TOOLS/HARDWARE

One thing we hate about traveling is imagining baggage handlers opening our suitcases and sniffing our underwear. That’s why we have several of these TSA-approved Wordlock® (4)-letter, resettable padlocks for our luggage. We also use them for lockers so no one can open ours and sniff our gym socks. It’s a thing with us, not wanting to be sniffed. Locks have a 1” long x 1/8” dia shackle with 3/4” clearance, and measure approx 2-1/2” long overall. May we suggest not setting your lock to the word L-O-C-K? You’ll come up with something better.

Here’s a nice little bronzed cabinet latch. The receiving end is adjustable with a pair of spring-loaded wheels, and mounts on the side of a cabinet. The male part mates with it and mounts on the inside of the cabinet door. You add bronze screws.

You’re thinking about traveling again, just like we are, and we’re not going anywhere without Travel Sentry® cable locks on our luggage. These handy little gems measure 1-1/2" x 1-3/4". They look like padlocks, but instead of having a steel half-loop as a shackle, they have a 3/16" dia cable. Have (3) digit rolling number combinations with a magnified view on the side. The ones we plucked off the pile are blue, but we have other colors, and we’ll pick for you because you have a vacation to plan. These are specific luggage locks, so they can be opened and relocked by TSA agents without damage. But you can use them for anything that needs locking up—not just luggage!

We’re happy for you if you have a U-lock, but those can only reach so far. This keyed padlock with an attached, semi-rigid cable extending approx 58” (roughly 5 feet) when unlocked, can reach and bend around things that U-locks only dream of. Originally a gun lock, this beast makes a circle (an “O”) roughly 19” dia to wrap around your bike wheels, patio furniture or what have you. It’ll still work with firearms if that’s your thing, and it comes with instructions for proper use. Also has (2) small keys on a split ring.

Handles-R-Us. In the spirit of pure surplus, we’ve got these 1-7/8" long x 3/8" aluminum handles for a mechanical counter. Sized for a 5/32” ID shaft with a set-screw to tighten it down. If you don’t have any handle-less mechanical counters, put a handle on something else.

It’s a 5-draw extension shaft that extends from 7” to nearly 26”. One end has a padded black rubber handle and the other has, well, nothing. To be fair, it has a 3/8” long metal cylinder with a 7/32” ID at the business end, but for what, we don’t know. We suspect it was on its way to being some kind of pick-up tool but got distracted. As is, it’s a dandy pointer or the beginning of a clever something that you’re going to invent.