What can be made from old car spark plugs?

When a person comes home after a hard day at work, the first thing he wants to do is relax. Some people turn on soothing music, some read books, and some light candles and relax. Lately, bulk candles have become increasingly popular.

Bulk candles are a container with wax granules poured into it. Such candles can be purchased at the store, or you can make them yourself, which does not take much time and effort. You also don't need a lot of material for this.

Why shouldn't you throw away your old spark plugs?

Often car owners, when carrying out maintenance and repair of the car engine, throw away old spark plugs. Whereas you can not only try to restore them, but also effectively use them on the farm. From them you can make the simplest testers and diagnostic devices, with the help of which you can identify various vehicle malfunctions, including problems with the engine. Let's talk in more detail about why you shouldn't throw away old spark plugs.

What other options are there?

The only exception can be situations when the factory produces a defective batch. Then, in order to avoid counterfeit goods entering the market, the products can be crushed in a special crusher. An example of such a fact is the situation that the Tula Machines enterprise had to cope with. They are engaged in the production of equipment for processing secondary raw materials. However, the power of existing units is not configured to grind spark plugs. The machines had to be significantly strengthened. The company received a similar order from the BOSH product quality control organization.

Spark plugs after crushing

Enterprises for the collection, storage and disposal of this type of waste

You can also find on the Internet a list of LLCs or JSCs throughout Russia engaged in the disposal of used spark plugs. Here are just a few of them as an example:

LLC "Lebedyansky" Lipetsk region;

Yadrovo LLC, Moscow region;

LLC "Istok" Magadan region.

All of them are licensed exclusively for the disposal of spark plugs, as well as other activities in relation to other types of secondary raw materials.

A black spark plug is a picture that is especially often observed in winter. What to do in this case, buy new ones or maybe try cleaning the spark plugs? And what is the best way to do this, on your own or in a car service?

Manufacturing a compression tester

Many car owners encounter problems with engine operation and insufficient pressure in the cylinders. This is often observed on worn-out engines, and the repair consists of a complete restoration of the engine. It is difficult to determine the pressure yourself without using special equipment. As a result, you have to take the car to a service center and perform expensive diagnostics.

At the same time, car owners can easily make simple devices for checking compression from a regular old spark plug. This will allow you to independently diagnose the engine in the future, saving on contacting specialists. For this work you will need a metal saw or grinder, a wheel nipple, plastic tubes, clamps, sealant and a pressure gauge.

Using a file or grinder, cut off the rolling of the core and the metal tongue. Using a grinder, the surface is processed so that later a nipple can be inserted into the candle. On the reverse side, a plastic tube is placed on the candle, the length of which is about 20 centimeters. It should be seated on a sealant; additional clamps are also used to ensure complete tightness and the ability to withstand high pressure.

A pressure gauge is placed on the spark plug through a tube, which can be purchased at any specialized stores. Such a pressure monitoring device will be quite accurate, so it can be used to easily measure compression in a car engine. At the same time, it will cost much less than ready-made devices, without losing at all to them in the quality and accuracy of the data obtained.

Tips and lifehacks. Read them before you start making candles to avoid mistakes.

It is better to use a candle no sooner than after a day or at least after the night has passed.
If you are making a large candle or your goal is to increase the amount of light with a small container volume, pour 2 or more wicks into the candle. At the same time, keep in mind that the thermal load on your container will increase, that is, it must be either metal or heat-resistant glass. Something that can withstand high temperatures - from 300°C

It's a great idea to use tin cans for container candles made from soy or coconut wax. You can decorate it at your own discretion, the main thing is to use non-melting or flammable materials, because the metal will heat up from the flame. But the main idea is the use of recycled materials, which is very important in the concept of “zero waste” and minimalism. It's modern and cheap.

Take care of the lids for your candles. It is much better to extinguish a candle by simply “cutting off the oxygen” to avoid the appearance of smoke and the melting of the wick for some time. And if the candle is scented, this will prevent it from “breathing out.”

By the way, it’s also a great idea to make tea candles from soy or coconut wax by pouring it into small shells. In this way, you can use aroma lamps and use small candles where they are needed without fear for the health of those who inhale the vapor. P.S. This is also an option when there is still wax left, but there is not enough for more.

Prevention and correction of errors in the manufacture of candles (frosting, friability, soot and soot, cracks, holes, cavities, etc.)

It will be good if, before pouring hot wax into glass jars, you warm them up (in the oven at 40-50°C or in the microwave) . What will it give? You will avoid the so-called “frosting” - wax crystallization. Small crystals create a creamy-silky surface, large crystals create unaesthetic roughness. We don't need them.

If the candles do not cool down at the optimal temperature , cracks in the wax, cavities and pits along the walls (or peeling of the wax), on the surface, and a depression near the wick may form.

It is also possible that the temperature of pouring the candle is too high or the wax is already too viscous. Adjust the temperature in increments of about 5°C in one direction or another until you determine the optimal temperature for your home conditions for making soy or coconut candles.

It’s good that we have some heated wax left (remember, I advised earlier). We will carefully fill it on top with a small layer (3-5 mm) and the surface will be leveled and the cavities will be filled.

Instead of wax (in case you don't have any left), you can use a stream of hot air from a hair dryer. The top layer of wax will melt, filling and leveling everything. The procedure may need to be repeated a couple of times.

The wax should not be mixed quickly , otherwise there is a high risk of air bubbles getting into it, which creates such pits. In any case, after you have poured the wax, gently tap the bottom of the jar on the surface of the table so that they come out.

⚠️ Smoking often occurs due to the fact that the master “overdid it” with flavors or used low-quality or chemical fragrances. Everything should be natural and in moderation, remember this! Take these mistakes into account and don't make them in the future. This is a violation of the technological process and cannot be corrected in the finished candle. Unless you melt the candle.

To prevent your candle from smoking and leaving soot on the walls, also pay attention to the wick. It must be natural, high quality and suitable for your wax (you can check this with the wax manufacturer). It is also important to choose the thickness of the wick to match the diameter of the coconut or soy wax candle. If this is not done, it may also turn out that the candle is burning, and the wax has melted only near the wick and that’s all. The result is a hole, and not a beautiful transparent layer to the edges of the jar. This can happen if the wick is not thick enough for your candle diameter (or if you have trimmed it too much and it is shorter than necessary) and there is not enough heat from it to melt more wax.

To avoid mistakes associated with the wrong choice of wick, there are general recommendations. Choose the thickness of the wick based on the diameter of your candle. A wick that is too thin quickly fades, drowns in wax and prevents the candle from burning normally. If it is too thick, the wax will quickly melt and evaporate, causing smoke and smoke.

Very thin candles, like church candles (less than 1 cm) - 4-6 threads.
Tall thin candles for candelabra (table candles, 1-3 cm) - 6-12 threads
Medium candles (3-7 cm) - medium wicks from 10-20 threads.
Large candles (wide, floor - 8 cm or more) - from 12-21 threads or more.

Did you notice that I wrote approximately everywhere and a wide range in the selection? This is because there is not and cannot be accurate data. Different types of waxes, different manufacturers, very different quality of wicks. It is impossible to predict everything. Therefore, follow the general recommendations to begin with, and then, in the process of experimenting and gaining your own experience, you will already know more precisely what, how much, for what, and how.

If you have a very thick candle and don’t have a suitable wick, take several thin or medium wicks, twist them, treat them with paraffin to fix them, and you have the required wick)

Restoration of spark plugs

Today there is no consensus among craftsmen and car owners on whether it is necessary to carry out the procedure for restoring spark plugs. Some argue that this is absolutely useless work, the engine will not work correctly with such restored spark plugs, and this will only lead to serious engine malfunctions. While other car owners claim that proper restoration of spark plugs will extend their service life by at least 10-15 thousand kilometers.

There are many different ways to restore spark plugs, some heat them in a fire, others treat them with various chemicals. A fairly effective recovery method is using citric acid, which is mixed with water, after which candles are dipped into the resulting liquid for a day and then calcined for 30 seconds on a gas stove. All that remains for the car owner to do is check the electrode gap, which should be the same on all spark plugs. For this purpose, there are appropriate probes, sets of which can be purchased at an auto parts store.

It must be remembered that it is not recommended to use such reconditioned spark plugs on a car for a long time, since the quality of their spark quickly deteriorates, and subsequently problems arise with increased fuel consumption and other engine malfunctions. They can only be considered as a temporary emergency replacement option, after which the car owner should still purchase new high-quality spark plugs that are fully suitable for his car.

Let's sum it up

Experienced car owners know very well that they should not throw away old spark plugs. Subsequently, they can be used to manufacture simple pressure gauges designed to measure pressure in engine cylinders. You can also easily carry out the procedure for restoring old worn-out spark plugs by dipping them into a solution of citric acid and then calcining them over a fire for 30 seconds.

Freeze your candles to make them last twice as long.

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Freezing your candles will extend their lifespan because frozen wax burns slower and drips less.

“The thinner the candle, the less time it needs to spend in the freezer. A thick candle takes about six or eight hours to set; a thin candle can be ready in an hour or less,” says professional contractor and handyman Bob Vila.

Replacing spark plugs and cleaning them in a timely manner with your own hands + video

If you understand to a certain extent the structure of a car, then I think you should understand that spark plugs are a very important component. They play an almost key role in the operation of the engine of any car. By their condition, you can easily determine how well the engine itself works.

If you change them on time and also clean them in a timely manner, your car’s engine will operate at the proper level. So, spark plugs must be used competently, and, as they say, competently.

But such exploitation is practically impossible if you don’t know how they work and what they consist of. You should know all this in order to at least change them in time.

We change spark plugs. When and why should this be done?

If you know the general principle of operation of any spark plugs, you will be able to respond competently to increased fuel consumption. This knowledge will help you detect some dangerous faults that can directly affect the engine. That is, you simply won’t ruin it, but preserve its “health.”

If you fill in fuel of poor quality, or not what is required specifically for your car, the spark plugs will not last long. With normal use, they last quite a long time. If we measure their service life by mileage indicators, then these figures usually range from 25 to 35 thousand kilometers for almost any car.

When to change spark plugs?

Spark plugs must be checked. They do this regularly. The performance quality of any spark plug is determined by the thermal cone of the insulator (its appearance) and the electrodes. If the spark plugs are working normally, then the cone should be clean, without any carbon deposits. Its color can vary, but usually it is an intermediate color from light shades of gray to brown.

If the spark plugs on your car are not working well, this is usually determined by a number of signs.

Soot may appear. If it is wet and black, then the oil level in your car’s crankcase is too high.

Also, this may be a sign of worn piston rings or even cylinders.

If the carbon deposits are black, but already dry, the ignition usually works late.

Early ignition is usually indicated by a dry white insulator.

For any candles, it is important to choose the correct heat value. If you choose it incorrectly, they will not self-clean. So you shouldn’t be surprised at all that they become covered with soot.

Also, in this case, it is quite possible that the insulator will simply collapse. Candles, when self-cleaning from carbon deposits, work for a longer time. At the same time, plaque forms on them much more slowly. This can be achieved if the lower part of the candle cone constantly operates at a temperature within 500-600 degrees Celsius.

The gap level, which is necessarily present between the spark plug electrodes, must always be normal. If this level is violated, the spark plugs will not work properly, and this will definitely lead to other problems.

This level must be monitored, and it must always be within factory standards. If the gap increases, the ignition coil may simply fail. But a small gap means the cylinders are not working properly. Gaps will form, and much more fuel will be consumed.

The gap level can be adjusted with your own hands. To do this, simply bend the side electrode. How much this needs to be done can be determined with a cylindrical probe. In this simple way, the desired gap is achieved, which you must then try to maintain.

Stage two. The process itself.

Melting and pouring.

So, everything is ready and you are full of inspiration to create something beautiful . Let's not hesitate)

By the way, pay attention to how the craftswoman is dressed - in natural fabrics made of linen and cotton, and on her table she only has natural or recyclable materials