How to retrieve a letter fallen through a gap in planks

We have open planking on our porch, with about a half centimeter between some of the planks. Not enough for much to go through, but yesterday a letter arrived from Ireland and threw itself out of my hand, unerringly finding the widest slot and falling to the dark and inaccessible depths below.

I thought about this. That letter contained my "Dublin Bike" pass. No bloody way was I going to let it stay down there.

Here's what I did:

Prerequisites:

) A T-Square or other flat object more than three feet long.

) Fly paper

) Duct tape

) Another long object thin enough and firm enough to be directed through the slot.

I made a sticky panel out of the fly paper and a square of cereal box. NOTE: for heaven's sake use Latex gloves, as fly paper is unbelievably sticky!

I then stuck this panel to the end of the T-Square with duct tape, ensuring that the panel could swing freely.

I then lowered the panel through the slot and directed it to the fallen letter, where I allowed it to lie flat, right on the letter.

With the second long object, I then tamped the panel down on the letter, ensuring good adhesion.

When I raised the T-Square, the panel was now hanging from it (and on the same plane), meaning I could pull the whole lot back through the gap.

I then VERY CAREFULLY pulled the T-Square back up. Getting the letter and panel through the crack between the planks took a little manoevring, but the wider the T-Square (and the panel), the less likely the panel is to swing out of the plane of the flat surface of the T-Square (a narrower panel is more likely to swing, as I discovered the hard way).

Voila! The letter is recovered.

How to get a shoelace through a long narrow space

Getting a shoelace (or a string) through a long flexible space. A brief how-to.

"Crocs" brand shoes. Boaters/Loafers bought off the bargain rack at Famous Footwear.

They fit well and are comfortable. But note the laces! 

They go right around the ankle of the shoe, going in and out of eyelets that are quite far apart. When not visible the lace is going through the interior space between two layers of leather (and is therefore not visible or available on the other side of the eyelet). 

Clearly the laces were put in place first and the uppers were stitched around them. If pulled out, there's no way to get those laces back through those eyelets again! Terrible design!

Enter curious child. Lace and shoe become separated. 

Fume for several hours.

Fume for several more. Put shoes aside and set subconscious to "problem solving mode". What to do? Toss the shoes? Certainly not! They're a week old!

After much thought and experimentation, here's what worked for me:

1) Find a long slender piece of plastic or metal that can be pushed several inches through a small space against resistance. Stiff wire might work. I found this metal strip on the road while running. A slim coffee stirrer might work too.

2) Lay the shoelace's aglet on it.

3) Stick together tightly using a 0.5" length of duct tape. Make sure it goes over only once, as otherwise the aglet-and-strip will be too thick to put through the eyelets.

4) Push the strip through the first eyelet and out the other. Then pull the lace through.

5) When finished remove the duct tape.

6) Voila! Shoe repaired!

An alternative I didn't try: find a narrow drinking straw. Push the aglet into one end (perhaps with a little glue?) and push the straw through the eyelets. Then use the straw to pull the lace through.

Hope it's useful!

Brian Ó Broin