When I played baseball as a youngster, my swing was a lot better than it is now. So it was little surprise when I caught the handle of my splitting maul rather than the blade head on a log from a locust tree. The crack was unmistakable. So were my swear words.
A few days later, my wife came home with a product that we had seen on an episode of “Shark Tank”: FiberFix. The pitch that the two FiberFix guys made was a memorable one, as they even got the sharks in on the chant of how with any problem they could “FiberFix It.”
Here’s the nuts and bolts of the what FiberFix is all about (per the company’s Facebook page): “’It’s easy to use and bonds to most surfaces. Simply dip the FiberFix in water. Once the FiberFix is water activated, remove excess water and wrap directly over the broken area. After 10 minutes, the FiberFix hardens and your repair is now stronger than ever. FiberFix is also sand-able and paintable so you can restore your items to look as good as new.”
They tout it as being 100 times stronger than duct tape, and YouTube is filled with videos where people use it to repair pipes, hoses, furniture, tool handles, and even a skateboard. Not to mention it’s use in holding together a roll cage:
Now I was going to get my hands on it, and I was excited to be able to repair my maul. While FiberFix isn’t cheap, it’s certainly less than I would have spent on a new hand tool.
First off, I was using the basic repair wrap — the company also makes a heat wrap tailored toward exhausts and things that, well, heat up. Using the repair wrap was as simple as following the rules, and they really were simple. Clean the surface before applying the wrap, put on the gloves that come in the box, soak the wrap for a short time in water, and apply it to whatever needs fixing. It wraps just like duct tape does, and you’ll be able to get a snug fit around your broken element before the wrap hardens.
This isn’t a complicated product, and the verdict from me is resoundingly positive. Once the wrap dried, my splitting maul was better and stronger than new. I had no reservations about putting it back to work and taking out cord after cord of firewood (ironically, the maul may be in retirement after this season now that I have more horsepower behind my log-splitting).
With all of the machinery and tools that we use on the farm every day, the possibilities are endless for FiberFix to work its magic. It’s helped me, and I’m sure it would help you.
And if you want to see how it all went down on “Shark Tank,” here’s the clip:
