Tools You Can't Live Without

[Justin P.]

What are top 3 modeling tools?  Past or present...

 

 

[Eddie]

Hey howya goin Maturin mate, a mechanical pencil, ruler and a hammer to bash wood into place beacuse I forgot to pick a saw as my third item.   

[Dilbert55]

Hands, eyes and a bottle of rum, yohoho   

[JerseyCity Frankie]

Can we assume everyone has exactos and tweezers? After that I have to say I'm amazed how often I'm drilling stuff with the Pin Vice. Nearly every time I sit down to work I'm using it.

[Ulises Victoria]

Hard to pick just 3.

 

Knife, ruler and pencil?

 

[kayakerlarry]

dental tools, dental tools and dental tools...

[Jack12477]

Bottle of gin, bottle of bitter lemon tonic,  large ice cube filled glass 

[popeye2sea]

Rum, rum, and rum.  'Tis all you need.

[MEDDO]

I'm gonna have to say brain, left hand, right hand.

[Richard Griffith]

eyes, fingers & rum

[John Allen]

A googled language translator and a translator to translate the translator

[Dan Vadas]

Xacto knife or scalpel, diamond tweezers and ........ number 1 - Headband Magnifier. It's the first thing I reach for when I sit down.

 

I'm looking for a good one to replace my 10-year-old one - the lenses are getting past it, too many scratches. I'd prefer one with a 3rd lens that goes to 6x or 8x magnification - not that useless drop-down round one but an actual rectangular lens. It also doesn't need those equally useless lights - they don't do anything a good movable worklight can't do, and they get rather heavy after an hour or so.

 

Any recommendations?

 

  Danny

[MEDDO]

 

1 hour ago, Dan Vad said:

Any recommendations?

 

  Danny

 

Danny I just started using these. 

 

Likes:  very lightweight, comfortable, when using you still have great peripheral vision, 5 different lens (although not 6-8x like you mentioned), inexpensive

Dislikes: light is worthless, magnification requires you to be very close to what you are working on. 

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Michael. The 3.5x @ 80-120mm is about half the distance from the job that my current ones work at. How easy is it to swap the lenses over? That's one good thing about my current one - you simply flip down the 2nd lens to double the magnification .

 

I also found THIS ONE, a Chinese knock-off of the Donegan magnifier. Anyone else use it, and what do you think of it?

 

  Danny

[MEDDO]

 The lens have a small clip and they can be swapped out in a few seconds.

[Eddie]

27 minutes ago, Dan Vad said:

 

I also found THIS ONE, a Chinese knock-off of the Donegan magnifier

I have these ones the screws on the side keep coming loose.    

[kurtvd19]

Get the Donogan Optivisor with glass lenses - a word of difference from the plastic lenses - much clearer and they don't scratch.  I swap out the lenses when I need more power rather than picking up the old plastic lens unit.  I think I will just get rid of the plastic version - I will never use it again.

Kurt

[grsjax]

4 hours ago, Eddie said:

I have these ones the screws on the side keep coming loose.    

I have one like that.  Works really well and has glass lens.  I think I paid about US$12 for them on eBay.

[Dan Vadas]

3 hours ago, grsjax said:

I have one like that.  Works really well and has glass lens.  I think I paid about US$12 for them on eBay.

I've bought one of them on Ebay, $AU20.83 with free postage . Eddie, I'll check the screws .

 

  Danny

[Eddie]

1 minute ago, Dan Vad said:

Eddie, I'll check the screws

It happens when you lift it up and down a couple of times I also got mine off of ebay, now it just sits in the cupboard.

[MESSIS]

Sorry guys.... but why not scotch whisky? After all the  British Royal Navy was and is in naval history of major importance! (am not british subj. but love a good scotch, single malt mmmmmm or blended)

 

Cheers all

Christos

[Ulises Victoria]

18 minutes ago, MESSIS said:

Sorry guys.... but why not scotch whisky? After all the  British Royal Navy was and is in naval history of major importance! (am not british subj. but love a good scotch, single malt mmmmmm or blended)

 

Cheers all

Christos

Indeed. I love Canadian Crown Royal whisky, but it is like a reward after a job well done, not as a tool! 

[MESSIS]

Mmmm the CRWisky is simply superb.... we agree on that too.

[Jack12477]

53 minutes ago, MESSIS said:

Sorry guys.... but why not scotch whisky? After all the  British Royal Navy was and is in naval history of major importance! (am not british subj. but love a good scotch, single malt mmmmmm or blended)

 

Cheers all

Christos

 

34 minutes ago, Ulises Victoria said:

Indeed. I love Canadian Crown Royal whisky, but it is like a reward after a job well done, not as a tool! 

 

I concur ! But my personal favorite is Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

[vaddoc]

My home-made disc sander is by far the most useful tool I have. My dremel motosaw comes second and a 50 cm aluminium ruler third.

With two babies at home I cannot really have alcohol, I am sure this is the reason behind my very slow progress!

[MESSIS]

Dear vaddoc, 

 

My babys (boy and girl) are now adults.... so am free to dink anything I like, at any time. But believe me I would have given  away all the best whisky of the world if I had babys again in the house! So NJoy.... enjoy it its wonderfull.

 

Christos

 

Ps I said so my daughter..... and she is thinking of it.... you never know, a grandchild on board surely its a fine thing!

[jhearl]

On 5/26/2017 at 6:35 AM, Eddie said:

It happens when you lift it up and down a couple of times I also got mine off of ebay, now it just sits in the cupboard.

If you go to a hardware store, you can find locknuts with plastic inserts that you can use to replace the ones on the headband. The locknuts will not loosen up once you put them on. Just be sure you know what size thread you need before you go to the store.

 

Cheers -

John

[Sgt Mike]

Old time Rock-n-roll,  a beer, and my dog by my side to talk to.

[John Allen]

20 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

I concur ! But my personal favorite is Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

Man, 

 

I never use alcohol as a reward but as a tool. When I am vexed by a particular assembly and  my head is hurting, fingers and hands twisted in knots a good snokering makes things very clear. Or it seems so at the time!!

[Justin P.]

I generally skip the booze when working, buts a product of never quite know when my wife or kids are gonna interupt and need something fixed/installed/delivered/painted/mowed/assembled or played with #dadlife.    Otherwise, my essential tools these days are patience, iPad for MSW and a good set of sanding sticks.  #fairallday.

 

That said...   single malt, super peaty, fire and I'm happy, of course happier when following a particularly productive session in the shipyard without breaking anything.