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Should we have a Tool Tips Thread?

I nearly lost it when I rang a certain German company's UK headquarters many years ago to be greeted by the words of the receptionist "Hello, Siemens Staines"
 
Wiha and C.K. (cheaper) for electrical work. The snips with the holes for stripping the 2.5 and 1.5 mm2 insulation are really great. Try cutting guitar strings with knipex cutters and they're rendered useless in one go - maybe that's how they make the insulation strippers ;)

31HY7ZFzpOL._AC_SX450_.jpg
 
Wiha and C.K. (cheaper) for electrical work. The snips with the holes for stripping the 2.5 and 1.5 mm2 insulation are really great. Try cutting guitar strings with knipex cutters and they're rendered useless in one go - maybe that's how they make the insulation strippers ;)
Any cutters will be damaged if you exceed their rating. These, for example, should handle guitar strings just fine: https://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&page=art_detail&artID=2512
 
Haha. My fav story like this is from a German colleague who was suggesting a particular make of thermal paste to a US colleague... "Just google Assmann and I'm sure you will find it" :eek:

Related to this but not the OP topic I saw a crossword clue the other day: Wild Indian ass. Didn't google it OBVIOUSLY. (Answer - Onager)
 
For crimping terminals, 2 things,
1. A Ratched Crimp tool is essential, dont waste time with pliars or those cheeeep `automotive` crimp and 3 colour insulated terminal sets
The yellow handeled with five block sets look identical to a set I bought many moons ago and does a great job. make sure you remove the correct amount of insulation and that a bit of the insulation is pushed in enough that the outer leaves of the terminal will pierce and grip that with the inner leaves gripping the copper.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...itleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=Ratchet+crimp+tool

2. DONT buy cheap crimp connectors from ebay, they are made of the finest chineesium metal and will crumble and fall apart after crimping with the above tool or a little later when you push finish up and push them onto the receptor.
RS Components do a line of thier own terminals I have found to crimp well, dont fall apart and have no problem recomending them.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/conn...ors/?applied-dimensions=4291471876,4294431824

I never use the plastic insulated ones, you cant get a good look at your end result to see if it passes inspection.
Coloured heatshrink is perfect to finish off your cable and makes them look real neat.
 
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https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/2315332/

With silicone cable. A timeless design classic proven over decades.

Over 25 years mine must have had a few new elements, loads of tips, even a handle or two.. but it's still my old faithful iron.. know what I mean? Dave?:D

Hi Arkless

Just out of interest that one is 25watts, and most of the ones I see elsewhere are 40watts. Would the one you have linked to for instance solder naca5?

Or put differently if I am soldering it seems to be lumpier things rather than delicate things.
 
Hi Arkless

Just out of interest that one is 25watts, and most of the ones I see elsewhere are 40watts. Would the one you have linked to for instance solder naca5?

Or put differently if I am soldering it seems to be lumpier things rather than delicate things.

It would do it yes but if you are mainly doing heavy duty work a larger Wattage would be a good idea. In spite of soldering basically 365 days a year I probably only use anything bigger than that 25W Antex half a dozen times a year!
 
One of my favourite tools is an Abeco solder sucker (https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/desoldering-reworking-tools/2037789/).

Most hand held solder suckers have hard tips that don't seal to the PCB and get deformed / damaged over time. They frequently damage delicate PCB tracks with the kick and combination of hard tips if the user isn't careful.

The ones with flexible silicone tips are the most effective hand solder suckers I've use, the silicone tips seem to last forever (I've never changed one yet) and seal well to the joint, making them very effective.

They have some annoyances, the supplied tip unblocker has a habit of falling out it's holder, they're a bit 'plasticky' and they block regularly (but equally are easy to unclog), but the huge reduction in risk to PCB tracks and effective hole clearing power make their annoyances acceptable.

I've just noticed RS are doing some own-brand flexible tip suckers that are cheaper, might be worth checking out: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/desoldering-reworking-tools/3437253/

Andy.
 
Great tip Andy. You have just cost me £18:

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=252020536679

I have used hard tip solder suckers for years and find that they need "burning in" to get a better seal. This means that the plastic tip eventually develops a soldering iron bit shaped gap and this helps with the seal during the time when the tip is in situ. Anyway hopefully this will be all history if the flexy tip sucker does its job!
 
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My most used tool generally [not specifically electronics] is a cheap bench grinder. To get the most out of it screw it firmly to the corner of a bench with the wheel hanging over. Remove other disk as it is in the way. Fit an inline footswitch for the power for more safety. Then I run it without guard which is no problem with only 1 disk to focus on. You then have enough space to shape metal/plastic/wood up to large pieces. Sure the wheel gets a bit coated from plastic/wood resin etc, but it clears itself. Yes its a bit fast for knife sharpening, but you can still do it with a light touch and a bit of practise. Perhaps not for best woodwork chisels. Only for 1 person workshops.
 
2. DONT buy cheap crimp connectors from ebay, they are made of the finest chineesium metal and will crumble and fall apart after crimping with the above tool or a little later when you push finish up and push them onto the receptor.
RS Components do a line of thier own terminals I have found to crimp well, dont fall apart and have no problem recomending them.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/conn...ors/?applied-dimensions=4291471876,4294431824
Funny you should say that I have just bought some Te Faston insulated crimp connectors from RS
The Revox R2Rs have many push on connectors and these female spade connectors fit them perfectly 2.79 x 0.79mm
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/spade-connectors/4575306/
Alan
 
Only for 1 person workshops

Not sure I go along with this approach to health and safety. My father built himself a vertical milling machine. He managed to take the point off one of his fingers with the unguarded belt drive. The irony being that there was a casting available for a full guard.

My approach has always been "think what if" rather than "it'll never happen to me".
 
I bought myself a cheap table saw a long time ago. It's only when you put it in a typical shed you realize there is no way to handle large pieces of lumber or board indoors. I gave it away to a mate and he had the same problem.
Top tip - I find my foot makes an excellent clamp for angle grinding. I have my trainers on because you have to respect power tools.
 
Great tip Andy. You have just cost me £18:

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=252020536679

I have used hard tip solder suckers for years and find that they need "burning in" to get a better seal. This means that the plastic tip eventually develops a soldering iron bit shaped gap and this helps with the seal during the time when the tip is in situ. Anyway hopefully this will be all history if the flexy tip sucker does its job!

Oooh, that looks nice. Let me know how it works!
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
This cheap tool has got me out of trouble many many times...

Don't get a magnetic one - pointless - as you're usually trying to pick up metallic objects which have fallen onto onto other metallic objects !!

The last rescue was a phone which I was using as a torch in my wife's engine bay and it fell down onto to top of the plastic aerodynamic underbody cover that has zero access unless you take off 30 screws!! Was down 3 ft with narrow access.. got it! Phew..
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Oooh, that looks nice. Let me know how it works!

Arrived today so of course I had to have a go!
It's quite small (and cute o_O) and needs a slightly different hand position to the ones with the plunger guard. It has quite a lot of recoil.

BUT... wow does it suck!
I removed the solder from the pins of a relay in a single sided pcb. I could just lift the relay out afterwards.

It's trickier to clear the sucked solder out of the nozzle than with a hard nozzle one.

Highly recommended! Although I suppose I should check it out with PTH boards.
 


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