This is my first instrctable so here we go . i am a shipfitter by trade yes i build ship out of steel for a living .There is a lot of measuring ,squaring,and leveling involved .The plumb bob is a great asset in squaring bulkheads "walls" , stantion pipes and anytime you need to line a overhead "ceiling" mark to the deck "floor" plus a simple string is valuable when setting something straight . I found this trick while browsing the internet but i did not find a instruutable for it so here i am popping my cherry on this good idea of a tool thank you

Step 1: Lets Start With the Begining

The thing you will need are well a plumb bob and a old tape measure . i have a new one in the picture but that will work too. Other thing i used where scissors ,tape any kind that's durable,new roll of string "not pictured" and a old peace of plastic. I will explain later in the steps why . so lets recap plumb Tape measure Scissors Tape String Any random peace of plastic

Step 2: You Got to Tear Down to Build Up

I got my handy dandy tape measure and started pulling ,i pulled past the recommended 35' mark till i got to black hook at the end . Once to the end of the tape hold the black part the hook work it out the hole on the tape i cant explain how just play with it you'll get it out, i got faith in you ,but one thing you must never do is DO NOT LET GO OF THE BLACK PART THE HOOK if you do the reel is done with it's spring loaded and opening the tape measure will not work i have tried . I put the lock down and had some help holding it ,I recommend a helping hand.

Step 3: The String Part

I enlisted the help of my furry friend to hold the hook as i tied a knot on the new roll of string . I thought of maybe drilling a small 1/8 hole to get a better grasp on the hook but I didn't feel like it so it's just an idea . i made a knot that tightens as it's pulled and placed it where it was snugly tied . Then let the hook loose it will coil it self just try to hold the string at center so it do not get jammed on the side, this will happen quick if you let it but don't worry you almost done .

Step 4: The Finishing Touch

Here is the plastic part, the idea is to keep the string centered . This is for a number of reasons ,It's the locking mechanism is at the center ,and to keep the spool from jamming up . So i took a old peace of plastic cut it into a "T" shape 1/2 at the bottom and maybe 1' on each side , with a hole in the middle big enough for the string to glide smoothly through . I threaded the the plastic and taped it snugly to the tape measure so it wont come off I opened the hole more when i was done to get the tape off the idea is to have no resistance so the string can freely extend and retract .

Step 5: And We Are Done

Last but not least we tie the plumb bob you can tie it where you want but i tied mine just as the plumb bob is right by the tape measure ..now in the spool it should be roughly maybe 35' give or take but that's it thank you for looking and leave some feed back I welcome better ways of improvement that's how things get better thank you