I always like to try to repair an item if possible before replacing it. Why shell out your hard earned cash for something new? That’s why you see me talking about mending and repairs here on Frugal Upstate–it’s one of the basic mindsets and skills a person striving to lead a more frugal live can cultivate.
The other day I had the handle break off of oone of my soup mugs. I really like these soup mugs–they are just the perfect size to use for a portion for one, and the handle makes them easy to carry even when the food is piping hot. I own four and they have seen a LOT of use in the 16 years I’ve owned them (they were a wedding gift–they match our every day dinnerware set).
A little while back the handle for one of my soup mugs broke off. I knew I could glue it with my favorite glue–E6000. What, you don’t have a favorite glue? Anyway, I knew the glue would hold well, and since the break was not in a place where it would come into contact with the food itself I didn’t have to worry about needing something foodsafe.
The problem was the location of the break. How do you keep the two surfaces together while the glue dries? I suppose I could have just sat there and held it for a half hour or so while the bond formed, but that seemed like a waste of time. Instead I decided to try a tip I had read about years ago–using a bowl of rice to hold the item so that the broken surfaces would be held in place.
I just went into my bulk rice bucket, filled up a big serving bowl and nestled the mug in there at exactly the angle I wanted. A couple dabs of glue later I positioned on the handle and it sat there nice and stable while it dried.
Tada! There’s your quick tip!
What a great idea! I can see other uses for this idea too!
Great idea. Here’s another use of the rice bowl:
http://xkcd.com/1598/