The Secret Life of Blu-Tack
Mounting putty is a versatile material with lots of practical applications on the job site and in the workshop.
Blu-Tack, that puttylike stuff available in office-supply stores (known as Tac’N Stik or mounting putty in the U.S.), has a number of uses around the house, workshop and building site. Mounting putty is strong enough to hang lightweight things such as chuck keys, router bits, pencils and plan drawings to a wall or the side of a bench, and it won’t harm a finished surface.
Most mounting putty will stick to glazed or unglazed surfaces, pulls off easily, doesn’t discolor wood and doesn’t affect an item’s ability to take adhesive. So I use it to hold a piece of trim or tile in place while I draw scribe lines for cutting.
You can affix a short piece of wire to the end of a bolt with a dab of mounting putty. This makes it easier to reach around an obstacle and guide the bolt into its hole by threading the wire by feel through a hard-to-see opening. In similar fashion, a dab on the head of a screw keeps it attached to the screwdriver when reaching for a hard-to-get-at spot.
I’m sure there are lots of other uses. Once you have the stuff in your toolbox, it’s difficult not to use it. It doesn’t go hard like putty, but it’s a good idea to keep it in a plastic bag to protect it from job-site dust and shavings.
— Anthony Clarke; Moonta Mines, Australia
From Fine Homebuilding #136
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