Tools you waited too long to acquire

[Janger]

Is this a tool I actually want? I just watched a youtube video commercial (ah hem I mean review) for one of those Vevor deals - this time a burnishing machine. It looks pretty appealing on the never quite solved removing mill scale problem. Cleaning up sheet metal and stock for welding and painting is what I'm interested in. I'm not going to post links to that commercial. Does anybody actually have one? The Vevor one I mean. I've seen other brands which seem like premium tools and premium priced so I never considered it. How long do the wheels last? Do they just load up and stop working? Is it faster than using a grinder which I loathe?. If anybody has experience with the vevor one or anything else similar please comment.

 

[Janger]

I’d have to agree with @ShawnR “most of his satisfaction comes from the tools he has made”.
Here’s a simple little tool (gismo) i made that works well and puts a smile on my face. (Prelude- I purchased a Blue Demon Dab Pen for feeding TIG filler rod - i gave it away).
I made a TIG filler rod feeder that works well even when wearing heavy welding gloves. Left or right hand is no issue. The wheel is from a kids Meccano set. This is version 2.0. I expect version 2.1 to be more compact and yet a bit easier to hold.

This is interesting. Do you need smooth leather gloves for grip to advance the rod? Does aluminium rod stick on the guides? Good idea.

 

[Janger]

Yes we use a hot iron melting tool now, slow but effective.

Torch? Butane torch?

 

[Susquatch]

I am in the same camp as @ShawnR, and @CWret .

While I truly love making things, my biggest satisfaction comes from the tools I make with my tools - especially things you can't buy or can't afford.

 

[6.5 Fan]

Torch? Butane torch?

Open flame is not good when you have a bunch of plastic twine wrapped around the drum of a bale processor, starts a large, hard to extinguish fire that melts hydraulic hoses on the machine. I have a neighbor that has first hand knowledge.

 

[CWret]

This is interesting. Do you need smooth leather gloves for grip to advance the rod? Does aluminium rod stick on the guides? Good idea.

The TIG filler rod feeder gizzmo works great even with heavy insulated welding gloves. Unlike the DAB pen (that I gave away) this gizzmo is easy to use left or right handed while wearing heavy gloves.

 

[CWret]

In post #123 - i described (including pictures) the reciprocating saw attachment i had made.
As Susquatch just said above “my biggest satisfaction comes from the tools I make with my tools - especially things you can't buy”

Well that unique and one of a kind tool is now for sale at Princess Auto -

 

[Susquatch]

Well that unique and one of a kind tool is now for sale at Princess Auto -

Somedays you can't piss a drip.

 

[Janger]

Open flame is not good when you have a bunch of plastic twine wrapped around the drum of a bale processor, starts a large, hard to extinguish fire that melts hydraulic hoses on the machine. I have a neighbor that has first hand knowledge.

Shocking! No, we don't want fires. Electric tin snips? This kind goes in your cordless drill. https://www.kmstools.com/malco-turboshear-adapter.html

or

 

[CWret]

Somedays you can't piss a drip.

Since the old age needle is moving faster these days - I mostly drip a piss.

 

[Tom O]

Is this a tool I actually want? I just watched a youtube video commercial (ah hem I mean review) for one of those Vevor deals - this time a burnishing machine. It looks pretty appealing on the never quite solved removing mill scale problem. Cleaning up sheet metal and stock for welding and painting is what I'm interested in. I'm not going to post links to that commercial. Does anybody actually have one? The Vevor one I mean. I've seen other brands which seem like premium tools and premium priced so I never considered it. How long do the wheels last? Do they just load up and stop working? Is it faster than using a grinder which I loathe?. If anybody has experience with the vevor one or anything else similar please comment.


View attachment 41661

Doubleboost seems to love his with his plasma cutter and brass castings.

 

[Janger]

I'm going to add a Downdraft Table for sanding. Primarily I sand Aluminium to get a swirl finish which leaves a lot of ultra fine dust which is not healthy for you, time to control it better.

What equipment do you use to sand aluminum @Degen ? What is your approach? Please lots of details as I am struggling with this.

 

[Former Member]

Hi John,

For edges just clean up and to remove saw marks, 100grit (likely to order 80 on the next set of belts) on a 2 x 72 belt grinder, quick and easy. Even with a 100 it can remove lots of material quickly with a little pressure. I run the belt dry but wax does work as a good lube.

To create a swirl surface finish I use a 6" random orbit palm air tool currently with 80grit, will be going to 60grit next batch of pads (100 per box). The swirl finish hides surface marks and creates a neat finish. The down draft is for this to keep the aluminium dust in check, long over due.

 

[Ironman]

For me it would be a press with a electric pump and remote electric control.
I built a 20 ton press 40 years ago and had a manual lever control for up and down. I hardly ever used it because it would wear out your arm pumping. When I finally put a pump on it the world changed, but the lack of control was scary pushing in a bearing, etc.
Sold it and rebuilt this Enerpac 100ton and put on an electric solenoid valve from PA. I can move it less than 16th inch by blipping the buttons. and do it from 6 ft away. Flying debris hurts.
I use this almost daily.

 

[historicalarms]

Buddy of mine had a 150 toner in his shop, He also used a long remote control. His shielding was 1/8 sheets of steel stood on edge on wheels, one of the shields had a 6 x 6 inch plexiglass window in it for observation.
He claimed he had a piece explode out of the press one time that shattered a cinder block in the shop wall one time.

 

[Susquatch]

Never happened to me with a press, but I did have a piece of shrapnel get fired out of my 20 Ton bottle jack lifting my big tractor. I was only trying to attach an impliment. Some piece of something must have gotten trapped between the jack and tractor frame. There was a huge bang, and the tractor dropped a sixteenth or so. I sat there wondering what happened till I noticed a growing puddle of blood on the floor. Not from the hand closest to the jack, so I looked at my left hand which was a good 2ft away. The end of my pointer finger and half the nail had been shot off and blood was gushing out of it.....

Funny story to follow:

I called the wife and off we went to get it fixed up.

The emergency doctor looked at it, got x-rays done, and said the bone was shattered but the finger might be ok in time if she splinted it because the joint was intact. However she had to pull the rest of the nail off in order to get enough meat to hold the stitches.

Of course, I am a highly skilled emergency doctor so I challenged that. "No way will there be enough skin there - it can't possibly stretch that far - your gunna end up just bandaging it and letting the skin grow over in time." Ya, she loved that comment. We argued a while longer and I finally relented and said "ok, do what you think is right". She got this big winning smile on her face and immediately set about trying to pull the nail off. No way was it budging. She yanked, pried, and twisted. All that happened was more blood gushing out. Finally, I suggested she take a good look at my size and then let me pull it out for her. She laughed and said go for it. So I pulled it out almost with ease. Her gloaty smile disappeared.

Then she set about trying to sew the skin together. Another exercise in futility. Again, I offered to sew it up for her. This time she flat out rejected my offer and went and got the senior guy to look at it. He took one look and then asked "why did you pull the nail? It's never gunna close. Just bandage it up and let it grow over on its own." Then he walked away. I never said a word but she did find a way to avoid meeting eyes with me.......

In time, it did grow back. Even the nail grew back. The bone also fused in time. The finger tip has no nerves in it so it has no feeling, and it's a bit lopsided but it's there and looks more normal than I ever expected.

I never did find the bullet. Nothing was missing on the jack or the tractor frame. Best I can figure is that a stone or a piece of metal just happened to get between there somehow.

I can also say I'm glad it was just a finger. Could have been my chest, guts, head, or even worse one my testicles. I can just see her telling me she has to pull parts of that off......

 

[Ironman]

Does your wife have a gun?

I dropped 500lb shaft on my big toe once and broke it. The bones pulled back and overlapped. So the doctor is trying to pull the toe out to line up the bones. After watching the doctor and her glove slipping in the blood, the nurse rolled her eyes and left the room. The freezing was going away and I said.. I don't have AIDs take those gloves off and pull like your life depended on it. She did and then started hollering for some help to tape it in position.
Sometime protocol is stupid.

 

[Susquatch]

Does your wife have a gun?

I dropped 500lb shaft on my big toe once and broke it. The bones pulled back and overlapped. So the doctor is trying to pull the toe out to line up the bones. After watching the doctor and her glove slipping in the blood, the nurse rolled her eyes and left the room. The freezing was going away and I said.. I don't have AIDs take those gloves off and pull like your life depended on it. She did and then started hollering for some help to tape it in position.
Sometime protocol is stupid.

She didn't then, but does now.

I have a similar toe story but I'll save it for another time......

 

[CWret]

Dressing a grinding wheel-

For years I’ve used this kind of tool to recondition/square/dress my grinding wheel

I was at Busy Bee today - talking to a knowledgeable sales rep, he said, while using these grinding wheel dressing tools: use lots of water for cooling; add spacers as needed to keep the cutter wheels from flopping about sideways; and hold the tool at a slight angle so the cutter wheels are not in line with the grinding wheel.
Good advice- thanks.

Here’s the good part: he sold me one of these:

A tool I didn’t know i needed. It is great. On sale for $10. I tried it and it is absolutely awesome.
Other than gas to go see my girlfriend (50 years ago) - best 10 bucks I ever spent.

PS Well almost- could buy a lot of beer for 10 bucks back then.

 

[Ironman]

Years back, I started using worn out diamond drill bits to trim stones, and I still have them, as well as the ones you just got. These work real well because the diamonds are large and coarse.