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An Invention That Served Many Needs
waltermoe
Member Posts: 2,297 ✭✭✭✭
As I was changing the tablets in the septic tank, and as I was pulling the tablet cage out of the pipe with this hook that I had made from a coat hanger, it dawned on me. Over the years since it was invented, what all has been made out of it.
I remember tying up a muffler, use one to scratch my back, I remember a guy making a stringer for fish. I have straitened out the hook to clean out holes on things.
They should make a national wire coat hanger day in celebration of it many uses.
Comments
I have one that I straightened out years ago and left it hanging in the closet. My wife keeps trying to throw it away! I keep having to rescue my 'multi-tool'!
I am told that you can even use them as welding rods in a pinch.
They make snagless fishing weights, cut to whatever length is needed, or doubled over for more.
There are wire coat hangers?
lol. I thought I was the only one that took care of a coat hanger like a tool. Got one in the garage I’ve been using 30 years now to open chalking tubes, even though there is one on the chalking gun I always grab my coat hanger wire.
I have used them to tie up exhaust untill repairs could be made
use as a drain snake to pull out clogs in the trap
used as filler rod when mig welding
use the heavy gauge wire there made from to tie up and hang many different Iems
even use them to hang clothes on
as posted I have a supply in the garage for general purpose
and one straightened out hanging in th elaundry room to fish stary socks from behind the washer dryer
my wife is constantly trying to throw them away when we get them and I of course rescue them
the plastic and wood ones are nice but I bet we well me, ( my wife throws them away ) have wire coat hangers well over 40 yrs old still doing their job
to me its the wire version of duct tape
Have used them to help unlock a vehicle with keys locked inside.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Used one to unlock truck doors.
Dad could fix anything with used baling twine and a coat hanger.
All purpose tool . Mandatory for keeping worn out farm equipment working
I have even used them on many occasions to hang up my various shirts and jackets.😜
We used to use them for stingers with I was a kid too.. Hook it through the first fish's gill and mouth, pile them on and hook the other end around the oar lock.. Not the best but worked in a pinch !
Yep........if I can keep my wife from throwing all of MINE away!!!🥺
Heck........I even have a few that still have the cleaner's "paper wrap" on them.🤫
Used many times to fix just about anything, Learned how to gas weld on mufflers in the 70's, if I find one I keep it. Always a go to on the farm and better than bailing wire or duct tape in some cases.
I use them regularly for hanging parts to be painted and to dry. They're great for drying air filters and other irregular shapes too. Just bend to the desired shape.
I also just used one to repair my raccoon trap.
I never hang clothes on the metal ones though. Mommy Dearest, ya know?
I've found water by using two old coat hangers
Many years ago on the Northway headed towards Canada at 2am in the morning I stopped for gas as i was running on fumes. I went inside to get some coffee and pay for gas. It was starting to snow and was bitter cold.(below 10 degrees as I recall). A really desolate place in Warren or Essex county. I slammed the truck door shut and locked my keys inside. Went inside and came back realizing what a dumb thing I had done. Nice old gent went in rest room and came out with a coat hanger and handed me his wire cutters. Took me at least and hour in the freezing cold but I finally got that door open. My hands had turned blue and owner told me to stay as long as I wanted to get warm again. We had a long conversation about the Adirondack Forest Preserve and turns out he was a deer hunter like me. Finally made it to horse trail where i hunted and my hunting partner Gerhard joined me about 6am. Never will forget that old fella's kindness and that coat hanger. Never made that mistake again. ---------------------------------Ray
just sitting here watch Tv to pass time
and thinking about this post
I have one more coat hanger story to add and don.t recommend it
when I first started driving and had to do road side repairs to get back home on some of the old cars i had , I had recently learned to jump the solenoid ( by pass ) on my old mustang using a screwdriver I had a uncle show he how to do it
and I was waiting on pay day to buy another solenoid . my job paid $1.35 and did not go very far 😥
I was out in some little wide spot in the road mom pop grocery store parking lot where I had just pulled in trying to find a girls house I had met over the weekend😍 but the small store was closed and of course the car would not start
I thought I got this 😁 but had no tools and no one around, I did find a old coat hanger by the trash can .. what luck 🤩
well when you use a bare wire held in your hand and pass 300 to 500 amps thru that bare wire to bypass the solenoid
trust me you will only do it once the smell of burning flesh and the intense pain of the coat hanger searing its self into the palm of my hand ... .. yep the car started but Oh man I learned a hard lesson thet day keep a few tools in the car
and even now 50 some yrs later I carry a hand full of basic tools in all my cars and trucks
funny how burning the crap out of your hand changes your habits.
oh I did find the girls house later on that day but thats story for a different time like a made for tv show it its own 🙄 😮
Yep, the original multi-tool.
Thats all my brother ever used for exhaust hangers on his vehicles.
When we were kids, we made sling shots out of clothe hangers and rubber bands. I made one for my son when he was about ten.
What ??.....I can't believe no one has said they made great rabbit ears for TV's and a fast replacement temporary antenna on your auto/truck radio 😊
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
good answer
elephant in the room😁
that was so common and seen so often and sneaked right on by 😲
we used them to clear jams in our BB gun barrel they were just the right size ( re using bb's and using wooden match sticks as darts with a Stright pin /pressed in it we always seem to get some thing stuck
Another obvious use we over looked, it was one of Mom's go twos for a quick backside heater when kids got in to trouble, although I think she preferred to use the wooden ones more!
Another overlooked use........roasting weenies or marsh-mellows over a outdoor fire.....😀
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
I have folded the end over and used em to pull patch through a rifle/shotgun barrell. Also folded over tight they can hold a match to get back in to light the pilot on the older furnaces and hot water tanks...........
Almost forgot my dearly departed Mom had our wrap-around porch covered with different hanging baskets all hung by.........coat hangers. I guess women had their own feminine uses of them too. 😊
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
I use one for my pot holder loom.
Since I've been down with my back, I pulled out what was my Dad's pot holder loom.
The frame must be close to 70 years old.
I use an old hanger to weave thru the vertical loops to bring the new loop horizontal.
It passes the time and all of my friends get new pot holders.
Driving back from a far away funeral in my brother's old VW bus with the whole family when the thing quit. Pulled off to the side of the freeway and noticed the engine was still running but the accelerator got no response, the cable broke. My Dad had to give up the hanger for his suit coat. You had to drive that thing with your foot to the floor to get freeway speed. When I got going again, I could only get 67 MPH so I stopped again and tightened up the coat hanger and got almost 80; better than before the cable broke! I don't think my brother ever had it fixed.
Pull into a diamond shape, wrap with foil- instant frying pan.
Since I've broke about ever bone and torn ever tendon in my body at one time or another I've used the coat hangers quite a bit to scratch with inside my cast.
Good one smitty
I used one to scratch my lower leg I had it in a cast for 13 weeks with a broke ankle I was about 20 yrs old and a skateboard did me in
And that coat hanger sure felt good lol
I've been known to fashion them into a working automobile.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
How many of us, have used one to hold up our exhaust pipe, that was put together with on old steel Budweiser can!!!! My dads favorite trick. LOL