- Sharpen blades with a matchbox
You can restore the cutting edge to a dull blade on a small craft or utility knife by rubbing it a few times on the striking surface of a box of matches or, if one is handy, an emery board. Be sure to sharpen both sides of the cutting edge.
- Be carpet scrap happy
As handy as they are for repairing tears and burns in matching carpeting, carpet remnants may actually be even more useful around the workshop. You can do the following:
- Glue them to the inside of your toolbox to cushion tools in transit.
- Tack them to the tops of workbench surfaces to prevent scratching furniture finishes.
- Staple several remnants inside a narrow cupboard to form cushioned cradles for drills and other power tools.
- Staple remnants (one at a time) to a small block of wood to make a reusable contact-adhesive applicator, where a thin even coating is required.
- Hands-on handles
You’ll get a firmer (and more comfortable) grip on hammers, spanners, screwdrivers and other tools if you wrap the handles with adhesive tape or flat foam draught-proofing strip. Hard tools will become soft to the touch.
- Save your fingers
To avoid bruised fingers when hammering home really tiny nails, hold the nails upright in the teeth of a pocket comb rather than between your fingers.
- Save the wood
Claw hammers are great for pulling nails out of wood — but you can easily damage the wood’s surface as you lever the nail up. Slip a piece of thick cardboard under the hammer head to prevent this from happening.
- Shield wood from hammers
Protect wood from accidental hammer blows with a homemade hammer guard. Take the lid from a small plastic container and cut a small hole in the centre large enough to fit over the nail head. Place the lid over each nail before hammering it in. To stop wood from splitting, blunt the tips of your nails with a hammer before using them: simply hold the nail upright on a block of metal and tap its tip lightly.
- Pliers as torch holder
Trying to hold a torch and work at the same time is a juggling act that you don’t want to perform. But you can still get the illumination you need if you don’t have a helper to hold the light. Place the torch between the jaws of a pair of pliers and position it at the required angle. Slip a thick rubber band around the handles of the pliers to keep the torch from slipping.
- Fizz away corrosion
Loosen a rusty nut or bolt by covering it with a rag soaked in vinegar or a fizzy drink. Let it sit for an hour to give the liquid time to work into the corrosion. The carbonation in fizzy drinks has another workshop application as well: it will unfreeze a rusted padlock or cabinet lock.