By Gina Daugherty
The Cincinnati Enquirer

He's the Superhero of the house, able to kill spiders in a single whack and fix just about anything - with duct tape. For everything good ol' dad does, he gets paid back on Father's Day with ties, socks and, if he's lucky, some new tool.

Remember when the battery cover on the remote wouldn't stay on and he wrapped duct tape around it? And who knew duct tape could give mom's broom handle another year of life?

Dad has done a lot over the years, (just ask him, he'll tell you how hard he works) and he's left gray streams of duct tape in his wake as proof.

This Father's Day, spare him the cheap aftershave and nose hair clippers. Give him something to incite his inner handyman. Give him duct tape.

With a little imagination and a lot of duct tape, you can make dear ol' dad almost anything. We were able to make an apron, a tool belt, a wallet and even a tie. The best part is that duct tape is super strong, easily cleaned with a wet rag and comes in an array of colors and patterns. (We could find only red, black, gray and transparent on a recent trip to the Home Depot and Wal-Mart, so you might have to shop around a bit if you've got neon on your mind.)

Transparent duct tape is new to the market and great for those repairs you'd rather conceal - like taping the sole of a boot back on.

Tim Nyberg, of Tim and Jim the Duct Tape Guys (Web site), says if it's not stuck and it's supposed to be, then duct tape it.

"If you don't want to see it, then use camouflage," says Nyberg, eventually conceding that transparent duct tape could be useful if you needed to mend a book page. "It's kind of a badge of honor to have duct tape on something. Plus, it's humorous to see it. Then you know that a person had more important things to do, like go back to watching TV. You lose some of the intrinsic humor of duct tape by making it transparent."

Then again, nudists can finally wear duct tape with the same pride as others.

Scotch, the makers of the transparent kind, insist that the colorless model is just as durable as its gray counterpart, with the usual three layers of resilient plastic, adhesive and fabric mesh. It is also water- and UV-resistant. But above all, it's able to be ripped by hand, requiring no other tools for use - something every dad agrees is invaluable.

Dad's popular household fix-all isn't just for garden hoses and screen repairs, it's for everything, says Valerie Stump, spokeswoman for Duck Brand duct tape.

"Its uses range from repairs of rafts and pools to holding car bumpers on," Stump says. "We had a zookeeper call once to tell us he used duct tape to shut a kangaroo's pouch. The joey was coming out too early, so they used duct tape to keep it in, so he could fully develop. Duct tape doesn't come with instructions, so the opportunities are endless."

For some of these endless opportunities for dad, just follow our instructions:

Tools: Different colored duct tape, tape measure or ruler, scissors

Tie

Cut two 23-inch strips of duct tape and overlap them slightly. (Use whatever color you want the main portion of the tie to be.)

Then cut two more pieces the same length and place them on top of the sticky part of the first two. (It will be two strips wide with no sticky parts left.)

Cut a 20-inch piece (same color as above) and fold up the corner at a 45 degree angle so that it sticks together. Continue to fold, creating a triangle football of duct tape. (This is the knot).

For the neck of the tie, cut a piece about 21 inches (depending on dad's neck size) long, and fold it in half so the sticky parts come together.

Using a regular tie as a template, trace and cut out a tie shape with the 23-inch piece of duct tape.

Attach the knot to the tie with a folded piece of duct tape. Attach the neck to the back of the tie. Add a folded piece of duct tape to the end of the neck piece. (This way dad can adjust and take off the tie at will.)

Chef's Apron

Cut four pieces of duct tape 11 inches long and overlap them slightly. Add another four strips on the opposite side to remove sticky backing. Cut off jagged edges to make a rectangle. (This is the bib of the apron.)

Using a different color, cut four pieces to use as a border along all four sides of the bib. Stick half on one side and fold down the rest to the other side.

Cut 11 pieces of duct tape at 30 inches long in every other color for the bottom of the apron. Overlap them slightly to form a large sheet. Apply sheets of paper to the back to cover up the sticky part. (This will save you lots in duct tape.) Create a frame for the bottom part of the apron by folding four pieces of duct tape around each edge, like you did for the bib.

Attach the bib to the apron by rolling a piece of duct tape about 10 inches long and affixing it to the bottom, backside of the bib.

For the tie straps, cut two pieces of duct tape about 17 inches long (depending on how big your dad is) and fold them in half. Cut another strip about 20 inches long for the neck strap and fold it in half.

Attach the neck strap to the backside of the bib using two pieces of duct tape on either side. Attach the tie straps to the upper portion of the apron (about nine inches from the top of the apron) using two pieces of duct tape.

Add words, letters and decorations to the bib to personalize it for dad.

Helpful hint: By placing two or more strips of duct tape side by side and then adding the same amount to the back to remove the stickiness, you can then easily cut out letters, shapes, etc.

Wallet

Cut five strips of duct tape 1-inch larger than the size of a bill. Turn it over and add another five strips to remove stickiness.

Measure an inch from the top and fold it down, then fold the rest of the piece in half. (This will create a flap to keep the money in.)

Tape the sides of the pocket together by folding duct tape over each side. (Don't tape the protective flap, though.) Add a small piece of tape to the middle of the flap so that you can open and close the wallet. (Can also double as coupon carrier for mom.)

Shower Shoes

Cut two strips of duct tape an inch larger than your dad's foot and overlap them. Cut two more strips and apply to sticky side of tape. Cut to shape using one of dad's shoes.

Cut two pieces of duct tape about 8 inches long and overlap the two. Apply two more pieces to the back. Create an arch over the top of the above pieces and adhere the arch to the bottom of the shoe.

Apply decorations, such as stripes, by adding another strip of different colored duct tape.

Do the same to create the other shoe.

Tool Belt

Cut four 28-inch strips of duct tape and overlap them together. Cut another four the same size and adhere to back to remove stickiness.

Fold the piece in half.

Cut out four to six different sized pieces of duct tape, ranging from 6 to 9 inches. Fold each piece in half. Create a loop with each piece, making sure the beginning of the loop is flat. Adhere the loops into a circle with a small piece of duct tape.

Cut four more pieces of duct tape about 14 inches long (depending on your dad's waist size). Overlap two of them and add the other two pieces to the back to remove the sticky part. Create one more just like this.

Adhere the loops to the bottom portion of the main belt with duct tape. Attach the 14-inch end pieces to each end of the main belt with duct tape. Fold the belt down and adhere the ends together. Belt wraps around the waist and ties in the front.