The APS McGyver thread

[Jamisjockey]

Okay folks. I know we've got a serious collective knoweledge of how to Mcgyver solutions to problems with unique and sometimes every-day materials.  We've had a few threads on this matter before, but they're buried in the archives.  This one is getting a sticky.

I'll start.
Cyclists: 
Carry half a roll of cloth first aid tape in your bike kit.  It has a number of uses, limited only by your imagination.  Secure broken cables, repair torn handlebar tape, patch a torn shirt, secure a bandage. 
Once on a century ride, my rim tape let go.  This caused the backs of the spoke holes in the rim to wear through 3 tubes.  First aid tape to the rescue.  Another time, someone took a nail through the tire.  The hole was large, and when inflated, the tube stuck through the hole.  First aid tape on the inside of the tire prevented this and allowed them to ride home.

Another cyclist tip: Mark your seatpost height with a couple wraps of electrical tape.  Then, when you drop your bike off for maintenece, you know exactly where to put it back to (Most shops will pull your seatpost up and clamp it to the workstand). 



Like Miracle whip? Save the plastic jars it comes in now. Peel the label and then wash them.  They make great storage containers for all manners of things.

Next time you polish off a small jar of peanut butter (in the plastic container), peel the label, wash it.  Cut a slot in the top big enough to pass a quarter through.  Put it in your cup holder of your car as a convinent place to drop change. 

[230RN]

Label removal from jars, etc.:  Keep the label dry, put hot water inside the bottle.  The heat softens the glue without the water softening the label. They can usually then be peeled right off without the label coming apart in annoying little patches.

Heat works for peeling lots of labels off stuff.  Like bumper stickers.

[White Horseradish]

a roll of cloth first aid tape

I have that in my range bag. If we are out plinking with .22 pistols or rifles that have box mags my wife wraps her loading thumb so that it doesn't get sore from magazine feed lips.
 

[wmenorr67]

If it can't be fixed with duct tape, bailing wire or WD-40 then use det chord to blow it up.

[Ben]

If you want to carry duct tape, but not the whole roll, wrapping ten or so yards around an old 7mm or similar case makes for compact transport. Always fold the last 1/2" or so over on itself, and you can quickly and easily grab the tape.

[wmenorr67]

A Bic lighter works just as well.

[Jamisjockey]

I have that in my range bag. If we are out plinking with .22 pistols or rifles that have box mags my wife wraps her loading thumb so that it doesn't get sore from magazine feed lips.
 

Nice.  I've used duct tape for that before.


Moar winning, duh:

Bottled water will freeze without blowing up (usually).  Before a trip where you'll want water and long term ice, freeze about half a case of bottled water.  Drop those to the bottom of the cooler, put in the unfrozen ones, then ice.  Your ice will last longer as the frozen bottles take a while to thaw.  
For larger coolers, a couple of empty 2 liter soda jugs filled with water and then frozen.

[wmenorr67]

Gallon milk jugs work great for real large coolers.

When camping with a camper that has a bathtub don't use it for taking baths, fill with ice and beer.

[Scout26]

If you go to the doctor or a lab, ask for the foam trays the blood-draw tubes come in, they make great reloading trays.

[Ex-MA Hole]

Baby wipes in a range bag work well for cleaning crap out of a gun, cleaning a minor wound, washing dirt and grime off your hands, wiping sweat...etc

Need something that will reach nooks and crannies while cleaning guns or other crapola?  Go to the med supply place and buy 100 pack of the long q-tips, like the ones they use to do throat cultures...

Want to get deceased bugs off of the nose of your car?   Use a dryer sheet dipped in water...

Need firestarters?  Use used dryer sheets....In the "old days", I'd cram a bunch of them in a 35mm film case...

Need a way to safely store boresnakes to take to the range?  I use empty 100ct .22 plastic boxes.  They stack real nicely, just like the rest of your .22 ammo...

[KD5NRH]

Bottled water will freeze without blowing up (usually).  Before a trip where you'll want water and long term ice, freeze about half a case of bottled water.  Drop those to the bottom of the cooler, put in the unfrozen ones, then ice.  Your ice will last longer as the frozen bottles take a while to thaw.

For singles, like bike bottles, fill them about halfway and wedge them in the freezer at an angle so the water isn't quite at the cap.  When you're ready, pull them out and top them up with cold water.  That gives you more ice than just dropping cubes in, and you still have water available from the start without waiting for the bottle to thaw.

[Viking]

Need to sharpen a knife? Don't have a sharpening stone? Use a ceramic cup or a plate, turn upside down and the unglazed "rim" can be used to sharpen with.

[makattak]

Another firestarter idea:

Dryer lint. Nothing catches a spark like it. Just clean out the filter and toss it in a ziploc bag before camping.

[charby]

basic first aid kit.

Superglue and Paper Scotch medical tape.

[seeker_two]

Emergency stain removal: Keep a few of the individually-wrapped Wet Wipes in a pocket or pouch. If you drip on your clothing, use one immediately to scrub out the stain. It'll usually take it out quickly and dry fast. It also keeps the stain from setting before you wash clothes.

Extra battery carry: I carry a spare pair of CR123's for my Inova X5 in my cell phone pouch. I wrap several rubber bands (various sizes including butcher bands) around the sides and the posts to insulate and protect them. Keeps the batteries fresh, and gives you spare rubber bands when you need them.

Great pouches: Check out the local pawn shops & thrift stores for old bank bags (the vinyl ones that zip at the top). They come in several sizes (including small, change-pouch sizes); and they're practically indestructable. I use the small ones to carry change and other items (safety pins, small tools, etc) in my pocket and use the larger ones for ammo bags and gun cleaning supplies. Easy to stuff in a gun safe, too.....

[GigaBuist]

Another firestarter idea:

Dryer lint. Nothing catches a spark like it. Just clean out the filter and toss it in a ziploc bag before camping.

Bonus:  Dryer lint mixed with fat from the jar you use for collecting bacon grease and such. Heat it up a bit, spoon it into an old egg carton, shove some dryer lint in there.

Never tried it, but a brother did.  The idea seems sound.

[Scout26]

Dryer lint soaked with bacon grease in a paperboard egg carton should spontaneously combust simply by exposure to air and/or sunlight.

[Perd Hapley]

cloth first aid tape in your bike kit.

Anything it can do, hockey tape can do better. And it's available in tactical black.    It can also be handy for wrapping tool handles.


I don't know if this is on-topic or not, but when you remove a plumbing fixture that hooks up to a 3/8", threaded shut-off valve (or two), the valves don't always shut off completely. Have a couple of 3/8" female caps with you, with size 00 rubber washers inside them.

[RoadKingLarry]

Tubeless tire flat and off the bead? Won't take air? Wrap a length of rope around the tread, tie a knot in the rope so that you can use a stick/bar to twist the rope and push the sides of the tire onto the bead.

In a dire emergency you can spray starter fluid/ether into the tubeless tire and ignite the ether. That will expand the tire enough to seat the bead and put enough pressure in it to allow normal inflation. Use extreme caution with that method as it can set the trailer house that the flat tire is attached to on fire. Much hilarity can ensue if title to the trailer has just passed from you to the guy trying to put out the fire by throwing dirt on the flames.

[Chuck Dye]

Fire starter:

Shove a 9 volt battery into a pad of steel wool.

[Chuck Dye]

Oops!  Almost forgot!

Firestarter:

Clear ice from a pond or puddle may be shaped into a lens with the heat of your hand.  It doesn't take much effort  to form a lens good enough to ignite tinder.

For those who want to try this at home, boiled distilled water frozen in the bottom of the right bowl is quicker.

Betting I can start a fire with ice has won me more than a few drinks.

[230RN]

Old hunting sock sewn down the middle for magazine-banging-around-and-getting-scratched-up-and getting-all-dirty-and-gritty preventers:



Can use smaller sock for single mags.

Gillette razor blade cartridge carriers for .38 SPL 5-shot J-frames:



Not a speedloader, but it's flat and beats carrying loose cartridges around in your pocket.

Quickie homemade canvas pouch with shoelace tie and mag pocket:

[White Horseradish]

Need to sharpen a knife? Don't have a sharpening stone? Use a ceramic cup or a plate, turn upside down and the unglazed "rim" can be used to sharpen with.

My grandparents did that all the time.

[grampster]

Large cat litter plastic containers make really good bouys.  Smear Plumbers Goop in the cap and screw on tight.  Spray paint red.  I recently replaced one that I had tied to an auger in the bottom of the lake so I knew where it was in the spring to anchor my swim platform.  It has been through 4 winters of ice and was still mostly floating this spring.

[Boomhauer]

Tubeless tire flat and off the bead? Won't take air? Wrap a length of rope around the tread, tie a knot in the rope so that you can use a stick/bar to twist the rope and push the sides of the tire onto the bead.

I actually do this on a rather regular basis, mainly for smaller tires such as lawn mower, utility trailers, etc. It does work indeed.