The General Tool Thread

[Skython]

My preferred tool is this, but I'm not sure what the brand is. I have a model that's somewhat old, but history has shown that the manufacturer takes ages to improve on it in any significant manner, so I'm quite happy with it. Has a lifetime warranty.

The big problem is the fact that if you get a faulty one they won't replace it. But that's what you get when you purchase a free item.

 

[Slash]

The big problem is the fact that if you get a faulty one they won't replace it. But that's what you get when you purchase a free item.

THat might be a slight issue.


My question still stands about rust removal...what is the best way? I'd love to make some of my older stuff shiny again.

 

[W3H5]

My best bud works for Honda and has had only one of his Snap-On tools break so they sent a bloke in a van around right away to replace it. Lifetime warranty.

Also:

.

 

[Slash]

So does that salt and vinegar thing actually work then? I've heard people swear by it but I've never actually put it to the test myself. I was always a bit skeptical really.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

My question still stands about rust removal...what is the best way? I'd love to make some of my older stuff shiny again.

How bad are they? If it's just surface rust, some WD-40 and wire wool will get it off.

 

[Slash]

How bad are they? If it's just surface rust, some WD-40 and wire wool will get it off.

My cresent wrench and a pair of pliers are light surface rust. Some of my older/ancient screwdrivers are pretty bad. I did take some time and get a lot of the thick crap off them with some light grit sandpaper the other night though, it helped a bit. One of my hammers, actually both of my hammers really, the heads are pretty bad. Most of my stuff is really squeeky clean so I'd like to get these cleaned up to go with them. I've got to get some silica gel packets to drop in my toolboxes to help with the moisture as well.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Try baking soda mixed with lemon juice, spread it over the rusted area, leave it for 5 minutes then wipe it clean.

Vinegar can strip the tool of its coating, so it can make the tool more prone to rust in the future.

 

[photonrider]

So does that salt and vinegar thing actually work then? I've heard people swear by it but I've never actually put it to the test myself. I was always a bit skeptical really.

Salt and vinegar is good in a pinch - or even a rag soaked in aircraft fuel, but the easy way would be to get a can of WD-40, or even any other tool-cleaning 'off-the-shelf' product.

 

[phillgt2002]

or even a rag soaked in aircraft fuel.

Yes, because I have a jug of aircraft fuel laying around

 

[Slash]

Try baking soda mixed with lemon juice, spread it over the rusted area, leave it for 5 minutes then wipe it clean.

Vinegar can strip the tool of its coating, so it can make the tool more prone to rust in the future.

Hmm, I don't know if I have any lemon juice in the refridgerator. Pretty sure I don't but I will take a peak. I've heard that about the vinegar as well, that's why I was a bit skeptical.

Yes, because I have a jug of aircraft fuel laying around

I can actually get ahold of aircraft and other high-octane fules pretty easily as my uncle works for Mayor Bloomberg on all his planes and theres a small airport not too far from me that everyone used to get fuel for their high performance cars. But it might be cheaper just to get a can of WD-40

Salt and vinegar is good in a pinch - or even a rag soaked in aircraft fuel, but the easy way would be to get a can of WD-40, or even any other tool-cleaning 'off-the-shelf' product.

Since everyone is saying use WD-40, I don't have a can laying around so I'm assuming that any good penetrating oil like Thrust etc etc would do the job just as well?

 

[magic_town]

I've always found that any hand tool should also have the ability to double as a hammer. If it's damaged in process it's worthless anyway.
The abuse some of my tools have copped since starting my apprenticeship 23 years ago is huge.

Buy quality and buy once. 👍

You sound like another electrician My Flatblade makes a sweet chisel. Big question for you though - which pliers do you use?
For my spanners, sockets etc I've got Sidchrome, seem pretty decent but I'm not sure if you can get them outside of Aus? All my battery tools are DeWalt and they are excellent, only other stuff I've used that would come close (IMO) is Makita.

 

[phillgt2002]

I can actually get ahold of aircraft and other high-octane fules pretty easily as my uncle works for Mayor Bloomberg on all his planes and theres a small airport not too far from me that everyone used to get fuel for their high performance cars. But it might be cheaper just to get a can of WD-40

Well you're lucky. I know of people pumping high octane fuel/whatever into their cars sometimes. I don't see the point honestly especially if it takes that much of a problem to get. I definitely won't spend money on it to clean my Craftsman tools. WD-40 has many uses.

 

[Slash]

You sound like another electrician My Flatblade makes a sweet chisel. Big question for you though - which pliers do you use?
For my spanners, sockets etc I've got Sidchrome, seem pretty decent but I'm not sure if you can get them outside of Aus? All my battery tools are DeWalt and they are excellent, only other stuff I've used that would come close (IMO) is Makita.

I've heard of Sidchrome, very very good things have come out of friends mouths about that brand. They are comparable to Snap-On i terms of overall quality from what I've heard. That said I've never used them at least at home, at school probably once or twice and they seemed nice. I don't have enough experience with them to make a good judgement about that though.

Well you're lucky. I know of people pumping high octane fuel/whatever into their cars sometimes. I don't see the point honestly especially if it takes that much of a problem to get. I definitely won't spend money on it to clean my Craftsman tools. WD-40 has many uses.

Well the people including my father that did it were running very high octane fuel provided by Sunoco in their performance cars that were churning out insane amounts of horsepower. I know a few of them were running alcohol etc. 117 octane is what we used at one time, thats higher than NASCAR, from what I've heard they run around 105 or 106. Which, IIRC, is what most aircraft use. Some of the cars had compression ratios in excess of 14:1

 

[phillgt2002]

Well the people including my father that did it were running very high octane fuel provided by Sunoco in their performance cars that were running insane amounts of horsepower.

Doesn't jet fuel use something other than alcohol?

Also, what kind of cars were they putting the fuel in?

 

[Slash]

Doesn't jet fuel use something other than alcohol?

Also, what kind of cars were they putting the fuel in?

Its a higher octane fuel but it's not quite to alcohol.

The fuel was going in our truck, one of the guys had a a late '60s early '70s GTO with a 455 swapped in. I think the same guy had a rotbox station wagon that had a 351 Cleveland in it that would blow the doors off some of the nicer muscle cars on the street. One of them had a Mach 1 with a Cleveland also. Another had a 1970 Mustang with a 478 big block in it. This was when regular unleaded was like 75 cents to $1.30 a gallon. The octane they were buying was like $10 a gallon in the '90s. I beleive mostly everyone was running naturally aspirated engines. One of the guys had a supped up Maverick with a 200ci Inline 6 with 4.56 gears and a 3 speed manual, and that car would roast some of the Chevelle SS 396's in a drag race. Insane, absurd amounts of power in these cars, especially for the street. I have never seen a car twist that much on the street before as some of the ones I saw with these guys. All very good mechanics and machinesits.

 

[Shaun]

You sound like another electrician

Sure am.

My Flatblade makes a sweet chisel.

Of course, as you know you always have pliers, flat and phillips screwdrivers in your pocket. That's virtually a whole toolbox right there.

Big question for you though - which pliers do you use?

These.

Sidchrome, had them for 23 years and still cut as well as when I bought them. The new ones look a bit dodgy though. I've heard good things about Channelock pliers but haven't needed to check them out.

For my spanners, sockets etc I've got Sidchrome, seem pretty decent but I'm not sure if you can get them outside of Aus? All my battery tools are DeWalt and they are excellent, only other stuff I've used that would come close (IMO) is Makita.

Spanners and sockets are mostly Sidchrome, the older stuff. New stuff I wouldn't buy looks nasty.

As for battery tools I've always used Hitachi and had no reason to change, served me really well.

 

[magic_town]

Sure am.

Of course, as you know you always have pliers, flat and phillips screwdrivers in your pocket. That's virtually a whole toolbox right there.

These.

Sidchrome, had them for 23 years and still cut as well as when I bought them. The new ones look a bit dodgy though. I've heard good things about Channelock pliers but haven't needed to check them out.

Spanners and sockets are mostly Sidchrome, the older stuff. New stuff I wouldn't buy looks nasty.

As for battery tools I've always used Hitachi and had no reason to change, served me really well.

Wow, 23 years? Never seen pliers last that long before!

 

[Shaun]

Yeah, well the insulation on the ends is a bit cracked up now from using that part as a soft hammer. Apart from that they are still going strong.

Back when I was an apprentice a mate cut through some live TPS with his, blew two little neat holes in the cutting jaw. Turned out to be good wire strippers.

 

[Venom800tt]

A large chunk of my tools at work are Craftsman, but I also have some Snap-On, Matco, MAC, and Proto tools. I kinda just get tools from where ever lol. My main tool box is a Blue-Point, while my junk box is a cheap Craftsman. The hangar's tool room has a wide range of crap, from cheap regular wrenches to rather expensive Snap-On torque wrenches. We ain't allowed to have our own calibrated tools, so all those must be checked out from the tool room.

 

[magic_town]

Yeah, well the insulation on the ends is a bit cracked up now from using that part as a soft hammer. Apart from that they are still going strong.

Back when I was an apprentice a mate cut through some live TPS with his, blew two little neat holes in the cutting jaw. Turned out to be good wire strippers.

Haha yes I had the blown out holes that were the perfect size for 2.5. I use the red Stanley flat blade, best flat blade I've used, perfect size for terminal screws

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

^ That's some ethics abuse right there.

not even a receipt at the very least?

As long as they can read "Mastercraft" on the tool, they'll replace it. Its company policy and has nothing to do with the store. 👍

 

[W3H5]

I actually never go anywhere, ANYWHERE with out the most minimal of tools on me. I bike a lot (both push-iron and motor) so these come in handy all the time, even if not for the bikes. They also fit into a small pocket. I have several sets with a few different combinations of tools but my standard one (without a de-riveter) is like this:

 

[Pupik]

I buy whatever I can afford and need at the time. I don't use tools for a hobby nor a living, so usually whatever hand tools from Home Depot and Lowe's works for me. If it's something a little more specialized, I'll head over to "Horror Fraught Tools"; I don't trust their power tools, and don't require air tools. But their hand tools have lifetime warranties, and I can't remember the last time any tool of mine broke apart or failed from normal use. (Although on a few occasions, I've overtaxed their capacity or let it rust horribly.)

Mostly Black and Decker for power tools, a 18v set and a few odds and ends for lawn use. Fiskars makes some really nice sharp tools for cutting, trimming, and pruning.

Mostly, I just do some around-the-house fixes and light-duty stuff, so while $150 for a set of screwdrivers that are ergonomicly designed for 10-hour days is helpful for those who need it, or $300 a set of ten for nearly indestructible wrenches, I certainly don't for the comparatively rare moments I need them.

 

[Slash]

A large chunk of my tools at work are Craftsman, but I also have some Snap-On, Matco, MAC, and Proto tools. I kinda just get tools from where ever lol. My main tool box is a Blue-Point, while my junk box is a cheap Craftsman. The hangar's tool room has a wide range of crap, from cheap regular wrenches to rather expensive Snap-On torque wrenches. We ain't allowed to have our own calibrated tools, so all those must be checked out from the tool room.

That sucks you can have you own calibrated tools. Then again they are mad expensive.

I actually never go anywhere, ANYWHERE with out the most minimal of tools on me. I bike a lot (both push-iron and motor) so these come in handy all the time, even if not for the bikes. They also fit into a small pocket. I have several sets with a few different combinations of tools but my standard one (without a de-riveter) is like this:

I seriously need to invest in one of these.

 

[Venom800tt]

That sucks you can have you own calibrated tools. Then again they are mad expensive.

lol, it is more of an aviation thing, as most all airlines and other large maintenance operations supply their own calibrated tooling. Aircraft manufacturers also provide thir own calibrated tools during manufacture of new aircraft.

 

[Slash]

lol, it is more of an aviation thing, as most all airlines and other large maintenance operations supply their own calibrated tooling. Aircraft manufacturers also provide thir own calibrated tools during manufacture of new aircraft.

I guess it has it's benefits, so you don't have to buy them. But then again if someone is using it, you have to wait, and if you leave that job you don't have one for home use or for your next job (if they don't supply tools). Calibrated tools are seriously expensive, a good torque wrench alone by itself can cost double what an amazing full socket and ratchet set cost.

 

[Solid Lifters]

My Wiha pliers.

My Wiha Bits and Bit Holder

Wera Zyklop Ratchet with Bit Holder and Accessories

 

[Slash]

The plier set is really good looking. I dig the colors. How much were they?



This my brand spanking new 85 piece Blue Point 3/8" drive ratchet and socket set. My dad bought me this as a graduation gift. I cannot believe how nice it is. The ratchet is extremely smooth and very very quiet. Probably one of the best sets I'll own. Definitely looking forward to get more in other sizes. Only issue with this set is that the deep sockets are 12 point, not 6 point but that's ok, it's a start.

 

[ranhammerR34]

Ok myself, I'll take Kobalt's stuff for now. I am a big Snap-on fan, and Whia's stuff is absolutely some good stuff, but hard to come by in the United States and not cheap. Power tools, I just have a 12V rechargeable drill from Black and Decker that I grabbed from Wal-Mart.

On the other hand, my Dad has a ton of tools. He has both SK and Craftsman tool boxes full of them. Power tools, he's a Dewalt man mostly.

 

[Solid Lifters]

The plier set is really good looking. I dig the colors. How much were they?

The colors, red-orange and yellow, indicates that it's insulated for electrical work and must be flame retardant and impact resistant. These insulated tools are 10,000 volt tested, 1,000 volt rated that complies to VDE, ASTM, NFPA, CSA or EN/IEC 60900 standards.

They're not cheap. The one on the right, inomic long nose plier with cutting blade, was $45. However, they're on sale right now for $30 at wihatools.com

The pliers on the left are the lineman's pliers with crimper. They were about $65, but I got them on sale for about $50. They are huge and powerful!

I also have insulated Wiha terminal drivers, too.