Here are a few ways I've fixed persnickety umbrellas recently.
Sometimes a rivet comes loose, and so two struts aren't connected anymore. I recently fixed this on my son's large umbrella by using a paper clip as a rivet.
Sometimes a metal strut bends where it's not supposed to; this gives the umbrella an unhappy lop-sided appearance. I've had good success with reinforcing the bent strut with a chopstick and duct-tape. Because this fix is under the umbrella, it doesn't look bad to anyone outside. (And if you're close enough to another person that he can see the under-side of your umbrella, snuggle up!)
Sometimes the cloth of the umbrella comes off the ribs, leaving a sharp, pokey metal piece sticking out just waiting to stab someone in the eye. Yoicks! If the rib has a hole at the end, then just sew the cloth back on with a needle and thread. If there is no hole (drat it), then I've occasionally sewed a little fabric "pocket" onto the cloth of the umbrella that I can stick the end of the rib back into.
Any of these fixes are faster and cheaper than going out to buy a new umbrella. They can be done in less than 5 minutes -- even the laborious "pocket" one. And these fixes cost nothing if you happen to have spare paperclips, chopsticks, and/or thread lying around.
Sometimes a rivet comes loose, and so two struts aren't connected anymore. I recently fixed this on my son's large umbrella by using a paper clip as a rivet.Sometimes a metal strut bends where it's not supposed to; this gives the umbrella an unhappy lop-sided appearance. I've had good success with reinforcing the bent strut with a chopstick and duct-tape. Because this fix is under the umbrella, it doesn't look bad to anyone outside. (And if you're close enough to another person that he can see the under-side of your umbrella, snuggle up!)
Sometimes the cloth of the umbrella comes off the ribs, leaving a sharp, pokey metal piece sticking out just waiting to stab someone in the eye. Yoicks! If the rib has a hole at the end, then just sew the cloth back on with a needle and thread. If there is no hole (drat it), then I've occasionally sewed a little fabric "pocket" onto the cloth of the umbrella that I can stick the end of the rib back into.
Any of these fixes are faster and cheaper than going out to buy a new umbrella. They can be done in less than 5 minutes -- even the laborious "pocket" one. And these fixes cost nothing if you happen to have spare paperclips, chopsticks, and/or thread lying around.
No comments:
Post a Comment