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Favourite and least favourite tools

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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 01:22 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Favourite and least favourite tools Reply with quote

I usually treat myself to something pointless that I don't really need at Christmas but this year I f*cked up Wink

I bought a set of ratchet spanners - the ratchet end is on a hinge - and they're brilliant! Granted you wouldn't use them for serious force but for convenience Thumbs Up

On the flip side the last time I sorted out my tools I found a 7mm spanner. "WTF? Have I ever used this?!"
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 01:43 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is a 7mm adjuster nut on the decompressor cableof my enfield bullet.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IhJa50il4Wc81QwMeKO420doYQG-X0sevkE7UsVIcv5IoRbzunPq_d1f5cEmXVemkmoRhYhW97prmHmfSGVWf1-zSq46j_k5p1etvYNyDe895V8RDx6I94qWdxceN7uqqLPlyvbg4w=w650-h866-no

Ratchet spanners are great but always be aware that you can undo a bolt and get yourself "stuck". If you aren't certain you have enough clearance get the bolt all the way out, stop while there is enough of a gap to take the spanner off the top because you can't screw them back in with a ratchet spanner on top.

My vessel JIS screwdrivers are my favourite tool. They do not disappoint.

Every circlip plier I have ever owned had been a fucking abortion of a tool.
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 01:52 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jubilee clips have a 7mm hex on the worm screw.

Circlip pliers have to be bought for every size and orientation which makes them expensive for the amount you use them but those multi head ones like below are the devils spawn.


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcTltUwotecRl24lGJZ-tgvjisBRJvunXu77i_uSpwQcxOVPP29RUm2WPyBNPaP5lVXVoEKttjo&usqp=CAc

My favourite tool varies depending on what I am doing. Today it was a battery nut knocker as I had to repair a puncture on my daughters car in the middle of a horse yard.
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Lone-Wolf
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PostPosted: 02:13 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wotcha.

When all else fails, out comes the box . . . . .


https://www.moonshiners.org.uk/showme/ommers.jpg
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 05:48 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tools are just a means to an end, and it doesn't make sense to have favourites. But here we are, can't sleep, so what else to do but go on BCF. Laughing

I would pick my manual impact driver as my favourite tool. Some tools just give you that sense of miraculous witness when they're used. Having had lots of problems with stuck screws and bolts corroded into their aluminium holes, I really appreciate this tool. Hit the area with penetrating oil and a blowtorch a few times, let it cool and repeat before taking out the impact driver. No matter how chewed up the screw or head is, it WILL move. It's a satisfying tool because it gives you a sense of combined precision, control and unstoppable force. You apply it with a slight torsion coming from your wrist. This is precision. You tap it with a hammer. That's power. You press it up against the machine so it doesn't slip. That's control. To top it all off, it comes in a solid metal case, it fills your hand nicely and has a nice heft, and it smells of new oil. This is one tool which makes you laugh and feel free when that stubborn, chewed up fastener inevitably moves. The pressure applied from pushing into it reduces the risk of the bolt shearing. Its use feels considered, thoughtful, controlled, on your own time, etc.

Least favourite tools... Bearing drifts and small chisels. Mine are all newish (less than 5 years old). The tips and edges all wear out from normal use. Improper hardening or tempering, or just bad steel.
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 08:20 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lone-Wolf wrote:
Wotcha.

When all else fails, out comes the box . . . . .


https://www.moonshiners.org.uk/showme/ommers.jpg


For me that picture is pure porn Thumbs Up Laughing
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Sister Sledge
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PostPosted: 09:13 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hammers and hacksaws and probably knock through screwdrivers are faves.
Is an ice scraper a tool? They always go weird and stop working efficiently.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 09:51 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bhud wrote:


Least favourite tools... Bearing drifts and small chisels. Mine are all newish (less than 5 years old). The tips and edges all wear out from normal use. Improper hardening or tempering, or just bad steel.


There's a balance to strike though. Too hard and they'll shatter, too soft and they wont grip. They ideally want to be soft enough that a splinter will "hang -up" on the tool rather than fly off.

Drifts and punches need regulaer re-facing anyway. If they look like the end of a baddly hammered-in fencepost, you are asking for a bit of metal in your face.

On the assumption they are actually made from tool steel, there's nothing stopping you heating, quenching and re-tempering the tips if you don't feel they are hard enough for your purposes.

Dress them first unless you like changing grinder wheels. Heat the tip until it is red hot and doesn't stick to a magnet.. Quench in oil. Once it's cool enough to handle, give it 2 hours in an oven at about 180 degrees.

Thinking about it. I'd imagine a risk-averse tooling company will have a tendancy to send striking tools out on the soft side rather than the hard side on the basis it's less likely to cause an injury/total failure. People using these kind of tools a lot will happily re-dress and re-harden them until they are left with a stump. Then buy a new one.
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 10:08 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Favourite:-
My T-handled cross head screwdriver. Well it was my brothers but i pinched it about 1988 and he hasn't noticed yet. It has got screws out that seemed impossible because you can put so much weight down on it to stop it riding up and out and chewing the heads. The undoing part is faster after initial loosening because you can just hold the metal shaft and spin the handle.

Least favourite:-
My Teng allen keys. They don't seem to fit as snugly as my Halfords professional socket version when tried side by side so I end up not using them in case the bolt gets rounded out.
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defblade
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PostPosted: 10:21 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fav tool: angle grinder, beyond a doubt. Dangerous, effective, useful and a free fireworks display Cool

Least favourite.... more difficult, I like playing with stuff... so basically, I'll go for anything cheap. It'll always be shit and mess things up worse than when you started. I've learnt now and am old enough that all the cheap stuff is gone from my shed. "Buy cheap, by twice".

Most expensive/least used: I bought a carb balancer to tune up my bandit, then never managed to work out how to get it anywhere near the carbs Embarassed Feels like they must weld the frame around the engine! Gave it away to a mate who's dropping a modern V8 on throttle bodies into an MGB GT after several years of it gathering dust...
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wr6133
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PostPosted: 10:40 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Favourite tool is the thing for compressing a USD fork (The cheapy little ones made of a ring and 2 bolts). Doesnt see much action but when needed its a god send compared to doing it without a special tool. Close 2nd is a set of cheap stud extractors from eBay in a box that tries to look like snapon 4 years of abuse and they are all still good.

Least favourite was a staple gun i bought in home bargains to recover a seat. It wouldnt even go through a handful of paper let alone a seat base.
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 11:01 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Someone gave me a ratchet that is about 40 years old now.
I bought some good quality six sided sockets to go with it along with an extension bar.

They’ve been brilliant/never let me down.

Secondly I have an old piece of hardwood block and a lump hammer that has got many bits and pieces in or out of where they should be, I’d never be without them.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 11:12 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

yen_powell wrote:
Favourite:-
My T-handled cross head screwdriver. Well it was my brothers but i pinched it about 1988 and he hasn't noticed yet. It has got screws out that seemed impossible because you can put so much weight down on it to stop it riding up and out and chewing the heads. The undoing part is faster after initial loosening because you can just hold the metal shaft and spin the handle.


You should try a screwdriver bit in an old-style drill brace. You can get your chest on it to force the bit into the head then crack it off with the crank.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 11:18 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

yen_powell wrote:
Favourite:-
My T-handled cross head screwdriver...


I seem to see this tool appear a lot on motocross 'tube channels. For size , weight and simplicity it looks to be a great tool. Maybe for my birthday Smile
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The Shaggy D.A.
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PostPosted: 12:08 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sister Sledge wrote:
Is an ice scraper a tool? They always go weird and stop working efficiently.


Aye, one winter and they then just make your screen look like a barcode.
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Fisty
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PostPosted: 15:59 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Flank drive spanners, an amazing idea.
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 16:31 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

stinkwheel wrote:
yen_powell wrote:
Favourite:-
My T-handled cross head screwdriver. Well it was my brothers but i pinched it about 1988 and he hasn't noticed yet. It has got screws out that seemed impossible because you can put so much weight down on it to stop it riding up and out and chewing the heads. The undoing part is faster after initial loosening because you can just hold the metal shaft and spin the handle.


You should try a screwdriver bit in an old-style drill brace. You can get your chest on it to force the bit into the head then crack it off with the crank.
I'll give it a go. Think my late dad had one of those, I will have a search through his gear.

I've also got a stainless steel hand drill from his stuff already. I suspect my Mum pinched that when she was a theatre nurse. She used to supply me with scalpel blades when I was still drafting on a proper drawing board.
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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 16:57 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Favourite? A half-decent socket set. Currently a Halfords Advanced 1/4" and 1/2" assortment. They just work.

My least favourite? Not the tool itself, but if it needs to be used, there's already been the invention of new obscenities because excrement has hit the air impeller. Taps and Dies. Decent ones, not shitty ones that will make the problem worse than it already is.
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WD Forte
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PostPosted: 17:33 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought a set of ratchet spanners 10-20 years ago and have rarely used a couple, some I've never used so could lose them and not shed a tear.

Circlip pliers, ferkin circlip pliers, dont get me started!

One thing I did buy was set of hex( six sided) sockets and
that was a good investment as I never use any other type now and havent rounded off a crusty old nut or bolt for a long time

I sold my gas MIG setup a few years ago but was offered a very portable gasless one for £25 'in need of repair'
a few years later.
I never found out what repair was needed as it's always worked just fine for me.
It only comes out every now and again but has been invaluable for tacking nuts on broken studs etc and doing minor fabrication and repair stuff
The tool gods were smiling on me the day I bought that.

Ratchet terminal crimps, had em for years, always get a good result. Those stamped out types are nasty useless things.

I bought a set of allen keys from Aldi way back and they're still going strong years on!
Not chocolate! none rounded off, none snapped!
Whoda thunk it?

A 'top quality' 'professional' 'contractor grade'
Stanley pop rivet gun from Screwfix
Their most expensive.
Utter, utter, over priced piss poor shite
that shit the bed and jammed when i tried to use it
for a few 4.7mm rivets
Pure chinese shite trading on a once good name.
Took it back for a refund and a jolly good bitch whine moan session




All the impulse buy Ebay shite probably belongs in another long list
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Nobby the Bastard
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PostPosted: 17:45 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lone-Wolf wrote:
Wotcha.

When all else fails, out comes the box . . . . .


https://www.moonshiners.org.uk/showme/ommers.jpg


If I had a fucking hammer, I'd fucking hammer in the morning.....
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 18:19 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lone-Wolf wrote:
Wotcha.

When all else fails, out comes the box . . . . .


https://www.moonshiners.org.uk/showme/ommers.jpg


May I point out there are at least 2 rubber mallets in there. Girly hammers. Folded arms
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doggone
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PostPosted: 18:30 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lone-Wolf wrote:
Wotcha.

When all else fails, out comes the box . . . . .


https://www.moonshiners.org.uk/showme/ommers.jpg


Hammers here seem to be a self determining species.
They come and go as people borrow them
Only quite often, the ones that come back are not the same ones that left. On balance it seems to work out OK.
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Kawasaki Jimbo
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PostPosted: 18:30 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Re: Favourite and least favourite tools Reply with quote

Easy-X wrote:
I bought a set of ratchet spanners - the ratchet end is on a hinge - and they're brilliant! Granted you wouldn't use them for serious force but for convenience Thumbs Up

Funny enough I have the same but they're my least favourite along with a curved set. I never found a good use and I found them difficult to handle.

Torque wrench would be my favourite. Granted, now that I've used one for a while and got a feel for torque (albeit with a long lever) I could probably do without, but I like using it.
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Shaft
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PostPosted: 21:23 - 19 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm a lazy b*stard so I like power tools (used appropriately of course) anything that saves me time and effort.

My favourite of these is probably a Snap On power driver that I bought secondhand about 10 years ago - fraction of the (over) price new and has been totally reliable, not just as a screwdriver, but also spinning on/off nuts and bolts.

My least favourite tool is anything of poor quality, that doesn't fit, breaks or doesn't perform the task it's meant to.

Sockets that are a fraction too big, hex/torx bits that round off and spanners that snap, will find themselves hurled into the nearest bin, along with anything that came from the same set.
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 01:49 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

ThatDippyTwat wrote:
A half-decent socket set. Currently a Halfords Advanced 1/4" and 1/2" assortment. They just work.


Halfords Advanced is really good. Only have a couple of spanners from their range, but they're really the best I know about. The bees' knees. Use and abuse them, and they never get a scratch. Phenomenal steel... My socket set consists of bits and pieces (all Cr-V) from here and there - half of them 12-sided, so not ideal. Magnusson crap from B&Q eventually breaks because it's too thin, but at least it's cheap.
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