Abstract: The prevention from hardening upon storage of paste-like material by use of a lid having an inlet port, an outlet port, and a plastic bag attached to the inlet port. By expelling the air in contact with the paste-like material, the material can be prevented from hardening during storage. A similar lid is used in a pre-cleaning device situated between a dust-producing tool and a wet/dry vacuum. Dust-laden air enters the device through an inlet port and is discharged over a water filter. The pre-cleaned air is vacuumed to a wet/dry vacuum. The pre-cleaning process lengthens the useful life of the wet/dry vacuum. A hand-held sander is disclosed which provides for rapid change of sandpaper. The sander has a hollow upper handle component and a lower surface component which are held together with a latch. Depressing of a quick-release button allows separation of the two parts.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner device containing a water filter and a filter shroud. The filter shroud contains an outer wall having a gap for the passage of water and air, an inner wall placed near the gap and coaxial with the outer wall, and a dry filter at the top of the device. Contaminated air enters the filter shroud near the center of the inner wall. Most of the contaminants are filtered out of the air by the water. The air passes along the inner wall, through a channel between the inner and outer walls, through the gap in the outer wall, and up through the dry filter. The air reaching the dry filter has lost all of the water and most of the contaminants. The configuration of the filter shroud prevents the dry filter from becoming wet and losing its effectiveness.

Abstract: Sanding apparatus in which dust raised by sanding is drawn by reduced pressure through a porous sanding sheet and directly through apertures into a plenum chamber and from there through an air passage into an air space in a closed container partially filled with water. The air and dust are separated in the container by projecting the dust into the water from a small distance above it and, simultaneously, drawing the substantially dust-free air out of the air space by the reduced pressure so that the air does not need to enter the water.

Abstract: A combination invalid walker and crutch which includes a four-leg walker base having a pair of horizontally oriented hand grips which enable the base to be used as a conventional walker and to which a pair of vertically adjustable underarm crutch supports are selectively mounted to thereby enable the apparatus to be used as a walker while providing the underarm support of a crutch.