Re: Bicyclist decapitated

On 5/3/2024 6:19 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Fri, 3 May 2024 15:56:53 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
 

On 5/3/2024 11:50 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

>
Incidentally, I save and reuse paper shopping bags.  I put check marks
on my bags to count how many times the bag was used.  11 times is my
highest number and 6 times is my average.  The problem is that the bag
handles are poorly glued to the bag.  Lift the bag by one handle and
the easily peels away from the bag.  When I quizzed a random
assortment of friends, they claim they would re-use the paper bags
more often if they would last longer.

 

You could add staples.

 Nope.  The staple act as a stress riser, concentrating the load on the
staple wire.  Once the rip starts, the bag rips open.  The most
effective and cheap solution is to glue the paper handles to the paper
bag.  That distributes the load and reduces the chances of starting a
tear.

I'd give the added staples a try. Adding glue to a paper handle that's already glued seems fussy and time consuming at best. You can whack four staples into each handle-to-bag joint in about 30 seconds to see if it helps.
I don't seem to have a paper bag with glued-on handles, so I just now sliced a two-layer ribbon out of the lapped seam of a paper bag, to simulate a handle. I used four staples to attach it to a single layer of the bag, clamped the bag in a vise and pulled with a fish scale. It required eight pounds to rip it loose. That's with no glue. Sounds like with two handles, two ends each, you might be looking at well over 25 pounds capacity even without glue.
Not that it matters much to me. I've got other bags, including the demonized plastic ones. Our grocery _claims_ they recycle them, which I doubt. I think they're fine as long as they're not let loose into the world.
--
- Frank Krygowski