Screwdriver from a rag

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I could have gone to any of the neighboring hardware stores and paid a dollar for a screwdriver. Instead, making one seemed reasonable. Making one out of a rag sounded awesome.

I'm very happy with the results. The plastic is hard and probably won't crack. The rag / epoxy mix could easily be translated to a wrench handle or replacement grips for an old pair of pliers or a way to customize tools in general. I'll be adding handles to my Harbor Freight wrench set in this same style.

The only real difficulty I ran into was with the initial turning. I hadn't waited long enough for the epoxy to completely cure, so when I started to turn the handle, it wanted to peel. If I'd wrapped it in the opposite direction from the lathe rotation, this wouldn't have been a problem. After I realized what I'd done, I let it cure for another day or two and was able to finish it with no problem. A more colorful rag, or a stack of different colors of cloth would have given me a prettier result, particularly if the cloth was soaked in epoxy, then twisted before being wrapped around the handle. I still have a full set of screwdriver handles to make, though, so I'll experiment with different techniques the next time I make one.