TORQUE & TAPE — The Blue-Collar Skills Guide

TORQUE & TAPE — The Blue-Collar Skills Guide

Torque & Tape — The Blue Collar Upskill Podcast is dedicated to the people who keep the world moving. Hosted solo with honesty and grit, this show is an educational space for anyone in the trades, on the jobsite, or building a better future with their hands. Each episode explores practical skills, how-to guidance, and trade knowledge that workers can apply right away. From tool breakdowns and step-by-step tutorials to safety tips and productivity hacks, Torque & Tape is built to teach and inspire. The focus is always respect — for the craft, for the worker, and for the universal blue-collar spirit that connects mechanics, welders, carpenters, electricians, truckers, farmers, and makers across the globe. Whether you’re tightening bolts in Kingston, welding steel in New York, painting walls in London, or wiring homes in Port of Spain, Torque & Tape is your go-to guide for learning, improving, and taking pride in the trades. This is where knowledge meets respect — where the hard work of today becomes the foundation of tomorrow.

Episodes

November 23, 2025 31 mins

“Safety First: Protecting Yourself on the Job or at Home” is a practical, hands-on guide designed to help beginners and experienced workers build safer habits in workshops, garages, and home project spaces. Across three detailed chapters, the series shows how to prepare your body, your tools, and your environment so that every job begins and ends with confidence. It teaches the purpose of essential protective gear, how to set up a ...

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Hammer, Drill, Saw, Wrench 101 is a clear, confidence-building guide that teaches you how to hold, use, and master the four essential tools found in every home and workshop. Written in a simple, real-feeling instructional voice, it walks you through the fundamentals of each tool, showing how to stand, how to grip, how to start every movement, and how to stay safe from the first contact to the final check. The book feels like having...

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November 21, 2025 33 mins

“Essential Starter Toolkit” follows the journey of Leon, a homeowner who begins with uncertainty and ends with real confidence. His story unfolds through the guidance of a seasoned trades instructor who shows him how the right tools can turn everyday problems into simple, manageable tasks. Across three chapters, the series explores the core six tools every household should own, how professionals use them in real shopfloor situation...

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The scene captures the precise moment a driver begins a critical morning ritual: opening the hood to check the lifeblood fluids of their vehicle. Soft, cool early-morning light spills across the engine bay, revealing every contour and component in sharp, photorealistic detail. The sky is pale and quiet, suggesting the start of a responsible day, and the faint mist rising from the metal surfaces signals an engine that recently coole...

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November 1, 2025 30 mins

Under the hood of every vehicle lies a system of lifelines — coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and washer fluid — each playing a role that keeps the machine running safely and smoothly. Fluid Checks takes listeners inside the garage to learn how to inspect, top up, and maintain these vital systems with confidence and care.

Told in a clean, step-by-step narrative, this hands-on episode turns a simple task into a skillset e...

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November 1, 2025 31 mins

Checking and Changing Wiper Blades is a clear, step-by-step automotive guide designed for anyone who wants to keep their windshield crystal clear and stay safe in harsh weather. Across three immersive chapters, the series breaks down every detail—from identifying worn blades to replacing them with precision and caring for them through every season.

It’s written in plain, real-world language that feels like a skilled mechanic talkin...

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November 1, 2025 8 mins

Inside a small but organized garage, sunlight filters through an open roller door, catching flecks of dust in the air. The smell of metal and clean oil lingers. A young mechanic in a navy uniform leans over a sedan with quiet focus. He’s not rushing. Every move is deliberate — unfastening bolts, unclipping a clamp, disconnecting the old battery from the heart of the car.

His gloves squeak faintly as he loosens the negative cable fi...

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October 5, 2025 21 mins

Get back on the road without panic. This clear three-chapter field guide walks you through the full process of changing a flat tire safely — from setting up your workspace and loosening the lugs to lifting the car, swapping the wheel, and finishing with torque and pressure checks. Simple language, real steps, no fluff.

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October 5, 2025 27 mins

“Appliance Maintenance” is a hands-on, voice-ready field manual that teaches how to keep your most-used household machines running longer with just a few simple routines. This three-chapter guide walks you through the essentials of washer, dryer, and refrigerator care — in plain, confident language anyone can follow. It’s designed for people who prefer practical know-how over complicated tech talk and want to save on repair bills w...

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A roof leak at two in the morning feels like a crisis. You hear the drip, see the stain, and picture the repair bill climbing by the minute. This three-chapter field manual turns that panic into a clear plan. It teaches you how to stabilize the interior, find the real path of water, make a safe quick patch in dry weather, and prove that the fix holds.

Chapter One focuses on first response. You protect the room, relieve a bulging ce...

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A smooth wall changes how a room feels. In this step-by-step field manual, you learn the exact sequence to patch drywall so repairs vanish in daylight and under raking light at night. Chapter 1 covers small defects—nail pops, tiny picture-hook holes, shallow dents—and shows how to bevel, fill thin, and feather with a four- and six-inch knife for fast, clean results. Chapter 2 scales you up to mid-size damage: square cutouts, backin...

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Learn how to replace a single-pole light switch and a standard duplex outlet the safe, code-aware way. We start with planning and de-energizing at the breaker, then verify zero volts with a non-contact tester and multimeter. You’ll map conductors, label wires, and check box-fill before touching a screw. In the install phase, you’ll land hot, neutral, and ground on the right terminals, use pigtails for pass-throughs, and set device ...

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September 26, 2025 28 mins

A toilet that never stops running wastes gallons a day. This hands-on guide teaches you how to map the tank parts, run a dye test to locate the leak, replace a flapper the right way, adjust the float to one inch below the overflow, and swap a fill valve that will not shut off. You’ll confirm success with simple marks, timing, and an overnight check, then set a maintenance routine to keep the tank quiet all year. No brands, no hype,...

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A dead car battery can turn a normal morning into a stressful scramble. This step-locked field manual takes the panic out of the moment and replaces it with a calm, proven process. Across three detailed chapters, you’ll learn exactly how to set up, connect, and verify a safe jump-start on any standard twelve-volt vehicle.

Chapter One covers the fundamentals: staging two cars without contact, inspecting the battery for damage, and m...

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September 26, 2025 52 mins

“Fixing a Leaky Faucet” turns an annoying drip into a quick, safe win. Chapter 1 shows you how to confirm where the leak starts, identify your faucet type by handle travel and trim, shut off water the right way, and build a precise parts list. Chapter 2 walks through the actual repair with three paths: compression (washer and seat), cartridge or ceramic disc (cartridge swap), and ball-type (cam, springs, seats). You’ll reassemble c...

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September 25, 2025 46 mins

This complete three-chapter guide takes you through everything you need to know about changing your car’s oil at home. Written in clear, natural language for beginners and careful hobbyists, it breaks the job down into safe, step-by-step actions that anyone can follow.

Chapter One covers preparation: why oil changes matter, how to select the right oil and filter, how to stage your tools, and how to set up your car safely with jack ...

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September 25, 2025 54 mins

Building a Barndominium — The Complete Step-by-Step Guide is a field-tested roadmap that takes you from first sketch to a clean Certificate of Occupancy. It speaks to owner-builders and pros who want straight answers, safe methods, and code-smart details without fluff.

Chapter 1 locks the plan and budget so the project is buildable and bankable. You confirm how your authority classifies a barndominium, then pick a structure that fi...

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Building your own shed is one of the most rewarding backyard projects. This guide walks you step by step through the entire process — from choosing the right site and laying a solid foundation, to framing sturdy walls, setting a roof, and finishing with siding, doors, and paint. Along the way, you’ll learn essential safety checks, tool tips, and smart tricks for keeping everything square, level, and weatherproof.

Whether you need e...

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A couple picks a parcel by reading the land with simple tools and patient notes. They test soil, trace sun and wind, and check access in bad weather. Water and power come first. They compare a drilled well to rain catchment, flag a cistern for gravity head, and size a modest solar setup with a quiet generator as backup. Paperwork and erosion control clear the way for grading and a septic perc. They beat a storm to dry-in with piers...

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In this episode, we explore how to build a budget-friendly DIY solar power system perfect for off-grid living. Our step-by-step guidance walks you through essential topics such as load math, LiFePO4 battery setup, and MPPT programming. Discover how to wire a pure-sine inverter and maintain your system to ensure your lights, phone, laptop, router, and small TV run smoothly without guesswork. Whether you're a complete beginner or som...

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