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Sep 23 13

Zip Ties for Jewelry Making – Quality Zip Ties to Create and Simplify Jewelry Making

by Amy

Beautiful jewelry is created every day – and you can be creating your own designs. You can use glass beads, plastic beads, sterling silver charms or anything else. The important thing is being able to create something that is not only stunning but functional.

You may not have the skills or the equipment to get into all of the fancy metal clasps. There are plenty of designs where you don’t have to use the clasps – and this is where zip ties come in. You can use a zip tie to close one end of the jewelry to the other instead of using metal clasps or a soldering iron.

Not sure about zip ties? Zip ties are some of the strongest materials out there – and the tighter you pull it, the harder it is to get something undone. Even police officers use them in place of handcuffs. This means that when you want a convenient way to close a necklace or bracelet strand, you can simply use a zip tie.

The ties come in all sizes, ensuring you are able to stay with a delicate pattern. If you’re making a larger bracelet or a charm necklace that involves a larger chain, then you can step it up and use a larger tie.

There are plenty of colors available, too. The traditional clear color can be incorporated into the design or you can find a variety of other colors as well. This allows you to have a stylish design embedded within the bracelet, necklace or anything else.

Most people won’t even realize that you have used zip ties in with the jewelry. They will be so focused on the colors and the actual design that the idea of a tie won’t even cross their mind.

It’s important to have access to all of the products you need when you get into jewelry making. While you may not be able to find glass beads everywhere, zip ties are easy to find and affordable.

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Sep 13 13

Heavy Zip Ties Make Securing an Industrial Product Very Easy

by Amy

Whether you are a DIY warrior or the owner of a large company, heavy duty cable zip ties can help you tie down any large object. Zip ties are great for securing furnaces, boilers or anything else that could be dangerous if it moves or falls on the floor.

Industrial Zip Ties Have Varying Tensile Strengths

A cable tie can have a tensile strength of as little as 50 pounds or as high as 400 pounds. The optimal tensile strength of your cable zip tie depends on the object that you are securing. If you are trying to keep your washer from rattling on the basement floor, a tie with a lower tensile strength should do the job. If you are trying to tie down an industrial sized furnace, you need to have something closer to 400 pounds.

Your Zip Ties Are Weather Resistant

The best part about using a zip tie is that it can withstand various weather conditions. This is great for folks at home who want to tie down an air conditioning unit that is based outside. It also comes in handy if you have a large machine that is located in a hot and humid part of your factory.

You Can Buy Zip Ties in Varying Colors and Materials

While most zip ties come in black, you can buy them in clear or white as well. This can be beneficial if you want to color code your machinery by weight or some other measure. A nylon zip tie is an item that you want to buy if you have heavy items to tie down as they tend to have a tensile strength above 200 pounds.

Zip ties are a convenient and easy to use tool that can add a little extra security around your home or office building. They are weather resistant, strong and relatively inexpensive. This means that anyone from the DIY weekend warrior to maintenance professional can use them quickly and easily wherever they need them.

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Aug 5 13

Easy Uses for Velcro® Strap Products

by Amy

Velcro straps are an easy and versatile product that can be used for a variety of purposes around the house. While many people use those to keep wires organized and under control, you can use it for products of any size and shape.

Tangled Wires Can Be a Hazard

Tangled wires can lead to sparks, shorts and can be a fire hazard. For only a few dollars, you can buy packs of black Velcro® straps that will keep the cords separated from each other. If you have pets, you don’t want them to get caught up in the wires or try to chew through them.

Split Wires Can Have a Mind of Their Own

If you have a split wire that goes to multiple electronics or wall outlets, you may not know which cord goes to which product. When a cord is wrapped with a Velcro® wrap, you will always know where your wires are going. You will never accidentally turn off the power to the computer when you are trying to turn on the TV again.

Keep Overall Clutter Down In Your Home

Wires are not the only products around the home that you can keep organized around the home. If you don’t have a golf bag, you can use a Velcro® wrap to keep them organized and in one place. Homeowners who have a lot of books can keep them bundled together with Velcro® straps. Tools such as hammers and screwdrivers can be kept together easily with these straps.

Don’t let wires become a fire hazard or contribute to the overall clutter in your home. Velcro® straps are perfectly designed to help you stay organized and avoid dealing with a potential disaster in your home.

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Aug 2 13

Basic Safety: for Industrial Electricians on the Job.

by Amy

In any line of work, it is important that the workers remain safe. This is no different in the industry of electricians. There are numerous things that an electrician needs to do in order to ensure their safety. The most important thing is to be careful and stay safe while work with electricity.

Another way for an electrician to keep themselves safe is by using safe methods of ergonomics. A benefit of using ergonomics is the increased efficiency in their work. There are a variety of ergonomic skills that will help an electrician stay safe while on the job.

Ensure the tools that are used fit the electrician that uses them. This helps to ensure that the tool is not too heavy making it difficult for them to handle. Electricians should also ensure they are on a stable surface while working and not twisting in ways that could endanger them.

It is important for any company to take the time to train their electricians in the proper ways to handle the equipment they work with as well as ensuring they are safe within every step of the job. The majority of electricians do not spend much of their time at a desk, but when they are at a desk, it is important to ensure that the desk is ergonomically correct.

The owner of any business needs to ensure that their workers remain safe. It is no different with electricians. In order to help keep them safe, it is important for them to receive the education they need to start out. Over time they will develop the experience they need in order to perform all of their work in an ergonomic manner.

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Aug 1 13

How Do You Cut Through Thick Zip Ties?

by Amy

How do you cut through thick zip ties?

Zip ties are a pretty powerful tool. It’s no wonder a lot of law enforcement agencies around the world use them as substitutes for handcuffs in crowd control situations. These ties can be thick and difficult to cut, which in a lot of ways is why they are ideal materials for your project. They are excellent for securing electrical wiring. Where netting requires wrapping, even small cable ties can keep it together safely and securely. They have even been utilized as replacements for shoulder straps on backpacks.

The cable tie’s tensile strength is what makes the product hard to cut. Of course, the light, thinner cable tie can be cut fairly easily with a sturdy pair of shears or scissors. It would be advised that you not use a knife no matter how obvious that might seem. The plastic is engineered to support materials much greater than its size and weight. Using a knife may be a challenge, but should it perform the task, you run the risk of the blade either (a) slamming into whatever product it are tied to or (b) snapping back at you.

Best Ways to Cut Zip Ties

A good way to cut through standard or professional Zip ties is using a pair of dykes. These tools are excellent for home projects of all types. If there are electronic components or delicate wires to be concerned with, it might be prudent to have a pair of nail clippers on order. Or head to the store and grab a pair of diagonal pliers. They can get close without harming the surrounding product. Needle nose pliers and slip joint pliers will also save a lot of time, getting through those thick ties in no time. Use these tools to twist a tie until it breaks.

A last resort is melting the plastic, but be careful to not damage whatever the zip is securing.

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Jul 23 13

Hide Cables Easily for Clutter Management in the Home

by Amy

Hide Cables Easily

If you’re like most folks, you’ve collected quite a bit of electronic devices in your home, whether they are cell phones, TV, DVD players or kitchen appliances. With every electrical appliance comes an unsightly electrical cord that remains unsightly the entire distance from the appliance to the nearest wall socket. Here we will discuss easy and affordable ways to hide each electrical cord discreetly.

Bundle Cords Together with Zip Ties

Cable ties are made of nylon plastic and come in a myriad of sizes and tensile strengths to accommodate thousands of common household and diy (Do It Yourself) demands. Coming in black or white, you have color options to make the ties blend in. You can begin hiding cords by tying them into neat little bundles with 6 or 7 inch zip ties allowing for enough cord to reach the outlet but keeping them from getting tangled or looking messy.

Run Cables over Doorways

If the shortest distance to the nearest wall socket runs past a doorway, consider using push pins or small nails to secure the power cord between walls and the top edge of door frames to keep from having to step over them each time you enter the room.

Drill Holes in Back of Cabinets to Provide Entrance and Exit for Electrical Cable

This is a great way to accommodate appliances like DVD players that live on shelves within a furniture unit. Most entertainment units will come with holes pre-drilled in back corners of shelves for this purpose. Take this idea and run with it for other appliances such as your toaster oven on its shelf in the kitchen.

Did you know that keeping your house clutter free clears the mind and boosts the Feung Shui of the space? Keeping your appliance cords out of sight is a great first step.

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Apr 15 13

What is AC and DC Power? A Thorough Explanation

by Amy

How is electricity generated?

Electricity is the flow of electrons between two points and is generated via the manipulation of magnetic fields. This phenomenon, discovered by Michael Faraday in the early 1800s, is known as electro-magnetism and is one of the fundamental forces of the physical world. Faraday’s method of generating electricity by rotating metallic discs or loops of wire between the poles of a magnet is the primary means of generating electricity today.

How is electricity distributed?

While electricity is simple to generate, it can be very difficult to distribute. To transfer the electricity generated at a power plant to wherever the generated electricity is required, electrical grids are used. These grids are usually centralized networks of insulated cables that transfer electricity as either a direct current (DC) or an alternating current (AC).

What is AC and DC power?

AC and DC power are the methods in which electricity is transferred. A direct current transmits electricity in only one direction and at a constant voltage whereas an alternating current alternates the direction and voltage of a current between the point of generation and the point of consumption. Both methods are used in the generation and distribution of electricity.

How is DC power used?

DC transmission systems were developed in the late 1800s by Thomas Edison and was the first system of distributing electricity over long distances. Currently, it is the method used both at the point of generation and the point of consumption. While initially it was used to also transfer electricity between the point of generation and the point of consumption, it was quickly rendered obsolete by AC systems as a means of distributing electricity.

How is AC power used?

Alternating current, first developed by Hippolyte Pixii in the in the early 1800s, was repeatedly modified and improved by contributions from numerous individuals including Nikola Tesla and Carl Wilhelm Siemens, eventually replacing Edison’s direct current system as the primary means of power distribution. Because the voltage, and thus the amount of electricity, that is lost during transfer as distances increase placed critical limitations on what could be done using direct current, the ability of alternating current to increase or decrease the voltage of an electric current through the use of transformers, thus allowing electricity to be transferred over great distances without substantial loss, ensures that AC will remain the dominant means of transmitting electricity across the electrical grid.

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Apr 10 13

Cable Ties and Curtain Rods

by Amy

Cable ties have thousands, if not millions, of uses. For many, the cable tie is part of their daily life because they use them to bundle wires and cables together as they are constructing a new building. For others, they may sit in a tool box until needed. We here at CableTiePlus know a lot about cable ties, their strengths and their main uses. Sometimes, though, cable ties are used on unexpected ways such as for decoration, clothing, or even for jewelry. In garage sales, keeping items, like shoes, together can be difficult. Cable ties can help with that. They are a cost effective item to have when planning a garage sale.

During winter preparation, cable ties are effective because they can securely bundle or tie items such as garden hoses, securing tools to the peg board, or securing camping gear.

Another use for cable ties we have found is for securing shower curtains to the rod. Our city swimming pools use cable ties to secure the shower curtains to the rods. Using cable ties in this manner has several purposes. First, it keeps the curtains secured to the rod. Secondly, it makes the curtain hard to steal. Lastly, it is very cost effective. Shower curtain holders can be expensive, starting from around $9.00 per box. By using cable ties, that cost is cut to pennies per curtain.

As a parent of a young child, using cable ties to secure their shower curtain to the rod is a great way to keep your child safe. Many curtain holders no longer close securely around the rod which allows for the curtain holders to fall off the rod. This can land in a child’s bath and cause harm. By using cable ties to hold the curtain up, you do not have to worry about that and you have the added knowledge that the curtain is secured to the rod.

We are always looking for other ways people use cable ties, if you have other ideas for using cable ties, let us know by commenting to our blog.

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Mar 26 13

Roadside Emergency Kit – Some Items to Add

by Amy

You are driving down the road and all of a sudden, your car stops.  Or, you are at the store and when you get back to your car, it will not start.  What are you going to do?  Most people have the standard road side emergency kit that contains items such as jumper cables, a flashlight, maybe those warning triangle, and flares because they come with the standard automotive emergency road kit.  Below are a few things you might not have thought of to add to your emergency kit.

Cable ties: Cable ties are one of the handiest items to have around.  You never know when you are going to need one.  Some people even use cable ties to avoid theft of hubcaps or to reattach a hubcap. If wiring should fall down from under the dash, you can use cable ties to tie them up back under the dash so they are out of the way.  You can even use a higher temperature cable tie to temporarily re-attach your muffler should one of the brackets break off. It is recommended you have a variety of sizes and tensile strengths because you never know what you are going to need one for.

Terminal Connectors:  If a wire should break, you can always put it back together with an insulated Butt Splice connector.  If a wire comes loose from its plug and the connector breaks off, you can use an insulated Block Space terminal to put it back together.

Crimping tool: You need a crimping tool to crimp the terminal connectors to the wires. (John, this links up to Nelco is that okay?)

Electrical Tape:  Electrical tape can also be used to connect wires together.  Because it is also a strong tape, you could use it to tape many things together such as a hose or to close a hole in a hose.

Stainless steel clamps:  Even if you are not a mechanic, if you happen to notice a hose came loose, or you have a rusted hose clamp, you can always fix it yourself with a stainless steel clamp and a screw driver.

By adding these items to your road side emergency kit, you can quickly fix some emergencies you may encounter.  Safe travels.

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Mar 18 13

Winter Wonderland

by Amy

The temperatures have dropped and the ground where you live may be covered in snow.  Here at CableTiesPlus, we know that whether you are an avid bicyclist or a student who uses a bike to get around campus, during the winter months your bike may be sitting in the garage, dorm room, or like below, out in the snow because you cannot ride it in the snow.

bigstok-Snowy-bikes-in-the-citycenter--27640070

We have found a great solution for you from the Dutch Bike Company out of Seattle Washington.  Bicycle Snow tires.  This idea acts as the same premise as if you were putting chains on your car.  All you need is a bunch of standard cable ties and a pair of strong scissors or clippers.  If you have a bicycle that does not rely have handbrakes, then all you need to do is wrap one cable tie between each section of spokes and cut off the ends. You now have snow tires for your bicycle and can ride it to class or out for a nice ride.

cable-ties-plus-winter-biking

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