Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

[GeneralBanter]

I recognise these immaculate garages as being places that took the work out of workshop, they’re shops. Does any fettling happen in them?
Fettling being the threshold for real use, tinkering of course being sub fettling and worthy only of cursory respect.

Is it meds time yet?

[Big Stevie]

J6542 said:

I been using different fastbacks for a few years, they are great knives. I think ITS have the one you are after in stock.

Thank you, they do indeed, order placed

[leglessAlex]

GeneralBanter said:

Fettling being the threshold for real use, tinkering of course being sub fettling and worthy only of cursory respect.

Most race workshops are pretty organised when not in ‘oh crap fix the car now’ mode.

It’s easier to find stuff if your garage is well lit and tidy, and that goes for both tools and dropped things.

I find the idea of a dirty, dark and dingy workshop to be pretty outdated tbh.

[TriumphStag3.0V8]

leglessAlex said:

GeneralBanter said:

Fettling being the threshold for real use, tinkering of course being sub fettling and worthy only of cursory respect.

Most race workshops are pretty organised when not in ‘oh crap fix the car now’ mode.

It’s easier to find stuff if your garage is well lit and tidy, and that goes for both tools and dropped things.

I find the idea of a dirty, dark and dingy workshop to be pretty outdated tbh.

Indeed. Much fettling happens in mine. Often with lots of swearing at the thing resisting a fettling.

Often the fettling extends to mending, or even restoration, sometimes it is mere titivation, but fundamentally, I put the work in workshop.

[jimmyjimjim]

Mars said:

Thank you - £13.68 all-in for 4x sealed bearings.


Oh, and I've ordered a couple of sheets of aluminium to create shields around the grinder and polisher.

When they turn up, put them in a zip lock bag in the freezer.

[Voldemort]

jimmyjimjim said:

Mars said:

Thank you - £13.68 all-in for 4x sealed bearings.


Oh, and I've ordered a couple of sheets of aluminium to create shields around the grinder and polisher.

When they turn up, put them in a zip lock bag in the freezer. the pillar drill

Surely.

[GeneralBanter]

What is the threshold for tinkering becoming fettling Is it taking the shine off a Wera Socket/Hammer combo that’s kept in its zipped bag with logo or is it using an old socket as a drift and smashing a black-with-grease hand only to avoid A&E on the basis the job needs finishing first?

Is there a grade above fettling?

These things are important

[Voldemort]

GeneralBanter said:

Is there a grade above fettling?

Adjusting

[TimmyMallett]

tin·ker
[?t??k?]
VERB
tinkering (present participle)
attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way
"he spent hours tinkering with the car"


fet·tle
[?f?t(?)l]
VERB
fettling (present participle)
trim or clean the rough edges of (a metal casting or a piece of pottery) before firing.


ad·just
[??d??st]
VERB
adjusting (present participle)
alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result:
"he smoothed his hair and adjusted his tie" · "a single control adjusts the water flow"


fi.ddle
[??d??st]
VERB
fiddling (present participle)
pissing about with something that doesn't need to be messed with, or it will make it worse:
"I wish he'd stop fiddling with that ballcock, he'll only make it worse"

Edited by TimmyMallett on Wednesday 22 March 09:00

[beambeam1]

I feel left out here. Is there nothing for bodge, no?

[Bill]

TimmyMallett said:

tin·ker
[?t??k?]
VERB
tinkering (present participle)
attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way
"he spent hours tinkering with the car"


fet·tle
[?f?t(?)l]
VERB
fettling (present participle)
trim or clean the rough edges of (a metal casting or a piece of pottery) before firing.


ad·just
[??d??st]
VERB
adjusting (present participle)
alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result:
"he smoothed his hair and adjusted his tie" · "a single control adjusts the water flow"


fi.ddle
[??d??st]
VERB
fiddling (present participle)
pissing about with something that doesn't need to be messed with, or it will make it worse:
"I wish he'd stop fiddling with that ballcock, he'll only make it worse"

Edited by TimmyMallett on Wednesday 22 March 09:00

Username checks out!!!

All the tools you need for the above:

[EddyP]

GeneralBanter said:

I recognise these immaculate garages as being places that took the work out of workshop, they’re shops. Does any fettling happen in them?
Fettling being the threshold for real use, tinkering of course being sub fettling and worthy only of cursory respect.

Is it meds time yet?

Not all workshops are immaculate. A LOT of fettling happens in here:

Edited by EddyP on Wednesday 22 March 09:52

Edited by EddyP on Wednesday 22 March 09:53

[TimmyMallett]

I also suspect a disproportionate amount of pissing about happens in there as well Edwardo.

[McGee_22]

The correct Bilstein spanner for my shock absorber gland nuts...

[jimmyjimjim]

Voldemort said:

jimmyjimjim said:

Mars said:

Thank you - £13.68 all-in for 4x sealed bearings.


Oh, and I've ordered a couple of sheets of aluminium to create shields around the grinder and polisher.

When they turn up, put them in a zip lock bag in the freezer. the pillar drill

Surely.

Eventually.

[GeneralBanter]

In my book:

(a) Tinkering = minor adjustments only with little more than a screwdriver
(b) Fettling = adjustments needing minimal but varied tools and with no parts removed or fitted
(c) Bodging = the culmination of (a) and (b) which uses random inappropriate tools and parts.

Then we have

(d) Fine tuning = the art of very small adjustments usually to something not actually already adjusted at all. (c) follows.
(e) Fitting = generally replacing a part and trying to get it to look or behave the same as what was removed. Follows on with (c) and (d)
(f) Testing = to diagnose a problem or to validate work completed. Either way it leads to a sea of (a) to (e)'s in an apocalpyptic circle.

[Sebastian Tombs]

After spending a few days dismantling and cleaning out the carb and trying to persuade this old Stihl 024 to actually run, entirely without success, I nipped to Lidl and bought their little battery powered chainsaw.

My goodness it’s a revelation! It’s light, easy to use, quiet, and one charge of a 4ah battery is sufficient to turn a mature tree into firewood.

[Sford]

Sebastian Tombs said:

After spending a few days dismantling and cleaning out the carb and trying to persuade this old Stihl 024 to actually run, entirely without success, I nipped to Lidl and bought their little battery powered chainsaw.

My goodness it’s a revelation! It’s light, easy to use, quiet, and one charge of a 4ah battery is sufficient to turn a mature tree into firewood.

I have a similar Aldi battery powered one and was surprised at how much more accessible it was to use. The lack of the buzzing engine made it all the 'safer' to use. Had to remind myself that I was using a chainsaw. I did use it to cut some oak (went through two chains) and it wasn't that happy afterwards. For light use they are fine but heavier use I should have used my Stihl. Aldi replaced it under their warranty though. I now have all the spare parts from the burnt out one.

[Riff Raff]

Bakhodo said:

Apologies if this is a repeat topic but we are at page five hundred and something now!

I have plenty of metric sockets, still happily use my dad's old Hilka ratchet from the 1970s, but really need some decent imperial sockets. Is the Draper 16498 rail-set a good bet at circa £30 (eBay) or can I do better for less?

I can't find many options for just imperial sockets to be honest...

You don't say whether you want 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2.

I have Teng in 1/4 and 3/8, and Wera and ISS in 1/2. The highest quality in all of these are the Wera, but in all honesty I don't use the 1/2 inch sockets a huge amount as most of what I do is tinkering around with old British motorbikes where 3/8 are normally the weapon of choice. The Teng are decent quality for the money.

All of these makes can be bought loose - Google is your friend here - but there is a Teng 1/4 and 3/8 socket only set here:

https://www.primetools.co.uk/product/teng-ttaf32-1...

The sockets come in a tray which fits inside the drawers of a tool chest.

I've got a few Draper sockets kicking about, but they tend to be reserved for 'butchery' tasks, like for example hammering on to well knackered nuts.

[Big Stevie]

My petrol chainsaw is too noisy for the garden, and my quieter corded electric chainsaw is awaiting a simple repair so as I already have a few Makita batteries I saw this is a sign to please the Makita Gods by purchasing this Makita DUC405 36V 16" chainsaw which is lovely to use.

I have a big laurel hedge that needs lowering every few years and the cord on my Lidl chainsaw gets in the way, this cordless beast makes life easier. Useful for throwing in the car when needed and I've managed to work out the Oregon part number as they supply the Makita branded chains.

It works well with a pair of 5amp batteries, wish I'd got one sooner..

Edited by Big Stevie on Wednesday 22 March 16:26