Very last choice spanner ?????...................... a set of vice grips.
Don't know about that as I find them used all over the place. It seems to be whenever the one trying to do repairs don't have the right they reach for the vise grips. I have replaced no telling how many screws on account of this.
Here I do take good care of my tools as they are my living. I however do break some every so often as they do eventually wear out.
They have gotten me out of trouble many many times -oh BTW my dad found my first vice grips on the road about 30 years ago and I still have them. They do a number on screw heads though, that's for sure. You usually can't use them again after turning to the VG. Here's some more of my metal tools. The offset ring spanners I bought at Aldi for $10 (made in India) and the 1/4 dr metric socket and bit set $24.00 at Aldi. Very well made Taiwan made set. Both reside in the boot of my car.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
When I refer to using a set of Vice Grips as a last resort, I must stress whatever fastener I use it on is already buggered by a previous operator and is going to be replaced after it is finally removed.
I always find myself using VG's on stuff that others have butchered previously.
Cheers, BB.
PS. MF, I'm a Sidchrome / Snap-On kinda guy.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
BB, That what all us good techs prefer to do I would think. Here they see more use than they need to be, but those DIYers keep using the wrong tools. Even when they use they just don't know how shock screw to loosen it, so they just mess it up, especially the cross point screws. The tool here that cops the most wear and damage is my brass hammer, but it is meant to get damaged.
I reckon after 30 yrs I should buy some new vise grips.
I can't remember the last time I used a steel headed hammer. I'm either using a Copper faced or plastic assembly hammer for most things as there's no damage done to the product and the hammer faces are easily replaceable as that's what they are designed to have done.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Most of my problems are getting things a part with out damage which why the 2 lb brass hammer gets a workout. I do consider the hammer expendable.
Once I get things a part enough then its the other pullers and presses that get used. I didn't think the 12 ton press would get that much use but it does. My biggest there is having the right anvils for the press. Most are shop made ones due the type work I need to do.
Same here AVB when I bought my 12 ton press many years ago, I thought I was only going to use it for pressing apart and pressing crankshafts back together but it gets very regular use and I couldn't operate without it these days
A press is a must nowadays. Gathering all the toys that go with a press which takes time to gather is the hard part. I've got a bucket full of pipe off cuts that continue to get me out of the proverbial along with many press plates from various Servex Presses that I've had association with over the years.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
BB, For me it seems that I never have a particular arbor I need. Unlike you I don't yet have a bucket of pipe off cuts, all I got is the press and the two press plates that came with. Everything else is shop made as almost everything around here is automotive related and not easily converted to a small engine shop needs or at least not for my needs.
Now of course I do use a lot my deep well impact sockets for the smaller stuff but there still bearings that are more picky. I usually use an old bearing that is lightly ground so it doesn't stick while pressing in a new bearing if I having to press the outer bearing part in place. Now I have one that I had made for changing idler pulley standoff bushings as have fewer different idlers just they have different standoffs.
But I agree it does takes time to find the right one even when you got them stored one particular place. I got one tool cabinet dedicated just for this which makes it a little easier.
I am thinking about a metal lathe as I am getting to be a pest for the local machinist on some my projects. Besides I kinda want to keep some my designs secret from the local competing shops.
I have had my small lathe for over 40 years, I couldn't do this sort of work without it, always having to make up bushes, turn things down. I often think I would like a bigger one but I don't think I can justify the expense with the type of work I am doing and the years I have left doing what I am doing. Bit of a catch22 MF, I doubt you will find any BSF threads on any mowers, the odd one may turn up on some old English cylinder mower, much better chance on old Brit bikes but don't go out and buy one so you can use that die.
I would love a mill but at my age I can't justify getting one now, I don't have enough of that sort of work, but would be a great toy to play with. As for the saw, I'm not really sure what it was that fixed it, just a combination of things not working properly
That is one of the things about 2 cycles. They might as simple looking as can be but everything got be working together to be right. Often times here it is multiple problems mainly due to lack of maintenance or the fact they have been sitting for years without use. Most of the handheld usually comes with when they won't start then I find multitude of problems.
With four cycles it not that way. A lot easier to pin point problems but they can be a pain in the rear at times.
So glad that I trained myself on 2 cycle by getting a whole load broken ones from another shop with lots of time and reading I manage to fix over half of them. But boy taking all day to fix one was not profitable but i now got it with experience and troubleshooting skills down to under an hour on most of them. Some are just not fixable any more due OEM changes to short blocks vs a PNC kit as it cost as much as a new unit to repair them.
I did the same thing AVB, started with a $10 1980's line trimmer with points and float carby (took days to get it going), then a 31cc ryobi (quicker), then a talon (would have been quicker if not for a fake new NGK I didn't know about), then a series of newer and older ryobis and homelites, have got most for free, paid up to $15 for good ones. Can usually can get it done under 1 hour.
Have been fixing some MTD/Yard Machines 31cc brushcutters this week - 1 with bull handle, the other J handle - rip apart carby, new carb kit, new lines, rip gear head apart, clean and regrease, regrease flex cable, and other little things and they are going. 1 free, the other $10 at the tip.
Only got burnt 2 times with the 2 stroke handhelds - a $15 mcculloch tm251 (Weedeater featherlite) which ended up having insufficient compression (had 20 odd ml of oil squirted down the plug hole to make it seem alright)
and a homelite mighty lite leaf blower (had a slipped pull cord spring with only 1 ft of retractable rope - I was standing out in the open looking at it at the recycling centre and out of no where there was this god almighty lightning bolt very close by followed by deafening thunder - ran undercover and bought it as it looked good and I didn't feel like putting it back). Straight fueled only paid $5 so no great loss.
That being said, the mac ended up giving its coil and throttle lever to my mates one, and the homelites carby and filter housing went onto another mates one (his had the rotochoke without air filter which is just asking for dirt ingestion).
Yes I wondered why no one picked it up earlier.... cheers speedy
That is because I allow for misspelling a lot considering the users I deal with on various forums. I didn't even catch the misspelling as I normally use the quick reply feature.
Besides considering my age I am no longer interested in Wenches. Now 40 yrs ago it was different.
Besides I kinda want to keep some my designs secret from the local competing shops.
