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Pathfinding Needle

An inexpensive sports ball-inflating needle can be modified to perform many of the tasks of an expensive pathfinder awl. Simply saw off the tip of the needle with a hack saw and smooth the tip with emery cloth. The modified needle has a shaft that is one inch long and a channel that can accommodate a 16g string. The outside diameter of the shaft is about the same as a pathfinder awl.

I find this needle convenient for threading string through grommets that are hidden by racquet clamps. I also use this needle with a standard awl to create a channel for threading pliant string through blocked skip holes. As with a pathfinder awl you need to be careful not to nick any string. For this, lubricating the needle tip can be useful.

5 sets of Forten Dynamix 16 to:

Michael Shaughnessy, Kingston, RI

From the April 2007 issue
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