I Live in a Jungle

Alex trying to mow down the grass out our back door
that had been neglected for about a year while we
were away. There is a fence in there somewhere.

Alright, I'm gonna say this because somebody's got to. Basically, the coastal Pacific Northwest is a jungle. Virtually every square inch of soil that isn't covered by pavement or a structure or controlled by herbicides is naturally overrun by aggressive greenery. We have no shortage of trees or plant life here and if you don't keep ahead of the green invasion, you'll find yourself overgrown by Himalayan blackberry bushes, various grasses/weeds and rapidly propagating deciduous trees. There is absolutely no need to to plant or cultivate anything to have green matter as the conditions here are ideal for plant life to grow spontaneously. Some people are really into this whole "jungle" bit, but others just get to a point where they've had enough and move to places like Arizona, where you can literally have rocks for your entire yard and it's perfectly acceptable.

Tree shrine at Green Lake Park.

I have to chuckle with the irony of people who lament the loss of a beloved tree. A few years ago when I was running on the trail around Green Lake in Seattle, a woman and her child handed me a camera and wanted me to take a picture of them with a tree stump that they had memorialized with a flowered shrine. I took the picture for them but I couldn't help but think how bizarre this was. The woman was sad, and still mourning the loss of a tree she thought was special for some reason. I mean, it's a tree. I'm not sure about the fate of the tree, but by the size of the stump, it was at or near the end of its life anyway. When a tree blows down, gets diseased or even gets cut down for lumber, you simply plant another one in its place. That's the beauty behind a renewable resource... and in the Pacific Northwest, it's gonna grow no matter what.

Beyond Duct Tape, WD-40 and Super Glue

I've devoted the past 20 months of my life to being a student - in a skill set that I initially had very little knowledge in. I've learned a lot, but I still have a lot yet to learn.

Many people don't realize that I am also a teacher though. I have skills that I have acquired vocationally as well as independently through hobbies. I have built and repaired things for almost 50 years now - which means I started using tools even before I started kindergarten.

Being a seasoned industrial artist, one of the things that we joke about is the use of duct tape and WD-40. I would also like to add Super Glue to that cluster of most abused items. I've been using different types of glues ever since I started using tools as well... and I even know full well what the non-toxic types taste like. So, when I transitioned from eating glue to seriously using it, I started to figure out that like every other tool or substance, there are many different types of adhesives (glues & tape), each having a different application.

Here's the deal - when people start seriously talking about using duct tape, WD-40 or Super Glue to make a permanent repair, I have to step back and scrutinize their intentions or abilities and for me it's a teaching moment. Now, don't get me wrong, I usually bring duct tape, Super Glue and WD-40 with me when I am traveling. They are good for getting you out of a situation - provided you know how to use them. On the other hand, if you know how to actually repair something, sometimes it takes about the same amount of time (or less) to do it right and make a reliable, permanent repair.

I've seen some pretty gnarly DIY Duct Tape jobs that took me a long time to clean up and then since the problem had been neglected for so long, the repair took longer than it normally would have had the job been done right in the first place.

Then there is WD-40... Many people don't realize that WD-40 actually destroys the existing lubricant, so if there was grease or oil in it initially, it basically washes it out and the lubrication that WD-40 provides only lasts a little while. It is not meant as a long-term lubricant, but rather it is designed to displace water and also works to free up rusted bolts or mechanisms. After you've loosened them up, you should clean off the WD-40 and reapply the proper lubricant.

Super Glue has a limited application (besides permanently gluing your appendages together or to other things). If you know what types of materials that Super Glue works with and you understand the properties of the glue itself, it is a great tool for fabrication or repairs. If you don't understand those properties, you are better off leaving the cap on and letting somebody more knowledgeable do the job. You can really mess some things up with Super Glue. I think the same could be said for other types of glues like hot glue, Elmer's glue, model "airplane" cement (which has a toluene solvent), Gorilla Glue or epoxies (to include JB Weld) - or any other type of liquid glue. Oftentimes, the best choice is none of those listed, but something you may have never even heard about or considered. Do your research. The reason why there are so many different types of glue has something to do with the way they react with the substance you are gluing. In order for a glue or cement to work properly, it has to chemically react with or form a surface bond with the substance you are gluing. There is no "all purpose" glue. It doesn't exist. Some substances cannot be glued, so you have to find another way to secure them.

There are so many other methods that people skip over when their knee-jerk reaction is to reach for tape or glue. For instance, there are fasters like screws, rivets, nut/bolt combos, pins, clips or a multitude of other options. There are also methods like folding, swaging, welding, soldering, heat-shrinking, melting/reforming, and making brackets, holders, plates or whatever. Sometimes you just have to look at the needs and be resourceful. The hardware department is full of options that you may never have even dreamed of. Experience with a vast variety of different materials and processes is helpful in an industrial situation. Most often though, the best practice is to step back, inspect, analyze and work through the repair before just filling it with glue or layering it with tape. You might be surprised at just how simple repairing it the proper way can be.