How It All Started
So yesterday I was cleaning my garage when I found this old volleyball buried under junk. Thing was busted – cracks all over it like a broken egg. And get this, it wasn’t plastic, it was solid oak timber. Weird right? My uncle made it years ago as some artsy project.
I picked it up and chunks just fell off in my hands. Thought about tossing it, but nah, sentimental value or whatever. Decided to glue it back together cause I had nothing better to do Tuesday afternoon.
Fixing Disaster Mode
Grabbed my toolbox and dumped everything on the floor. Started with regular wood glue smeared all over the cracks. Pressed real hard for like 10 minutes – thought it was working till I let go. CRACK! Fell apart again before I could blink.
Tried three more times with superglue, hot glue, even duct tape. Each time it exploded worse than before. Wood pieces flying everywhere – almost took out my coffee mug.
Failed attempts:
- Splintered more with superglue
- Hot glue peeled off in sheets
- Duct tape just made it sticky mess
That One Stupid Idea That Worked
Was ready to give up when I spotted metal brackets in my junk drawer. Got this dumb thought: “What if I just bolt this sucker together?”
Drilled tiny holes where cracks met – nearly split the ball completely doing it. Screwed in 12 brackets while holding my breath. Looked like Frankenstein’s volleyball with all those metal bits sticking out.
But guess what? Held together when I threw it! Not perfect – weighs a ton now and rattles like a snake. But it’s in one piece! Took it outside and whacked it with a broom. Survived five hits before a bracket popped off.
Why Bother?
Some neighbors saw me jumping around celebrating and asked why I wasted three hours fixing a wood volleyball. Honestly? Cause everybody told me it couldn’t be done. Also I’m stubborn like that mule Mr. Henderson down the road.
Moral of the story: Sometimes you gotta ignore the right way and just bolt crap together. Works better than crying over spilled milk or broken oak balls.
