Tool Time

[Gunder]

More tools from the job.

Custom #4 poker/yanker
Attachment 421341

Can anyone guess what this “Apprentice” is used for?
Attachment 421340

A $7000 PAF gun. Designed in Liechtenstein, made in Austria.
Attachment 421339


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For my pry bars I have a full set of Mayhew ones.

They are the same company that makes them for Snapon, Craftsman and others. No idea what your apprentice tool is. Last time I did any concrete work was over a decade ago. Please enlighten us. That PAF gun looks nice. Last time I used those fasteners I used a cheapie one from Lowes and it got the job done.... I'm pretty sure I have it in a box somewhere.

I had to set some star nuts in new forks.
I don’t have a star nut setter tool (gasp!). So I had to build one.
11/16 scocket set.
35mm M4 scocket cap bolt.
M4 nut cut square to fit 3/8 square drive
M4 nut inside socket to to keep bolt from moving.
M4 nylon thread lock nut upside down for pushing on the star nut.
Tape to measure my 15mm setting depth

Attachment 421353

Attachment 421354

Attachment 421355

Depth nut is set to allow the top star to flair up a bit. Hammers in straight, keeps it centered. Threads back off of the star nut.

Back in the day, I would set start nuts using some all thread, a block of wood a washer and a nut, and would pull them through from the bottom. The tapper on the nut, helps to self center that way.

These days I have both the 1 / 1-⅛ standard thread nut setter as well as the 1.5" version. Cant tell you the last time I used the 1.5" one... Seems like we only needed that size for one maybe two seasons. gotta love the bike industry and its ever changing standards.

For some reason if it was about 3psi off, I Wouldn't care, but 7psi is just ridiculous in my head. I'm returning it. I also learned from this my floor pump is 3-4 psi too much.



Thanks! $400 is a bit much for my usage so I got the other one you recommended. It's amazing how you seemingly have the best of everything.

I think that Milton inflator has damn near quadrupled in price since I bought it, tripled at least. It's the nicest one I have ever found but, for $400 I'd look elsewhere too! Actually, I just looked and Amazon has it for $208 and change

[muted reborn]

On the Milton site it's $395, but it's about half of that on Amazon, weird.

[EWG]

When I was younger I just freehanded the star nuts. Got pretty good at it.

That said, though I now have more star nut setters than I need, I’m thinking of buying a custom one from Dee.

Maybe we should collectively all start TGR Tool Company? We will charge no less than $500 per tool. All proceeds go toward German tools for needy children?

[John_B]

Lowes has a 7pc Cobalt set 3,4,5,6mm are 1/4"drive 7, 8, 10mm are 3/8" drive. For $26. Or you can buy them individually.
They also have a 6pc Craftsman set 4,5,6mm are 1/4"drive 7, 8, 10mm are 3/8" drive. For $37. Also available individually.

It's rare that you're one to find a "Long Ball Hex" with such a strong drive mechanism like a square drive. Ball ends are typically only are found on tools with limited leverage, like a L key or a T handle.
And anything over 6mm is going to be on something more substantial like a 3/8" drive.

BUT if you really want economical, and have all metric sizes be driven by a 1/4" drive, I'd buy a set of hex shank bits, with a good 1/4" drive to hex shank adapter. (like the Wera Zyklop Bit Adaptor 1/4" Drive)
Then you can get a cheap set like this:
9PCS 1/4 inch Hex Shank Allen Wrench Drill Bits Set 100mm Metric Tip Socket

Here's a follow up. I followed Dee's advice. Quite a handy little upgrade to my torque wrench. Thanks!

[muted reborn]

proceeds go toward German tools for needy children?

Proceeds should go to us middle class dads who would actually use them but can't afford to buy a whole workshop full of them. Also Japanese tools please.

[Dee Hubbs]

Proceeds should go to us middle class dads who would actually use them but can't afford to buy a whole workshop full of them. Also Japanese tools please.

Japanese, like this stuff?:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfQSXEdFjAl/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLY-qRglkjJ/

[Gunder]

Japanese, like this stuff?:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfQSXEdFjAl/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLY-qRglkjJ/

Funny you link to that. I have their 15mm wrench in gold on order as well as the lock ring tool. The 15mm will come in handy for the dirt jumper and the kids bike.

Here is some more amazing Japanese stuff. Nepros Tools
Their rachets are the best of the best and make my snapon ones look and feel cheap. I want to try a few more of their tools, but haven't been able to talk myself into a good excuse to buy more yet.

[Dee Hubbs]

Here is some more amazing Japanese stuff. Nepros Tools
Their rachets are the best of the best and make my snapon ones look and feel cheap. I want to try a few more of their tools, but haven't been able to talk myself into a good excuse to buy more yet.

Their ratchet thumb spinners are the best:



They are the ones I have on all my 1/4” ratchet set up. T25, 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, 3mm

[muted reborn]

Japanese, like this stuff?:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfQSXEdFjAl/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLY-qRglkjJ/

Yet another brand I've never heard of. Before I started reading this thread I've never heard of Knipex, Wera, Wiha, Nepros, Vessel, Ko Ken, etc. Now I own Knipex, Wera, Vessel, and Ko Ken shit. I've bought a LOT of stuff after reading this thread. (I looked at those spinners the first time you posted them Dee, but went for the cheaper Ko Kens.) I've had Covid twice since June 1st so with weeks and weeks of free time, being isolated, I've organized my workshop and filled in my tool gaps I've had for decades.

And Gunder, that small tire pressure gauge is the tits. No air loss at all when using it, i didn't know that was possible.

[EWG]

Yet another brand I've never heard of. Before I started reading this thread I've never heard of Knipex, Wera, Wiha, Nepros, Vessel, Ko Ken, etc. Now I own Knipex, Wera, Vessel, and Ko Ken shit. I've bought a LOT of stuff after reading this thread. (I looked at those spinners the first time you posted them Dee, but went for the cheaper Ko Kens.) I've had Covid twice since June 1st so with weeks and weeks of free time, being isolated, I've organized my workshop and filled in my tool gaps I've had for decades.

And Gunder, that small tire pressure gauge is the tits. No air loss at all when using it, i didn't know that was possible.

Welcome to the dark side. When you pick up some Sola levels, Festool hand tools and Stahlwille sockets your conversion will be complete. As will the emptying of your bank account.

On the upside you will likely be able to speak some German. Bitte schon.

[hick]

Yet another brand I've never heard of. Before I started reading this thread I've never heard of Knipex, Wera, Wiha, Nepros, Vessel, Ko Ken, etc. Now I own Knipex, Wera, Vessel, and Ko Ken shit. I've bought a LOT of stuff after reading this thread. (I looked at those spinners the first time you posted them Dee, but went for the cheaper Ko Kens.) I've had Covid twice since June 1st so with weeks and weeks of free time, being isolated, I've organized my workshop and filled in my tool gaps I've had for decades.

And Gunder, that small tire pressure gauge is the tits. No air loss at all when using it, i didn't know that was possible.

This thread is fucked. So much tool porno it is absurd. I can’t look away though. In the same boat, just ordered the pressure gauge and recently got some of the wera hex keys and am quickly realizing good tools make working on shit much more enjoyable.


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[Gunder]

Yet another brand I've never heard of. Before I started reading this thread I've never heard of Knipex, Wera, Wiha, Nepros, Vessel, Ko Ken, etc. Now I own Knipex, Wera, Vessel, and Ko Ken shit. I've bought a LOT of stuff after reading this thread. (I looked at those spinners the first time you posted them Dee, but went for the cheaper Ko Kens.) I've had Covid twice since June 1st so with weeks and weeks of free time, being isolated, I've organized my workshop and filled in my tool gaps I've had for decades.

And Gunder, that small tire pressure gauge is the tits. No air loss at all when using it, i didn't know that was possible.

Glad you liked it. I bet you will find you like working on stuff better and its more efficent.

Welcome to the dark side. When you pick up some Sola levels, Festool hand tools and Stahlwille sockets your conversion will be complete. As will the emptying of your bank account.

On the upside you will likely be able to speak some German. Bitte schon.

I'm not a fan of Stahlwille, but I may be in the minority there. For levels, I like Stabila. No one around here caries Sola, but I'd be interested in checking one out first hand. However I have heavily drunken the green Koolaid, and at this point, I think I own just about everything Festool makes, except for their jig saw and edge bander.

Everything they make is super precise, and the dust collection is phenomenal. On top of that their warranty service is the best I have ever used. Plus the systainer system is so good, I even put other tools in them as its just a better way of storying bulky tools. Next project on my list after the lathe rebuild is done, is to redo all of my shop cabinets to fit the festool standard, so all of the sustainers will be on pullout slides.

This thread is fucked. So much tool porno it is absurd. I can’t look away though. In the same boat, just ordered the pressure gauge and recently got some of the wera hex keys and am quickly realizing good tools make working on shit much more enjoyable.

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Ahh you have seen the light. I look at Wera as a gateway drug.

I was just down at Grizzly's HQ this am looking at some stuff for an upcoming project when I spotted a brand new in the box ultrasonic cleaner in their "scratch and dent" section for $100. So ended up picking it up. Its the perfect size for drive trains and the large 12 speed cassettes.

My previous one was one of my most used tools in the shop, but its been dying a slow death, and this new one, is not only larger, but has an industrial strength driver and heater, so should be quite a bit more powerful.

[muted reborn]

This thread is fucked. So much tool porno it is absurd. I can’t look away though. In the same boat, just ordered the pressure gauge and recently got some of the wera hex keys and am quickly realizing good tools make working on shit much more enjoyable.


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My theory is with nice tools I won't thow tools in frustration anymore because:

A) they work better and that leads to less frustration
b) they are too expensive to throw around

I do have plenty of Husky and Harbor Freight tools to throw if I have another baby tantrum though

[Gunder]

When I'm not shooting photos, skiing, biking or working on bikes / skis, I like to play with the bigger toys in my shop. One of the ways I have been able to afford some really nice machinery is to buy it cheap and fully rebuild it. I actually find the whole process, fun, challenging and very educational.

When I picked up this 1944 Monarch 10EE lathe ( it was legitimately one of the machines that helped the Allie’s win WW2 as it came out of the Manhattan project at Hanford) it literally had a rats nest in the 3 Phase AC Motor / Generator.

I fully rewired and rebuilt the motor / generator, DC exciter and the DC motor.

Since I had the 3 phase motor apart I split apart the internal starpoint and brought all 12 motor leads out (ac motors usually only have 9 external motor leads) thus allowing me to convert it to Single Phase using the Steelman method ( only requires a relay, start and run capacitors) and no VFD.

Pretty damn happy it fired right up first time i connected it to the mains.

I’m currently testing the configuration with an Oscilloscope. I purchased a Picoscope 2204A Oscilloscope for this. The nice thing about this unit is it works with both PC's and Mac's which is goos as I only run Apple computers and have for the last 20+ years. It also has some pretty sophisticated software, that I have a lot to learn about.



I think it’s fair to say from this project alone I’ve learned a hell of a lot more than I did in those 3 EE classes took as part of my engine degree back in the day.

[EWG]

One of the more impactful things Earthfirst did was recenter the environmental movement. In other words, Sierra Club, at one point, seemed like a group of extremists. Then Earthfirst came along and made everyone realize that Sierra Club was actually pretty moderate and that change in perception allowed SC to get way more accomplished. Might have been Earthfirst’s biggest impact actually.

Gunder is like Earthfirst for Dee and me and others. Makes me feel like I don’t have a problem at all. Gives me permission to shop for the Bahco I’m looking at on Amazon this morning.

I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, but it’s happening.

[Gunder]

Gunder is like Earthfirst for Dee and me and others. Makes me feel like I don’t have a problem at all. Gives me permission to shop for the Bahco I’m looking at on Amazon this morning.

I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, but it’s happening.

Ha! Good tools just make it easier and more enjoyable to do "good work"

oh and Fuck the Sierra Club.... they gotta be the most politically motivated / biased, miss-guided and anti-bike group there is. / end rant......... I did get them to pay me to go duck hunting once.... true story.

[XXX-er]

I think it’s fair to say from this project alone I’ve learned a hell of a lot more than I did in those 3 EE classes took as part of my engine degree back in the day.

were you an electric motor mechanic ? My son did that gig, rebuilt some motors big enough to walk thru without touching the stator, it was one of the best paying trades and it was indoors but it was around a lot of nasty shit in the shop and he blew it off for something cleaner & more fun

[g_man80]

I needed a chamferless socket for a Fox 36. Looked around the garage and remembered the tool kits that are included with KTM and Husqvarna enduro bikes. Worked very well. Ideally it would be 6-point, but the tolerances were tight and no issues with slop. As much as I like buying tools, I try to avoid buying task specific items. Plus it was Friday evening. I have a drawer full of moto suspension tools that haven’t been used in years and my wallet is sad when I have look at them.

[XXX-er]

https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-gea...bHerYZmXyt9poo

& mountain bike tools worth having

I don't have a bleed kit which i really could use, buddy suggests the park kit, good for Sram or Shimano, OR ??

[Gunder]

were you an electric motor mechanic ? My son did that gig, rebuilt some motors big enough to walk thru without touching the stator, it was one of the best paying trades and it was indoors but it was around a lot of nasty shit in the shop and he blew it off for something cleaner & more fun

Nope. Photographer by trade, Engineer by schooling. I know just enough to be dangerous.

[skizix]

One of the more impactful things Earthfirst did was recenter the environmental movement. In other words, Sierra Club, at one point, seemed like a group of extremists. Then Earthfirst came along and made everyone realize that Sierra Club was actually pretty moderate and that change in perception allowed SC to get way more accomplished. Might have been Earthfirst’s biggest impact actually.

Gunder is like Earthfirst for Dee and me and others. Makes me feel like I don’t have a problem at all. Gives me permission to shop for the Bahco I’m looking at on Amazon this morning.

I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, but it’s happening.

Yasure yabetcha. I thought I had a pretty darn well-equipped shop. But reading this thread makes me feel like a BLOODY WANKER!

[EWG]

Yasure yabetcha. I thought I had a pretty darn well-equipped shop. But reading this thread makes me feel like a BLOODY WANKER!

Wanker.

In fairness, we’ve never seen pictures of Dees garage, so there’s always a chance his collection rivals Gunders.

[Gunder]

https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-gea...bHerYZmXyt9poo

& mountain bike tools worth having

I don't have a bleed kit which i really could use, buddy suggests the park kit, good for Sram or Shimano, OR ??

The park it is nice, but you really need two of them. One for DOT systems (sram) and one for Mineral oil systems ( Shimano) you have to be very careful you don’t cross contaminate or you will destroy the seals in either.

[muted reborn]

The choices of nice tools are overwhelming for a newb like me, it's hard to figure out what's worth 10-40 bucks more for some tools and what's not worth more $$$. I found this guys channel last night after looking for 'best bits', and he does comparison for a lot of good stuff, including the Wera Hex plus keys mentioned here. I was surprised to hear they don't fit that well (OK I skimmed most of the video so maybe I missed something important about it) which is what I'd look for #1 in expensive keys, but the Weras were the best in durability which is #2 in my needs.



I like how you can figure out best value options in his videos- not the best performers but good enough for someone like me who doesn't use tools for a living, and for a good price. His videos are a big help.

Anyone else watch this guys channel? Capri Tools mini bolt cutters is on now my purchase list thanks to him, just gotta wait for them to be on sale.

[Pinned]

The park it is nice, but you really need two of them. One for DOT systems (sram) and one for Mineral oil systems ( Shimano) you have to be very careful you don’t cross contaminate or you will destroy the seals in either.

Just get rid of all your Shimano and Magura brakes...problem solved.

We use a variety of kits in our shop - there is no functional difference between Shimano, SRAM, Park, or the inexpensive replacements. For a home mechanic, I'd buy one of the kits off Amazon. Clean it out after every use, don't leave the hoses crimped, etc and they'll last. Plus you can get two fully separate kits for DOT and Mineral for ~$60 or so.