frozen ball valves

[mklotz]

Vinegar is as useful in the shop as it is in the kitchen.

The alkaline batteries in my desk clock leaked their guts out. The battery compartment had white "stuff" all over the plastic. So I'm thinking "alkaline" implies there might be a favorable reaction with a mild acid. I dipped a cotton swab in vinegar and, voila, the "stuff" disappeared. A little work on the metal contacts with a Cratex tip in the Dremel and some NiMh rechargeable batteries (which don't seem to ever leak) and the clock is ready for another few years.