Sunday, April 30, 2006
GUMMER GEAR Diary (April 29, 2006)
A daily log of how useful Gummer Gear can be
by C.Martin
Saturday turned out to be a Leatherman day, as my WAVE came in handy declogging a can of spray foam insulation. You know the stuff- it comes in a can, sprayed out a long plastic tube outlet, to fill gaps and crevices in your home. The foam expands a great deal and hardens to a styrofoam-like consistency.
So I was in the kitchen, making a sandwhich when I looked outside and observed my snakelight laying on the ground in the rain- I had used it the day prior to work on my riding lawn mower. Curse my forgetfulness.
I go outside and there on the carport I see a slow moving bee. It flies lazily up to a window to the kitchen and disappears under the brick sill. I bend over for a closer look and see the little bastard crawling into a hole in the mortar. A little nest in the wall under my kitchen window. Great.
Then I remember the can of spray foam I used in the fall. Sure enough I locate it, but the foam in the tube and can nozzle has dried and hardened- kind of like spray cheese has a tendency to do.
But what is small enough to pick out the clog of foam in the nozzle? Then I remember the eyeglasses screwdriver built in to my WAVE. Sure enough, it easily fits in the nozzle and with a little scraping, out comes the hardened foam plug.
In no time at all, I'm shooting some foam into the crevices of the brick, sealing those little bee bastards in for all eternity. Or at least until I do that room addition I've talked about and have to tear the wall out anyway.
by C.Martin
Saturday turned out to be a Leatherman day, as my WAVE came in handy declogging a can of spray foam insulation. You know the stuff- it comes in a can, sprayed out a long plastic tube outlet, to fill gaps and crevices in your home. The foam expands a great deal and hardens to a styrofoam-like consistency.
So I was in the kitchen, making a sandwhich when I looked outside and observed my snakelight laying on the ground in the rain- I had used it the day prior to work on my riding lawn mower. Curse my forgetfulness.
I go outside and there on the carport I see a slow moving bee. It flies lazily up to a window to the kitchen and disappears under the brick sill. I bend over for a closer look and see the little bastard crawling into a hole in the mortar. A little nest in the wall under my kitchen window. Great.
Then I remember the can of spray foam I used in the fall. Sure enough I locate it, but the foam in the tube and can nozzle has dried and hardened- kind of like spray cheese has a tendency to do.
But what is small enough to pick out the clog of foam in the nozzle? Then I remember the eyeglasses screwdriver built in to my WAVE. Sure enough, it easily fits in the nozzle and with a little scraping, out comes the hardened foam plug.
In no time at all, I'm shooting some foam into the crevices of the brick, sealing those little bee bastards in for all eternity. Or at least until I do that room addition I've talked about and have to tear the wall out anyway.
GUMMER GEAR DAILY LOG, INTRO
GUMMER GEAR: The Daily Log
by C.Martin
Apparently, you Burt Gummer fans don't read this blog, because no one's bought any of the great gear I've so meticulously recommended.
Don't you get it? Burt is ALWAYS prepared! How can you be prepared without carrying some kind of tools on you? Try watching Survivorman- even he carries some basic tools all the time!
So, in an effort to press home the fact that a true Tremors fan would always be prepared for anything, I'm going to start writing a mind-numbingly-boring daily log of how I use my Gummer Gear. Or how I COULD have used something if I carried it.
To get us rolling, let me state what gear I do always have on my person (when I leave the house):
For starters, there's my keyring. Besides home, auto, and work keys, I have a handcuff key (which I guess is technically a work key), a P-38 can opener and a Swiss Tech Utilikey and a single serrated lock blade knife with built in red LED flash light.
On my wrist I choose to wear a Casio G-Shock illuminator with count down timer. I figure this watch can take more abuse and go deeper underwater than me, so, as logn as the five year battery doesn't wear out, I should always know what time it is. I've had this watch a few years now, and when it wears out, I plan on getting the Casio Pathfinder, Solar-powered Atomic watch with compass and altimeter . Now THAT'S a Burt watch.
On My belt I wear a Leatherman Wave in a leather belt pouch. The pouch has room for additional tools. I chose to add a Fine diamond sharpening rod, a Ferrocerium spark rod (similar to this) and a mini LED flashlight (similar to this), as well as a coarse diamond sharpening stone, like this.
My ferrocerium rod came from a magnesium firestarter keychain gadget. I popped the spark rod off (it was held on only by a slim bead of glue) then turned a bic pen into a carry case (trimming for length) to keep it sealed from water.
In case you wonder why I carry two different sharpeners... The WAVE's blade is such a hard metal, the fine diamond rod is pretty much useless. All I have succeeded in doing with it is removing the factory edge. The rod has done wonders for my keyring knife and my utilikey however. I'd recommend forgetting the rod, but since I've already bought mine, I'm going to keep using it.
Finally, for anyone who has ever seen "Die Hard" one of the most important things I have with me on a daily basis are my shoes.
Basically, I wear one of two kinds of shoes when I go out: sneakers or boots.
For daily wear in the summer and spring, I wear comfortable sneakers. Preferably as unhip as possible and with a foam air-sole kind of cusion. Having kids and being dragged to the mall a lot, comfortable shoes are a must.
For work or for everyday wear in the fall and winter, I opt for hiking boots. My work boots tend to resemble dress shoes- I go for smooth brown leather. My after work shoes I don't really care about the looks, but go for comfort. I choose hiking shoes for comfort and traction. I just don't like "dress shoes" with their hard, slick bottomed soles. Sure, my work shoes might squeak every now and then, but I can run when I need to and at the end of the day my feet are alot more comfortable.
So there you have it, my daily carry. I have more stuff in my car, and I also carry a firearm at work, but these are the basic tools I always have on me. Sure, I could carry more, and probably will in the future, but that's what have for now, and they sure come in handy.
by C.Martin
Apparently, you Burt Gummer fans don't read this blog, because no one's bought any of the great gear I've so meticulously recommended.
Don't you get it? Burt is ALWAYS prepared! How can you be prepared without carrying some kind of tools on you? Try watching Survivorman- even he carries some basic tools all the time!
So, in an effort to press home the fact that a true Tremors fan would always be prepared for anything, I'm going to start writing a mind-numbingly-boring daily log of how I use my Gummer Gear. Or how I COULD have used something if I carried it.
To get us rolling, let me state what gear I do always have on my person (when I leave the house):
For starters, there's my keyring. Besides home, auto, and work keys, I have a handcuff key (which I guess is technically a work key), a P-38 can opener and a Swiss Tech Utilikey and a single serrated lock blade knife with built in red LED flash light.
On my wrist I choose to wear a Casio G-Shock illuminator with count down timer. I figure this watch can take more abuse and go deeper underwater than me, so, as logn as the five year battery doesn't wear out, I should always know what time it is. I've had this watch a few years now, and when it wears out, I plan on getting the Casio Pathfinder, Solar-powered Atomic watch with compass and altimeter . Now THAT'S a Burt watch.
On My belt I wear a Leatherman Wave in a leather belt pouch. The pouch has room for additional tools. I chose to add a Fine diamond sharpening rod, a Ferrocerium spark rod (similar to this) and a mini LED flashlight (similar to this), as well as a coarse diamond sharpening stone, like this.
My ferrocerium rod came from a magnesium firestarter keychain gadget. I popped the spark rod off (it was held on only by a slim bead of glue) then turned a bic pen into a carry case (trimming for length) to keep it sealed from water.
In case you wonder why I carry two different sharpeners... The WAVE's blade is such a hard metal, the fine diamond rod is pretty much useless. All I have succeeded in doing with it is removing the factory edge. The rod has done wonders for my keyring knife and my utilikey however. I'd recommend forgetting the rod, but since I've already bought mine, I'm going to keep using it.
Finally, for anyone who has ever seen "Die Hard" one of the most important things I have with me on a daily basis are my shoes.
Basically, I wear one of two kinds of shoes when I go out: sneakers or boots.
For daily wear in the summer and spring, I wear comfortable sneakers. Preferably as unhip as possible and with a foam air-sole kind of cusion. Having kids and being dragged to the mall a lot, comfortable shoes are a must.
For work or for everyday wear in the fall and winter, I opt for hiking boots. My work boots tend to resemble dress shoes- I go for smooth brown leather. My after work shoes I don't really care about the looks, but go for comfort. I choose hiking shoes for comfort and traction. I just don't like "dress shoes" with their hard, slick bottomed soles. Sure, my work shoes might squeak every now and then, but I can run when I need to and at the end of the day my feet are alot more comfortable.
So there you have it, my daily carry. I have more stuff in my car, and I also carry a firearm at work, but these are the basic tools I always have on me. Sure, I could carry more, and probably will in the future, but that's what have for now, and they sure come in handy.
Burt as Joe?
The new Grabblog avatar? A Custom-made Burt Gummer 12" Action Figure head shot.