A stitch in time.

[Mike Ameling]

Super glue ends up being one of my most used repair items. I use it to "fix" shoes when the sole starts to separate a little. Also to stick things back together when the stitching starts to break/separate on a seam. I also use it to repair the stitching/seams on leather gloves. I use them hard in the blacksmith shop or cutting firewood. And the stitching on the seams in certain areas give up way too often and early. A few drops along the seam, press it back to gether, hold a bit, and it's fixed. I stopped stitching leather gloves back together years ago.

I try to find super glue in a little re-sealable bottle. I often can find it in the "automotive" section of stores. One version just has a little tapered nozzle in it so that you can drip a little glue out where you want it. The better version has a brush in the cap that sets down inside the plastic bottle. You twist the cap open, pull it out, and then brush the glue where you want it. That 1 inch long brush gives you a better reach into tight places.

I treat those little sqeeze tubes of super glue as a one-shot use. After one use, that lid tends to glue itself on. And any exposure to the air quickly dries out the rest of the glue. So if I am going to use one of them, I line up several projects to glue - to use it all up so that I don't just "waste" the rest.

Good duct tape. If you are careful, you can do amazing things with good duct tape. But there are a lot of bad versions out there. The good stuff will quickly show you why it was used to cover over bullet/shrapnel holes in fighter jets, airplanes, and helicopters by the military - quick fix patches. But that's "good" duct tape. I've used it on tents, boots, jackets, packs, ropes, tarps, and all manner of things in the shop and on my vehicle. Plus I've used it to stop or cover up various ... um ... leaks ... in skin. Works pretty good and stays in place. But is terrible when you have to pull it off (all those hairs on your skin STICK to it!) And be a little careful to line edges back up when patching up a cut on your skin - if you are concerned about not leaving scars.

I also use it to cover over any area where I am developing a blister from use. The tape stabilizes the skin so that the top layer doesn't rub anymore. It can stop a blister from forming, and keep it from expanding. A friend who teaches multiple day blacksmithing classes calls it "instant armor". Most of his students are not used to hammering all day, so they quickly start to develope blisters on their hands. A quick wrap of the area before it goes to far solves the problem, and they can continue the class for several more hours/days.

Super Glue and Duct Tape - two things I always carry and use for quick repairs.

Dental Floss. It's just nylon thread - extremely tough/strong nylon thread. And in a handy dispensor. Plus you can get it Waxed - which can help to seal up stitching when sewing up tents. Plus you can split it into thinner/smaller threads if you need to.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. Unfortunately, I can't bring either of them along to my historical camps. They just don't quite fit in to the 1700's. (at least not officially or in plain sight)

 

[canadianwildman]

i cant sew so yeah

 

[Cobweb]

Wayland, that sewing kit looks great, I've been searching for a small and useful kit like that for years and all 'I've come up with is bloody plastic which I hate, I'm going to make one later

 

[spamel]

Duct tape, Black nasty or Harry black is very good for making repairs, as Mikey says, but I also agree that there is some really poor stuff out there! The military stuff is great, but I've found over the years that there are a few things that can make it a pain to use. If the tape is cold, it doesn't seem to be as sticky, so stick it inside your jacket for a while if you can. Obviously, dry and dust free surfaces are a must or else the tape just laughs at you as it falls off! And if you want to repair a tent with tape, make sure you pitch the tent with the repaired side away from the sun. The heat from the sun, especially on dark coloured canvas, makes the tapes' stickiness really gooey, and a fabric under tension can part again.

Oh, and don't play stupid games when drunk if you think your mates may have a roll of Harry Black ready to go. Getting your hands taped to your head by them wrapping about six times round your head over your face, glasses and hands is not funny, least wise because it is impossible to escape from it once taped up! I was told once that three turns of harry black will hold a ton, so six turns and you're going nowhere! They cut me free in the end though!

 

[big_swede]

I carry a wooden tube with a thimble, needles, buttons and three different coloured threads. Also some two-piece rivets, good for emergency repairs of webbing and similar things. I use the end of my knife handle (it's brass) and some other thing (has to be harder than the rivet, no problem, as the rivets are soft as butter), usually an axe or in worst case. a stone.

As for tape, I can say that gaffa and duct tape doesn't work very well in cold climate (the cheaper versions doesn't work at all, while the military quality tapes works a bit, not always satisfactory). But I've found a solution to this, hmm, problem (not really important, but maybe nice to know). The tapes you use to get better grip on ice hockey sticks is also based on a weave and works perfectly well in cold climates. Have used it to fix stuff on my old snow mobile, a tent, tentpoles and some other stuff I can't remember. Sure it was something though. A jacket, yeah, that's it.

And as we are talking of threads, what is the english word for the tools you use to make threads (like on screws and in nuts) in steel called?

 

[Matt.S]

And as we are talking of threads, what is the english word for the tools you use to make threads (like on screws and in nuts) in steel called?

A male/external thread (screw): a die.
A female/internal thread (nut): a tap.

 

[big_swede]

A male/external thread (screw): a die.
A female/internal thread (nut): a tap.

thx.. Wasn't really sure, and helps me on another forum!

 

[sandbender]

Super glue ends up being one of my most used repair items.

Never without a small bottle of the stuff, although it's usually used for fixing me rather than my gear.

This is a nice little Sami sewing kit from Sweden...

It's carved from hollowed out antler, some needles and thread are attached to a small piece of leather which is pulled up into the hollow cavity where they can be kept safe and dry.

 

[Treeclipper]

I didn't have a sewing kit , until last night anyway. After seeing this I went and made one

Made from the neck of an old norgie shirt . I always cut them off , can't stand tight things round my neck.

Tree

 

[spamel]

That looks the ticket! Nice little project there. The tape I don't carry in my sewing kit as I usually have a tape measure in my Response Pak for tracking related stuff.

 

[crazyclimber]

If the tape is cold, it doesn't seem to be as sticky, so stick it inside your jacket for a while if you can.

Have you tried gaffer tape? I made the painful mistake a couple years back of using duct tape to protect a camera body while being sandblasted in a rather warm country. The following day trying to remove it... the tape equivalent of chewing gum from a carpet.
Gaffer tape on the other hand still works when frozen and does come off without leaving sticky stuff everywhere

 

[Wayland]

Wayland, that sewing kit looks great, I've been searching for a small and useful kit like that for years and all 'I've come up with is bloody plastic which I hate, I'm going to make one later

I think that's Patrick's set you're looking at. He's a fantastic craftsman.

If you think it looks good in pictures you ought to see it for real....

 

[Wayland]

Sorry posted twice...

 

[bigjackbrass]

Part of what to carry comes down to what sort of repair you're doing: There's a difference between the "good as new" repair you can get from careful gluing and sewing and the repair that gets you out of trouble and back to where you can do the job properly. A friend of mine repaired his hiking boots with military-grade gaffa tape as a temporary repair and the stuff ended up lasting until the boots fell apart, but it wasn't what you'd call pretty, and if you use it on something like a Therm-a-Rest mattress the adhesive makes it harder to put a proper patch in place later.

Mind you, the good tape really is good: I held a snowmobile on the back of a pickup truck with a roll of it and drove from Boston to Maine. Not that I necessarily recommend such actions...

I try to strike a balance between the two sorts of repair materials, since it's all well and good taking the time to do things right but we don't always have that luxury.

 

[BOD]

I suppose a sewing kit is vital to the Inuit but the warmer the environment the less important in survival terms sticthing clothes becomes as opposed to comfort. No doubt there are exceptions.

Big needle and floss for me.

My fear is losing the sole of my boots

 

[Wayland]

Very few have mentioned an awl.

I consider it one of my most important tools, not just for sewing but for many other uses too.

It can be awkward to carry but I put a piece of dry elder over the point and the pith holds it nicely in place.