Super Handyman: Oh, the many ways to hold a nail

Nail guns are great, but there still are a lot of times when you need to hammer a nail in the old-fashioned way, by hand!

However, if you are not careful, you can end up hitting the wrong nail — the one on your finger! Ouch! But there are some pretty clever ways to hold the nail without endangering yourself.

You can hold a nail with a piece of cardboard. You just poke the nail through the cardboard and hold it while you drive the nail in. If you miss, the cardboard can take it without a whimper. Or, you can borrow a bobby pin from your wife or daughter. These are perfect for holding a nail, even a small one, while you drive it in with a hammer.

A clothespin will hold a larger nail or a spike while you hammer on it.

A hair comb is another device that can be used. You just slip the nail in between the teeth of the comb so you can hold the comb instead of the nail.

Pliers also can be used. Just make sure you don’t miss and hit them, or you might be replacing them sooner than you planned.

You can hold larger nails with the hammer itself. The nail fits into the claw with the nail head up against the hammer head. The claw holds the nail while you give it a few taps to get it started. Once you have it started, you can turn the hammer around and drive it on home. And you don’t have to risk your life by holding the nail yourself.

You can pre-drill a starter hole, too. This is easy enough to do and, once the nail is standing in the hole, you can finish driving it in with the hammer.

Old rake can still do workWhat#146;s the best way to hang up garden tools? Well there are lots of great hangers, but you might have one hanging around that you haven#146;t considered. What about your old rake? An old rake, with the handle removed, can be hung up on a wall to hold several other yard tools. The tines of the rake are spaced out just wide enough to hold other rakes, hoes, shovels and the like. It#146;s a great way to use an old, classic tool that might otherwise end up in a landfill!Avoid a hot mess A roof doesn#146;t have to be tin to be hot in the summer, and you don#146;t have to be a cat to get burned. Just about any roof is hot enough to boil an egg during sunny summer days, so extra precautions should be taken when you need to make repairs up there. It#146;s a good idea to take a rubber floor mat with you when you go up. The mat will give you a little protection from the heat. It also can give you more stability, and even help hold some of your tools. You can borrow one from your car or truck, or maybe even your front door. Just make sure it#146;s rubber and doesn#146;t slide, or you might have a whole new set of problems to deal with!Super hintsŸ If you would love to have a magnetic screwdriver, you can make one just by moving a regular screwdriver, in one direction, over a magnet about 30 or 40 times. This adds magnetism to the screwdriver, and it will last for quite a while.Ÿ I#146;m not a very patient person. I like to get jobs done quickly and without a lot of problems. One of the things I#146;ve learned to do when working on small drywall repairs is to use a fan or hair dryer to dry the mud faster. You don#146;t want to do it too fast or it will crack, but getting it done a little faster works for me!Ÿ If you don#146;t have gloves to protect your hands from paint or other messes, smear a coating of petroleum jelly or hand lotion on them instead. The greasy coating will prevent paint and other substances from sticking.Q. I#146;ve noticed, over time, the ice cubes my refrigerator makes are getting smaller and smaller. Is there something I can do about this, or is this normal?A. No, it#146;s not normal. We suggest you check the supply line to make sure you don#146;t have some sort of restriction in it. You can disconnect the water supply line from the back of your refrigerator, hold it over a bucket and see if water is coming through at a standard rate. If not, clear the line of clogs. While you have the water disconnected, check the inline filter screen at the solenoid to make sure it#146;s not clogged. Q. We were told to add another vent to our attic, and we want to try to do it ourselves. What is the best way to cut through the roof?A. Your best bet would be a reciprocating saw. It will cut through all the materials you will have to deal with. Just go slow and be careful as you work. You should be able to get a fairly smooth cut if you take your time. Make sure you make very secure connections to your vent. Good luck!Q. I would like to know if I can paint my driveway so it will look better. I had it resurfaced a few years ago to seal the cracks and cover some stains, but it just looks very plain and very white. Can I use a paint or stain on it?A. If it has not been sealed, you can use a stain. Just follow the directions on the product you use, and you should get acceptable results. Painting can give you better results, but it might not last as long because of the excessive wear and tear on a typical driveway. The best paint to use would be epoxy paint, as it can stand up to the abuse better than others. A garage-floor paint is a good option. Most resurfacing companies offer some really strong, attractive finishes as well. These usually are the longest-lasting finishes around. If you like the original work that your contractor did, you might contact it again and see if it has any finishes that can be applied.Reader tipsŸ We had some water damage in our home and have replaced many things, including all the carpets. One issue we had afterward was a musty smell in our den. We discovered that it was coming from the books. I guess the paper absorbed the smell, and we thought we might have to get rid of all our books. We put them in a large plastic box and covered them with cornmeal to absorb the odor. We left them sealed up for several days and then checked on them. The smell appears to be gone. We got the books out, cleaned them off and have replaced them on the shelves. I can#146;t smell the odor anymore.Ÿ When we renovated our master bedroom, we also updated the bathroom with a few minor changes. We replaced the small mirrors with one large mirror. We didn#146;t want to get rid of our old medicine cabinets that also had mirrors, so we covered them with artwork. We found framed paintings that were a little larger than the mirrored fronts and hung the art over the mirrors with Velcro. We still have the cabinets but they are hidden by artwork. The room looks a lot more modern now, and we didn#146;t spend that much doing it either.Ÿ We put up wallpaper in our kitchen. My wife picked it out, and we did all the work ourselves. It turned out OK, but the seams have separated. Someone told us the paper shrunk. I don#146;t know how that happens, but it did, so we had to find a way to fix it. We mixed up some paint that matches the paper and painted all of the seams. You can#146;t see them now.Ÿ I don#146;t have a storage shed and wouldn#146;t have much room for one anyway. I found a great place to store the lawn mower. It#146;s under my deck out back. The deck is raised just enough to push the mower underneath, and there#146;s also enough room for the rest of my tools.Shop talkŸ Spring and summer are great times of the year, but in many parts of the country they are humid times as well. Higher humidity can bring on mold and mildew problems. Mildew is not only smelly and ugly, but it also can ruin walls, carpeting and just about any other surface it gets on. Learn how to rid your home of this problem once and for all. We#146;ve put together a pamphlet called #147;Mildew around Your House,#148; and it is full of tips on how to get rid of mildew and how to keep it from coming back. Learn more on our website.Ÿ We are trying to get our house ready for sale. We have painted most of the outside trim, but had trouble with the porch railings. A brush would have taken forever and spraying them would have made a huge mess. I talked to a guy in the paint store to ask his advice, and he showed me a #147;paint mitt.#148; It looks like a mitten and is made for painting things just like this. It worked quite well. I was even able to clean it out, and eventually, I will use it on the patio furniture.Ÿ Bathroom lights can have ventilation fans built in, and Broan has one that is all that and more. The QTXE110SFLT combines an energy-efficient fluorescent light fixture, a built-in night light and ultra silent fan with Sensaire technology that turns on when the humidity rises to a certain level and turns back off when it#146;s no longer needed. The Energy Star rating lets you know you are getting the most for your money and, even if you forget to turn it on, it still will do its job. Check it out at www.broan.com and find a local dealer.Ÿ You have no doubt heard of Trex decking material by now. It#146;s a synthetic wood that stands up to all kinds of outdoor threats without warping, splitting or fading. Now Trex is making furniture. Several styles are available, and they are made from recycled milk jugs! They will last a long time and have the same great look as the decking. You#146;ll never have to paint or stain this stuff! Check it out at www.trex.com and find a dealer in your area. You#146;ll love it!Ÿ Write to Al and Kelly Carrell in care of the Daily Herald, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or visit the Carrells#146; website at thesuperhandyman.com.$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011, Cowles Syndicate Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$