Originally Posted by glockmail

You are talking to someone who used to do front end alignments using strings, some oak blocks, and a carpenter's level, and I was dead on with the results.

With regards to the gun barrel, I probably would not “try this at home”, as my knowledge of metallurgy is lacking. But I’m sure that I could if I set my mind to it, hardening the steel using a MAPPs gas torch and a can of 10 weight oil, and trying it out remotely with the gun in a vise and a string on the trigger.

When I was in college I read a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, or something like that. I remember on passage when the author fixed a set of loose handlebars on a BMW. It’s owner was well pleased with the speed and cost of the repair, until he learned that it was done using two aluminum strips, as shims, cut from a beer can.

I also learned a lot by watching Roy Underhill. I actually met the guy once. He taught me how to make chisels out of old saw blades, as well as how to sharpen them.