February 23, 2017 – Everyone woman should own a pair of bolt cutters.

        I believe in beautiful things that are useful like a crystal decanter or a chef’s knife which are useful and beautiful to work with, but a 24 inch-handled bolt cutter ranks right up there as a “must have” beautiful and handy tool for a DIY women like myself.

        I use bolt cutters for cutting cattle feedlot panel into smaller panels for use in my vegetable gardens.  I trellis my cucumbers, tomatoes and I am one of those fools that actually plants morning glories in the South – much to the chagrin of local farmers.

        Few years ago I simply wore my bolt cutters out.  They had become dull with chipped blades.  I was having trouble cutting the 4 gauge wire by myself and I simple hate to ask my husband to do simple things – because I am SO IMPATIENT . . . I’d rather do it myself.   [That is a serious flaw in my makeup.]

        So, a year or two ago I went out and bought a new 24 inch-handled bolt cutter and it is stashed where only I can lay my hands on it when I want it.

        Our “cuss project” for the week is revitalizing our two park benches.  Both have wrought iron ends and wooden slats that are bolted to each side and back to create the benches.  One is at least 30 years old and will be the 2^nd or 3^rd time it has been redone, and the other is about 12 years old and on its first revitalization.

        Our biggest hurdle was locating the fresh bolts we needed for the project after going to three stores.  My husband calls them carriage bolts and finally after 20 minutes of his searching and about to walk out of the store empty handed I suggested we hand the store clerk the sample we brought with us and ask for “help”.   [Why can’t men ask for help?  What is it?]  It was like magic – the store clerk found the bolts and the nuts and the washers and counted them all out for us. All we had to do was PAY.

        We had just purchased the lumber, and now the bolts, and I grabbed a can of black rust oleum paint.  I am still debating on the wood sealer or varnish – that will be tomorrow’s decision.

        After we carried the two sad looking benches to the patio, my husband expected he would unbolt the boards.  HA HA.  He spent over ½ hour looking for all his tools and then a half hour trying to get rusted bolts undone.  I decided to work on the older bench by myself.

        I soon discovered that nothing was going to budge those rusted bolts.  And, I noticed most of the boards on the older bench were rotted near the bolts and I took a hammer and chisel and got the boards off exposing the bolts so that we could work on them better.    He eventually came to the same conclusion and chisel off the mostly rotted wooden slats to expose the bolts on his bench also.

        My husband then decided to heat the bolts with a propane torch to help loosen them and actually got a few of them off – but about 90% were not budging no matter who held the wrench holding the nut and who worked on the other side.

We were both about to CUSS.   I declared it was cold beer time and after a few refreshing swigs I actually had an idea – I thought, cut them off with a hacksaw.  But, then I remembered I owned something called “bolt cutters”.  Isn’t that what bolt cutters are for?  And, if the tool bolt-cutters were not for this exact situation I was going to ask the impertinent question – “Then why are they called bolt cutters?”

        I didn’t suggest or even mention “bolt cutters” I merely retrieved my almost new, bolt cutters from their secret hiding place and brought them to the patio.  I knew I didn’t have the strength to squeeze the handles together to cut the bolts as 4 gauge cattle panel fence is about all that I can manage with the bolt cutters.  But, as soon as my husband saw the bolt cutters, he made darn fast work at snipping the rusted bolts off as I held the wrought iron bench ends up for him to work on them.  Good team work.  We had another beer to celebrate our success.

        Let’s see how much trouble we can get into with the next few steps.  I guess first stop is to buy more beer.