Unique Favorite Tools of ours

[nevetslab]

KANT-TWIST clamp

While I have a good collection of Machinist Clamps, which are like small versions of the Jorgensen Wood Clamps which I love, I came upon this small KANT-TWIST clamp on ebay years ago, and bought a number of them. Quite small, and though it's throat size is limited by the arms, it's always in use when I pull Fender Amp's front panel PCB off from the chassis, using one to hold the escutcheon in place next to the Normal Input jacks, and sometimes at the opposite end by the Pilot Light, if that lamp assembly isn't properly holding that end in place. These are available in a number of sizes.

[nevetslab]

Stainless Steel Surgical Needle Nose Pliers

I think I came upon these Stainless Steel Surgical Needle Nose Pliers at a TRW Radio Amateur's Technical Swap Meet decades ago, and picked them up for under $10. Overall length is a touch over 8", and they do come in really handy at times when the other larger needle nose pliers aren't quite up to the task at hand. I will confess they've pinched my skin every so often from being a little careless, but an excellent tool.

[Helmholtz]

While this is my all time favorite self-adjusting wire stripper:


..nothing beats these (see post #30) with Teflon insulation:

[Enzo]

That identical Weldmuller stripper is sold here as a Paladin brand. I have had one for decades, and dearly love it.

[olddawg]

I still have a bunch of weird tools from my vcr days. Eccentricity gauges, head pullers, tentilometers... also have stuff for R to R and cassette tools and gauges, test tapes. Alignment discs.. etc.. It will all be tossed soon..

[g1]

I still have a bunch of weird tools from my vcr days. Eccentricity gauges, head pullers, tentilometers... also have stuff for R to R and cassette tools and gauges, test tapes. Alignment discs.. etc.. It will all be tossed soon..

You should try to sell the cassette stuff. I'm amazed at what some of the cassette multi-tracks are selling for these days, and it's tough to find proper test tools at any reasonable price.
VCR stuff maybe not so much, but possibly for the ADAT crowd.

[dmeek]

Here's a late addition. I found this in a thrift store. It's for undoing canvas snaps on boats. also works great for pulling knobs.

Called a "Top-Snapper"
https://music-electronics-forum.com/...1&d=1583368231

[nevetslab]

Here's a late addition. I found this in a thrift store. It's for undoing canvas snaps on boats. also works great for pulling knobs.

Called a "Top-Snapper"
https://music-electronics-forum.com/...1&d=1583368231

Nice tool for getting those stubborn push-on knobs off! I don't have anything of that shape in my tool chests, and really hate having to pry them off with a select bladed screwdriver, pivoting off the edge of the front panel. Looks like this tool has a second 'blade' as seen behind the RED end of the handle.

[Enzo]

My friend was just thanking me for the pair of church keys I gave him for knob removal. I use the unpointed end to lever up the knob. But the key is to use two of them, one on either side. If I use one, it cocks teh knobs sideways so it can bind on the shaft. Two and the knob comes straight up.

[Helmholtz]

I love my StewMac (guitar) knob puller. Won't mar the lacquer. New ones have a clear tube, even better.

[nevetslab]

I love my StewMac (guitar) knob puller. Won't mar the lacquer. New ones have a clear tube, even better.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]57247[/ATTACH]

That's one I've never seen before. Clever design!

[Helmholtz]

It has a sticker saying "Schatten Design/Canada".

Just saw it got very expensive meanwhile: https://schatten-pickups.myshopify.c...le-puller-tool

[g1]

It has a sticker saying "Schatten Design/Canada".

Just saw it got very expensive meanwhile: https://schatten-pickups.myshopify.c...le-puller-tool

It's even $4 more ($68.95) at stew-mac. How much did it used to be?
It does mention an extra 'heavy duty block' for pulling bridge studs, etc. Does yours have that? (not saying it justifies the price jump)

[Helmholtz]

How much did it used to be?

I bought mine at least 20 years ago, don't remember how much it was then. I'm sure I wouldn't have payed that much (+shipping +20% import).
Mine also came with 2 blocks, one tapered for knobs and one non-tapered for pulling bushings. But open bottom stud bushings can be easily pulled (actually pushed out) by inserting something (e.g. wooden dowel) for bottoming against and using the original stud screws.

[nevetslab]

Dumore Drill Speeder for PCB hole drilling

Early in my prototyping days, after taping up a PCB layout 2X on the light table (Bishop Graphics donuts, tape, Rubylithe film, frosted mylar base, taped down onto large transparent grid sheet on 0.1" grid @ 2X), I sent it out to be shot/reduced to 1:1 on clear film. Our engineering dept (BGW Systems, Inc) would drop it off at a PCB fabrication house out in the valley (on the way home for our chief engineer), where they'd do a print-and-etch (single-sided boards), and would have it ready to be picked up the following morning. All that was needed next was to spend the time at the drill press with the Dumore Drill Speeder chucked into its' Jacob chuck, and, armed with the marked up blue line of the PCB showing all the hole sizes via the hole size chart (A=0.031", B=0.041", C=0.055", D = 0.063, etc), I'd drill out the component holes. Always well stocked with carbide PCB Drills, all having 1/8" shanks. So, a morning's effort yielded a fresh 1st article PCB now drilled and ready to stuff and move onto the initial power-up phase.

Obviously many more uses for these Dumore Model 17-011 Drill Speeder, but that's what I've always used it for.