You can use bar clamps, parallel clamps, or a vertical clamping system like Hawk’s to glue up a flat panel from several small pieces, but you have to watch out for the panel warping or cupping. The Plano glue press ensures flat panels by exerting force on both the edges and the top and bottom of the panel.

Advanced Machinery claims that by using their system you don’t need other alignment methods like dowels or biscuits, and the panels come out flat so there’s no additional planing or sanding required to get a flat surface. The clamps mount vertically on a 39″ rail to save space, which also supposedly reduces drying time. You can make panels up to 5″ thick and can expand the system to make almost any length of panel, but they recommend one clamp at least every 12″.

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Chances are if you’ve owned a dishwasher for a few years, there are spots where the plastic has worn through and the metal rack is rusting. Products like ReRack and Uber Goop are designed to fix this damage before it becomes more of an eyesore or even a danger to your dishes. You can also use these products on shower racks or other bathroom racks that are showing signs of rust.

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Who needs a tape measure? Just slap down a few rolls’ worth of Red Tape adhesive measuring tape on every surface in your shop and you won’t have to search for where you put the damn tape measure anymore.

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If you’ve had to do any kind of home repair in your time you’ve most likely hand your hands on a Dap product at some point. Dap has been sealing and weatherproofing things for years and the folks over at Dap R&D have now rolled out Dap 3.0.

When I heard “Dap 3.0″ my mind immediately wandered into science fiction territory and I started to wonder if they’d stuffed nanobots into the goo, but alas, we’ll have to wait on that. No, Dap 3.0’s new formula sports a quick dry compound that can be exposed to water in just three hours and won’t wash out. That’s some damn good news to those who depend on sealant on the job or who, like me, use it like a ward against household evil.

So to sum up, caulking the bathroom or leaky roof just got a bunch easier and the wait is still ongoing for smart-goo. Dap 3.0 will run you a few bucks a tube and can be found just about anywhere fine goos are sold.

Dap 3.0 [Website]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

It’s good to know that the next time Sean has a mishap that super glue won’t fix, he can pop out to the shop and turn a block of wood (red oak, rattan, and sipo apparently work best) into an artificial bone. Of course, first you have to carbonize it, spray it with calcium to create calcium carbide, convert the calcium carbide into carbonated hydroxyapatite, and then implant the artificial bone (surgical glue optional; square drive screws preferred). The process can take a week, and cost approximately $850 for one block — but hey, nobody said this was going to be easy.

Now if we can just get past all the innuendos, euphemisms, and snide remarks (including subtleties like “The researchers also note that they can create virtually any size or shape”), we might have an interesting TM post here.

Artificial Bone at Discovery.com [Web Site]

Soldering isn’t your only option for an electrically conductive connection. MG Chemicals sells one alternative — the two-part silver conductive epoxy pictured above.

When the silver epoxy cures you’re left with a bond that’s not only high strength, but also highly conductive to electricity. You can use it to connect heat sensitive components, connect broken traces, or even bond heat sinks. The epoxy bonds well to metals, but it also bonds to glass, wood, paper, fiber and rubber.

One drawback to using this epoxy is that you can’t solder to it and you need to be careful soldering around it because it might melt. Another is that you have to wait 4 to 5 hours for it to cure.

Prices for MG Chemical’s two-part silver epoxy start at $25 for two 3mL syringes.

Silver Conductive Epoxy [MG Chemicals]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Silver Conductive Epoxy [CableOrganizer.com]

There are times when words don’t properly express how clever something really is. A good friend of ours stopped by the shop the other day and had cause to bust out his wallet. We had to stop him and check it out ourselves to fully understand the craftiness of his creation. It’s a wallet made entirely of Duct Tape.

Sure, you see that kind of thing on cutesy websites every once in a while, but never have I seen one in use for practical reasons. Our very sensible homie simply saw no use in spending cash on a new wallet when he could make a custom one himself from of Duct Tape he found in the shop.

We stood in awe. Not only had he replicated his old wallet almost perfectly but the new silver model was both as thick as a regular leather version and just as durable - except against water. Plus when it starts to wear out, he either replaces sections or makes a new one altogether.

Other might smirk at his creation but our hats are off to our friend Juan and his badass shop-built wallet.

Duct Tape Street Pricing [Google Products]

In case you slipped and that new chisel cut your duodenum, you’ll be glad to know there’s now a glue for that. It doesn’t work too well for lung tissue, though. In the pictures above, the surgical glue is shown in green. A smooth interface with the tissue is desirable, so the duodenum connection is best, and the lung connection is worst.

Of course Sean told us long ago about the joys of gluing yourself back together. Now it seems modern science has caught up with him. We’re pretty sure he’s never tried gluing his internal organs up, but the night is young.

Surgical Glues [MIT News]

I’ve used nails, pencils, dowels, and even packing tape to try to keep my glue nozzles clear, and none consistently work; when I try to use them again, the tube is soft but the nozzle is solid. The Twist-n-Seal Stopper forms an air-tight seal on plastic nozzles by tapping threads in the malleable plastic. The threads will withstand 40 lbs of axial force so it won’t pop out. The glass-reinforced plastic plug is non-stick and is removed by unscrewing from the tube. The top is flattened to stand upright when removed, keeping things clean on your workspace. You can find the Twist-n-Seal at Lee Valley for $3.20/pkg of five.

Twist-n-Seal Stopper [Lee Valley]

We’ve grown accustomed to oddly named heavy-duty glues — Krazy Glue has been around for decades, and Gorilla Glue has claimed some market share in the last few years.  But a glue with a picture of a giant man in a diaper on it?  Has Loctite finally gone too far with their Sumo Glue?

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Everybody has their favorite method of keeping cable clutter under control, whether it’s Velcro straps, cable trays, zip ties, or even cable lacing.  Here’s another method to add to your cable-organizing repertoire:  Wirestraps.  These clear straps keep cords together, keep them in position, and blend into the background.

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Believe it or not, sometimes duct tape isn’t the right tape for the job.  You can’t see through it and it doesn’t always stick well to cardboard, so for things like shipping and packing you need packing tape.  The trouble is that you can’t just rip packing tape — until now.

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Some glue dries clear, some dries yellow, some dries brown.  Regardless of what color it dries, one thing’s for sure — it’ll be the wrong color.  If you need color-matched glue, FastCap sells a colorant kit for their 2P-10 two-part adhesive that might do the trick.

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This tool sounds like a robot that’ll hunt down an attractive “associate” for you, but really the Babē-Bot from FastCap will only help you with gluing. The Babē-Bot is the 4oz baby brother of the 16oz Glü-Bot, and you might think the larger bottle would be the better choice, but I don’t use a ton of glue so refilling the smaller bottle every few days is better for me.

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When it comes to MacGyvering, the only thing better than duct tape — besides paper clips and gum — is superglue.  Working in special effects shops, I picked up a trick to make this miracle tool even more versatile. Its short name is zip-kick or zip-kicker;  in fancy terms it’s a cyanoacrylate accelerator, and it allows you to build up large quantities of glue and have them harden very fast, so you can make fillets.

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We all like to customize our cribs, but in some dorm rooms, apartments, and offices you’re not allowed to mar the walls, or maybe your significant other doesn’t like holes in the wall.  I just went through the hassle of patching all the nail holes in my bedroom, so I can kindof understand why some people get OCD about it.  3M comes to the rescue with a line of hangers that promise up to 7.5lbs of holding power — more importantly, they’re entirely removable and won’t mar your wall.

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I must love buckets — they’re all over my home, shop, and garden — but the ones missing their handles cut into my hand when fully loaded, and the new ones can be a pain to open.  Fortunately Prazi makes the 4-in-1 Bucket tool;  it can serve as a replacement handle, and it’ll also help you pry off those stubborn lids.

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