Rubber Grips for Hand Tools
A new use for EPDM rubber-sheathed wires.
I have found that a perfect handle material can be found in the wiring used for machines and large tools. EPDM rubber-sheathed wires (Southwire Royal is what I use) are not sheathed in a slippery PVC-like jacket, but a very grippy rubber one. I cut a piece to length, remove the wires, and slide it on. They work on pliers, nailsets, and any other tools that will fill up the inside of the sheathing. After two years, I still have the same pieces on my lineman’s pliers, and they haven’t lost grip or slid off.
—Connor Warneck, Royal Oak, Mich.
Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #277
