to 2 cm buffer between the camera and red-dot-sight.
• For me, I cut the brass metal at 12 cm length. 
• Then cut off 3 pieces of acrylic triangular rod, each with length 8.2 cm. 
• This was done with my old cheap handsaw with different blades for cutting metal, wood and plastic. When sawing, always wear safety goggles and have another person around, in case of accidents.

Step 2: Assemble the 3 acrylic rods with super glue, to make the "dovetail rail". It allows the red-dot-sight to clamp onto it. Ideally you should get a small aluminium rod and file it into a dovetail rail. It was really difficult (maybe even impossible) to buy a single piece of solid aluminium rod in Singapore. This work around is a good solution for me. Super glued acrylic rods does not seem to have heat expansion problems under the hot sun. After assembly, check that your red-dot-sight is able to clamp onto the acrylic dovetail rail.

Step 3: Find a friend who has access to a workshop with a drill press. Drill a hole in the brass sheet, the size should be 1/4 inch or slightly larger. It was really difficult to find anyone with a drill press/ workshop in Singapore, since the majority of us live in small apartments. Do not use hand held drills, what you need a proper, steady, heavy drill press like those you find in polytechnics technical workshops. Again, wear safety goggles and have someone around when drilling.

Step 4: Cut a section of the stool leg rubber tip off, poke a hole on it, such that  the D-ring screw can go through it. Check that the D-ring screw is able hold the camera and brass sheet together in a tight fit.

Step 5: To ensure that the camera does not move around when screwed in, we should add epoxy to the brass sheet to hold the camera in. Extend the camera to the maximum zoom, then cover it with cling wrap (I used 2 layers), D-ring screw it to the brass sheet. Apply some epoxy putty around the edges of the camera such that you are still able to remove the camera afterwards. Removed the camera and let the epoxy cure/ harden for 2 days.

Step 6: Super glue the acrylic dovetail rail to the brass sheet, use a few layers of super glue for more strength (.i.e. dry, coat, dry, coat). And that should be it. Put the camera and red-dot-sight together on the bracket, calibrate, and happy shooting.

If you have a DSLR camera with a Hot Shoe, you can purchase red-dot-sight with a Hot Shoe adaptor. I saw this on Amazon, but I can't confirm if it does indeed comes with the Hot Shoe adaptor/ camera mount.

Alternatively, you can download a 3D printer STL file of a Hot Shoe adaptor for red-dot-sight, and get it printed at any local 3D printing company. They offer 3D printing in plastic and metal. I myself have not try this.

FIX sticky rubber on Gillette Mach3 handle

The rubber grip on the Gillette Mach3 razor handle will become sticky after sometime. This post will be about fully fixing/ repairing this. Initially I tried to scrap off the thick rubber, creating a big sticky mess (it won't come off easily). While doing that, I noticed that the rubber is are actually made up of hard plastic parts (coated with thick rubber), snap-fitted into the metal body. This suggest that the thick rubber parts can be cleanly and fully removed.

Tools I need:

• A pair of scissors with a small sharp tip.
• Pair of safety glasses (always good to wear one when fixing anything because lab-grown human eyeballs are currently not mass-consumer products).

The handle is made up of the rubber grip and the metal body. The rubber has become soft and sticky. See image below:

Look for an opening between the sticky rubber grip part and the metal body. Insert the tip of the scissors into the opening. The carefully/ slowly pry them apart.

The main part of sticky rubber grip is removed.

For the smaller parts, each has 3 “snap-fit joints”. Use the scissor tip to push 1 joint upwards. 

Use the scissor tip to push the other 2 “snap-fit joints” out sideways. Then remove 3 the rubber parts.

All 4 parts of the sticky rubber grip have been removed. Look at the amount of dirt in there, maybe this product can be made more hygienic if the whole handle is just 1 single piece of metal.

Scrub the metal handle with soap, dry it before use.

I find the metal handle by itself is sufficient for me to get a good grip. Sticky rubber handle fixed.

BUY cheap disposable foam earplugs

If you often use disposable foam earplugs (good for studying, sleeping), getting them from the local pharmacy can be costly. I chanced upon this bargain deal.

Of the various disposable (sorry mother nature) foam earplugs I purchased, this is one of the most value-for-money: Jackson H-10. One box of 200 pairs at $37.45. One pair can last me up to a whole week and one box up to a couple of years and ears :)

Alternatively (e.g. Jackson H-10 ran out-of-stock), get the Elvex uni-fit EP101, 200 pairs at $34.24.

The company I purchased from is PSE Safety Corporation Pte Ltd. Their customers are mainly businesses rather than individuals, but I have been buying a box from them every couple of years. They also have nice looking plastic safety glasses that looks like Oakley sunglasses, for around $10, which I also bought a couple.

Do avoid their lunch hour (I think it was 12pm to 1pm) and browse their website for the safety glasses' code number if you intend to get them. Some glasses listed on the website might be outdated (not sold anymore).