Mother's Bi-Monthly Almanac

To Remove Tight Canister Covers; Drill a Clean Holes; Hacksaw a Skimmin' Spoon; Good Add-Vice; De-Slam That door; Speak Up; A Rubber Wrench; A Broom Trick.Gail E. Johnson

January/February 1979

TO REMOVE TIGHT CANISTER COVERS...

... simply tie a strong cord around the can-loosely-just below the Stuck lid. Then slip a nail under the string and twist it, as shown in the illustration. An equal pressure will be exerted all along the circumference of the container ... and the stubborn cover will come off easily.

DRILL A CLEAN HOLE

To drill a clean, splinter-free hole through a piece of wood, start from one side-as usual-but withdraw the bit as soon as its "worm" breaks through the board. Then turn the plank over and start the drill in its own "breakthrough" hole. Your bore will have clean edges front and back.

HACKSAW A SKIMMIN' SPOON

It only takes a few minutes to make a skimmer (for soups, jellies, and the like) from a large metal kitchen spoon. Simply cut slots In the underside of the utensil with a hacksaw, as Illustrated ... then wash off any filings before the spoon Is used.

GOODADD-VICE...

A board that's too wide for your worktable vise can be secured In the contraption anyway ... and held pretty firmly, at that.

All you have to do Is lay the plank So that one Side of It overlaps the bench top, and nail a notched block of wood to the table to prevent any movement on the part of that "Inside" edge.

Then, prop a strong flat strip of wood (or metal) In the vise as illustrated, and turn the handle until the assembly is tight.

DE-SLAM THAT DOOR!

If you have a door In your house that should-for one reason or another--remain partially open (or if you'd just like to stop your children from slammin' through every portal in the house), try one of these handy door snubbers. All you have to do is tie bigger-than-doorknob sized loops In both ends of a short piece of 1/4"diameter (or larger) rope, and then slip one hoop over each knob as shown. The cord will help absorb the shock of a slam ... and keep the door open "just a crack" at the same time.

SPEAK UP!

One of those ecologically horrible plastic jugs can be made into an effective around-the-house loudspeaker (you might as well find a use for the clanged things, as you can't just throw 'em away) in less time than it takes to tell about it.

Simply cut the bottom from the bottle--A sharp kitchen knife will do-and holler into Its neck ... to call the kids home from the woods or the "old man" in to dinner.

A RUBBER WRENCH

A common eraser (used as Illustrated) makes a dandy little "wrench" for small (vanilla, etc.) bottle caps, fountain pens, jammed fishing rod ferrules, and lots of other tiny, hard-to-handle objects. The versatile rubber--tool provides a firm grip on all but the slipperiest surfaces, and It's easy on your hands, too.

A BROOM TRICK

Believe It or not, your broom can be a big help when midwinter restlessness has you moving heavy objects from one room to another. Simply place the sweeper's bristles under one edge of the awkward item, and "sled" the weight over carpets and floors ... while a helper holds up the rear of the object and steadies It, as shown In the accompanying drawing.