Date: 30 October 2019. Tool to Extend my Reach (back-scratcher)
© janice142
When living solo there are times
when a spare hand or two would be a real benefit. Nobody wants to
climb out of the bilge in order to retrieve a forgotten tool. Every
project I start requires at least two items I did not plan on
needing. One way to avoid the up/down retrieval process is by
virtue of my handy-dandy reacher. Here's how you can make your own
for less than $2.
First you will need to go to the
Dollar Tree and buy a wooden back-scratcher. The ones sold at Dollar
Tree are sturdier and wider than other discount back-scratchers I
have seen. Flimsy ends are not a good choice for this project.
As a side note, aboard Seaweed I
have three back-scratchers. Two are standard whilst the third has
been turned into a useful tool.
My canning jar locker is under my bookcase. It is deep. By using a back-scratcher I
can easily reach into that cabinet and retrieve all manner of jars.
Before refrigeration, I canned a
lot of meats. The locker beneath my bookcase
contains my canning jars.
If you would like to learn how I preserve meats, the
Canning Primer
(Preserving Meats, Part 1)
article is a good place to start.
But I digress...
For this project I wanted to add a magnet to an extension bar. I had
bought one of the inexpensive discount store ones. Frankly, it was not
good. The strength of the magnet disappointed me. I wanted a much
more powerful magnet. I had more than one in my arsenal otherwise known as
Ship Stores.
Yes, I have been
teased about the variety of items I have managed to have aboard this
23' long boat. Please realize the collection did not start out
nearly as varied as it is now. This is 11-plus years of collecting.
I utilized a strong magnet gizmo I
had purchased at a thrift store a couple years ago.
I'm not certain what these are used for In Real Life. The item is
approximately 9" long and 1/2" thick.
The business end of the green gizmo
has a powerful magnet inside it. The hardest part of this project
was breaking out the magnet. My vise grips helped in this endeavor.
A determined woman with a pair of vise grips can
accomplish a lot. I could not live without this tool.
Once the magnet has
been freed from the plastic cover,
simply glue it to the business end of the back-scratcher.
My tube of silicone was Almost empty so I used vise grips to
persuade some of the silicone glue out.
Vise grips are my Miracle Tool. I use mine at least
once per week.
I liberally applied silicone to the curved end of the
back-scratcher. Then I attached the
↑ MAGNET.
I had acquired a couple of these
plastic magnet gizmos. If any of my readers know what they are
actually are supposed to be used for, I am curious. Please reply in
the Comments section. Thank you. J.
Though not fancy,
I find my extended magnet is utilized more frequently than I had
originally imagined. The scratcher part is useful
for pulling items toward me so I can reach them. This is especially
handy when I drop that last screw into the bilge. Of course the
magnet won't pick up a stainless screw, however this will pull said
screw close enough that I can reach down and retrieve it.
All in all, I believe this is a good addition to the tool
collection aboard Seaweed. If you run across a strong magnet you
might consider making your own version.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate that.
Do you know what the plastic gizmo that held the magnet is
called?
And, what is its use? I'm curious as to the original purpose of such a
thing.
Regarding the Comments Section,
found at the end of every article:
-
Before you type in each block be
sure to hit the backspace key. Coding inserts a space in every box.
Your email address will come back as malformed unless you remove
that space. (You don't have to include your email address.)
-
The capcha is case sensitive.
|
COMMENTS:
© 2019. 2023
Categories: Characters,
Gear,
Money,
Recommendations,
VHF by my Bunk
(spare radio)
~ Previous
Post ...
... Next Post ~
Mucket the
Mallard Drake
|
Aphorism Alert: Attitudes are caught, not taught. Fred
Rogers explaining why adults should show the children the things we love,
such as our work, riding a bicycle, repairing something. |