Hobby Hows

    • An easy meal for camping: Wrap a hamburger patty, some frozen peas and diced potatoes in foil and place in your campfire until cooked.


    • Keep your peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich from getting soggy by spreading peanut butter on both pieces of bread and then spreading the jelly in the middle.


    • When I go on camping trips, there are always some boys who stay up late and are really loud. I always bring foam earplugs so I can get a good night’s sleep. They also work great as bobbers the next day when we go fishing.


    • If you are into LEGO Bionicles, try not to take them apart unless you have to. I’ve taken pieces apart and broken several.


    • Keep the number stickers on your derby racecar by putting clear nail polish over the stickers after you put them on your car.


    • Use the clips that hold old socks together as a money clip.


    • For perfectly round pancakes, put the batter in a turkey baster and squeeze it onto the griddle.


    • When you are modeling with clay, put it in a bag with a damp paper towel so it won’t dry out.


    • For a Klondike derby, always bring extra rope. A lot of extra rope.


    • If you have a good baseball card that you want to keep in mint condition, put it in an individual plastic case instead of a binder with sheets. Cases keep cards in much better condition.


    • Tape four or five air-pump needles together on a thin strip of duct tape. This makes them easy to find in your junk drawer.



    • Whenever you are doing a hobby that involves measuring, make sure you measure, then double-check the measurement before you do anything else with it.



    • When collecting tree leaves, dip them in vegetable oil and cover with wax paper. This will preserve them for a long time. They will not dry out and tear.



    • For all photographers: When shooting in daylight, stand with your back to the sun, if possible.



    • Save empty Altoids tins. They make a great place to store small parts, such as the gas pedal for model cars, that might get lost if put in a big box.



    • Use canning rings to cook eggs for sandwiches made with English muffins or hamburger buns.



    • If you put a dent in a plastic part of a model, mix wood glue and sawdust together, place in the dent and sand down. When you paint it, it will look as good as new.



    • To keep your neckerchief slide from falling off on the go, wrap a rubber band around the middle of the neckerchief below the slide. The rubber band will stop it from coming off.



    • Tired of playing a super-slow game of air hockey? Use some boat wax to coat the surface of the table to get the game flowing at top speed!



    • Use old wooden clothespins to clamp the small pieces of your wood-frame model when glueing. The clothespins have just the right amount of pressure.



    • If you are going on a plane and bringing trekking poles, put them in a PVC or map tube.