Alan D. Miller
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch
4 easy home repairs that make a big difference
These quick home repairs are low effort yet high impact.
There’s just too much division in this country today. We hear that constantly, and it’s true.
Perfect example: Home Depot vs. Lowe’s. I’ve heard actual Chevy vs. Ford arguments over these two chain stores! (And my argument in that fight is, “Hey, there are many more than two in the world. Try ACE Hardware stores, or Orme Hardware stores — and so many other neighborhood hardware stores that pride themselves on over-the-top customer service.)
It only gets worse when the conversation moves into tools: Mikita vs. Milwaukee, Craftsman vs. DeWalt, cordless vs. cord. And then there are the old arguments about nails vs. screws and hemp rope vs. nylon. Don’t even get me started on Liquid Wrench vs. WD-40.
I’m here today to argue that if we’d all put down our noisy power tools and use hand tools more often, we’d spend more time listening to each other — because we could actually hear what we’re saying. Also, there’s nothing better than the satisfaction of cutting a straight line with Grandpa’s freshly sharpened Disston hand saw.
No, I don’t use non-electric hand tools for every project, but I use them regularly. And given that we’re two weeks away from Thanksgiving, I’m giving thanks today for the top 10 things I’d want from my toolbox if I found myself stranded on an island.
Serious mechanics and other handypeople might scoff at some of these, but they are the tools that I use most often for small jobs around the house:
10. The cheapo, generic socket set my parents gave me for Christmas years ago. It probably cost less than $10, and maybe less than $5, given that it’s at least 45 years old. It has fixed more cars, motorcycles, bicycles and appliances than I have gray hairs.
9. Wire-cutter pliers. These blunt-nose pinchers can tighten and loosen things — and cut wire of all kinds.
8. Crescent wrench. It’s always best to pick up a fixed-size wrench for a perfect fit on the nut or bolt you’re working with, but if you don’t have room in your lifeboat for two or three sets of wrenches, an adjustable wrench offers versatility and reliability.
7. Claw hammer. Hit nails, pull nails, pry all sorts of things. And in a pinch, it could be used to dig holes or chisel wood.
6. Knife. A good-sized pocketknife with, say, at least a 3-inch blade, would be my first choice on a remote island because of its versatility. In the workshop, I use a box cutter virtually every time I’m in the shop — and often more than once.
5. Smartphone. Never mind being able to call for help when you slice your hand with that pocketknife. This modern tool’s camera can see around corners and into tight spaces where heads and eyes can’t see. With the right apps, it’s a flashlight, a clock, barometer, ruler, level, plumb bob, stopwatch, altimeter and, among other things, a radio. Gotta have a radio in the shop.
And here are the top four things for which I’m eternally grateful and would want with me on a remote island:
4. Rope of all sizes and materials. It’s so versatile! Hold parts in place while gluing them. Lash your tarp to a tree to make a tent. Pull one motorcycle out of a mud pit by tying a rope to another motorcycle that didn’t get stuck. (Been there.) Make a belt for your pants. I could go on.
3. Penetrating oil. Two words: Salt water! I’m not getting into the debate over Liquid Wrench, WD-40, LPS 3 or the many other brands. Whether it’s anything metal on an island surrounded by the ocean or a vehicle driven on Ohio roadways in winter, this oil is a must-have tool.
2. Glue. Again, I won’t be baited into a debate about Gorilla vs. GOOP, J-B Weld vs. Loctite, or epoxy vs. “super glue,” silicon seal vs. plumber’s putty — or any of the many other potential layers of that argument. If you break something and don’t have access to spare parts, glue can be a savior.
(I have plenty of all of those sticky substances, and I’m grateful for all of them. I have learned only a fraction of my dad’s knowledge about “the right” glue for a particular job, so I keep a big supply of all kinds. There are tools and cars and old-house parts — not to mention shoes and even a few pairs of pants — across the land that are still being held together with a few dabs of just the right glue.)
1. Duct tape. Few things in my basement workshop are as versatile or used as often as duct tape. Just last week, I used honest-to-goodness metal duct tape to cover seams in Daughter #2’s furnace ductwork. I have duct tape in just about every color — silver, white, black, yellow, green, pink, brown and even a backwoods camo pattern. And I’ve used it for everything from holding together a plastic front bumper on a deer-damaged 1996 Honda Civic to sealing pin-hole leaks in our tarps.
One of the most impressive duct-tape repairs I’ve seen happened years ago when I was following Dad as we rode our dirt-bike motorcycles through a Pennsylvania forest. His motorcycle kicked up a rock that punched a hole in the crankcase of my bike. The engine oil quickly ran out of my motorcycle.
We were miles from any type of store or repair shop. That was typical for our weekend adventures, so we carried some tools, bits of wire and a few zip-ties, a tire-patch kit and a quart of oil. Because you never know when you might need any of those things.
And there we were, sitting along a dirt path with a hole in my engine and a puddle of oil on the ground. After a bit of head-scratching and some pawing through the pieces and parts in our tool kits, we came up with an idea: Clean the area around the wound, find a rubber tire patch that would cover the hole, and hold the patch in place with duct tape.
It worked! And I spent the rest of the weekend riding a motorcycle held together with a strip of rubber and our trusty duct tape.
This Thanksgiving, let’s stop debating the things that divide us and focus on the things that bring us together: hand tools!
Alan D. Miller is a former Dispatch editor who teaches journalism at Denison University and writes about old house repair and historic preservation based on personal experiences and questions from readers.
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