Show your new tool arrivals

[Beerhippie]

We had something similar when working with pesticides in the field. We carried two, and the sterile saline eyewash bottles to go with them.

I suspect that small fan motors may be setup to start on high for safety: they are much less likely to have a problem starting rotating with the extra umph provided by the high setting. If the motor does not start turning on a low setting the windings might pass too much current and overheat. This is more thinking about the system when aged with less than perfect bearings and a degraded start capacitor.

My understanding is that the 0-3-2-1 sequence was to save the cost of a starter capacitor. This fan doesn't seem to have any problem starting on Low.

 

[Squankum]

That is a good idea. It would also need to be left setup where you can find it quickly in a pinch and probably refresh the stagnant water now and then.

I have gotten solvent spray can back splash in my eye enough times over the years to know it can be no joke getting it washed out quickly. I know, I know, I should be wearing safety glasses and I often do. But sometimes I pull them off and I am too lazy to put them on while briefly cleaning something up.

My worst case was while working in a grocery store night stock crew while in high school. I picked up a damaged case of black pepper from an upper storage rack. The top was open and a number of cans were damaged and loose black pepper coated the top. When I picked it up above my head I had it at an angle and a sheet of black pepper peeled off and dropped into both of my eyes. The pain was instant and unbelievable. I struggled to even get to a water fountain (no eye wash) in the back of the store by myself (nobody was near). I was in agony for a good half hour rolling around on the floor. I probably should have been in an ER but I was back at work soon after (old days here, ER was for near death) though I was struggling to do much all night with impaired vision. The thought of being "pepper sprayed" ever since makes me queasy. But I suspect this was probably far worse in terms of amount and concentration in eyes. It made car solvent eye splashes seem like child's play!! Not to say those are minor either. But believe me, I NEVER picked up another damaged spice box above my head.

I had almost forgotten until just now, and it only happened a month or three ago. I was looking for a small container, found an old Rubbermaid salt or pepper shaker in a kitchen drawer. Hooray! Just the thing! Oh, look, there's some foreign matter, some residue in the bottom of it, I shall blow into it to remove ARRGH. Pepper flakes, dust. Nothing like your avalanche. I should have known -- 50/50 odds just based on it being a Rubbermaid plastic salt and pepper shaker duo I myself had bought a few decades ago, even higher odds based on the holes in the top part. Boy, did I feel stupid.

OK, now I should buy another one for the house.

 

[lund]

My understanding is that the 0-3-2-1 sequence was to save the cost of a starter capacitor. This fan doesn't seem to have any problem starting on Low.

Could be. I never opened one up to see if cheap fans have a small start capacitor or not. Maybe they used a start capacitor on this fan, or for some other reason it does not need one to reliably get going on low.

 

[Beerhippie]

That is a good idea. It would also need to be left setup where you can find it quickly in a pinch and probably refresh the stagnant water now and then.

NO!

Never put anything in your eye that isn't sterile! Haven't we all read about getting brain-eating amoebae from using tap water for a petti pot? Your eye connects directly to your brain, too.

You can buy sterile eyewash bottles already filled with sterile saline.

As for eyewash stations, we run ours daily to keep the water as fresh as possible--and they're for things like splashing lye into your eye, where you have nothing to lose.

 

[lund]

NO!

Never put anything in your eye that isn't sterile! Haven't we all read about getting brain-eating amoebae from using tap water for a petti pot? Your eye connects directly to your brain, too.

You can buy sterile eyewash bottles already filled with sterile saline.

As for eyewash stations, we run ours daily to keep the water as fresh as possible--and they're for things like splashing lye into your eye, where you have nothing to lose.

I am sure you are right on sterile and saline being far better and safer. But believe me, when something extreme happens the lesser of two evils can be a quick wash with even bottled water. I don't think anyone is going to fill them up with pond water. I also swam a lot in ponds over the years and would shudder to think what was in them microscopically. Yes, I opened my eyes under water too

I think I would have been glad for a pond to jump in after my pepper container disaster on the night stock crew. I might have drowned though since the pain was incapacitatingly bad.

 

[Monte]

Eklind hex key set

 

[Skyman]

I am sure you are right on sterile and saline being far better and safer. But believe me, when something extreme happens the lesser of two evils can be a quick wash with even bottled water. I don't think anyone is going to fill them up with pond water. I also swam a lot in ponds over the years and would shudder to think what was in them microscopically. Yes, I opened my eyes under water too

I think I would have been glad for a pond to jump in after my pepper container disaster on the night stock crew. I might have drowned though since the pain was incapacitatingly bad.

In my young adult years, I had three car batteries explode on me at work.

One, I was out on the tow truck, jump starting a car in an agricultural setting. I was lucky that the customer who owned the car worked there, knew where a source of running water was from a garden hose located in a nearby barn, and was able to guide me to it. I'm sure it wasn't sterile water, but I'm equally sure it was better than the acid that was at that time etching my eyeballs.

The other two, I was working in the garage at the gas station, so I knew that the nearest source of running water was the chilled water fountain in the corner of the garage. Also not sterile, but also way better than the acid.

I'm fortunate that none of these incidents seem to have permanently damaged my eyes.

Back then, I had never seen or heard of a dedicated eyewash station of any kind, and PPE was not something that was ever even mentioned to me or anyone else I worked with there.

Two of those incidents resulted from broken internal connections in the batteries. The third resulted from an accidental dead-short from +Battery to chassis ground when I inadvertently bumped a wrench from atop a covered fender.

I have taken PPE and safe work practices very seriously in the ensuing decades, after my youthful naivete was gradually supplanted by knowledge.

 

[Markoos]

Acquired over a few months, purchased individual pieces when on special offer.
Eventually will be set in a shadow foam.

 

[Etchase]

I only got this thing yesterday, but it seems to have a terrific size adjust mechanism I haven’t encountered before. The shinny metal thing is a pawl, that you can slide out of the way with your finger to adjust the size. It is ratcheting so you can just slide the jaws together to get the proper grip. Fairly standard so far. The new to me part is that you can also release the pawl to adjust the pivot position of the jaws to a wider position by just opening the handles far apart.. the last bit of the handle position disengages the pawl, just like when you slide the pawl directly with your finger. The whole motion is similar to channellock tongue and grove pliers. They are calling this slide lock, and they seem to be rolling out at Home Depot store stock only.

 

[Steel_Rain]

I only got this thing yesterday, but it seems to have a terrific size adjust mechanism I haven’t encountered before. The shinny metal thing is a pawl, that you can slide out of the way with your finger to adjust the size. It is ratcheting so you can just slide the jaws together to get the proper grip. Fairly standard so far. The new to me part is that you can also release the pawl to adjust the pivot position of the jaws to a wider position by just opening the handles far apart.. the last bit of the handle position disengages the pawl, just like when you slide the pawl directly with your finger. The whole motion is similar to channellock tongue and grove pliers. They are calling this slide lock, and they seem to be rolling out at Home Depot store stock only.

They look WAY better then the last set of DeWalt's I bought:



I got the above on clearance for a combined total of $30 bucks...but after using the 8" pair, I can now see why nobody bought these. Clunky adjustment, bulky grips and somehow, poor grip on most surfaces.

Seems like DeWalt learned from the mistake, eh?

 

[wire]

They look WAY better then the last set of DeWalt's I bought:



I got the above on clearance for a combined total of $30 bucks...but after using the 8" pair, I can now see why nobody bought these. Clunky adjustment, bulky grips and somehow, poor grip on most surfaces.

Seems like DeWalt learned from the mistake, eh?

toolguyd - Dewalt Launched New “Slidelock” Adjustable Pliers

 

[Skyman]

I only got this thing yesterday, but it seems to have a terrific size adjust mechanism I haven’t encountered before. The shinny metal thing is a pawl, that you can slide out of the way with your finger to adjust the size. It is ratcheting so you can just slide the jaws together to get the proper grip. Fairly standard so far. The new to me part is that you can also release the pawl to adjust the pivot position of the jaws to a wider position by just opening the handles far apart.. the last bit of the handle position disengages the pawl, just like when you slide the pawl directly with your finger. The whole motion is similar to channellock tongue and grove pliers. They are calling this slide lock, and they seem to be rolling out at Home Depot store stock only.

If that mechanism is robust enough, it looks like it could be a winner. I'll look forward to fondling an example to see for myself, but the concept seems brilliant. I have a number of the Knipex push-the-button-to-adjust pliers, and I seldom reach for them because the mechanism is just too damned irritating for me. Or I'm just too damned clumsy.

 

[Tchicken]

I hope that HD has some to handle - sounds fiddly for me, but the fine motor skills were never a strength

 

[Beerhippie]

I have a number of the Knipex push-the-button-to-adjust pliers, and I seldom reach for them because the mechanism is just too damned irritating for me.

Funny--I love the mechanism on the Knipex. I can easily adjust them with one hand and, unlike Channel-Lock, they stay where I put them.

 

[Etchase]

My mistake on the in store only availability on the slide lock Dewalt pliers. They ship to mainland locations, but not to Hawaii. This is frequently the case and I should have checked. I personally dislike the Knipex style adjustment with a passion and I go out of my way to avoid it. The grips on these Dewalts are nice and big and comfortable for me, but grips are grips, so others might find them bulky. I picked up these Bosch spade bits from the Home Depot thread for $9. Out of stock now. I’ve used them before with success. Bosch makes good drill bits in general I think.

 

[rharman]

Searching for a good moving blanket. In days of yore, I bought one at Northern Tool, and it was pro grade, it was thick and cushy. Then HF climbed out of the primoridal ooze and started offering people something kind like that, but thin, and in my first encounter with them, chock full of tramp steamer mildew from Asia. I went to NT after that and it seemed HF had dragged NT down into the muck with them on this category. Harumph! (This was maybe 13 years ago.)

I googled and checked GJ, and somebody at GJ gave this one a glowing endorsement, so I tried it. Had to wait a week or two for the price to come down, and it did, it's currently at $30.98.



Uh oh. I fear the labeling has caused some confusion.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0866BBYGV?tag=atomicindus08-20

Made in China.

I don't like it! OK, it is impressive. They did their own thing: it's not the soft, thin cotton of traditional moving blankets, it's a tough, shiny nylon...cordura? Minor quibble. My beef is that it's about as padded as the cheap **** HF moving blanket!

(I confess I have not pawed the moving blankets at HF or Northern Tool lately to see if they have two different grades, ditto the big box hardware store.)

This is a sturdy thing and I'll probably grow to like it (horses for courses) but I might keep looking for ye old thick soft moving blanket of yore. Saw a professional mover's supply website that looked promising, but you know, once you live in the Space-Bezo playground of free shipping, other websites pain ye.

Having bought five more pliers while on the road last week, I concluded I need a third road bag just for the pliers. Picked up some scissors while I was there. One of the wee Doyles as a gift to a crafts-oriented woman friend, and the other two scissors for a shop in a remote location.



Bauer 16" bag, $12.99, Cambodia
Quinn scissors, $11.99, China
Doye scissors, 14.99, Taiwan

My first thought on the moving blankets was to check U-Haul. So, I did. Yikes! They're only 1/8" thick. Sounds pretty useless. Hope the ones that @Jarhead0408 recommended work out.

I completely agree on your other comment about free shipping spoiling us. I recently bought a few parts for my Porter-Cable router guide. I bought extras as the parts were about $2.50 each and shipping was going to be $10. Sometimes, you gotta pay to play though.

FWiW, I really like those HF Doyle scissors. Bought some several months ago and was surprised at how well they work and how solid they feel.

 

[Squankum]

FWiW, I really like those HF Doyle scissors. Bought some several months ago and was surprised at how well they work and how solid they feel.

I ran out and bought the Knipex electrician's scissors when Ryan featured them on the front page. I later learned about the Doyles and bought them to compare. I never talk this way frivolously, I really mean it when I say these things do come from the same assembly line in Taiwan. Different colored grips, but same contours on the grips, different marking on the blade, slightly different belt holster. Hot steamin' deal on Taiwanese quality from HF!

 

[mikeinri]

In my young adult years, I had three car batteries explode on me at work.

One, I was out on the tow truck, jump starting a car in an agricultural setting. I was lucky that the customer who owned the car worked there, knew where a source of running water was from a garden hose located in a nearby barn, and was able to guide me to it. I'm sure it wasn't sterile water, but I'm equally sure it was better than the acid that was at that time etching my eyeballs.

The other two, I was working in the garage at the gas station, so I knew that the nearest source of running water was the chilled water fountain in the corner of the garage. Also not sterile, but also way better than the acid.

I'm fortunate that none of these incidents seem to have permanently damaged my eyes.

Back then, I had never seen or heard of a dedicated eyewash station of any kind, and PPE was not something that was ever even mentioned to me or anyone else I worked with there.

Two of those incidents resulted from broken internal connections in the batteries. The third resulted from an accidental dead-short from +Battery to chassis ground when I inadvertently bumped a wrench from atop a covered fender.

I have taken PPE and safe work practices very seriously in the ensuing decades, after my youthful naivete was gradually supplanted by knowledge.

Reminds me of a story from college... I was deliverering pizza to pay my way through (at least, an apartment, food and basic necessities). One of the other drivers claimed to have been robbed (highly doubtful given the area, but anything's possible). So, I went out and bought a canister of pepper spray, and attached it to my key ring...

...Fast forward a few years, and a girl i started dating said she wanted to "see what the pepper spray smelled like." I repeatedly told her "Don't do that," but she insisted. I told her that she could NOT do it in my room, or anywhere in the house, but needed to go outside. But, please don't try it...

Well, she insisted, and as predicted, came back inside crying and unable to see out of one eye (I didn't go out there with her, so I don't know how she administered the stuff to herself).

So, then it became MY problem to help her out. I'd had enough First Aid training (Eagle Scout) to know she needed to get water into her eye immediately.

She didn't want to do that, no matter how many times I told her. So, I wasted more (of her recovery) time calling 911, who told me to hang up and call the poison control center (I still think that was odd).

Anyway, the poison control center told me that she needed to rinse her eye with... water.

I basically had to hold her head down in the sink and use the sprayer to help her out, she refused to do it herself. It was hard enough to convince her to hold her eye OPEN, or the water wasn't goint to do much. (I also told her the other option was to hop into the shower and stand under the flowing water, but she didn't want to do that, either.)

The water worked, but her eye was red for a day or two.

Needless to say, I threw away the pepper spray (wasn't sure if it would leak once activated the one time), and didn't bother replacing it.

This is the same girl that refused to cook, because she claimed to have set her mother's kitchen curtains on fire, trying to put a flaming paper bag out in the sink, after it caught fire in the microwave (she was trying to DIY microwave popcorn, using just a paper lunch bag). I'd always thought she just made that up to get out of cooking for me, but now I'm starting to wonder, LOL...

We eventually broke up, for a variety of unrelated reasons.

-----

The second story (thankfully) didn't involve eyes, but did involve an exploding car battery, and saline...

One night, I came upon a car, crashed into a guardrail on an offramp, in a rainstorm in June. Called 911, and stayed on the scene (I don't do that anymore, due to a different incident, but that's another story)...

Anyway, police, FD and rescue show up, and block the exit (thankfully, as it was insanely slippery, first rain in over a month). They take the driver back to the rescue (he wasn't hurt, but they always check).

Then they send a rookie fireman (alone) down with a pair of bolt cutters to cut the battery cable. Being the former Boy Scout (and already wet), I figured I'd help by holding a flashlight so he could see what he was doing.

Needless to say, he shorted the wire with the cutters, and the battery exploded, spraying acid everywhere.

Even though he was completely dressed in turnout gear, they took him into the rescue and started throwing sailine at him.

When I mentioned that I'd been sprayed on the arms, they looked at me with disgust, but eventually capitulated and rinsed my arms. Oddly, it never really burned, but I'm sure it would have eventually.

-----

Mike