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Homemade tools for caching


PlantAKiss

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I am a noob so I only have 5 finds under my belt although I hope 2007 brings many more finds. However, in certain situations, I have poor balance due to an inner ear problem. Normally its not too much of an issue (except for looking like a total idiot occasionally). But I have found it to be a bit of problem when hunting for caches when I need to bend down and then turn my head to look under something. This is usually not a good idea or I could end up in a heap on the ground. lol This weekend I had a lightbulb moment and wondered if it would help if made a special tool. I thought I could take a small mirror and glue it to something (piece of coat hanger??) bent at a 45-degree angle so that I could hold it under things and be able to see without having to twist my head. I think a walking stick might be a good idea too.

 

I know there are things like flashlights and compasses people use as tools for a hunt...but does anyone else have anything they have created and found useful for caching? Does anyone have any suggestions for what I might use to attach a mirror to?

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This might sound silly,but if you have trouble bending down to look under something try a mirror velcroed to the toe of your boot.

you can use a larger mirror than the mechchanics kind mentioned above.

Just poke yer foot in there and take a peek.

On the other foot you can mount a flashlight the same way.

Just keep both in your pocket until you need them.

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The auto mechanic mirror on the collapsable stick is great and they can be large mirrors too.

 

Same concept, but with a magnet on the end. Also I have another one with detachable tips with hooks and the like that can be interchanged on the tip.

 

Sometimes instead of the mirror, I will use a digital camera and take a photo and then look on my screen to see what was there -- this is great where I need to write down a # on a multi-cache. Also, the flash will let you see in to dark areas if needed.

 

I bought an extendable pole for painting at the hardware store. This one is metal and fiberglass with a comfortable rubber handle on one end and the screw tip for a broom or paint tools on the other. It is a great 5' walking stick that can extend to almost twice as long. I then have attachements for the tip made by putting a lubricant on the threads, then taking car bondo and gobbing it over the threads, and then attaching anything I want to that. When the bondo cures, just unscrew it off the tip. The pole also makes a nice lever for lifting the bottom edge of those bushy trees or shrubs to look underneath. I originally bought this one to put a magnetic cache back on the 15" high ceiling of a pipe tunnel under a road.

 

I bought a collapsable garbage/trash "claw" thing that fits in my backpack and can fold out to make a nice device for reaching that extra distance to grab something, and also for CITO.

 

A few reliable metal wire coat hangers are always handy to make a tool on the spot.

 

The corkscrew idea posted above is GREAT. I'm getting one tomorrow!!

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Awsome ideas! I didn't know about the car tool. Thank you! I had thought about a dental tool but that's way to small. Camera idea is good too.

 

I can see me now...forgetting to unvelcro the mirror and flashlight off my boot. I'd be quite an attractive sight stumping around the park with a mirror and a flashlight on my shoes. I wonder if someone would mistake my purpose ...as those could be put to some pretty unsavory uses! :)

 

Thanks for all the ideas!

Edited by PlantAKiss
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PlantAKiss:

Although not homemade, I suggest that you get a pair of Trekking poles. Although I do not need them as much as when I had my inner ear problem, I still use them. They are great for hiking up and down steep, irregular terrain, which I do often.

 

(BTW, an inner ear problem can happen suddenly and without warning, probably a virus attacking that part of the ear. No pain, but hearing loss, ringing, and total loss of balance. I could not drive a car for 5 weeks, and it was like learning to walk again. Very bad experience.)

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1. Strong magnet on a long string to get way down deep into things.

2. A container to hold at least a gallon of water to float things up to you.

3. Tweezers to pick things out of tight places.

4. A bright flash light to peer into dark places

5. A light, strong geo-stick to drag things out & walk with (broken golf club with a bolt screwed in the end)

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This might sound silly,but if you have trouble bending down to look under something try a mirror velcroed to the toe of your boot.

 

I would recommend removing that shoe before going to the mall or you may have some 'splaining to do to security. :rolleyes:

 

I did say it would sound silly,but if you made a strap stirup that you could put your foot thru,and it had velcro on the top you could take a larger mirror out of your pocket,attach it to the top of your toe.

then you could just poke your foot under a park bench or whatever without bending down.

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