Practical skills in Young Men

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How to wash workwear that lives in mud and grease

Dry the mud before you touch it, treat grease before it sees water, and never let diesel near the dryer. The rest is order of operations.

GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20265 min

How to Tow a Trailer Without Learning the Hard Way

The hitch, the weights, the tires and the backing up, in the order you'll actually need them on your first trip.

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Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The tape hook is supposed to wiggle

Sixteenths, crow's feet, kerf, and the ten-second test that tells you whether your level has been lying to you.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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Life5 min read

Knock on the door before you need anything

Meeting the people on your street is awkward for about a week and useful for about a decade. A script, a timeline, and what usually goes wrong.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideAutosDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Five car jobs worth learning before you pay someone else

Basic maintenance most drivers outsource, what each one actually takes, and the mistakes that turn a twenty-minute job into a tow truck.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Changing a tire at the roadside without getting hurt

The order matters more than the muscle. Loosen before you lift, and know the one place you should never do this at all.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

How to back a trailer before anyone is watching

Two hours in an empty parking lot with four cones will save you a decade of embarrassment at boat ramps and job sites.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar22 Sept 20265 min

How to bleed a radiator without soaking the carpet

Cold at the top and hot at the bottom means trapped air. The whole fix takes eight minutes, and the mistake people make is doing it in the wrong order.

GuideSkillsDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

The first ninety seconds decide whether a stain comes out

What to do the moment it happens, which four stain families you're dealing with, and the one mistake that makes a mark permanent.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

How to wire a plug properly, and when to leave it alone

Brown right, blue left, earth on top, and a fuse that matches the appliance. The rest is knowing which jobs aren't yours.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Unblock the drain yourself before you pay somebody

Most household blockages are within two feet of the plughole and clear in under an hour with a plunger, a bucket and a bit of patience.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideSkillsCal Brennan22 Sept 20265 min

What to do in the ten minutes before the ambulance arrives

Most emergencies are decided by an untrained person standing closest to the problem. Learn the order, and you stop being useless.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Six knots, and the order to learn them in

A fixed loop, a stopper, a hitch, a bend, an adjuster and a tensioner. Learn those six and you'll rarely need a seventh.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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GuideSkillsDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Changing a tire in the dark and the rain

The wheel is the easy part. Where you stop, where your family stands and how you light the job are what actually keep you safe.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

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