Some Sticky Situations
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
Have you ever ventured into the glue aisle at a hardware store or a home center? Take a look at the square footage they have allocated in their store for just adhesives. It is overwhelming and considerably confusing. Long gone are the days of just Elmer's white school glue and paste. Now we have hundreds of ways to repair wood, plastic, rubber, glass, ceramic, metal, and concrete. You can repair your windshield, concrete planter, crystal wineglass and the China that goes with it, your child’s toy, your pool toys, shoes, and boots...and do it all with a squeeze tube of glue. And that takes to me a conversation I had with a customer in just that aisle.
A favorite pair of shoes needed repair. A favorite pair of ballet slippers. A small face looked at me and said she wanted to keep this pair, because they matched her outfit for the recital. I quickly handed her Shoe Goo and promised that her slippers would be good as new in just a few hours, and she could use them the next day. And if you have a loosened heel, sole or toe, whether that be in a tennis shoe, boot or sandal, Shoe Goo is the perfect adhesive.
Shoe Goo is part of a family of glues owned by Eclectic Products. They make E6000, all the Amazing Goops, Shoe Goo, and Seal All. Many of you that are crafters are familiar with E6000 because it is so versatile and can be used on so many different mediums. E6000 also makes a spray adhesive that is great for adhering paper products, cardboard, photos, and lightweight fabrics. I like to recommend it because it is a light mist spray that has no propellants or solvents, so it is great to use with kids' projects. Then they make Seal All. Seal All is a specific glue. It’s great for automotive and garage repairs because it is gasoline, solvent, thinner and oil resistant. So, it’s great for repairing metal gas cans, repairs on cars and even automotive gas tanks. I don’t know if any of you have bought a metal gas can recently, but they are extremely expensive. So, if you have one, and you get a puncture in it, this this the adhesive meant for that use. I love to tell the story about my dad and his antique cars and trucks and the repairs he did and shared with his fellow antique car club members. It saved Dad so much money on repairs.
Eclectic Products also makes Famowood Original Wood Filler. I love this because it is made with real wood fibers and not plastic. It’s been the choice of professional for over 70 years because it will fill a deep gash or a small abrasion on wood. You can paint it or stain it and it will not crack or shrink. It can be used indoors or outdoors.
So next time you are at the hardware store, look at all the glues but pay special attention to the ones made by Eclectic. And if you are repairing a boot or shoe, let me give you some suggestions. Open the heel or sole just a little so that you can get as much Shoe Goo in the area as possible. I like to use a skewer stick to get the adhesive back far into the repair. Then if it’s possible, weight down the repair for 24 hours. You can use a woodworking clamp. If you can’t find Shoe Goo local, it is on our website...www.happyhandyman.com – along with other great products and previous articles.
Now to the email….
Question: I bring my lunch to work. The other day I brought a bacon sandwich and heated it up in the microwave. Well, I got distracted and the bacon burned. I didn’t care about the bacon, but the smell was horrible. I have tried everything and listened to all my co-workers – I just hope I don’t get fired because of this. HA! All silliness aside, what would you suggest to take out the pungent odor. By the way, the smell is not in the microwave, it’s just lingering in the air.
Answer: One time I burned popcorn at work and the only thing that worked was an Air Sponge. Get the ½ pound size. When you open it, turn it upside down so that 75% of the product is open and laying on the lid. It will shock the air and clear the odor quickly.