In these tough economic times when the administration bails out businesses that are “too big to fail” and ignores small business, you might think entrepreneurs would just pack their bags and go. But no, as it turns out, that flame refuses to be extinguished.

One such example is the Magnogrip. Simple in concept; handy in practice. It’s basically just a Velcro-secured wrist band with magnets sewn in. The magnets are strong enough to hold nails, screws, nuts, bolts, etc until they’re needed. Then, they’re close at hand (pun intended).

While you might use your carpenter pouches for production work like hanging drywall, that would be overkill for going around the house hanging pictures, installing baseboard or door trim, or even working on the car.

And call me crazy, but I’m going to try it out for holding flies the next time I go kayak fishing.

One good thing is that the Magnogrip is available now at home improvement stores like Home Depot,  and Ace. Just in time for a Christmas stocking-stuffer gift? They say timing is everything…

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Father’s day is one of my favorite holidays to be a dad. With just the one kid, it makes it all that much more special. It’s not so much getting the gift; it’s what the gift represents. Tool gifts are really symbolic of Father’s Day. Let me explain…

In these modern times with an incredible number of single-parent families or “domestic units” with same-gender partners, society is missing the picture. By giving a wink and a nod to social equivalence and a philosophical extension to the term equality, kids are getting short-changed in their upbringing.

No, this is not a diatribe against same gender marriage. Not my call to make. But it takes a family of an opposite gender couple to raise a kid. Women provide qualities such as nurturing and care-giving while men provide the qualities of discipline and building/fixing.

Hence, Mother’s Day = flowers and perfume; Father’s Day = tools and fishing gear. Like I said, it’s symbolic.

Types of Gift Tools

So, what kind of tools are appropriate? It depends on what the old man likes to tinker with. If he’s a woodworker that has everything, a Rockler gift card can’t be beat.

Rockler Gift Card For the woodworker that has everything.Give the gift of choice with a Rockler Gift Card. Let your favorite woodworker choose from thousands of products from Rockler. Rockler Gift Card

If he’s into fixing up the exterior of the home with painting, fixing the siding, cleaning out the
rain gutters and such, the one thing that can’t be beat is a Little Giant ladder. You’ve probably seen them on TV.

They’re super versatile, have multiple accessories, and are like Transformers you played with as a kid. Free shipping too.

Let’s not leave anyone out though. If tools just aren’t in the picture, but he’s a runner or into any other type of sport, why not get him a Road ID? This is awesome; I just got one myself. See, I’m a kayaker, fly fisherman and a long-distance runner and I don’t always run with a group.

They make several models but I bought the wrist band. It’s a velcro strap with an engraved metal tag. Mine has my name, the town I live in, two phone numbers, and the fact that I take meds for high blood pressure.

If I get hit by a car on the road, or mauled by a bear during a trail run, at least there won’t be any confusion about who I am.

As I always say, “It’s so they know where to send the body.” Gallows humor? Perhaps. But I’m also an organ doner and time is of the essence, as they say…

So… I’ve got this new Eagle Cuda 168 fishfinder for my kayak. Now all I have to do is install it. Not a problem. Technically, these things are sonars. Fancy, eh? Just call me Admiral Kelly Smith.

Since it’s designed for a conventional boat, installation on a fishing kayak is a different animal. Luckily, there’s a lot of personal stories out there on the net on how others solved the various issues. This is a prime DIY job if ever there was one.

And this job is just as easy as rigging a kayak anchor trolley.

First, the transponder. This is mounted inside the yak, secured to the inside bottom hull with marine grade silicone. The key here is to ensure there’s no air bubbles in the glob of silicone. Bubbles will throw off the data displayed on the screen.

Next, the battery. The only real requirement is to supply 10 to 17 V DC. Some people solve this by using one rechageable 12V battery and a waterproof case. Others use a series of batteries (like they’re stacked in a flashlight) and enclose it in a PVC tube.

I’m still engineering how I’ll set mine up but as soon as I put it all together, I’ll post an article with pics at ICanFixUpMyHome.com. Feel free to surf on over there to read other remodeling and construction articles.

The Perpetual Remodel Syndrome. That was the title of a weekly feature article I used to write for AOL until they unceremoniously dumped our group, the DIY bloggers. Ah well, life goes on as scheduled.

But the title remains true around my house. My current project is to finish a built-in medicine cabinet and install the baseboard to complete a bathroom remodel project. It really looks pretty good other than those finishing touches.

Next, I need to install my new fishfinder (sonar) on my fishing kayak. OK, so it’s not technically a remodeling project, but it will take a bit of creativity. I’ve looked online at how some others have done theirs and that might help a bit.

I’ve already done a few mods to the boat, like rigging an anchor trolley. Maybe I could turn this into a series of articles: Pimp my Yak.

Seriously, I do have more work to do on the house. I’m making some custom transitions out of oak to install where two different tile floors come together. l’ve done one and it came out nice; now there’s only two left to do.

Basically, I’m just taking an oak 1″ X 4″ and ripping it down to the proper width. Then I use a jig to bevel the top two edges on the table saw. Finally, I finish them with 3 coats of tung oil and use Liquid Nails project adhesive to glue them down.

And then on to the next project…
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I hope you found this blog interesting and that it inspires some DIY in you! For more remodeling information and inspiration check out my main site, ICanFixUpMyHome.com.

Fly Fishing vests and home security devices, what do these two things have in common? What comes to my mind first is “preparation”. Sounds simplistic, doesn’t it?

I’m eagerly awaiting the delivery of my new fly vest. I ordered it from Cabelas last week. It’s a Columbia Cool Creek Mesh Vest. The mesh part is important in the hot South Texas summertime. So, I’ll be prepared. I’m tired of stuffing things in my pockets.

What about home security devices? Home break-ins are always an issue. And, from some of the reports I’ve been reading lately, it’s only going to get worse now that we’re is such an economic slump. There’s always a few bottom-feeders who would rather take other people’s stuff.

It might not be so bad if the court system lived in the real world, but I don’t guess that’s going to happen. Where’s Judge Roy Bean when you need him?

So, enter sound-attenuation monitors, surveillance cameras, and motion sensors. The modern ones are truly state of the art.

New home owners, beware of this scam - in many areas, recent home-closing records are public. Many burglar alarm companies harvest this data and will call you and ask, “Do you have an alarm yet?” Then they will attempt to sell you one.

All well and good, except that crooks have access to those records as well, and follow that same routine to find easy marks.

Bottom line? Always say, “Yes, I’ve got an alarm and two very large dogs.”

If you enjoyed this blog, surf on over to ICanFixUpMyHome.com for more free home improvement articles.