Introduction: 30 Practical Uses for a Rubber Band
One of my friends would always carry around several rubber bands and when I asked him recently, he started rattling off this long list that inspired me to make this instructable. Sorry about those weird little symbols. I can't get rid of them. But, anyways, please rate and comment on this instructable. PLEASE VOTE FOR ME IN THE KLUTZ CONTEST!!!
Step 1: Tricks 1-10
#1 Quick Tagging Are these batteries at the bottom of my bag charged or uncharged? Tag your batteries with rubber bands so you never have to guess. You can differentiate between various groups of objects by tagging each group with a certain color rubber band, or a specific number of visible rubber bands.
#2 Pencil grip-wrap it around the part of the pencil where you hold it to write with for a comfy grip.
#3 Mark the Level of Liquid Remaining in a Solid Color Container Take a paint can for instance& before you pound the top back on, wrap a rubber band around the outside of the can at the same level as the paint remaining in the can. Next time you need it youll know exactly how much you have left in a single glance.
#4 Slingshot / Catapult Every kids favorite thing to do with a rubber band, but if you think hard enough, I bet there are some practical uses for making one of these.
#5 Simple Art Take a pegboard and stretch different color rubber bands in various shapes until every peg has been used at least once. Fun, creative and simple.
#6 Strap an Injured Finger Use a rubber band to strap an injured finger to a firm stick or piece of cardboard until it can be properly casted.
#7 Melt and Use as an Adhesive Its not glue, but a melted rubber band does make a darn good adhesive.
#8 A Distraction Pull the famous rubber band gun trick and shoot a rubber band across the room. Try to hit something that makes a sound, or just catch your victims attention. As soon as they look the other way, make your move.
around the front cover to prevent bending) or around your wrist as a reminder to get som
#9 Act as a Reminder Wrap a rubber band around a specific page in your planner (and also ething done.
#10 Rubber Padding Wrap a couple rubber bands around a TV remote or ash tray to prevent it from sliding and scratching the tables surface.
Step 2: Tricks 11-20
#11 Stress-Relieving Rubber Band Ball If made soft enough, a rubber band ball can make for a perfect stress relieving squeeze toy. It helps out when youre in a fidgety mood.
#12 Tie-Dye The style may have died in the seventies, but who really cares& a DIY tie-dye project can be a blast. If you have kids, its a cheap, creative way to entertain.
# 13Prevent the Mixing Spoon from Sliding into the Bowl Wrap a rubber band around the upper part of the spoons handle just above the point at which the spoon touches the rim of the bowl. Now the spoon cant slip and slide in.
# 14Insulate Electrical Current Rubber bands can act as insulators for low wattage electrical current. Wrap a rubber band around an exposed region of a wire (before the wire is live).
# Design Fancy Easter Eggs Wrap several rubber bands in different directions around the eggs before dunking them in the Easter egg dye. This will create interesting designs on the dyed eggs.
#15 A Pencil Eraser Fold a rubber band in half a few times and use it to erase pencil markings. It works surprisingly well.
#16 Keep those Files IN the Manila Folder Manila folders are a great tool for filing papers until you accidentally drop one of them. Since a manila folder is nothing more than a sleeve, the files will spill out everywhere. A rubber band can fix that problem in jiffy if you put it over the mouth of the folder.
#17 Kitty-proof or Puppy-proof Your Toilet Paper Kitties and Puppies love to shred things. Toilet paper is one of their top 10 favorites. Wrap a rubber band around the roll of toilet paper to avoid the dangling temptation.
#18 Grip that Jar Lid Place a thick rubber band around the rim of a jar lid and use it to grip the lid while you twist it off.
#19 Limit Soap Dispenser Output Put a rubber band around the neck of pump-style soap dispensers to limit the amount of soap dispensed per pump.
#20 Make a rubber band gun and shoot rubber bands.
Step 3: Tricks 21-30
#21 Keep Wires or Yarn Untangled Wrap a rubber band around it before the mess gets out of control.
#22 Toddler-proof the Cabinets Stretch a few rubber bands tightly between the left and right cabinet knobs to lock them in place.
#23 Rubber Band Motor Create Kinetic energy with a rubber band. Ill let PBS explain this one: Search on google The Rubber Band Motor
#24 Draw a Straight Line Stretch a rubber band out and trace that perfectly straight line.
#25 Paint Brush Wiper Stretch a rubber band around an open paint can from top to bottom so it crosses over the opening just above the paint. Wipe the excess paint off on the rubber band instead of getting the side of the can all messy.Break-in a Baseball Glove with a Rubber Band
#26 Break-in a Baseball Glove A brand new baseball glove is stiff. First, it must be broken-in to be an effective tool for catching balls. Bend the leather, beat on it with a rubber mallet, apply shaving cream all over the glove, put a ball in it and wrap a rubber band around the whole glove. Let it stand for awhile to mold the shape of the ball. Repeat every few days as necessary.
#27 Keep a Sliced Apple Fresh This one may seem bizarre, but I tried it and it works fairly well. Slice and apple into wedges. Then place all the wedges back together and wrap a clean rubber band around them so the apple looks whole again. It will keep the apple wedges from browning about 50% longer than just tossing the wedges in a standard sandwich bag.
#28 Cure an Overbite When stretched between opposite ends of the upper and lower jaw over a period of time, the force of a rubber band can correct a minor overbite. Orthodontists typically employ this method in conjunction with braces.Simple Rubber Band Wallet
#29 A Wallet Replacement Is you wallet always bulging out of your pants pocket? Get rid of it. Instead, wrap your cash around your ID and credit card and then wrap a rubber band around the outside of the cash.
#30 Revive an Old Broom Are the brooms bristles a bit worn? Tighten them up. Wrap a thick rubber bands halfway up the brooms bristles to hold them in place.
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