Leaving a lime out on the counter hardens the rind and dries out the flesh. Instead, place your limes in an unsealed plastic bag and store them in the crisping drawer of your refrigerator. Remove the limes from the fridge an hour or two before juicing to allow them to come to room temperature. Place your lime in the microwave and heat it for 15 seconds. Heating the fruit helps release its juices so you need only a small amount of effort to extract them. Before juicing your lime, soften it up by placing your palm on it and rolling it on a countertop. This separates the individual segments inside the lime, giving you more juice. Once you’ve cut and squeezed a piece of lime, twist a fork or spoon into it. This helps to break up the lime segments and get out any remaining juice. You can now make limeade or key lime pie, or even use the lime juice for ceviche or as a marinade. Or, simply drizzle lime juice over the top of your dish for a fresh and acidic addition.

Summary: Store limes in the fridge. Microwave the lime for 15 seconds. Roll the lime on the counter. Twist a fork into the lime segments. Use the lime juice.


After your flake is reduced so that it is about seven or eight times wider than it is thick (for a larger project), it's time to begin pressure flaking. Pressure flaking is achieved by placing your work into a fold of thick leather. Hold this in your hand, place a pointed tool (the pressure flaker) on the edge of the stone, and apply an inward pressure to the tool, focusing energy toward the inner area of the flake, usually at a more severe angle of about 45º. You don't want to drive the tool directly toward the center, or it could shatter. The goal is to apply pressure until the tool removes a small, thin piece from the stone, leaving a shallow scalloped shape behind.  Remember, you are working from the edge inward. This is the opposite direction of the force you used in direct percussion. Never push down on a concave portion of the edge, or the piece could break. You may need to skip some areas or guide the pressure flaker around it from both directions in order to shape that section to a more usable area. If your pressure flaker is long enough, rest it against your hip for more leverage. Let your other hand, holding the flake, rest against the inside of your leg. Try not to flex the elbow of the hand holding the flake; rather, use the inside of the leg for stability, with a little extra strength from the wrist. Hold the pressure flaker just above center, and the wood will flex and push down into the flake for you. Apply pressure to the lower side of the flake, not the upper.  The slower and longer you apply pressure, the longer your flakes will be. Do not bend either wrist while knapping. Now that you're down to the main flake or "preform," take off additional, smaller flakes using the pressure flaking method. Make a flake, flip the preform over, then make another flake along the same edge, but on the opposite face. This lets you inspect each flake after you make it, and make adjustments for irregularities or mistakes. The end result should be a "bifacial edge" with a row of scalloped marks on each side.  For this first pass, remove short flakes with relatively fast pressure. Most beginners find it easier to make short flakes than long, so this shouldn't be an issue. This is the longest, most difficult part of a flint knapping project. Take it slow, and accept that you may break a few flakes while learning. Never make two flakes in the same place without abrading in between, just as described in the abrasion step above. The closer you get to the finished product, the less heavily you will have to abrade, as you are working towards the final product of a delicate, razor sharp edge and point. The copper or antler tip will wear down quickly, so sharpen it several times during the creation of a single tool, using a knife or a stone to scrape the edge. Many knappers pound the copper tip flat to a thin chisel shape to sharpen it and change the behavior of the tool slightly. You can try it at this point to see if you prefer the chisel to the point tip. After abrading, repeat the same pressure flaking process. On the next few circles, try to use slower, more prolonged pressure to create longer flakes, in order to thin the tool right up to the raised convex center. Remember to abrade after each full circle. Once the final shape is complete, which may require some focused attention on certain areas, do a final run of pressure flaking. For most tools, you do not abrade the edge after you finish, leaving it sharp for use as a cutting or piercing tool.  Most commonly, you would use longer flakes near one end to taper it gradually to an arrow or spear point, while the other end is shaped through smaller flakes into the wider base. Experienced knappers can make long flakes quite quickly, but it takes a lot of practice to get to that point. One of them recommends pointing the pressure flaker at the opposite edge (away from your hand), quickly building up to maximum pressure, then rotating the hand holding the preform slightly until the flake pops off. You may put the finishing touches on a point by notching the base or forming a stem at the base. This is a difficult skill to learn, and many beginners break their first tool or severely alter the shape. Still, if you plan on tying the tool to an arrowhead or handle, this is a necessary step. Hold your finished tool flat and press the tool at a steep angle and high pressure through the entire tool. Flip the tool over and repeat to extend the notch, then use gentler pressure to trim it flat.  While you can use your pressure flaker, a flattened steel nail in a wooden handle makes a better notching tool, as the harder metal focuses the energy to a smaller area. Grind the inner edge of the notch before tying it onto anything, to prevent it cutting the string.

Summary: Understand pressure flaking. Learn how to hold the pressure flaker. Pressure flake around the entire edge of the flake. Abrade the edge. Sharpen your pressure flaker periodically. Repeat until you reach the desired shape. Make a notch or stem (optional).


Use a ruler to measure the caster's stem. The stem is the metal part that connects the caster to the chair. Also, write down whether or not the stem is threaded or grip.  A threaded caster has a screw that screws into the chair, while a grip stem pulls out like a plug from a socket. If your chair has a swivel plate, measure the width of the plate itself. Using a ruler, measure the wheel itself from the front to the back. Most casters come with 2–2.5 in (5.1–6.4 cm) wheels. If you've had difficulty rolling the chair around (say, onto an elevated surface like a rug), consider buying a larger wheel. A twin-wheel caster tends to last longer, since it distributes weight more evenly, but a single-wheel caster is more reliable, since it has less opportunity to fail, having fewer parts. Twin-wheel casters are more often used in office settings, while single-wheel casters are typically found in industrial settings. Casters can be bought from any hardware store or online hardware store. Be sure to take the specifications you've written down with you, as you'll want to be able to compare them and make sure you're buying the right product. If you're shopping for your casters in-person, take one of the old casters with you and ask someone who works there to help you compare.
Summary: Write down the size of the caster's stem and what kind of stem it is. Measure the wheel from front to back. Decide whether you want a twin-wheel or single-wheel caster. Purchase your new casters from an office supply store.