{"id":42803,"date":"2024-09-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=42803"},"modified":"2024-09-16T16:07:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T23:07:46","slug":"gars-tips-tools-issue-184","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/gars-tips-tools-issue-184\/","title":{"rendered":"Gar&#8217;s Tips &#038; Tools &#8211; Issue #184"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Gar\u2019s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/garstips.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>\u201cTool Hacks,\u201d This Old Tony-Style<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"322\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-16.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42795\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-16.png 500w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-16-300x193.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here in the newsletter, we\u2019ve&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/i\/145627355\/soooo-many-terrible-tips\">much-snickered<\/a>&nbsp;over those prolific and preposterous tips and life hacks videos on YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, etc. In the episode below of&nbsp;<em>This Old Tony<\/em>, the always funny&nbsp;<strong>Tony<\/strong>&nbsp;does a spot-on spoof of those vids. The top takeaway? Hot glue is the answer to everything!https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/Lvwq7YqDJiw?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Cleaning Plastic Tool-Handle Mange<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_55056\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n_Q4zsE_bFA?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve spent any time around old plastic-handled drivers, you\u2019ve likely experienced handle mange. It\u2019s that sticky n\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Refreshing the Lawn Furniture<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"345\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-3.png 345w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-3-207x300.png 207w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 345px) 100vw, 345px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When I first started dating my wife, I thought she might be the one when I saw that she had Smith &amp; Hawken lawn furniture. OK, I kid. But the fact that she had good taste in tools and yard furniture was certainly a plus. Smith &amp; Hawken was a garden tool company associated with the&nbsp;<em>Whole Earth Catalog<\/em>&nbsp;(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\u2019d put it off all those years), but I\u2019m happy with the results. I didn\u2019t want to take off too much material with the sanding, so they\u2019re not as clean as they could be, but they look worlds better. It was so satisfying to apply the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Outdoor-Craftsmen-Furniture-Countertop%EF%BC%8CPremium-Waterproof\/dp\/B0CN23XP67\/ref=sr_1_2_sspa\">tung oil<\/a>. I even removed and cleaned the Smith &amp; Hawken nameplates from the backs of the chairs with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0087S0PWU?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k2_1_6\">Simple Green<\/a>. Of course, it was after I was done that I found out that there are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Furniture-Clinic-Teak-Care-Kit\/dp\/B07PCSW1XZ\/ref=pd_ci_mcx_pspc_dp_d_2_i_2\">teak cleaners and brighteners<\/a>&nbsp;and that you\u2019re not supposed to sand but use steel wool. Oh well, maybe in another decade or so\u2026 For now, I already have another project to put off for too long \u2014 sanding and painting the rusty irons frames on these chairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Split Lock Washer vs. Nylon Locknut<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_95087\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pDZ8PezMzzY?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this&nbsp;<em>Hacks by Dad<\/em>&nbsp;video, um\u2026&nbsp;<strong>Dad<\/strong>&nbsp;does a series of experiments on 3\/8&#8243; course thread nuts using no washer, a lock washer, and a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Vifmy-Metric-Insert-Stainless-Locknuts\/dp\/B0CJ5D4D17\/ref=sr_1_3\">nylon locknut<\/a>. 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\u2019t enough for a definitive test. Though everyone in the comments says to use nylock nuts anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>50 Wood Joints Poster<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-18.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42796\" width=\"430\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-18.png 500w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-18-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Going through old tips, I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/makezine.com\/article\/workshop\/woodworking\/50-digital-wood-joints-poster\/\">came across this gem<\/a>&nbsp;from the&nbsp;<em>Make:<\/em>&nbsp;website. It\u2019s a posterized version of&nbsp;<strong>Jochen Gross<\/strong>\u2019 \u201c50 Digital Wood Joints\u201d collection (put together by&nbsp;<strong>Meredith Scheff-King)<\/strong>. The links on&nbsp;<em>Make:<\/em>&nbsp;are a little messed up. You can access a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/content.instructables.com\/FW1\/4AF2\/I2VLGSNJ\/FW14AF2I2VLGSNJ.pdf\">PDF of the poster<\/a>&nbsp;here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1>Super-Cheap Multi-Tool<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42794\" width=\"377\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-9.png 500w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-9-300x282.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 377px) 100vw, 377px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After seeing a bunch of people online raving about the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/WORKPRO-Stainless-Multitool-Multipurpose-Activities\/dp\/B0C88XTTC1\/ref=sr_1_1_sspa\">Workpro Multitool<\/a>, 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\u2019ve had a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/LEATHERMAN-Wave-Multitool-Stainless-Steel\/dp\/B079MJBP21\/ref=sr_1_1_sspa\">Leatherman Wave<\/a>&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Shop Talk<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Readers offer their feedback, tips, tales, and tool recommendations.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Eric Kaplan<\/strong>&nbsp;shares his love of vintage toolboxes:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>I was excited when I saw the last newsletter about vintage toolboxes. I wasn\u2019t disappointed, but my interest is different &#8211; I buy old metal toolboxes to restore. I either sell or keep them for myself. I\u2019ve 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\u2019s a fun hobby!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-29.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42799\" width=\"432\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-29.png 500w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-29-300x157.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-23.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42797\" width=\"431\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-23.png 500w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-23-300x199.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 431px) 100vw, 431px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In response to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/i\/147323382\/shop-talk\">Steve Roberts mystery tool<\/a>&nbsp;in issue #182,&nbsp;<strong>Wayne Ruffner<\/strong>&nbsp;sez:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>It&#8217;s &#8220;&#8230;a crate tool, from the era of wooden crates.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42792\" width=\"430\" height=\"158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-2.png 500w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2024\/09\/Tips-2-300x110.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Thank You, Paid Subscribers!<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m thrilled to announce that after the last issue, six new&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/subscribe\">paid subscribers<\/a>&nbsp;joined up\u2014 a record! Your support means the world to me. Not only does it help keep me in Carhartt, but it also fuels my motivation to create even better content. It feels like a vote of confidence in this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find value in this newsletter and are able to contribute with a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/subscribe\">paid subscription<\/a>, I\u2019d greatly appreciate it. Every bit helps!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Access to tools, techniques, and shop tales from the diverse worlds of DIY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2371],"tags":[2372],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42803"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42803"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42804,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42803\/revisions\/42804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}