They're back! Those of a certain age will remember being taught to crouch under their school desks in case of nuclear attack. Shortly thereafter, the gov't, in its infinite wisdom zoomed about the cityscape plastering black and yellow signs on buildings with basements to designate them as fallout shelters wherein it stored cans of water and radiation meters which were so insensitive that any reading could only mean the past tense of crispiness. We have a quantity of these signs, brand new in the sense that they have never been plastered, but antique in the sense that they are Cold War originals and may show slight wear from being stored. 10" x 14" , 25 ga. galvanized steel. They have a black base coat on the front over sprayed with orange/yellow reflective paint in the familiar design rendered nearby by our faithful artist. This is a true collector's item fetching $50 and up in antique stores! A tasteful addition to even the dullest basement hangout.

Can't beat a classic. These uncoated ceramic donut magnets have a 1-lb pull, which makes them dandy for classroom or refrigerator use. They measure 1-1/4" dia x 3/8" ID x 3/16" thick and are polarized on the faces. You get a wrapped roll of 29 donuts.

You buy as much cord as you like and make your own extension cords with these male and female electrical connectors. Also use them to replace damaged plugs or sockets. Rated for 15A at 125V, type B. Use with 14AWG wire or thicker. Connectors are 2-5/8" long x 1-1/2" dia at their thickest, with strain reliefs on both at the cable sides.

No gas or electricity needed for this pocket-sized manual chain saw, the camper's pal. It's 30" long overall, with (82) spring-steel teeth on the 18-1/2" middle section, and canvas loop handles on each end. Imagine a cross between a sharpened bike chain and a garotte. It's easy to use (we tested it), works a whole lot faster than a hatchet, rolls up into no space at all, and stores in the heavy-duty canvas belt pouch that comes with it.

The real deal. 2-1/2" long red egg-shaped container with a blob of Silly PuttyTM inside. Does anyone need me to explain all the fun you'll have with Silly Putty? I thought not. Just get some today!

For traveling surgeons? Veterinarians? Dunno, but this is a small, retractable utility knife with a pointed, #11 scalpel blade inside. Measures 4-1/4" long with a plastic handle when retracted. Looks to us to be great for crafting, hobbying and pretty much any fine cutting. Made in England, and they ain’t talking.

From ET Tech, this series 23 liquid micro-pump draws less than 300mA at 4-6VDC (5VDC nominal) with a liter-per-minute flow rate and up to a 3-foot lift. Not submersible, but suitable for hot-water apps and continuous duty. Measures 1" x 1" dia with a barbed 1/4" right-angle outlet and a 3/8" OD inlet on top. Great for fountains!

Whatever you call them they are super handy. Used for suturing, these are carbon-steel straight-locking needle holders, 5” long with narrow serrated 7/16” tips. And yes, you’re permitted to use them for other stuff if you’re not a surgeon. (Or even if you are a surgeon, actually.)

Call it a MASK unit. This faux-military “Minor Surgery” kit from Voodoo Tactical® comes in a 7" x 5" x 2-1/2" OD canvas pouch containing: 6” wound probe; 3-1/2” stitch scissors; 3-1/2” tweezers; 5-1/2” bandage scissors; 5” straight and curved forceps; a #3 scalpel handle with disposable blade; pupil flashlight with mm gauge; alcohol pads; antiseptic towelettes; some 5/0 monofilament; and a gram of antibiotic ointment. And remember: reenacting actual combat surgery without a license is still not allowed.

Nice big, 60cc/2+ oz, polypropylene syringe is graduated in 5cc and 1/2 oz increments. Plunger has a black rubber gasket and a thumb ring at the top. Measures 6-1/2" long overall with a 1-7/16" x 5/32" ID nozzle with a cap. Handy in the shop, kitchen or craft room for gluing or decorating.

You will survive, too, just like Gloria Gaynor, and in the woods, even. But only if you have this U.S. Army manual, cleverly titled: SURVIVAL, Department of the Army Field Manual FM21-76. It's 287 heavily illustrated pages of techniques for staying alive (add your own BeeGee jokes here) including orientation, food & cooking, fire- and shelter-making, rafts, animal, insect and plant recognition, and much more. This is the 1970 edition, but staying alive in the woods hasn't changed a whole lot since then. In soft-cover.

This small stainless steel fine-mesh filter is 2" dia x 1-1/2" tall. It has fine mesh sides, a solid plastic bottom and slight lip around the top. Nice for small filtering jobs, but would also make a passable basket for a gerbil hoops game.

We wouldn't try to capture 'gators with it, but this 4-ft x 6-ft black nylon, elastic (not-un-bungie-like) cargo net should trap anything else in the back of the pickup, van or kids' bedrooms. Stretches to about 6' x 9', with openings that are 7" square, stretching to maybe a foot, and 16 carabiner-style plastic hooks. Or just hang a couple on a wall for a nice Spiderman effect.

These clear plastic test tubes hold 10ml and measure 101mm (4") long x 16mm (5/8") dia and come with matching #5 corks. You'll receive a handy package of (10) which is enough for a ROY G. BIV optical display which includes the lesser known colors of not-quite-right green, Monday-morning-blue and plaid. Made in USA.

Five guys playing the electric brobdingnag? No, just gigantic red rubber bands, made to hold stuff on pallets together. Striated along their lengths, they measure 48" long x 3/4" wide x 3/32" thick and will stretch to a 7- or 8-foot circle, or more, depending on your nerve.

How to shoot an azimuth for fun and profit: Get the ultimate direction finder, a lensatic compass. It has a 2-1/8" dia face marked in 5-degree increments, a 1/4" dia sight lens, 9/16" dia bubble level, and a 1-1/2" sight with crosshairs. Measures 3-1/4" x 2-1/2" x 1-1/8" when folded and comes with an 18" long cord and an olive drab belt pouch. For instructions, go to www.armystudyguide.com, click on "prep for basic" then "land navigation," then click on "determine a magnetic azimuth using a lensatic compass." Piece o' cake.

For keeping your special itsy bitsy stuff in. The bottoms are sky blue; the tops are clear plastic. They measure 2-1/16” long x 1-3/16" wide x 5/8" deep, with snap-top lids and they’re just as cute as the dickens.

Pair of alnico bar magnets, each 7/16" x 1/4" x 3". Magnetized end to end with the North pole marked, the North end painted red and the South pole painted blue. Come with a pair of keepers and a wood separator bar.