Category: Life Hack

Pitch pipe magnet find

On By CarynIn Life Hack, music, Uncategorized

In Barbershop singing, the initial pitch (note) is played on a small instrument called a pitch pipe. When performing, if the pitch piper doesn’t have pockets in their costume, the quandary of where to put the pipe after playing the pitch is a problem. Some pitch pipes are made of metal, so a concealed magnet under the clothing can hold onto the instrument, usually placed near the small of the back. Other pitch pipes have a plastic case, which, of course, is not magnetic. I discovered that a magnetic phone ring made for magsafe phones, is the perfect size for the Tombo pitch pipe as well.

Photo description: magnetic ring holder intended for a magsafe phones, but with the included metal sticker placed on the face of a Tombo pitch pipe
Photo description: two Tombo E pitch pipes, the one on the left is original, the one on the right has a magnetic adhesive ring attached

The adhesive ring included in the package fits the face of the pipe perfectly. It still allows the label to be seen and doesn’t interfere with the blow holes.

To use, I am going to try attaching the main magnet to a belt that I will wear under my costume.

Photo description: magnetic ring holder clipped onto an elastic no-show belt

I was wrong

On By CarynIn Life Hack

I thought I would be fine with a living room chair that swiveled, but didn’t rock. I was wrong. To make the chair rock, I cut a 1.25 inch dowel in half and put it under the base to make it unstable. Just behind the center line gives me an easily obtained balance point when I sit in the chair, allowing a small rocking motion.

Photo description: half dowel placed under the base of a swivel chair

Even this small amount of movement helps to keep my muscles from setting up when I sit too long.

Pitch Pipe Solution

On By CarynIn Life Hack, music

My Barbershop chorus has an electric pitch pipe that is quite versatile, and quite large. It doesn’t fit in a pocket very well and although it comes with a stand, it doesn’t have a way to carry it hands free. We did have a lanyard loop stuck on the back with double sided tape for a long time, but then the tape gave out and the pitch pipe fell to the floor. So I came up with a mechanical connection.

Photo description: the back of the pitch pipe removed from the body, and a small hole drilled at the top
Photo description: round head pin inserted through the hole then bent into a loop and the end wrapped back around the stem for security
Photo description: pitch pipe reassembled and a key chain ring attached to the new wire loop, with a cross-should strap clipped to the ring

The back of this kind of pitch pipe removes with a single screw. Use the smallest drill bit possible to drill the hole through the thick section of the plastic. Head pins are available in the jewelry section of most hobby stores, as are split rings. I used a clip-on strap from a small purse.

I wear the pitch pipe over one shoulder, which puts the device in easy reach of one hand and keeps it off to the side. One of the benefits of this method is that the pitch pipe hangs straight down and easily rotates, which makes dialing in the pitch and pushing the button easier.

Fixing paper tears

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack, music

The roomba ate a page of my kid’s guitar lesson book. I’m not sure how the book ended up on the floor, but I suspect a cat.

Photo description: classic guitar lesson music with multiple messy, wrinkled tears

I ordered document repair tape, because I didn’t have any, and regular transparent tape applied at this magnitude would put further stress on the paper.

The hardest part was getting the tape away from the liner the first time. The box is conveniently set up to dispense the tape and manage the separation process. Getting is started is just a little tricky.

Photo description: paper repair tape set up with the box as the dispenser, with the tape on the left and backing on the right

The tape doesn’t look transparent, but when applied to the paper the ink and pencil marks show through clearly. The tape is also thin, which is why it needs the backing, but is nearly imperceptible when applied. I made sure the tears lined up and where the paper split, that the ink side was visible. To reinforce the repair, I put the tape on the back of the page as well. The damage to the page was extensive, however, I was able to get it stabilized and usable, but not pristine.

Photo description: repaired page with all notes intact and readable

Overall, I can recommend the document repair tape for quick repairs on paper that is referenced frequently, or eaten by the robot vacuum.

Coloring sheets

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

My youngest loves coloring books, but it is difficult for her to find uncolored pages in the bound books after a while. I took my heavy duty guillotine paper cutter and cut off the spine of the coloring book, freeing the pages so they could be sorted into colored and uncolored.

Photo description: 400 page capacity guillotine paper cutter with a deconstructed coloring book, with a colored page and uncolored page pulled out of the stack

My youngest was pleasantly surprised with the fresh stack of ready-to-color sheets, and I was pleased with how fast and clean the cutter worked. Tearing sheets out of a book is often messy and frustrating. By cutting a 1/4 inch off the spine, the pages are freed from the glue easily.

Once my concept was proved, my youngest agreed to let me process the rest of the books. Any book that only had one or two colored pages I left alone, but the books that were mostly colored were cut and sorted.

Photo description: hanging organizer with coloring books at the top and individual coloring sheets at the bottom

I now also have a stack of colored sheets that can be displayed and scanned easily for posterity.