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[02ebz06]

So the control knob broke on the dryer and I came up with this hack and though it was a great idea.
Then this morning while creating this post and looking at the picture, I realized I could just use one of the other knobs.  What a dunce.
Now I know why people keep telling me I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.   

[Brushpopper]

I would have done the same thing.  I used to have a TV that I kept a pair of pliers on top of so I could change the channel.  We had three choices, so it seldom got changed.

[BigDave83]

American ingenuity at its finest.

He is Canadian but I think it still applies. If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[02ebz06]

Ordered a new knob. From WalMart of all places.

[Canadian John]

 What's with the blue tape?  Vice Grip protection?

[02ebz06]

 What's with the blue tape?  Vice Grip protection?

Yes, to protect the washer from the vise grips.

[pmillen]

As a kid I  had a '48 Plymouth 2-door sedan with a 292 CU.IN. Hemi in it.  I broke the steering wheel trying to install an aftermarket one so I steered it with a Vise Grip until my mother found out.

[Brushpopper]

As a kid I  had a '48 Plymouth 2-door sedan with a 292 CU.IN. Hemi in it.  I broke the steering wheel trying to install an aftermarket one so I steered it with a Vise Grip until my mother found out.

And no power steering.

[hughver]

I was once going through the Seattle locks in my 26' I/O Bayliner when the steering cable broke while exiting. I had a companion man the helm while I stood on the OMC I/O drive and steered it out of the locks with my feet.

For land lubbers: OMC = Outboard Marine Corporation (Evinrude/Johnson) and I/O = inboard outboard.

[JoeGrilling]

This is why I took up 3D printing three years ago.  My home is 25 years old.  Plastic switch covers and knobs break all the time.  The problem is many of the broken items can't be replaced since they are no longer sold or are not sold separately.

My first project was a drain stem aligner for one of our bathroom sinks.  It looks like a spoked wagon wheel with a hole through the hub to center the drain plug stem.  The item was used on Newport Brass drain plugs.  Our cleaning person pulled it out to clear out a drain and pitched it.  It is a bad design and the aligner is no longer made.  Rather than replace the whole drain assembly, I pulled one from another sink and reverse engineered it.  I did a CAD drawing from my measurements and printed it.  The new part works like the original. 

My second project was switch covers for our range hood.  Over the years, two out of the three switch covers disappeared.  I reverse engineered the remaining one and made three new covers on my 3D printer.

Over the last three years, I have made a lot of replacement parts for all kinds of things.  A cool retirement project.  My kids send me requests all the time for replacement parts like drawer knobs and the like.     

[pmillen]

My house is about 28 years old.  I have any number of formally white plastic parts that have yellowed.  3-D printing would be handy.