Tool Talk

[strictlyxjs]

Well the mj is parked for winter so finally got around to swapping in the guage oil pressure sender for the dummy light sender and went to remove the old dummy light sending unit and broke the fitting off in the block. I didnt feel like driving an hour to work to pick up my mac extracor set (made by irwin) so i stoped at harbor frieght and picked up the $35 el cheapo icon set on sale for $27. It worked perfectly to remove the broken elbow fitting def worth the $30 to have in home box.

[gogmorgo]

How do the MAC ones work for you? I’ve had a couple sets of Irwin branded extractors due to generally being the best available at whatever place I’m in, and I can’t say I’ve been super impressed. The flutes don’t seem hard enough to bite particularly well or emerge without damage. That said I’ve only used the internal style, never the ones with the flutes on the outside. 

[strictlyxjs]

57 minutes ago, gogmorgo said:

How do the MAC ones work for you? I’ve had a couple sets of Irwin branded extractors due to generally being the best available at whatever place I’m in, and I can’t say I’ve been super impressed. The flutes don’t seem hard enough to bite particularly well or emerge without damage. That said I’ve only used the internal style, never the ones with the flutes on the outside. 

I like them but it all depends on the situation 9 times out of ten i use the acetylene torch at work get the bolt head cherry (with the internal ones u are talking about) slam the extractor on with a 2 lb sledge and then use ratchet to remove them.

 

With external style ive had good luck with the stubbys in situations like this but have NEVER been able to remove anything with these: long ones they just twist and slip out. Completly  useless do not recommend at all.

[gogmorgo]

 

 

Anyone use Milwaukee hand tools?

I’ve seen favourable reviews, and ended up getting these at work this summer. Can’t say they were cheap, but they were the fullest set I could find for the price point, and I have been enjoying using them. They feel a little better I would say than my memory of the gear wrench ratcheting sets. I realize they’re still pretty new but I haven’t had any of the ratchets pack up on me, the flex heads have about the right amount of flop, and I don’t know if it’s the gimmicky grooves on the open end or just a nice fit, but the open ends have gripped things I wouldn’t have expected them to grab, rusty fasteners and such.

Also the organizer they came in is pretty nice. Whether deliberate or not the metric and SAE sets nest very nicely into a tool box drawer where they don’t slide around, with all the wrenches facing the same direction and sitting flat enough not to jam up. And while they clip into the organizer it doesn’t take huge amounts of force to pop them in or out, so you’re not disrupting the rest of the set when you pick them up. All in all just seems like a really nice quality product. 

 

I’ve been thinking about picking up a Milwaukee socket set. I’m intrigued by the square drive ends that aren’t supposed to want to roll away on you. The Stanley set I’ve had over ten years that’s done most of my work at home is maybe getting a little long in the tooth. 

[FrankTheDog]

I won a Craftsman Versastak tool box at a Snowmobile swap meet a couple weeks ago.

For the $10 investment I’m very happy.

The tools are all organized by drive size with each drawer having room for other tools like a driver set with nut drivers torx bits screw driver bits and allen bits in one. Metric and American allen wrench sets in the second one and 4mm/1/4”-15mm/5/8 combination wrenches in the third. 

 I’m hoping l can find a box that attaches to it so l can add a wiring kit to it. 
 

[Pete M]

bought some cheap drill bits with the hex shank.  now I can have a couple in my junkyard bag to drill out random rivets without needing a drill.   

 

[GrandBoost98]

Anyone find any good Prime day deals?

[gogmorgo]

Something we don’t really think about as a tool, but hand cleaners are worth talking about. 
I’m sure everyone’s got their go-to citrusy pumicey flavour. But I would strongly recommend going waterless. 97% of the time you don’t need pumice, either. Just something to carry the grease and oil away. 

I’ve got this stuff at home right now, and it’s pretty good. Every other brand of waterless cleaner I’ve tried has also been excellent. I’ve used Joe’s at work, as well as a permatex thing that had aloe, but I’d pass on that one. Makes your hands smell funny. Rub it on your hands before you wet them, and then either rinse them off or wipe them with a shop towel.

It’s great to have in the tool kit in the truck because you don’t need the water if you don’t want it.

[watchamakalit]

10 hours ago, gogmorgo said:

Something we don’t really think about as a tool, but hand cleaners are worth talking about. 
I’m sure everyone’s got their go-to citrusy pumicey flavour. But I would strongly recommend going waterless. 97% of the time you don’t need pumice, either. Just something to carry the grease and oil away. 

I’ve got this stuff at home right now, and it’s pretty good. Every other brand of waterless cleaner I’ve tried has also been excellent. I’ve used Joe’s at work, as well as a permatex thing that had aloe, but I’d pass on that one. Makes your hands smell funny. Rub it on your hands before you wet them, and then either rinse them off or wipe them with a shop towel.

It’s great to have in the tool kit in the truck because you don’t need the water if you don’t want it.

Good one Pete.

 

I'd like to add blue "disposable" shop towels. I keep a roll in each vehicle and several in the shop. They are like a cloth paper towel. Wonderful to have on hand for everything from an oil check to a good nose blowing. Lol

[gogmorgo]

Not exactly a tool in and of itself but I was struggling to get a nut welded onto a broken off bolt the other day. Ended up doing this:

Welded a handle onto it instead. When it’s broken off flush it’s tough to get a good weld down into the centre of a nut. 

[Pete M]

can't remember if I ever shared this image so here's my favorite way to light the engine bay.   

 

 

 

[strictlyxjs]

I've been super impressed with this hyper tough (walmart) ratchet. I've been pretty hard on it and it works well for $35. My milwaukee stays at work but this one is fine enough for the home box.

[schardein]

7 hours ago, Pete M said:

can't remember if I ever shared this image so here's my favorite way to light the engine bay.   

 

 

 

Is that a ceiling light?  I have a similar ceiling light that is slightly wider. I put low profile roller wheels on the top of it and put it on the floor and roll it under the vehicle to provide light underneath. Converted to led bulbs and has a plastic diffuser over the bulbs so no danger of a dropped wrench shattering the bulbs. 

[Pete M]

yup, just a plain ol' dual florescent 4 footer.    the pic is from nearly 20 years ago, I've since upgraded to a modern LED bar. 

 

 

[PCO6]

1 hour ago, Pete M said:

yup, just a plain ol' dual florescent 4 footer.    the pic is from nearly 20 years ago, I've since upgraded to a modern LED bar. 

 

 

 

That's what I use.   It works great under a vehicle too. 

 

 

 

EDIT:   I also find these to be great for working under a vehicle.   Much nicer light than the more common LED headlights. 

 

 

Headlamp Rechargeable 2 Packs,1500 Lumen 6 Modes LED Headlamp with Tail Red Light(Individual Control),Wide Beam Illumination Waterproof Lampe Frontale,Head Lamp for Running Hardhat Headlight : Amazon.ca: Sports & Outdoors

 

 

[mjeff87]

I've got one of those headband lights too, and can't say enough good things about it.  Not just in the garage either.  I had to put a new spigot on the kitchen sink awhile ago, that thing was the cat's meow when working under the sink.

[Manche757]

[watchamakalit]

54 minutes ago, Manche757 said:

Good call. Gotta have some popcorn in the shop....