Many people have graphite in their home, but they are not aware of the many uses their graphite could be truly handy to complete. Instead, it sits forgotten and ignored in a corner of the basement or storage room. Granted, there are a ton of people that think graphite is only helpful in small sticks that fit into pencils or in sticks that can be used to create a pretty charcoal portrait. But, the truth is there are many other great uses for the bigger quantities of graphite. So, when you have some on hand from those business parties where you received it as a bonus or holiday gift, now you can figure out some truly useful ways to complete tasks around the house.
Mark Your Territory
Graphite is used in pencils, but in larger quantities it can be helpful to mark property lines. You can use big chunks to mark corners of the property or you can outline your property in graphite dust, which can be very helpful to see the lines from space or a helicopter. However, this can only be considered a temporary solution, since the first wind or good rain will wash away those lines and leave you with graphite in your groundwater and maybe your neighbor’s creek. If that happens, simply say you have no idea who dropped off the big bag of powdered graphite in your backyard, but they must have carefully drawn out your property lines for you before they abandoned the bag where it sits now.
Shore Up the Bunkbeds
A huge chunk of graphite might work perfectly to stick under the one leg of the bunkbeds if they are uneven. That way, it’s a fun balancing act every night when the kids go to sleep. After all, we know that kids are heavy sleepers and tend to sleep very quiet and still, so balancing the bunkbed on an uneven chunk of an ore is a more appealing alternative than say, a book or piece of cardboard. Give it a try, and a bonus will be when the kid gets up in the night to go to the bathroom and stubs a toe on the graphite, making it shift the bed and also giving them an ouchie in the dark. Kids love that kind of thing.
Replace Your WD-40
Everyone has WD-40 in the house to lube those squeaky door hinges or keep things moving smoothly. Well, instead of having that convenient can stuffed in a cupboard, buy that huge bag of graphite powder and carefully measure it and mix it with water to create a lubricant for those hinges or other mechanisms in the home that need greased. This works well for lubrication purposes. Keep in mind it is harder to find the right mix with graphite and more likely to gum up the works than a household lubricant like WD-40. But, who isn’t looking for a way to spend more time on fixing things and interfere with your daily tasks and routine, right? I know I prefer to make everyday tasks take forever and make them as awkward as possible to complete.
Coat Everything in the House to Protect it From Fire
Railroads mixed powder graphite with linseed oil in the past to coat the smokebox of the boiler and create a heat-resistant coating. Using that logic, you can make your home heat resistant and therefore fireproof! All you need to do is buy large quantities of both powdered graphite and linseed oil – and what store wouldn’t have those on hand – and store them out back in the shed. On a nice Saturday when you don’t have anything better to do, you can go out and get a big bucket, start mixing the powdered graphite and linseed oil. Then, take a smaller bucket, bring some of the mixture into the house and use a paint brush – a roller might even work – and coat every item in the house. The floors might get a bit slippery with this concoction on them, but tell the family it is for their own safety. Meanwhile, your electronics might be affected and the stove may not work as well once it has been thoroughly coated. However, your house is now fire proof! Who doesn’t want that?
