Custom Hose Spoon Tool Advise Needed

[oldschoolcraft]

I changed my radiator hoses recently and they were on there right, but I was replacing them so I wound up cutting a few ends off. I later learned about the Hose Spoon tools:



They are pretty big, and it makes me feel bad to buy any tools Lisle has outsourced to China. Snap On makes them, but also big, and I dislike comfort grips in general.

I picked up some Tekton Mini Pry Bars recently, and I think the 1/4" 30 degree or 50 degree might work well as a hose spoon tool. They are only 6 inches long overall so I think would work nicely in a compact portable mechanics toolset. Of course, I need to modify the tips to round off the end and sides. They're only $8 so it's a cheap experiment.

I'm asking for advice on if this is a terrible idea and which of the two angles makes the most sense (30 or 50 degrees). I lean towards the 30 degree, it looks closest to the actual spoon tool. I dont plan on changing any hoses anytime soon, so I won't be able to test it. I've never been to a pluck and pick junkyard, not sure if it's ethical for me to test my creation out on hoses I dont plan to buy.

This would just be the "pushing spoon", not the "pulling" one but I think that's more of a convenience thing. I can orient my body relative to the hose to push. As far as it being short, I figure I can clamp a vice grips down on the handle to add length if needed. If I use too much force I'm going to crack the hose.

It's a cheap and easy enough project, just won't have any way to validate the results for hopefully a long time. So looking for people to tell me if this idea is stupid or worthwhile.

 

[swsman]

I would leave those Tekton tools as they are.
Check JB Tools or Amazon for Astro hose pick set (2 piece). See screenshot attachment.

OEM tools has a 4 piece set of spoons in different sizes.

This will have you covered for your limited needs.

 

[darkzero]

If you want small have a look at spoon type oring tools. They usually come as sets though & some may be a bit long.

Might be kind of small for radiator hoses though, heater hoses maybe? I don't have any experience with the oring spoon or radiator tools, never needed to use them.

 

[Fedwrench]

I wish Tekton would sell hose picks and larger picks in general.

Back to your plan, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

However, some of my favorite hose picks aren't the flat nosed Lisle version rebadged by many.

take this Titan hose pick for example, its double bend or offset angle that makes it one of my favorites. You can carefully wiggle and loosen the hose gradually with its tapered point. Also handy for connectors.

Titan 15093 Hose And Cotter Pin Remover | ToolDiscounter

Hose And Cotter Pin Remover. Shop Titan Hose And Cotter Pin Remover at ToolDiscounter

www.tooldiscounter.com

It might be easier to bend this Wilde cotter pin tool from HJE:

Wilde 7" Cotter Key Extractor

Wilde 7" Cotter Key Extractor

www.harryepstein.com

 

[oldschoolcraft]

I would leave those Tekton tools as they are.
Check JB Tools or Amazon for Astro hose pick set (2 piece). See screenshot attachment.

OEM tools has a 4 piece set of spoons in different sizes.

This will have you covered for your limited needs.

Those look like they have sharp ends.

 

[steel 35]

Those look like they have sharp ends.

Mine do as well and I like them that way.

 

[Steve_P]

The mini Tekton picks are hardened steel, so you most likely won't bend them without breaking- You'd have to heat them with an oxy-acetylene torch which would then probably melt the handle LOL.

I'm not sure why more people don't make the hose spoons; the picks are more popular, and a pick risks damaging the hose IMO- which is fine if you're changing it, but then you could also just cut it off. Tekton makes pry bars, picks, and screwdrivers, so hopefully they're currently working on a set of hose tools.

 

[OccupantRJ]

What what I have seen in pick a part yards, I don’t think ethics come into play very much.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

The mini Tekton picks are hardened steel, so you most likely won't bend them without breaking- You'd have to heat them with an oxy-acetylene torch which would then probably melt the handle LOL.

I wasn't going to try to bend them, pick pick either the 30 or 50 degree (probably 30) and file/grind the end down until it's round and smooth.

 

[rsanter]

I have a couple of the cotter pin removed hook things and that’s what I generally use plus just using a long this screwdriver

 

[Wamsutta]

 

[darkzero]

I never understood those cotter pin tools but then again I've never use one. Wouldn't you still need another tool to unbend the cotter pin first?

This is what I always used for cotter pins until I sold/replaced them (needle nose w/ short stout jaws).


And this is what I use now (on the left) although the only the cotter pins I deal with now are on my own vehicle & machinery.

 

[Wamsutta]

I never understood those cotter pin tools but then again I've never use one. Wouldn't you still need another tool to unbend the cotter pin first?

I'm afraid to try one. I can see my hand flying into something painful when the cotter pin finally lets loose.

 

[dscheidt]

The mini Tekton picks are hardened steel, so you most likely won't bend them without breaking- You'd have to heat them with an oxy-acetylene torch which would then probably melt the handle LOL.

I'm not sure why more people don't make the hose spoons; the picks are more popular, and a pick risks damaging the hose IMO- which is fine if you're changing it, but then you could also just cut it off. Tekton makes pry bars, picks, and screwdrivers, so hopefully they're currently working on a set of hose tools.

picks are better for getting under tight hoses. once it's going in, spoons are fine, but the initial stiction requires a point fairly often.

 

[swsman]

Those look like they have sharp ends.

Astro set is with sharp ends.
OEM tools set is spoon style, look it up under o ring and seal removal picks

 

[swsman]

I never understood those cotter pin tools but then again I've never use one. Wouldn't you still need another tool to unbend the cotter pin first?

This is what I always used for cotter pins until I sold/replaced them (needle nose w/ short stout jaws).


And this is what I use now (on the left) although the only the cotter pins I deal with now are on my own vehicle & machinery.

I have managed to remove cotter pins using diagonal cutters primarily. Sometimes needle nose pliers.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

I dont like comfort grips. If they came in hard handled I'd be willing to drop the money on them. To me, comfort grips would be preferred for professional mechanics who want it to be as comfortable as possible even if it means the handle gets shredded up over time. I would probably go a year or more without using these, and the rubber handles will degrade over time even if I'm not using them. Whereas hard handles would likely last forever.

 

[darkzero]

I don't know about that style comfort grips but I have some Snap-on stuff with rubber comfort grips that are well over 20 yrs old. Some are well used, some are barely used. None of them are degrading due to age. But I too usually don't prefer comfort grips for other reasons.

 

[Wamsutta]

I dont like comfort grips. If they came in hard handled I'd be willing to drop the money on them. To me, comfort grips would be preferred for professional mechanics who want it to be as comfortable as possible even if it means the handle gets shredded up over time. I would probably go a year or more without using these, and the rubber handles will degrade over time even if I'm not using them. Whereas hard handles would likely last forever.

I think only the dark gray part has a layer of santoprene over hard plastic. I got one of those handles on a drawer slide pry bar tool called the SPP837. I wouldn't classify it as soft at all. More like hard plastic with a coating of grip material in a few places. I thought about getting an actual screwdriver with that handle on it sometime to try out. All my Snap-on screwdrivers are the old handle version from the 1990s.

Maybe you'd like the old version better. I have one of these like shown in this eBay sale :

 

[oldschoolcraft]

I think only the dark gray part has a layer of santoprene over hard plastic. I got one of those handles on a drawer slide pry bar tool called the SPP837. I wouldn't classify it as soft at all. More like hard plastic with a coating of grip material in a few places. I thought about getting an actual screwdriver with that handle on it sometime to try out. All my Snap-on screwdrivers are the old handle version from the 1990s.

Maybe you'd like the old version better. I have one of these like shown in this eBay sale :

Thanks I did come across that one in my searches but it looks like the pointy end, not the spoony round smooth end. Though it sounds like there's contention over which I need or if I need both

 

[Wamsutta]

Thanks I did come across that one in my searches but it looks like the pointy end, not the spoony round smooth end. Though it sounds like there's contention over which I need or if I need both

Back in the 1990s when that A173A was out, Snap-on only had two radiator hose picks available; that one and a longer version.

I don't know when they started making the spoon version.