Drain Snake as material....

[Peter Martin]

Ghostdog recommended this material awhile back... using a flat spring steel drain snake as material.

I went to Big Lots (a discount store in the US) and found a 25-foot drain snake made of nice spring steel 1/4" wide. Cost: $1.88. At first I was leery because the package said "Made in China". I went home and started cutting it to length and filing it to shape.

Let me tell you this is far better than hacksaw blades. The metal is softer so it files away better, yet strong enough to fulfill the purpose. I've made two hooks, two snake rakes, two half diamonds, and one round/ball... all with hand and needle files. For people without a grinder, I recommend this material--heck even if ya got one (but you won't need it).

Kudos to Ghostdog for this fine recommendation! Far easier than scouting the street for sweeper bristles!

[zeke79]

They are very nice. I have one that is partially used now (about halfway) and another in case of a rainy day .

[grit1]

On a similar note, you could probably fabricate tools from electrical fish tape as well. May be more expensive than drain snake line but if you find a deal or have an extra around...stay away from the fiberglass sort though. ~Grit.

[Minion]

Grit, the fish tape is generally quite thick, I don't think it would make a good material.

[Kodiak]

What is "electrical fish tape"?

[grit1]

You're right - it's thicker, but it could have it's applications - I suppose you could use it for light tension wrenches...

Electrical fish tape is used to pull wire through conduit or tight spaces when wiring for electrical, voice, data, CATV etc...it's a long piece of spring steel or fiberglass, with one end bent in a way to allow attachment of the wire, the other end a reel/handle for storing and pulling/pushing.

~Grit.

[Buggs41]

What is "electrical fish tape"?

It is a long piece of spring steel. When first purchased, it is wound on a handy little spool. It is unwound from the spool as it is fed into conduit. When it reaches the end of the conduit, wires are attached to it. One person feeds the wires into the conduit, the other guy pulls with the fish tape. Hopefully he winds it back into the handy little spool. If he doesn't, it usually gets kinked, and that is the exact point that provides you TWO short fish tapes at a later date.

Buggs

[undeadspacehippie]

On a similar note, you could probably fabricate tools from electrical fish tape as well. May be more expensive than drain snake line but if you find a deal or have an extra around...stay away from the fiberglass sort though. ~Grit.

I was working with my pops doing a camera install and we had to fish some wire through the ceilings and I was eyeballing (wow my hillbilly roots are oozing today) his new fishline, all the while thinking, where is the old one - he tossed it. BUT he saw me looking at it while we were working and told me to F_off and leave it alone - I keep taking his worked in reciprocating saw blades (the bent ones, straighten them, thin them out and they make great picks) and he knew exactly what I was up to.

[SFGOON]

Sounds like my dad. I can't count how many of his expensive woodworking files I ground into crude knives growing up.


Looks like I just thought of the perfect father's day gift.

[undeadspacehippie]

I think its a trait of tinkerers (sp) - we have to find new uses for things that are already invented or manufactured. I've done the file knives also - a scout leader told our group (can't call it a troop, wasn't regular enough) to go garage saleing for old files - then he showed us how to make knives.

[devildog]

Just got some drain snake today, really good stuff, definately recommended over hacksaw blades or wiper inserts. I'll have to have a look at that fish tape stuff. I really wanted to get 1/2" stuff, but the shortest reel they had of it at Lowes was 50 feet, so I had to get the 1/4" stuff--does anyone know where I can get a reasonable length, like 10-15 feet, of 1/2" drain snake??

[raimundo]

drainsnake may be thinner than fishtape, because fishtape has to stand up or cantilever against gravity, while drain snake has to follow curves in pipes. you guys with the stuff would have that answer.

[ysr50speed]

I have used the material and works good