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Tool Nerds, Questions and Tool Snobbery

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,729
Champery, Switzerland
Car copped some solid hail dings last week, it's not worth much so I figured learning that I'm shit at dent removal would be fun.
After doing no research I ordered some paintless dent removal stuff.
View attachment 194618

View attachment 194619
And some glue sticks.

I'll make an adaptor for my bearing puller at work.
This is such a dumb idea that I am quite excited, hopefully it will go better than "I'm a mechanic so I can service a Thomson dropper......"
What kind of glue do you use for that?
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
Saw a clearance on bras fittings and burrs, workshop needs fittings I need aluminium burrs.
PXL_20230606_072327683~2.jpg


I've been keeping my eye on a used TIG welder and the price is now right but the sellers won't post, gotta see if a freight company would pack it up and send it.
 
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Saw a clearance on bras fittings and burrs, workshop needs fittings I need aluminium burrs.
View attachment 194821

I've been keeping my eye on a used TIG welder and the price is now right but the sellers won't post, gotta see if a freight company would pack it up and send it.
I have an amazing pile of crap I ought to send you. Will try to get a photo.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
I have an amazing pile of crap I ought to send you. Will try to get a photo.
Some dies came yesterday and the delivery guy said he has a bunch that he doesn't need, his are all Whitworth.
I almost never see Whitworth thread, wonder if that's the weird electrical thread I can never get screws for......?

I'd like to see a picture of an amazing pile of crap, I have an amazing tub of crap in the work truck, today I had to dive in then die grind out a washer to 40mm ID.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,340
8,893
Crawlorado
20230608_065701_copy_1000x750.jpg


Newest tool might actually be my oldest tool. Stanley Sweetheart 6" bevel gauge, mfg somewhere between 1921 - 1935.

Scrubbed it with steel wool for 45 minutes or so to pull off gunk, corrosion, and what I'm assuming to be an oxidized boiled linseed oil layer. I'll polish up the brass and re-linseed so it'll be good to go for another 100 years.

First go at breathing life into an older tool, though it won't be the last I'm sure.
 
View attachment 194897

Newest tool might actually be my oldest tool. Stanley Sweetheart 6" bevel gauge, mfg somewhere between 1921 - 1935.

Scrubbed it with steel wool for 45 minutes or so to pull off gunk, corrosion, and what I'm assuming to be an oxidized boiled linseed oil layer. I'll polish up the brass and re-linseed so it'll be good to go for another 100 years.

First go at breathing life into an older tool, though it won't be the last I'm sure.
I have one or three of them...
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
View attachment 194897

Newest tool might actually be my oldest tool. Stanley Sweetheart 6" bevel gauge, mfg somewhere between 1921 - 1935.

Scrubbed it with steel wool for 45 minutes or so to pull off gunk, corrosion, and what I'm assuming to be an oxidized boiled linseed oil layer. I'll polish up the brass and re-linseed so it'll be good to go for another 100 years.

First go at breathing life into an older tool, though it won't be the last I'm sure.
Nice, I bought a Draper branded carpenter's square and when I opened the pack it fell apart.
Then I bought an all metal engineer's square which wasn't square, pretty annoying as I think it was ~$70.
Still have to get some Japanese squares but I haven't been doing any woodwork because I am lazy.
The first sliding bevel I bought wouldn't clamp, it's quite annoying that people sell tools that fail to do the one single function that they were made to do.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,340
8,893
Crawlorado
Nice, I bought a Draper branded carpenter's square and when I opened the pack it fell apart.
Then I bought an all metal engineer's square which wasn't square, pretty annoying as I think it was ~$70.
Still have to get some Japanese squares but I haven't been doing any woodwork because I am lazy.
The first sliding bevel I bought wouldn't clamp, it's quite annoying that people sell tools that fail to do the one single function that they were made to do.
Links to said Japanese squares? I'm finding the the Japanese woodworking tools strike a nice balance between good quality and reasonably priced.

Sliding squares seem to be either a $15 Empire ( made in USA though!), a $15 imported jobber, or a $150 Starrett. Nothing in the middle.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
Links to said Japanese squares? I'm finding the the Japanese woodworking tools strike a nice balance between good quality and reasonably priced.

Sliding squares seem to be either a $15 Empire ( made in USA though!), a $15 imported jobber, or a $150 Starrett. Nothing in the middle.
Yeah my sliding bevel that works is an Empire.
Aussie prices, so they should be a bunch cheaper in the US-
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,487
19,493
Canaderp
I looked at that and they still made it too complicated. I don't want to work out which 3 things I need to buy, just make a package that includes all of them.
Gonna bet they split it up into kits, partly to make it look like it costs less. Like why doesn't the main kit include the friggin handle for the threaded rod?

For just threaded rod, handles and drifts, I've been happy enough with the set I got off of aliexpress.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
Looks fancy. I assume the jaws stay parallel rather than scissoring like a lot of other BJ presses?

I think a good 50% of the balljoints I've ever knocked loose were done with a BFH. Ball joint presses and spring compressors feel like they are always on the verge of grenading in your face.
Yup.

That's the fun of them, big rattle gun and wait for them to slip off.
We used to have a version of this for doing truck ones, I loved rattling them while someone swung a hammer at it.
1686875787901.png
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
Sold stuff off so I could order one of these-
1687342675338.png

I like to buy stuff from different countries to sorta share the wealth, this is made in the Ukraine and is supposedly made from mostly European made parts.
Chances I'll try it a few times and sell it at 50% off in six months time, 75% certain.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,729
Champery, Switzerland
Sold stuff off so I could order one of these-
View attachment 195655
I like to buy stuff from different countries to sorta share the wealth, this is made in the Ukraine and is supposedly made from mostly European made parts.
Chances I'll try it a few times and sell it at 50% off in six months time, 75% certain.
Nice one! I bet you’ll enjoy It. Think of all the custom tools you can make now!
You have a lathe yet?
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
Nice one! I bet you’ll enjoy It. Think of all the custom tools you can make now!
You have a lathe yet?
We'll see, it'll either go okay, or really really badly.

Workshop has a lathe, but I'm a pretty basic forgetful sorta person so they aren't something I should really be let loose on.

I do have to use the lathe to make an adaptor for my slide hammer, it has a stupid 15mm fine thread!
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
I always forget that this thing is in the work truck, it's so freaking handy! Grease nipples are like bottom brackets, there's a million styles for almost no reason.
PXL_20230621_041610255_1.jpg


And the local tool shop had 20% bonus credit so I ordered a 22 a 24mm ratchet ring with the credit from these.
They are a rebadged USAG or Facom and seem to be the best performance to price ratio over here.
PXL_20230624_095523745~2.jpg


EDIT- And a book.
IMG_20230625_162927.jpg
 

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HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
TIG came today, fired it up and the tungsten melted, turns out I had the polarity wrong.
Dabbed the electrode in to the puddle, back to the grinder, do it again, fuck!
Had two goes at a joint and left after being happy with a a pretty shit result.
I am super shakey so I'm gonna have to get a seat set up so I can get comfortable then practice more.
IMG_20230626_194316.jpg
 

4xBoy

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2006
7,050
2,894
Minneapolis
somehow cheaper than the dt swiss model
I woke up one morning and was going to message you if you had saw pictures a few weeks ago.

It was weird, I dreamed they posted pictures, strange part was how close it looked, but knowing it would be aluminum and green, it really only could look one way.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,729
Champery, Switzerland
TIG came today, fired it up and the tungsten melted, turns out I had the polarity wrong.
Dabbed the electrode in to the puddle, back to the grinder, do it again, fuck!
Had two goes at a joint and left after being happy with a a pretty shit result.
I am super shakey so I'm gonna have to get a seat set up so I can get comfortable then practice more.
View attachment 195983
Get a Furick #10 cup for better gas coverage and it will be a lot easier. Also, a couple pieces of wood to prop up your torch hand makes things a lot easier in the beginning. Grinding 20+ tungstens at a time also makes learning easier. I cut the tungstens in half so I can use a stubby torch and have twice as many chances to fuck it up.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
Get a Furick #10 cup for better gas coverage and it will be a lot easier. Also, a couple pieces of wood to prop up your torch hand makes things a lot easier in the beginning. Grinding 20+ tungstens at a time also makes learning easier. I cut the tungstens in half so I can use a stubby torch and have twice as many chances to fuck it up.
I'm a sucker for locally made stuff so I might give Tigware a whirl-
1687855336225.png
 
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HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,744
5,633
The internet is weird, a 40min video of a dude making a nut gets over half a million views in two days.
I didn't think any shop would do a part like that, I'd assumed it would have been an off the shelf item only.