Show your new tool arrivals

[jalind]

A very interesting and informative post. I have no intention of ever even entering a mine but that was fascinating stuff.

However I've read it a couple of times and I don't understand the use of the word "thumb"--unless it was a bit of humor?

Maybe I'm slow this AM.

Every hammer, and any other tool used in that manner, is a thumb detector and locator. User emits loud expletives of joy every time that function succeeds, sometimes in a foreign language. My father used German.

Edit:
Hard rock mineral mines, if owned and operated by a good mining company, are generally very safe considering the enormous pieces of industrial equipment you're working around, sometimes in close quarters. Fire damp (methane) is highly unusual in the hard rock mining I'm familiar with, unlike the hazard of it in coal mines. Most of these mines have very little shoring. The drifts, crosscuts, and ramps (inclined tunnel) are mostly giant holes bored through solid rock. A main drift is usually 10' x 10', arched at the top. When drifting, the first thing after ensuring there are no bootlegs, is "baring down" in which a miner goes in with a very long digging bar and pries vigorously at anything that looks like it might be a loose "slab" (large piece of rock, aka a boulder) to bring it down. There's a technique to doing this without getting hurt. If there's one that cannot be brought down, but still appears to have fissures a driller will come in, stope one or more holes through it and put massive rock bolts in with mondo fender washers and an equally mondo nut on it. The rock bolts are extremely long. Seeing those wasn't all that unusual. Anywhere it got loose, full shoring would be used and the end result would be more like a tunnel people are accustomed to driving through, albeit not finished off to look nice. They are, however, generally harsh environments, the work is hard labor and you get quite grimy by the end of a shift, which is why there's a "mine dry", the equivalent of a locker room, to shower and change clothes in before going home. The clothing worn underground are called "diggers" and I bought all of mine at the nearest Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. Old shirts and heavy pants. You don't wear anything underground that you wouldn't be willing to burn after it's worn thin. Buying any new shirts or pants is pointless.

Two kinds of mine you'd never, ever get me past the collar (entrance): coal for obvious reasons and uranium which typically have a Radon gas and Radon daughters hazard.

John

 

[dkroth]

Every hammer, and any other tool used in that manner, is a thumb detector and locator. User emits loud expletives of joy every time that function succeeds, sometimes in a foreign language. My father used German.

"Every tool has a hammer side..."





.

 

[mr.lemons]

I've also just got a Facom R1 Pico set. Initial impressions are that it has the usual Facom quality that is to me very good and functional but lacking that little bit extra compared to some German and Swiss brands.

The ratchet is all metal including the button.

Comes in a nasty brittle blister pack.



Very compact case and ratchet.







Quick vid showing the fit and finish of the ratchet. (Sorry about the creepy breathing and poor light).

 

[dodge610]

Just a couple items off the clearance shelves at the Home Depot.


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[Cooter Brown]

Every hammer, and any other tool used in that manner, is a thumb detector and locator. User emits loud expletives of joy every time that function succeeds, sometimes in a foreign language. My father used German.

Edit:
Hard rock mineral mines, if owned and operated by a good mining company, are generally very safe considering the enormous pieces of industrial equipment you're working around, sometimes in close quarters. Fire damp (methane) is highly unusual in the hard rock mining I'm familiar with, unlike the hazard of it in coal mines. Most of these mines have very little shoring. The drifts, crosscuts, and ramps (inclined tunnel) are mostly giant holes bored through solid rock. A main drift is usually 10' x 10', arched at the top. When drifting, the first thing after ensuring there are no bootlegs, is "baring down" in which a miner goes in with a very long digging bar and pries vigorously at anything that looks like it might be a loose "slab" (large piece of rock, aka a boulder) to bring it down. There's a technique to doing this without getting hurt. If there's one that cannot be brought down, but still appears to have fissures a driller will come in, stope one or more holes through it and put massive rock bolts in with mondo fender washers and an equally mondo nut on it. The rock bolts are extremely long. Seeing those wasn't all that unusual. Anywhere it got loose, full shoring would be used and the end result would be more like a tunnel people are accustomed to driving through, albeit not finished off to look nice. They are, however, generally harsh environments, the work is hard labor and you get quite grimy by the end of a shift, which is why there's a "mine dry", the equivalent of a locker room, to shower and change clothes in before going home. The clothing worn underground are called "diggers" and I bought all of mine at the nearest Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. Old shirts and heavy pants. You don't wear anything underground that you wouldn't be willing to burn after it's worn thin. Buying any new shirts or pants is pointless.

Two kinds of mine you'd never, ever get me past the collar (entrance): coal for obvious reasons and uranium which typically have a Radon gas and Radon daughters hazard.

John

Excellent...thanks.

 

[BMack37]

That's a damn shifty maneuver by Sears/Craftsman that leaves a bitter taste in ones mouth. I like my Taiwan tools and have no problem with some China stuff but its the deception that gets you going. They bait you with the USA then try cramming China down ya throat.

It's not intentional, just an old picture. Sears isn't clever enough to do bait and switch but they are inept enough to change a tool but keep the same item number and years later have the wrong image on their site.

 

[upgrading]

Nice info on the mining.

Nice Facom mini set.

 

[dkroth]

Agreed, They are decent drivers but could be better. I really like the older Facom/SK screwdrivers (coo France) that had the odd looking dual component grips. You just don't see many of them around, unfortunately.

I only have one but I like it a lot, by all accounts only being a 5/32 slotted screwdriver and how I have (ab)used it, it probably should have broken by now. But it just keeps on truckin'.

Hey, I have a set of those.

.

 

[jalind]

It's not intentional, just an old picture. Sears isn't clever enough to do bait and switch but they are inept enough to change a tool but keep the same item number and years later have the wrong image on their site.

This was my conclusion, however, it is very misleading and quite irritating. Had to box it back up and ship it back. It will land on their doorstep on Monday. All the Made in China Craftsman I've handled is horrid. No comparison to the Craftsman I inherited from my father or the tools I bought during the 1970's - 1990's that were made in the USA. Most of the ones I bought, if I understand the codes correctly, were made by Western Forge.

John

 

[anndel]

Weekly visit with my SO driver. Not much, just picked up the FCF72, 3/8" drive ratchet in a 1/4" handle plus lost of shop talk about his Ford Fox Body Mustang project.

 

[jalind]

This swag landed on my doorstep today. Two GearWrench 3/8" socket rails to replace the cheap metal ones where my S-K metric sockets are currently residing. I have a disdain for the thin sheet metal rails. I've cut my fingers on them too many times. Also there is a set of OTC tamper proof Torx long-arm L keys. Looked at the Bondhus but they didn't have a set that spanned the range of these. Doesn't have 6, 7, or 9 but that's OK. I don't believe I've ever encountered a 6 or 7, and don't recall a 9 either. I know I see 8 and 10 routinely. They feel quite sturdy, so I'll see how they hold up. The price was excellent. I've wanted long arm ball end hex keys for some time, having made do with short arm, sockets and driver bits. After the Craftsman bust I ordered the Bondhus and those feel much sturdier. The metric came bundled with the matching Bondhus Gorilla Grip fold-up and I ordered the SAE and Torx while I was at it. I've got secondary tool boxes in several places and the fold-ups will go into one of them. I've used fold-ups before. They're very compact and they provide a good handle which can generate more torque on a fastener than just a short arm key by itself. The downside is the same handle that can have problems in a cramped or crowded space around the fastener. The Bondhus are dramatically better than the Chinesium Craftsman I rejected.

John

 

[DanMan90]

I have been on the look out for some snap on 1/2" ratchets for quite some time now. I keep my eye on eBay as well as Craigslist but haven't had much luck. Browsing through Facebook marketplace I came across these two and worked out a deal for $150 for the pair. I was quite happy with the purchase.

Also scanning through the marketplace I came upon these sunex 1/2" metric impacts from 10-36mm no skips besides 31. Scored these still in the plastic for $60.

 

[jalind]

This broken folding lug wrench landed on my doorstep unexpectedly Friday morning, sent to me by Amazon. I had not ordered it, nor had I been Jonesing for one, nor had one even been in my online shopping cart saved for later, or in my Amazon Wish List. I've got lots of wrenches, breaker bars and other whatnot to remove lug nuts/bolts. Don't need a folding version of the old-fashioned, classic four-way cross-wrench that garages used before the advent of pneumatic impact wrenches.

Upon further examination, it became clear this was not a new wrench but a pre-owned one, albeit not for long. It's prior owner, or possessor, had amputated its 3/4" lug nut folding arm at the hinge point, the weakest part of the shaft, by over torquing it attempting to remove a recalcitrant lug nut. It was undoubtedly one that had been (over) torqued onto the wheel stud by a garage gorilla with an impact wrench. I've encountered severely over-torqued lug nuts on numerous occasions. This picture of the wrench end of the trauma site is classic of materials (notably metals) torsion failure from the Mohr's Circle of principle torsion stresses. You can see how the outer part bends, suffering plastic deformation after exceeding elastic deformation strain, then shears after exceeding plastic deformation strain, with a fracture beginning at the outer edge and spiraling inward. The inner core twists apart in one final death rattle.

The torque required to do this had been substantial. This was not the only portion of the wrench to show plastic deformation. The other folding arm no longer aligned parallel to the cross-shaft when folded up against it. The shaft with the folding arms had twisted the weldment attaching the two arms together slightly, in the opposite direction of the torsion failure at the hinge point, as would be expected. In addition, the main shaft (without hinges) had its own plastic deformation, with one of its arms having bent slightly in the opposite direction of the torsion failure. The slight bow in the arm was subtle and I suspect its prior possessor may have used a cheater pipe as it's only the one arm and most of the deformation is near the socket. After seeing what appeared to be a slight bow in the shaft on that arm (the other one is straight), a straight edge confirmed my suspicion.

The centerline of that socket is no longer linear and aligned with the centerline of its shaft. A combination square confirmed this. The gap between its straight edge narrows when its square is placed firmly against the rim of the socket (the other two are square and in line with their shafts).

One can almost hear the creaking and groaning of the steel molecules, teetering on the brink of adhesion, just before losing their grip and letting go as the irresistible torsional force rips them asunder.

Took some investigation of the package and the label on it. Apparently, one of Amazon's fulfillment centers in Lexington, KY (there are two of them), decided I was the "Seller" of these wrenches to Amazon. This one had no doubt been returned to Amazon as defective by a customer who had purchased it. Amazon, in turn, returns defective merchandise to their suppliers to recoup their costs. They have deluded themselves into believing thinking I am the supplier of these wrenches to them. Why that is remains one of The Great Mysteries of Life. I'm attempting to inquire with them but finding a phone number to actually talk to a human is nigh to impossible. Thus far I've only been able to reach two different customer service and support representatives, one in Jamaica and the other in the Philippines (yup, CS is offshore now too) who deal with Amazon customers, not suppliers and vendors who sell merchandise to Amazon. Indeed, they cannot find the UPS tracking number in their system as they have no visibility of it. They only have visibility of tracking numbers for merchandise being sent to Amazon customers.

Received notice late last night there's another UPS delivery scheduled for Monday morning. Will this Mystery Package be another broken lug wrench? I've attempted to have UPS return it to the Amazon Lexington, KY facility that shipped it to me, as having been rejected. That may have been successful. I'll know for certain on Monday.

John

 

[Razorhunter]

What is the deal with Sears now guys? After closing their stores in my area years ago, I've just lost track. Is anything Craftsman still quality, or is it all chinese import now?

 

[Mohawk Dave]

John,

Please continue to do write ups. I enjoyed your writing very much and I learned new words to boot. And make sure Amazon didn't deduct the wrench monies from your account....

-Dave

 

[rshadd]

Wiha 40010 Magnetizer or Demagnetizer

 

[dodge610]

Had a gift card from work going to try Ryobi cordless vac should be easier to keep the vehicles clean now.



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[jalind]

What is the deal with Sears now guys? After closing their stores in my area years ago, I've just lost track. Is anything Craftsman still quality, or is it all chinese import now?

Kinda OT from the new tool arrivals, but not too far afield as Sears is dumping its Craftsman tools out in a type of Fire Sale with the latest round of massive store closings and the sale of the trademark to Stanley early about a year ago. They're abundant on ePrey and it's a mixed bag of USA made old stock and China made new stock. A number of years ago they started procuring their Craftsman tools from China. I had long been a defender of Sears Craftsman hand tools as generally excellent in the upper mid-tier tool brands. They were a great choice for the avid DIY'er who spent considerable spare time in the workshop either making or repairing things. That lasted through the 1990's.

Around 2000, that started to change with Sears sourcing from companies like the Apex Group which were providing some tools from Asia (at this point the non-Craftsman Apex Group stuff I have is from Taiwan). About 2010 it radically changed with much more of their hard line of tools (other than industrial) coming in from China. In early 2017, Western Forge, who had been making numerous Craftsman tools, unilaterally severed their relationship with Sears, who has since sued WF for breach of contract (still in litigation). Also, in March 2017, the brand was sold to Stanley Black & Decker. As part of that sale, Sears retains the right to use the trademark and current supply channels to make and sell tools under the Craftsman name for another fifteen years. That should be interesting as it will dilute the brand with the trademark being used by Stanley on tools they are marketing and on other tools Sears is marketing.

At this point, after some very recent experience buying a few Craftsman tools, I would avoid the Sears retail line entirely other than verified "Made in USA" stock (most likely "new old stock" or NOS). Look for options among their industrial tools that are still made in the USA. Google finds a number of sources for them. Evaluate price vs value compared to other brands. My father was a Craftsman devotee for a number of reasons, not the least of which was born and raised in Oak Park, IL, and one of his sisters was married to the head of Sears' paint product line. He passed away in 1984. I'm not a devotee. They're another brand to be considered alongside others. The consumer line started going downhill about 2000 and accelerated into a race for the cellar around 2010. That's my take on it all.

John

 

[jalind]

John,

Please continue to do write ups. I enjoyed your writing very much and I learned new words to boot. And make sure Amazon didn't deduct the wrench monies from your account....

-Dave

Thanks. I would describe myself as a polymath. I've done many different things, some very different, both professionally and as avocations. There's not much I won't take on doing. As a personal observation, too many people convince themselves there are things they cannot do and they won't even try. Why that is baffles me. It's self-inflicted limitations.

I've had two very interesting conversations with Amazon now, and finally an email from the Seller side of Amazon, and they think I'm trying to become a seller. [sigh]

In the meantime, they're not billing me for anything associated with it.

John

 

[Floridaboy]

After 3/4 of the way though my house putting flooring down the wife brings home this. I can complain but hell she should of got that a week ago.


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[superautobacs]

A set of 1/4 drive, half-cut Torx bit sockets sold by VIM. From T10 to T50, including T27 and T47.

The relief cuts on the cornes of the square drive are unusually pronounced.

 

[rmsg0040]

Let us know how they hold up, torx always twists

 

[Evan(CA)]

I've may have splurged slightly...

 

[Tonyuk]

Green pry bars,

 

[Tonyuk]

Snap on 3/8" flex head with the hard grip;

SK metric flare nuts, bought to supplement my facom set, sometimes you need two of the same size;

Finally some consumables, always been a fan of liqui moly;

 

[geo_08]

A set of SAE and metric hex keys arrived from Sears Thursday. This is the picture of them on the Sears web site:

Note the "Made in USA" imprinted on them. When they arrived, this is what they really looked like:

Note carefully that the "Made in USA" is missing. On the back of the package: "Made in China". From what I could feel from the bottom fourth of the long ends sticking out from the bottom of the packaging, they're made from relatively soft Chinesium and the finish is rough, very rough, like sandpaper. I've got a set of Craftsman short arm from the 1980's that were made in the USA. The difference is night and day and the 1980's set is much harder steel. I did a bit of "bend" comparison between the common sizes. No way was I even going to contemplate using these long arm ball end. They'd bend with any amount of torque and round off in hardened fasteners in a heartbeat.

Went back yesterday morning by UPS with prepaid label from Sears. Return reason: "9 Not as Described".

Ordered the same type of long arm with ball end Bondhus in SAE and metric Thursday night. Should have them late this afternoon.

John

Bondhus makes decent quality wrenches. You will be happy

 

[nbruno]

Needed a set of long hex sockets without the ball end and decided to take a shot with tekton. It is my 1st tekton purchase, unfortunately they are not US made. Coo is Taiwan. If I knew I probably would have spent the extra money on Snap-on. They do seem to be decent quality but I'll try them out this morning on a tie rod clamp replacement that is exceptionally tight with a little galvanic corrosion.

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[crewchief888]

since today is my 60th bday, and it being the 1st time in over 40 years ive taken my bday off from work, i hit a couple pawn shops this morning.

found this NIB CM pro die grinder for $30. it's missing the 1/8" collet.

took the roundabout way home to check clearance stuff at different home depot, nothing exciting, and dropped into HF for a look around.

picked up a 12" & 48" straight edge for garage use...

 

[htw]

Recent tool purchase

House was flooded during Harvey, while contractors doing most of the major work I picked up the small work as much as possible. During the process I found most of my handtools were not adequate, dull cutting edge, damaged pliers teeth, etc.

Now the repair is close to end and I am thinking to replace/upgrade a few handtools, and glad I discovered GJ when researching quality US made tools before I made the purchases.

Most of the tools are purchased from Sears, with their promotions and points the prices are really good. A few from ebay. Standly keys are from Walmart, $2.5 for three-piece set and I was still able to find a few sets from nearby stores.

I believe these tools will last a very long time and really happy now...

 

[stonesfan68]

I can feel your pain, htw. We got nine inches in the house and it may as well have been four foot.

I ended up with a table saw, miter saw, 6-foot level and a whole host of other tools.

 

[carl456]

New big socket...

 

[htw]

I can feel your pain, htw. We got nine inches in the house and it may as well have been four foot.

I ended up with a table saw, miter saw, 6-foot level and a whole host of other tools.

Thanks. We got 17 inches and above the electrical outlet, and I replaced all 40 outlets. I would have bought a miter saw if my base board guy did not show up, and I still helped him to fill 50% of the nail holes and tape the floor before the painting.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Needed a set of long hex sockets without the ball end and decided to take a shot with tekton. It is my 1st tekton purchase, unfortunately they are not US made. Coo is Taiwan. If I knew I probably would have spent the extra money on Snap-on. They do seem to be decent quality but I'll try them out this morning on a tie rod clamp replacement that is exceptionally tight with a little galvanic corrosion.

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The cool thing about these sets and what I did is I bought them and I bought bondhus gold L keys and cut them with my bandsaw and use the bondhus keys in the sockets. Most of my sets are Snap-on but I did not want to spend snap on money for long ball end.

I'll be honest, I did not even try the tekton keys. I replaced them right away with the bondhus. That's always an option if you don't like the tekton or they wear out.

Them and the bondhus are cheap enough that you can make all kinds of sets. Stubby, regular, and long, in Straight Shaft and ball end

 

[jalind]

since today is my 60th bday, and it being the 1st time in over 40 years ive taken my bday off from work, i hit a couple pawn shops this morning.

found this NIB CM pro die grinder for $30. it's missing the 1/8" collet.

took the roundabout way home to check clearance stuff at different home depot, nothing exciting, and dropped into HF for a look around.

picked up a 12" & 48" straight edge for garage use...

If you do any woodworking, you will appreciate the straight edges. Look for a 24" as that's also a very convenient size, probably the one I use most. Depends on the size of what you're working on. Superb for checking a rectangle you've laid out for cutting, or just assembled, to see if it's squared up properly.

John

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Picked this up last night. Famco 21 arbor press with stand.

It's missing the handle, so...
I'll get a cheap 3/4 impact socket, cut the socket part off the base, and machine a piece of tubing that slides over the handle shaft, weld the tubing to the socket, and use a heavy *** bolt to fasten the tubing through the existing handle hole. Then I can use a spare 3/4" ratchet on it, and voila, a ratcheting handle instead of a normal handle.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Thanks. I would describe myself as a polymath. I've done many different things, some very different, both professionally and as avocations. There's not much I won't take on doing. As a personal observation, too many people convince themselves there are things they cannot do and they won't even try. Why that is baffles me. It's self-inflicted limitations.

I've had two very interesting conversations with Amazon now, and finally an email from the Seller side of Amazon, and they think I'm trying to become a seller. [sigh]

In the meantime, they're not billing me for anything associated with it.

John

Glad to hear Amazon is trying* to figure it out.

Like you and many on here, I'm usually not afraid to try new things. Especially with all the knowledge on the internet and all the forums. I do find myself getting temporarily bogged down with analysis paralysis. Sometimes I have to remember to just go for it. Not all willy-nilly of course but still have to go for it nonetheless.

 

[Alpine4x4]

Wiha 40010 Magnetizer or Demagnetizer

Genius, buying one right now!

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Genius, buying one right now!

They work excellent. Just fyi...they're sold under a ton of different names. I.E., the Husky at Home Depot is the same. But that Wiha torquoise color is sweet!

I find it pretty funny and sad at the same time when I'm reading reviews on Amazon or somewhere for screwdrivers or whatever and people are giving them low reviews because they are either magnetic or not magnetic and people have no idea that that is reversible in a Split Second with a $5 tool... Or a battery and a piece of wire.

 

[Alpine4x4]

They work excellent. Just fyi...they're sold under a ton of different names. I.E., the Husky at Home Depot is the same. But that Wiha torquoise color is sweet!

I find it pretty funny and sad at the same time when I'm reading reviews on Amazon or somewhere for screwdrivers or whatever and people are giving them low reviews because they are either magnetic or not magnetic and people have no idea that that is reversible in a Split Second with a $5 tool... Or a battery and a piece of wire.

Agreed on the Wiha color, they're on Ebay for $6 shipped from the US, no brainer!

 

[losvre]

since today is my 60th bday, and it being the 1st time in over 40 years ive taken my bday off from work, i hit a couple pawn shops this morning.

found this NIB CM pro die grinder for $30. it's missing the 1/8" collet.

took the roundabout way home to check clearance stuff at different home depot, nothing exciting, and dropped into HF for a look around.

picked up a 12" & 48" straight edge for garage use...


[emoji481]

Happy birthday and more good years to come![emoji482]

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