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posted by hubie on Saturday January 07, @11:43PM   Printer-friendly

https://hackaday.com/2023/01/05/excuse-me-your-tie-is-unzipped/

If you ask your typical handyperson what's the one thing you need to fix most things, the answer might very well be duct tape. But second place — and first place in some circles — would have to be zip ties. These little wonders are everywhere if you look for them. But they are a relatively recent invention and haven't always had the form they have today.

The original zip tie wasn't called a zip tie or even a cable tie. In 1958 they were called Ty-Raps and produced by a company called Thomas and Betts. Originally meant to improve aircraft wiring harnesses, they found their way into various electronic equipment and packaging uses. But they've also become helpful in very unusual places too. A policeman trying to round up rioters would have problems carrying more than a few conventional handcuffs. But flexible cuffs based on zip ties are lightweight and easy to carry. Colon surgeons sometimes use a modified form of zip tie during procedures.


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  • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Sunday January 08, @05:06AM (2 children)

    by RS3 (6367) on Sunday January 08, @05:06AM (#1285786)

    I'm cringing because I know that I would get a nice gash from those little cut ends. Even without the sharp corners of the stump, the little cube often gets me. But hey, if it works for you, it's a win.

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  • (Score: 2) by Subsentient on Sunday January 08, @09:52AM (1 child)

    by Subsentient (1111) on Sunday January 08, @09:52AM (#1285805) Homepage Journal

    That's only a concern if you don't cut close to the lock after adjusting it. Generally it's not an issue. ^^

    --
    "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
    • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Sunday January 08, @04:42PM

      by RS3 (6367) on Sunday January 08, @04:42PM (#1285828)

      Well, it has been for me, but I probably do much more hands-on work than average, and you may not have seen how many zip ties some people like to way overuse.