You can buy hardware store materials of the future from these folks: Translucent concrete, rubber glass, unwetable sand, suction cup tape, etc. They primarily sell small quantities of very innovative stuff, but will work with you if you like what you tried and want it in bulk. The materials and devices are so amazing you’ll invent things just to use them.

– KK

I have used Inventables a lot. I have found them to be responsive and helpful when I have a question about a product, or when I want to get larger quantities of a sampled product for a real application. For example, when I needed some Stretch Sensing Rubber in a different diameter for a toy I was designing, and they promptly got me the size and quantities that I needed for the prototypes. When we were designing a high-volume medical device that needed a piezoelectric actuator, they put me directly in contact with the manufacturer of the material.

– Danny Hillis

Over the years I have used pipe clamps, zip ties, Velcro straps, and all sorts of other fastening methods, and many have their rightful place for various uses. However, I have discovered a versatile and inexpensive material that, when combined with some other tools for specialized uses, fits the essence of a cool tool: durable, flexible, inexpensive and versatile. Stainless steel wire is sometimes known as safety wire or lock wire; it is used routinely in the aerospace and other industries and conforms to national standards for strength and performance.

Stainless steel wire is available in different sizes measured in nominal diameter for different purposes, and in various quantities depending upon one’s capacity needs. For general purpose fastening and use around the shop and home, I have found that 0.041″ nominal diameter wire in 1-lb dispenser canisters (approx. 220 ft) works really well. At about $6 per pound, that works out to less than 3 cents per foot.

This particular size can be bent easily by hand, is durable and strong, and can be manipulated easily with various hand tools. In use it’s sturdy yet reusable, and as a fastener it’s super inexpensive. It’s also corrosion-resistant, non-magnetic and unaffected by UV light.

There are some specialized hand tools that make stainless steel wire even more useful:

The previously reviewed Parallel Jaws Pliers put uniform twists in safety wire installations and are generally useful when using wire as a strapping material for multiple twists. The previously reviewed Clamptite hose clamp tool is the best hose clamp solution anywhere, hands-down. And finally the previously reviewed Fencing pliers, a great multi-tool when working with wire fences and general repairs using stainless steel wire.

Here are just a few uses I’ve found for stainless steel wire:

-Building a bamboo vine trellis
-Keeping posts from splitting when pounding them with a sledge hammer
-Repairing a leaky hose fitting
-Keeping my aging, rusting catalytic converter from rattling
-Repairing my temporary fence until I can get around to building a proper one

With a spool of stainless steel wire, some needle-nose pliers and a pair of wire cutters, there is very little I can’t fasten. With a Clamp-tite tool, some wire twisting pliers and and a pair of fencing pliers, the number of possibilities rises exponentially.

Simple, effective and versatile. Inexpensive and long-lasting. What more could you ask from a tool? Plus, it’s a tool that justifies the use of other cool tools. I’d call that a recipe for a Cool Tool, for sure.

I’ve found that Novus plastic polish works very well for the sorts of things that readers wondered if the previously reviewed 3M Headlight Polishing Kit worked on. I use it when cleaning and removing scratches from pinball machine parts and have had a lot of success polishing things ranging from cell phone displays to sunglasses.

There are three different compounds: #3 for dealing with big scratches, #2 for normal/light scratches, and #1 for a basic clean. #2 does the job for just about everything I’ve used it on. Available in 2-oz, 8-oz and half-gallon bottles. I’ve had 8-oz bottles of #1 and #2 that have lasted me several years of occasional use. I’d expect the half-gallon to last practically forever. Wonderful stuff.

I originally bought the 3M Headlight Polishing Kit in order to remove the haze on my truck’s plastic headlights, but I have since found that it has a plethora of uses. Basically, you use the progressively finer grit sanding surfaces to smooth the plastic and grind away the scratches and finally polish using the 3M rubbing compound. My headlights looked like new and were way more effective after the treatment.

The other day I discovered that the compass for my sailboat was scuffed pretty badly, and I tried using the polishing kit to buff it out (after testing on some safety glasses first). The results blew me away. The compass lens was crystal clear! I’ve since been polishing anything plastic that I have that’s been scratched. Calculators, display screens, etc. You could put this kit together yourself with p500, p800, p3000 grit pads and a foam compounding pad with some 3m rubbing compound but the kit is very convenient and should last a long time as long as you use water with the sanding pads.

I have been buying Neodymium Iron Boron (NIB) super magnets for years. Back then, the previously-reviewed Wondermagnets was the only source for hobbyists and they had quite a selection. But times have changed. For the past five years, I have been ordering my magnets from “Mr. George the SuperMagnetMan,” unequivocally the best source today. His prices are the best on the net. His selection is vast: no one else has the stock he has or the variations in size of commonly available shapes. This is no exaggeration or hype. He’s got stuff you can’t get anywhere else and is constantly adding new items, like axially- and diametrically-magnetized NIB wedding rings and radially-magnetized ring magnets. He has magnets so large they are dangerous (fortunately he has put videos on YouTube that show you how to safely handle these monsters — with large leather welding gloves and a special wooden wedge and a 2×4!). He also sells magnetic hooks, pyramid shaped magnets, magnetic jewelry, teflon coated magnets, heart, star, and triangle magnets. You can even get powdered magnets that act like iron filings on steroids! You name it he’s got it. Most magnets are N45-N50 grade, the highest strength you can buy.

Some of the products I have ordered are the magnet powders, radially-magnetized ring magnet, various size sphere magnets, conical magnets, large rectangular magnets, cubes, and many others. Shipping charges are reasonable. Service is great. One time I ordered a bunch of stuff and never completely checked what I got. I went to use one of the magnets months later and found out it was the wrong size. He sent me the right size in the mail a few days after I emailed him.

Mr. George seems like a pretty cool dude, too. An electrical engineer, Mr. George develops magnet products himself and caters to other engineers, inventors, and hobbyists. He can have custom magnets made to order. He has also put up a series of educational videos on YouTube and has done a lot of work with kids. He has a saying, something like, “Give a kid a magnet and you have a friend for life.”