Gar's Tips & Tools - Issue #184

Access to tools, techniques, and shop tales from the diverse worlds of DIY

“Tool Hacks,” This Old Tony-Style

Here in the newsletter, we’ve much-snickered over those prolific and preposterous tips and life hacks videos on YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, etc. In the episode below of This Old Tony, the always funny Tony does a spot-on spoof of those vids. The top takeaway? Hot glue is the answer to everything!

Cleaning Plastic Tool-Handle Mange

If you’ve spent any time around old plastic-handled drivers, you’ve likely experienced handle mange. It’s that sticky n’ stinky white grunge that forms on the handles as the CAB (cellulite acetate butyrate) begins to break down. In this video, they test four different possible ways of cutting through the crud: acetone, ammonia, hot water and bleach, and white vinegar. The ammonia dip is the clear winner. The only downside to all of these methods is that they do nothing to remove that awful decaying plastic stank.

Refreshing the Lawn Furniture

When I first started dating my wife, I thought she might be the one when I saw that she had Smith & Hawken lawn furniture. OK, I kid. But the fact that she had good taste in tools and yard furniture was certainly a plus. Smith & Hawken was a garden tool company associated with the Whole Earth Catalog (how I heard about them) and I was always impressed with the quality of their (undeniably premium-priced) tools and their commitment to exceptional customer service. Over the years, as we sat at her teak table and chairs, I promised I would one day revitalize them with a good sanding and oiling. I finally did that a few weeks ago. It was a surprising amount of work (why I’d put it off all those years), but I’m happy with the results. I didn’t want to take off too much material with the sanding, so they’re not as clean as they could be, but they look worlds better. It was so satisfying to apply the tung oil. I even removed and cleaned the Smith & Hawken nameplates from the backs of the chairs with Simple Green. Of course, it was after I was done that I found out that there are teak cleaners and brighteners and that you’re not supposed to sand but use steel wool. Oh well, maybe in another decade or so… For now, I already have another project to put off for too long — sanding and painting the rusty irons frames on these chairs.

Split Lock Washer vs. Nylon Locknut

In this Hacks by Dad video, um… Dad does a series of experiments on 3/8" course thread nuts using no washer, a lock washer, and a nylon locknut. The results show that the nylon nut clearly performs the best. There are a number of criticisms in the comments because he only used 6 ft/lbs of torque and that apparently isn’t enough for a definitive test. Though everyone in the comments says to use nylock nuts anyway.

50 Wood Joints Poster

Going through old tips, I came across this gem from the Make: website. It’s a posterized version of Jochen Gross’ “50 Digital Wood Joints” collection (put together by Meredith Scheff-King). The links on Make: are a little messed up. You can access a PDF of the poster here.

Super-Cheap Multi-Tool

After seeing a bunch of people online raving about the Workpro Multitool, I had to see it for myself. At under $20, delivered via Amazon Prime, it was a low-cost investment. Man, am I impressed with this tool! I’ve had a Leatherman Wave since they were first introduced and love it (and I had the original Leatherman for a decade before that). But after spending arguably a short amount of time with the Workpro, I think Leatherman should be nervous. This 18-in-1 multitool feels surprisingly high-quality and substantial in the hand. It is handsomely designed and has a really impressive toolset. The pliers are spring-loaded (yay!) and are designed to not pinch your hand like a Leatherman can. The wood saw has nicely aggressive teeth and the knife is surprisingly sharp. It has two sizes of Philips drivers, mini scissors, decent metal/wood file, strap cutter, and wire cutter, among other tools. Several reviewers have commented on how good the scissors are, better than a Wave, even. At this price point, this is a tool you can get multiples of to keep in the car, tool/tackle box, laptop bag, etc. I might also be buying these as a fun gift for maker family and friends.

Shop Talk

Readers offer their feedback, tips, tales, and tool recommendations.

Eric Kaplan shares his love of vintage toolboxes:

I was excited when I saw the last newsletter about vintage toolboxes. I wasn’t disappointed, but my interest is different - I buy old metal toolboxes to restore. I either sell or keep them for myself. I’ve eliminated almost all of my plastic boxes in favor of classic metal tool and tackle boxes. I sandblast them, repair dents, replace rivets, prime, and paint. Then, I often put cork sheet inside to line the compartments. It’s a fun hobby!

In response to Steve Roberts mystery tool in issue #182, Wayne Ruffner sez:

It's "...a crate tool, from the era of wooden crates."

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