>> Diane Baker lives, works, repurposes, and crafts with her family and dog in the rain, in Seattle. She’s launching a nifty product she co-invented to protect brushes: brushdefender.com.
Here in Seattle where the rain seems never to cease, getting outside keeps my mind, body, and mood in working order. Staying dry is a perennial concern, so I have plenty of rain gear to protect my body — but what about all my stuff? I’ve got my backpack, laptop, telephone, iPod, and PDA. As we all know, water does not mix well with paper or electronics.
Though my poncho or raincoat can protect my purse, backpack, and laptop, the resultant look is that of a lumpy packhorse out on the trail. The shelter that umbrellas provide should keep my things dry, but it doesn’t. When the rain goes sideways, it drips down your back, and umbrellas have to be put up and down constantly. Plus, Seattleites don’t look kindly upon umbrella users.
Because umbrellas typically malfunction and break, there’s never a shortage of them to remake into something actually serviceable. Here are a few ideas to refashion your disused ones.
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DECONSTRUCT AN UMBRELLA 1. Start by taking your umbrellas apart. Common long umbrellas and smaller folding umbrellas usually have an end that screws off. The nicest long umbrellas are more challenging; they have a metal ferrule riveted over the open cap. The easiest way to get this off is to wedge a small nail just under the edge, tap it under the metal with a hammer, and use it as a pry bar. You’ll dig into the wood, but not much. When it’s loosened up, you can finish it off with a pair of pliers (Figure A), then just pull the rivet B out. (Be sure to protect your eyes in the process.)
2. When the open cap is removed, detach the canopy from the frame by slipping the tips off the ribs or cutting the threads if they’re sewn on. First cut the threads that hold the canopy to the tips and the frame (Figure B), then cut off the tips.
3. Since the canopy is already a finished piece and just about the right size, all you need to do is patch the hole in the middle with duct tape or tent repair tape, available at any camping goods store. You’re now ready to start making rain gear.
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