{"id":40551,"date":"2022-11-28T02:07:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T09:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=40551"},"modified":"2022-11-22T14:29:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T21:29:00","slug":"velcro-cords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/velcro-cords\/","title":{"rendered":"Velcro & Cords"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, but the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here<\/a> to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Velcro double-sided wide ties<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Velcro One-Wrap<\/strong><\/a>, $6<\/strong>

I carry a roll of the Velcro Plant Ties (see right) in my tool bag, but also keep One-Wrap Velcro strips in the shop. While they\u2019re much more expensive, I\u2019ve found the larger kind to be substantially bulkier and stronger. Here in Toronto, we have alternating weekly garbage, recycling, and green waste pickup. We also have rapacious raccoons. I found if I add a simple loop of One-Wrap, screw it into the side of the green bin and loop it over the locking bail of the bin, the raccoons cannot open it. I first tried Plant Ties. They just wouldn\u2019t hold. For my purposes, a One-Wrap is good for about a year, after which it is easily replaced. It\u2019s available in various colors and sizes. The lower-end of the One-Wrap line is a similar size to the Plant Ties, which are 13 mm wide; however, the One-Wrap also come as large as 22mm. It has deeper loop Velcro (thicker and fuzzier), and as the width of the tape increases, the size of the loops and their grip strength increases. Plant Ties really are great for handling all kinds of tasks, but One-Wrap is strong enough to bundle thicker rope, heavier hoses, and most importantly for me, they keep raccoons out of the recycling. \u2013 David Keldsen<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Heavy duty velcro<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Dual Lock Fastener Tape<\/strong><\/a>, $18<\/strong>

To me, as a commuter, one of the most impressive parts of the EZ Pass toll-paying system is the hardcore industrial \u201cvelcro\u201d tape they give you to attach your transponder to your windshield. It\u2019s not really velcro, though \u2013 instead of hooks and loops, both surfaces have these tiny hard plastic mushroom-shaped things that grab each other by the hundreds and don\u2019t let go. Both sides are the same, so there is only one tape (called selfmating). And unlike the loosy-fabricky velcro connection, the Dual Lock surfaces don\u2019t join until you\u2019ve positioned them exactly, and then pressed them together with a satisfying \u201cchunk.\u201d They\u2019re primarily used in industrial applications as a replacement for mechanical fasteners, but I use mine to attach my iPod to my dashboard, and tools to the wall in my workshop. \u2013 S.S. Flanders<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Versatile fastener<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Parachute Cord<\/strong><\/a>, $8<\/strong>

Parachute cord isn\u2019t only light and strong (550lb. rating) for its size (5\/32\u201d diameter), it\u2019s also more versatile than other types of rope because it can be dissected and parted out, cut and used for its braided nylon sleeve and\/or seven separate core strands.

You can get an enhanced grip and a little added padding by using paracord to wrap tool handles. It\u2019s also used for making lanyards. I recently inserted a length of ball chain into a parachute cord sleeve to make a hands-free flashlight for late-night dog walks. The nylon is a lot more comfortable around my neck than a ball chain, and the fit is perfect. \u2013 Spencer Starr<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[2387],"tags":[2388],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40551"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40551"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40556,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40551\/revisions\/40556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tkdev.kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}