Any tools you buy NEW and immediate upgrade or modify or polish or whatever??

[mikey03]

I bought a m18 drill last and before I even used it I took the original factory chuck off and put a Rohm chuck on that cost almost as much as the drill. $65 on I think like a $90 drill

I saw a thread a while back about polishing pliers if there rough when new with some paste and working them open and closed.

Maybe upgrading a handle or sharpening a chisel from the factory that wasn’t too sharp or whatever like that kinda thing.

 

[designer485]

I do the same upgrade on drills. Remove the plastic POS and replace it with a Rohm.

The last one I did was on a Milwaukee m12 Drill.






I have them on my 20v and 12v DeWalt drills as well.

 

[Twisted Sid]

Two that I have posted before but fit in here. They both work awesome

Show your new tool arrivals

Ok this ranks up there with the PVC glue can opener/grip I found last year. A simple cheap product I wish I had 30 years ago. Adhesives and gasket makers will never be the same around here. It turns any tube into a mini caulk gun with no waste. Those are made within walking distance of...

www.garagejournal.com

The Harbor Freight PASS/FAIL Thread...

That's not a pipe wrench, channel lock pliers have failed that way for years, either the nut is loose on the bolt or the bolt is stretched.

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Nutria]

Mikey, you mentioned chisels-- I don't think that I've ever purchased a new one, but all except (maybe) the Gucci brands will need work even if new.

And, yeah, I did buy a new M18 drill, and I couldn't believe how bad the chuck was. I didn't buy a Röhm. I just grabbed a chuck from a nothing-special parts Dewalt that was about ten years old and installed that-- way better than the Milwaukee.

 

[Gmonkee]

Brought home a new push mower and changed the stock plastic wheels with ball bearing hard rubber wheels.

Made a difference in rolling friction and they last forever.

 

[MushCreek]

I guess I've been lucky. My three cordless Milwaukee drills have had good chucks. I'm a retired tool maker, and know what a good keyless drill chuck is. Maybe not Albrecht quality, but they all run true and hold the drill bits just fine. Most chisels and hand planes need a bit of a touch-up, as do lawn mower blades. I also take all of the tacky badging off HF tool boxes right away.

 

[Monte]

sanding/polishing new body hammers before use

 

[pancholasvegas]

sanding/polishing new body hammers before use

Absolutely - All body tools are dressed or sanded before being put to use.

 

[i84x]

I sand paper wood hammer handles, i think they feel better to hold with the lacquer off.

Also I slice the stop off of adjustable wrenches teeth so they open wider then they should (or let you wind the jaw out without removing the screw).

 

[sarcastoplasm]

You’ve got me thinking about running 600 grit lapping compound through some tight pliers that I just got. Not sure how to get it all out once I’m ’done’ though… worried it would cause excessive wear.

 

[ecotec]

You’ve got me thinking about running 600 grit lapping compound through some tight pliers that I just got. Not sure how to get it all out once I’m ’done’ though… worried it would cause excessive wear.

I see no real reason to do this. As an electrician, I like my pliers really loose. First, I work penetrating oil until the joint until no more dirty dark grease comes out of it. After that, I spray the joint with Fluid Film. It is plenty good enough after this.

I think that lapping compound will cause more wear than is necessary.

 

[Chasedtoast]

I see no real reason to do this. As an electrician, I like my pliers really loose. First, I work penetrating oil until the joint until no more dirty dark grease comes out of it. After that, I spray the joint with Fluid Film. It is plenty good enough after this.

I think that lapping compound will cause more wear than is necessary.

I've done something similar with the pliers that I get new, either using 3-in-1 or some other penetrating oil. Recently I've found that ATF works really well to wick itself into the joint. After that it's about 15 minutes of wiggling the pliers back and forth like an idiot then they're good to go.

I'd be worried about the grit in the lapping compound hanging around and causing the joint to feel sticky where the grit hasn't totally worn down yet.

 

[KnurledNut]

Add longer cords to power tools like circular saws and screwshooters.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

Treat any untreated wooden handle with e.g. boiled linseed oil. Did it with a file brush recently.

Also saw someone drill a hanging hole in a similar model of brush which didn't have one already.

 

[AEAdam]

I typically clean, oil, wax and color in the size markings of all my impact sockets.

These aren't new, but this is what I shoot for. These are oiled and waxed and marked with crayon. I don't like my impacts to be all rusty and nasty.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

All my tin snips are dressed so they don't have an over-bite. If I'm cutting metal and close them all the way they don't leave a distorted end cut. This is for doing vinyl siding J trim.

 

[AEAdam]

All my tin snips are dressed so they don't have an over-bite. If I'm cutting metal and close them all the way they don't leave a distorted end cut. This is for doing vinyl siding J trim.

I think I know what you mean, but can you post a picture of this? I’m doing flashing right now

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I think I know what you mean, but can you post a picture of this? I’m doing flashing right now

Ok, the snips I have are getting worn, so I was able to force the tips past the normal range which you will see in the first pic. The second pic is how I want then to be when closed naturally. You may also notice that I round over all the edges so that I can get into tighter spaces like J-trim, both vinyl and aluminum.
Also I would never totally close them when cutting sheet metal anyway as that leaves indentations even with the work I've done to the snips. It's when I'm cutting trim for siding that I need to close them fully. If they have an overbite a crack can form on vinyl J when it's cold out.

 

[Sumboodie]

I do the same upgrade on drills. Remove the plastic POS and replace it with a Rohm.

The last one I did was on a Milwaukee m12 Drill.






I have them on my 20v and 12v DeWalt drills as well.

Plastic?

The chucks on my Milwaukee drills are metal.

 

[mikey03]

I typically clean, oil, wax and color in the size markings of all my impact sockets.

These aren't new, but this is what I shoot for. These are oiled and waxed and marked with crayon. I don't like my impacts to be all rusty and nasty.

What cleaner do you use and what kinda wax? one time I cleaned off some impacts that came with lots of oil and I accidentally took off most of the black oxide finish and I felt real dumb

 

[mikey03]

One idea I got that honestly isn’t a new tool upgrade since I’ve had this tool a while but i might do it and if I ever get a new one I’d do it right away. On my digital caliper case on the inside make a label for decimal to fraction inches. Since I always got to look it up on my phone but it should be in the case tbh.

Also while I’m making mods to the case maybe figure out to attach sae and metric thread gauges inside the cause because honestly that’s what I use the caliper for the most is finding the diameter and then using gauges to find the thread pitch.

I think it’s called metroidology I need to learn more about that I bet you guys got some sweet setups. I’m not a machinist honestly but I’m always finding a need to order some replacement nut or bolt and needing to find the pitch of the piece I do got.

 

[KnurledNut]

One idea I got that honestly isn’t a new tool upgrade since I’ve had this tool a while but i might do it and if I ever get a new one I’d do it right away. On my digital caliper case on the inside make a label for decimal to fraction inches. Since I always got to look it up on my phone but it should be in the case tbh.

Also while I’m making mods to the case maybe figure out to attach sae and metric thread gauges inside the cause because honestly that’s what I use the caliper for the most is finding the diameter and then using gauges to find the thread pitch.

I think it’s called metroidology I need to learn more about that I bet you guys got some sweet setups. I’m not a machinist honestly but I’m always finding a need to order some replacement nut or bolt and needing to find the pitch of the piece I do got.

Starrett used to have free printed conversion charts, including small cards. Might do a search and see if they still offer them.

 

[mikey03]

Also

I typically clean, oil, wax and color in the size markings of all my impact sockets.

These aren't new, but this is what I shoot for. These are oiled and waxed and marked with crayon. I don't like my impacts to be all rusty and nasty.

also wondering how do you do the crayon trick. I tried it a while back and just made a mess

 

[T45]

I now face all my hammers for metalworking from new. Even my little 8 oz ball pein. It has a finished ball and face. This ensures you don't scratch/score/mark your work when its used as intended.

 

[mikey03]

I now face all my hammers for metalworking from new. Even my little 8 oz ball pein. It has a finished ball and face. This ensures you don't scratch/score/mark your work when its used as intended.

Do you mind showing a pic and say how you do it? For those of us not familiar.