I know it’s only January, but I think I’m already ready to submit my entry.

What to do when your child breaks their free, plastic trash can (ahem!  Recycle Bin…)… note once, but twice?  And breaks it in that unrepairable, broken plastic, “we’ll just have to throw this away” way?  Both times?  Oh, and did I mention that this assemblage of plastic is a longtime favorite toy?

You come to this Daddy.  That’s what.

Our first breakage was of the black plastic axle. With a little help from Grandpa Stark (I learn from, and take pointers from the best, you know), I worked in a brand new metal axle, melted right into those wheels.  That baby ain’t never coming off.  And the wheels?  They still roll.  That’s right.

While technically this fix occurred last year, I’m going to go ahead and include it on this year’s application, since the second repair to the same toy occurred today.

This time, Ben managed to snap off one of the two remaining lid attach points.  Once again, metal and torch to the rescue:

I’ve installed a custom fashioned bailing wire hinge that is melted into the lid for good measure.  And yes, the lid opens and closes as before.

When the judges are ready to award the prize, I can be contacted through this blog.