Giant rubber band has ACME possibilities

A six foot long rubber band hardly qualifies as a gadget except in the loosest interpretation of the term, but still... many uses thoughtfully present themselves, not the least of which is a Wile E. Coyote like scenario in which it is secured about a nemesis' ears, stretched taut around an anvil, then released. That's a lot of fun for $5.50.

Giant Rubber Band [The Mut via Nerd Approved]

[#1 posted by Abby , November 17, 2008 10:11 AM]

I grew up playing with these. My father is a mover and always had a box full of these lying around. I once made a hammock out of them, and I have to say it was pretty damn comfortable... if a little smelly

[#2 posted by Yo Vinny , November 17, 2008 12:16 PM]

We made a giant sling shot by attaching either end to the iron fence in front of our house. You then fold up a piece of poster board, pull it down the 5 steps and let go. The projectile would fly over the house across the street if you could aim it right.

[#3 posted by dacker , November 17, 2008 12:21 PM]

Yep, these are used by movers to help with tasks such as keeping drawers from flying open when furniture is being carried.

[#4 posted by Melicious11 , November 17, 2008 12:33 PM]

It's a pullup helper! Loop it around a pullup bar, put your foot in the long loop and viola!... assisted pullup. Wheeeeeee!

[#5 posted by cinemajay , November 17, 2008 12:34 PM]

I think the fact that this is offered under the items for "personal use" category on the MUT site. Other listed items in that category include a kitchen timer and a C-clamp.

/yikes!

[#6 posted by madsci , November 17, 2008 1:10 PM]

We just used bicycle inner tubes. My friends built a really awesome cannon (built from a cable spool, some black iron pipe, and a custom-made wood and sheet metal carriage) that'd fire dirt clods about a block and a half with one of those.

Amazingly, we never got around to sealing off one end and actually loading it with black powder. We did make a musket from a length of pipe, an M-60 firecracker, and a pinball, though. Put one round through two fences with a nice clean half-inch hole in each, and put another round about 4 inches into an old telephone pole.

[#7 posted by Teller , November 17, 2008 1:36 PM]

What a labor-saving device for paperboys serving entire apartment complexes.

[#8 posted by TEKNA2007 , November 17, 2008 2:59 PM]

Yer gonna put someone's eye out with that!

[#9 posted by Kevin Kenny , November 17, 2008 6:32 PM]

I wanna build a big one of these!

[#10 posted by andyhavens , November 17, 2008 7:47 PM]

Pair with giant twist ties:

http://www.griptwist.com/

and take over the world.

[#11 posted by Vanwall , November 17, 2008 8:25 PM]

Wow! You could make one serious rubber-band powered plane with that - you'd have to use a Hucks starter truck to wind it up, tho.

[#12 posted by Anonymous , November 17, 2008 8:48 PM]

JumpStretch makes heavy-duty large rubber bands. I've had mine for years and they've stood up to all sorts of abuse.

[#13 posted by kBud , November 17, 2008 9:14 PM]

Ahh... The Museum of Useful Things.

I had the privilege of working in their now defunct brick and mortar location for about a year. I can say without a doubt I never had more fun with a group of people in a workplace before. I highly recommend their remaining brick and mortar Black Ink.

Everything there was either fun as hell, impecibly designed or just plain, can't live without useful. The best part about the shop wasn't the mass produced items you could get there, but the one of a kind items the owner would bring in to sell from her personal collection. Old book binding presses and interesting farm scales, to a one off powder-coated Emeco chair and warehouse conveyor belts for counters. It sounds like Jalopy but its presentation was MOMA. Harvard Square and the Boston area in general lost a gem when its doors closed.

And yes these huge rubber bands passed many a rainy day. I have three.

If you live in the area stop by and have them "Gift Canned."