Author Topic: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments  (Read 5794 times)

Danneaux

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Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« on: September 20, 2012, 01:57:18 am »
Hi All!

I spent part of this afternoon under my father's truck. At 95, he doesn't plan to drive it anymore, and would like to sell it. I have to first remove a dry-break hydraulic slave brake connector intended for hauling a trailer, and after being in place for 31 years, the fittings are a bit reluctant to come loose. My efforts to free the connection sent me to one of my lesser tool lockers to unearth some specialized tools I've collected over the years. I call them my "Uh-oh Tools"...seldom used, but worth their weight in gold to remove frozen fittings or those that are extremely difficult to reach.

I have used these a number of times when rehabilitating old bicycles or stripping dead components from frames so I could harvest the tubing for various brazing projects. I'm sure no one with a Thorn would ever neglect their bike, but fittings can still chemically weld themselves into place as a result of galvanic corrosion (dissimilar metals in contact, salted roads, rust), and then raise the difficulty when it comes time for removal.

Clockwise from the top, we have...

= Vise-Grip nut wrenches...just the thing for hex-nuts or bolt heads with rounded corners. They grip on what is left of any three sides and really do a nice job, especially on fuel and brake fittings that prove too tight for flare-nut wrenches. They work a treat on the sometimes ratty and munged axle nuts found on too-used Fixies.

= Locking adjustable wrench...before getting it, I spent hours trying to wrap my mind around how it works. It is like any other adjustable wrench except for the over-center lever on the side that pushes the worm drive screw even tighter, removing all play in the jaws. It also locks the wrench onto the fitting, which is immensely helpful if you need your other hand to work the opposite end of the fastener.

= Nut splitters. These are small, captive cold chisels that eventually do split a nut when it is irrevocably frozen onto a bolt or all corners are rounded off...and they do it without damaging the bolt threads. Just drop over the nut and turn the bolt at the bottom, driving the chisel straight through the nut's side. Brilliant!

= PB Blaster co-polymer penetrant. For years I avoided this stuff, thanks to the poor can labeling, but it really works far better than anything else I've used. This is especially true on gold-cadmium plated fasteners, which bloom with galvanic corrosion after they've been in place for several years (BMW, Honda use these almost exclusively). Cheap, tried and true, it is the tool I reach for first when I find a sticky fastener...and often all I need. See: http://www.blastercorporation.com/PB_Blaster.html For the full uh, "American Good Ol' Boy marketing campaign" and some blinding flash effects, see: http://www.pbblaster.com/ I can't believe I use this stuff, but it is better than the marketing campaign. Nothing -- nothing! -- works better for loosening a galled bottom bracket eccentric, and it is fantastic on seized quill stems and seatposts.

= Gearless, reversible roller-ratchets. These things work a bit like Shimano roller-brakes. Having no internal pawl-and-ratchet, they can be turned steplessly. They're short so there's not a lot of leverage, but that's good on small parts and allows them to fit in tight spaces. You slide the socket post through and flip them for reverse action.

= Flip-head, inverse-drive, extensible ratchet with spinner handle. This is my most-used Uh-oh Tool simply because it fits where nothing else will and has saved me endless trips into the tool chests to find the "right" tool. The socket post locks, the head flips and locks at any number of angles, the handle can be extended or shortened and locks in place, and the handle spins so it can be used to quickly run-up fasteners.

I've machined, bent, brazed, and welded any number of my own specialized tools as I needed them, but these are my fallback options for corroded/rounded/damaged fasteners.

If there's sufficient interest, I can show a few more of my specialized bicycle tools, like the brake-drop indicator and the automatic brake pad-toe-in tool, 'bar pad installer, Woods/Presta/Schrader valve taps and dies, bench-vise freewheel/cassette-building holders, instant cog size-finder, the tourist's guardrail freewheel remover wrench, and the best shop-grade bicycle multi-tool never marketed for that purpose by Vise-Grip.

What special tools do you keep on hand for Doomsday Bike Repair scenarios? I'd love to see what you have.

Best,

Dan.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2012, 03:41:05 am by Danneaux »

jags

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2012, 09:40:33 am »
i could never build up a good set of tools , why well i have a son that thinks it's all his and he takes them away to a mysterious place never to return, then there's my neighbour ;) my son obviously told them about this secret place  ::) 
I'm impressed Dan.

Man of Kent

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2012, 10:19:28 am »
Groovy :-)

Would like to see the 'toe in tool': i just fasten a thin zip tie around the rear of the pads and then align them as usual.  The zip tie gives the pad a 'rise' at the rear and so toes it in for you.

Andre Jute

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2012, 01:19:08 pm »
Fascinating! I'm definitely in seeing more, even if it is yolks since I last had a bike with some of the components you have tools for. Don't miss out "the best shop-grade bicycle multi-tool never marketed for that purpose by Vise-Grip". -- Andre Jute

julk

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2012, 04:53:24 pm »
For those hard to move items which are beyond normal tools…
• Stilson wrench, has jaws which tighten on, damages and leaves marks, but grips to destruction.
• 2 feet of steel pipe from an access tower, great for extra leverage.

I do prefer to use the proper tool for the job and I have a pretty full tool bag which probably is worth more than most of the bikes in the garage, except for my Thorn Rohloff steed.

Fred A-M

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2012, 05:13:05 pm »
I lost a whole collection of tools (fairly standard in comparison to above, but including Thorn specific items) for those Oh No moments in a pouch which I left in pouch on top of my lock-up never to be seen again, a double Oh No I guess - cost me around £200 to replace the lot, not a cheap business. 
 

expr

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2012, 08:45:23 pm »
Hmm this may be slightly off topic, but I seem to have a longstanding love for quality tools and tools which just seem to allow you to push the boundaries that others just don't reach. since being a boy I  have collected allsorts of tools which have just kept coming and coming. It has been a long standing hobby of mine to repair and take things apart both for myself and for others.

I have tools that were intended for deep surgery that are all beautifully made from surgical steel and polished to a mirror that have proved invaluable for lots of jobs that i have done in the past along with others that have never been out of the "oh no" draw or cupboard because their moment has not yet come....

I have allways appreciated quality in no uncertain terms and will allways pay for the very best I can afford, and cant begin to imagine the total value spent to date, but I can also say that some of the more basic and primitive tools have also played a large part in day to day jobs..

some of the tools I have are my farthers, and some his farthers and others look even older, of which i shall pass on to my son should he show the same willingness to appreciate all good things.

There have been many times also when i just haven't had the tools to do certain jobs , which is when you have to result back to making them. Anyway here is a quick preview of just some of my tools, there are lots more in draws and cupboards along with an extension to the back of the garage to accommodate even more....
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/168936262

Danneaux

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2012, 09:27:26 pm »
Quote
...here is a quick preview of just some of my tools...

Stop press.

Dave...you've got us all beat. This is...well, I'm at an uncharacteristic loss for words. Waitaminnit...some are starting to bubble to the surface...

Magnificent.
Lovely.
Stupendous.
Incredible.

Followed by a terribly important question: Please, can I come live in your garage?  ;D

All the best,

Dan. (Wow!)

Truly, this is a dream setup for all who dearly love tools and fixing things, and your care and outlook show in every detail. Dave, you made my day, week, and possibly month in sharing this, and have utterly killed my productivity while I return again and again "for just one more look"!

Wow!

expr

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #8 on: September 20, 2012, 09:46:10 pm »
Dan,

thanks so much for your kind words, and yes of course you stay.... I am allways excited when people get on to the subject of tools and workshops and mechanical things. i can also see from your postings that you seem to dwell within the realms of a workshop of your own, I think its fantastic to be able to be self sufficient in the repair / handyman department, I have allways tried to do the jobs around the house etc and if I don't know how to do it I will learn.. Ive done many jobs like plastering, plumbing, electrical wiring, woodwork, metalwork etc etc..

I have allways done what I can on the cars etc too, and these new fangled ones with ecu,s in had me stumped for a while but I've since bought a snap on scanner/ so I'm now able to dignose allot more, here in the UK the garages cost around £50 for a plug in just to read the ecu, the classic being the airbag light coming on etc... anyway yes i do want to see what other tools you have please, I'm allways interested to view what others have.. thanks again Dan appreciate your excitement... Dave.

Danneaux

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2012, 12:55:08 am »
Hi All!

Time for another installment; this time it is "locking multi-tools". Andre, this is what you were asking about...

The first is the Irwin Vise-Grip 5WR "Toolbox", which I referred to earlier as "the best shop-grade bicycle multi-tool never marketed for that purpose by Vise-Grip". I still think that appellation fits, given the locking pliers and included tools are fully up to Vise-Grips' usual standard of quality. There's the tool-steel involute locking pliers jaws, the hardened anvil-style wire cutter (which on my example will actually cut a bicycle brake or gear cable cleanly without splaying or fraying it), and the adjustable-pressure jaw-locking over a variety of stepless jaw openings.

What makes this tool different -- and for many years made it my choice for heavy take-along use -- is the mini-toolbox in the handle. As you can see in the photo attached below, the handle is comfortably wider...wide enough to accommodate three stainless-steel tools:
1) A locking, polished, and very sharp high quality semi-serrated sheep's-foot knife blade. Supplied by Schrade.
2) All-metal bit-driver that locks at 90° and 180° and includes a double-ended 1/4"/8mm #2 Phillips driver and a 1mm x 5mm slotted driver bit.
3) A nicely beveled and sharpened non-locking scraper and wire stripper that releases/unlocks the two locking tools when pressed. Also supplied by Schrade.

My example came with a locking plastic belt-clip bandoleer of 10 double-ended industrial bits, also in stainless.

For touring, I simply substituted 1/4"/8mm drive hex bits in the usual needed sizes -- 2.5, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm with a 1/4" driver bit and as many small sockets as needed to fit my hex-head nuts or bolts. The lot took up little room, and unlike many multi-tools intended for cycling, this one was really strong and reliable...and heavy.  The basic pliers weighed 215g/7.6oz. The locking feature really did the trick. A friend I was riding with lost a rack bolt. I had no spare bolts to fit his dropout but I had several ball-bearings, so I simply placed an appropriately-sized bearing between the rack and dropout to serve as a locator and pinched the lot shut with the Vise-Grip Toolbox. It held nicely the duration of the trip, and was removed only to open the crimped-on caps on Jarritos Mexican soda pop ( a favorite of mine, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarritos ).

American DIY chain Home Depot closed these out and I snagged one -- complete with belt bit bandoleer -- for the princely sum of USD$8.98 without realizing what a real gem it was. Had I known, I'd have bought several, as it is just so handy and durable. At the time, Irwin/Vise-Grip also produced the Toolbox in a pipe-jaw version, known as the 6LC. Directions for it and mine are otherwise identical and are available for viewing here: http://www.multi-tool.org/guides/Irwin_6LC_Toolbox_User_Manual.pdf

I've always been intrigued by clamping multi-tools, so I didn't have to think twice about buying when I saw the Sheffield version, pictured in the second photo below. The smooth-handed case is engine-turned stainless, and while the all-stainess tools are a bit crude and indistrial in execution and finish, the tool has always been reliable and everything continues to work well despite heavy use.  It comes in a heavy-duty nylon case and takes up surprisingly little room for its weight of 240g/8.5oz. it includes:
- Locking, semi-serrated blade with knurled brass thumb stud and liner-lock for one-handed opening and closing.
Non-locking tools including:
- Accurate, spring-opened scissors with double-cutting blades that do fine on paper, cardboard, tire boots and even light wire.
- Combination cap lifter/slotted screwdriver.
- Combination slotted screwdriver and combo file in coarse/fine mill/bastard patterns (file is not stainless).
- retreating plunge-cut can opener.
- #1 Phillips screwdriver.
- Engraved rule to 3in/70mm.
- Bypass (rather than anvil) hard-wire cutter.
- Involute-jaw pliers (clamping/locking option).
- Needle-nose pliers with fish-hook slot (clamping/locking option).
- One-hand jaw-clamp/lock release lever
- Stainless case-closure.

What makes this really nice for long-term use is the complete absence of rivets. The entire tool is held together with knurled-head bolts and sleeve nuts and can be fully disassembled or "tuned" to the user's desired friction. The clamping needle-nose pliers make it a truly useful tool for bike work, and it does something no other multi-tool can: Serve as a stand for fly-tying. I don't fish, but my sportsman neighbor went wild when he saw it can stand on its own by plunging the (locked open) knife blade into the end of a stump while the jaws hold a hook in their grooved needle-nosed ends. The combo file works great for sharpening hooks, too.

The Sheffield appears to be a copy of the Kershaw A100 shown here: http://www.multi-tool.org/kershawa100c

If you enjoy multi-tools as much as I do, then you really should take a look at the Multi-Tool Museum, here: http://www.multi-tool.org/

I'm afraid I've collected far too many bike-specific and general-purpose multi-tools over the years, and have given some away in the course of time. I'm pretty deep into Swiss Army knives as well, and wrote an earlier post about "Blades for Bikies: here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3968.0

Next installment soon. Work reared its ugly head today, but I should have more tool photos soon.

Best,

Dan.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2012, 01:33:18 am by Danneaux »

Andre Jute

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2012, 05:28:19 pm »
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Thank you so much, Dan. Your reward will be in another place. -- Andre

jags

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2012, 10:11:48 pm »
Dave that is some workshop unbelievable best collection of tools I've ever seen, but just one question do you use them and does that floor ever get dirty (sorry thats too questions).
fair play to you it really is a class act. ;).

Danneaux

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #12 on: September 21, 2012, 10:53:05 pm »
Quote
...that is some workshop unbelievable best collection of tools I've ever seen...

<nods> Agreed! Me too, jags.

But d'ya know what makes it most beautiful of all? Dave, the fellow who owns that collection, also truly understands and appreciates tools and how to use them.

Sadly, that has become rare.

So many people collect things...sometimes without the ability/gift to fully understand the objects or how to employ them. Here, we have a man who can and does both very ably. Regarding tools...I've always been handy with my hands and tools, and took great joy in fixing things myself. I always figured I could pay someone and have the job done once...and then be left helpless and dependent if the problem recurred. Or, I could purchase the needed tools and be independent for life. It was an easy choice (no choice); the tools always won, and with them came a means to actualize the accrued knowledge. To me...that's the purpose of tools. Not just to "fix" things, but to Become a little bit more than when I started. They're a means and avenue to accomplishment, independence, self-determination, satisfaction, and growth.

Tools...Empower! The are also a terrific value and save tremendous amounts of money over their lifetimes of use. Tools pay back their cost over and over again.

It is such a shame formal industrial-arts programs in the US are going (have already gone) by the board, and -- like the Arts -- are among the first educational programs to feel the pinch when budgets tighten. Fixing things is a tremendous boost to self-esteem and self-worth and often just what kids need to feel they own something in a shifting world. When I was growing up, there was an assumption you could work with your mind or your hands, but not both. Like many others, I had a talent for the mechanical arts, and would not have done as well in academia without that background. To me, education was about Taking Things Apart, just in a different way and with different tools. There were times I had to actively hide my past work on cars and in the machine shop to avoid "devaluing" my academic credentials; it made me boil. The Academy and those who taught in it largely misunderstood the similarities. Huh. No one on my dissertation committee ever realized my research was an applied extension of engine-management/feedback algorithms.

With tools...you can build a world. And then keep it running.

All the best,

Dan. (who really wishes he had a 3D printer and a fast resin-prototyper...)
« Last Edit: September 22, 2012, 12:12:02 am by Danneaux »

expr

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2012, 09:26:24 am »
Hi Jags and Dan,

Wow I don't know what to say, thank you so much I don't know where to begin in answering... The floor after many attempts of trying to achieve a perfect balance of durability and aesthetic look finally came from a company in salt lake city called snap lock, before that I had tried painting the floor with industrial single pack paint (solvent based) this then started to peel up in the areas around where the car would sit after coming in out of the rain, I then invested in some very expensive aluminium   checker plate sheets ( I couldn't afford stainless) and spent the next few days fitting around all the cupboards and floor area. It looked like everything I had ever wanted at first, but very quickly around the area of the car and doorway it started to look really bad, it was going white and fluffy and discolouring, it just looked terrible (to me anyway) and really didn't give the shine back that had cost so much to put it there in the first place.

So I decided to buy some special paint for it using a special acid etch primer to create the initial (grab) to the alloy and then go with a two pack (epoxy) paint, and so it was done the alloy checker plate looked all new and lovely again, until, yep you guessed it, it started to peel off near where the wheels has sat the night before....

I can't tell you how disappointed I was now feeling, I had to find something else to cover up this big mistake that was getting bigger... And along came what has sat there now for the past few years now and still looks really good. It comes in many colours and finishes, the one I picked is called free flow and is the same as used by the Ferrari team in the pitstop garage on f1. You can do a quick search on goggle under snap lock flooring salt lake city.

 I have now been using it for some time and it has proved to be one of the most beneficial single purchases I have made and it finishes it off just so. I still speak to the lady over in salt lake city each year just for a quick catch up and to tell her how impressed with it I still am.

TOOLS wow I just can't get enough of them and there are so many I keep telling my wife I NEED, and as you asked Julian I think I would be fibbing if I said I used them all, but, in my defence as an avid oily type person I do use a great majority of them over time. I have found a lot of the medical type tools invaluable in some instances I remember a couple of years ago having to perform keyhole surgery through the back of a rear seat in a car we had to reattach the linkage that disengages the folding seat mechanism, this took around a half hour of delicate mirror holding and alligator forceps articulation to reunite with its corresponding attachment point...

I've had many instances of similar exploration all of which present new and exciting challenges, all of which combine frustration with elation whilst wondering what tool tool to buy next....

Dan you have some great tools, and have to say I've always looked at nut splitters and have never yet had the pleasure of owning one, and the vise grip tools look fantastic , I have seem Irwin vice grips and some Irwin round nut removers, a great tool maker also if I might say... I notice you have the Swiss army knife bug also Dan, if you notice on one of my photos it shows a cupboard with Victorinox  goodies in which is now a little more fuller than the photo date. I have had a few conversations with (Robert elsenor) in Switzerland he is one of the generations passed down from the original founders of Swiss army knife although, the story is a little split between wenger and Victorinox, as using the term " the original Swiss army knife" as both company's were assigned to developing a knife for the military...... Perhaps one for goggle as this will explain in better detail than I can...

Anyway I had Robert update my Swiss champ xlt as the newer ones had the hex bit holder made from an alloy instead of surgical stainless, and I had the older magnifying glass fitted which has a true glass instead of the newer plastic ones...

I also have many other knives in my collection starting back in the 80s when I was a kid right up till now, I very much like buck knives and Chris reeve knives from over in America.

Dan you mention that behind all these tools is a person whom knows how to use them, and I've never been very good at gloating, it was always looked down upon by my father whom told me never ever show off and never say your better than anyone else which has turned out to be sound advise, but when people offer such welcoming comments as you and Julian have I am going to say what I think appropriate.. Which is I have always tried to do my best in what ever I do and I have found that that is reward enough to convince me that I have done a good job, I think that I'm in the right place to blow my whistle a little and give myself a pat on the back for what I've achieved, there are some jobs that I have done that do deserve just that and I think expressed in the right way are so good you can only but show others... So thank you for your input it's very much appreciated and welcomed.

Dan you mention also about either doing the job yourself or paying someone to do it and struggling around fixing it after, and how true those words are, and they are the very basis of my principles, as long as I feel capable of performing such a task and have the want to learn then off we go... I can't agree with you more.

Even to the point where people have said to me "why do you take things apart when there not broken" and my answer is ... Well how do I know how to fix it if I didn't see it working... And this has turned out to be very self taught advice.. I like to see things in there working form I order for me to understand what has gone wrong when and if it fails, although I must admit those darned springs that jump out at you sometimes cause a problem it's like doing a 3d jigsaw... But yes Dan you are right build it yourself and build it right there are not many people out there whom would have the same enthusiasm about "your" house as you would and with today's throw together world people just want the money and not the pride.

Very interesting reading about your thoughts Dan, and I have to say this forum has been a different place with the wealth of knowledge that you share with everyone everyday congratulations to you.. It's a better place for it, your encouragement is second to none well done......Jags thanks to you also you are allways a positive encouragement and great person to seek advice from, thanks to you both.

Dave
« Last Edit: September 22, 2012, 09:48:39 am by expr »

Danneaux

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Re: Tools for those "Oh...no!" moments
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2012, 09:10:56 pm »
Quote
I have found a lot of the medical type tools invaluable...

Peas in a pod, Dave!  This installment of "Tool Time" is devoted to the bike-surgeon's tools.

Like you, I've found medical tools to be extremely useful for my repairs, and that is just as true for bicycle work. I've seen too much of hospitals from both sides, and managed to pick up a few tools along the way. I got a new suture kit every month for the 3.5 years I was a hospital outpatient, and I also managed to snag a few implements from our suture seminars when I taught nursing management and wrote an entire curriculum on the topic and did rounds supervision. These tools have surely come in handy over the years.

First up is a pair of stethoscopes from my automotive days...these are tuned to two different frequencies and are just the ticket for isolating those mysterous creaks, snaps, and pops that arise on all our bicycles from time to time. They're useful for checking bearing condition before a tear-down, and are a nice way to while away time listening to the engaged and freewheeling gearsets in a Rohloff hub. Though I don't use them often, these are among my most valuable tools for problem diagnosis on, well, nearly anything from refrigeration units and heat pumps to alternators and of course, bicycles. They are binaural/stereo and beat the pants off placing the handle of a scredriver against your temporomandibular joints and listening through bone-conduction alone. Yes, that works well, but the sounds are more nuanced with these stethoscopes and so more easily identified, saving lots of time. The greater standoff is not only more convenient, it is safer as well, keeping one's head and vulnerable bits a little farther from spinning things.

Next are the Pakistani dental tools. A sell-off from a Customs seizure, these are ideal for ever-so-carefully removing the shields from "sealed" cartridge bearings, and far more effective than the tip of an Xacto or other craft knife for the purpose. Much safer on the shields, too, which are commonly backed by molded-in, thin brass sheets that can distort and compromise the seal if one gets it wrong. "Sealed" bearings last a whole lot longer if they are periodically removed, cleaned in solvent, and regreased. These picks make a quick job of it.

You'll also see a variety of locking and free forceps and scissors of various sorts and conductive and non-conductive (glass-filled nylon) tweezers that are handy for fishing small parts in and out of their usual recesses. The glass-filled tweezers are ideal for placing and removing ball bearings and have a bit more "tooth" to prevent loss or dropping the balls.

One of my most-loved tools is the offset, box-joint, trapezoidal long-reach foreceps. These things can reach far into the smallest of cavities, while the upper, offset frame actuates the toothed jaws. These have pulled me out of more scrapes than I can recall, and are such a nice adjunct to my usual variety of magnetic and fingered parts-grabbers. These see consistent use on bicycles when I need to reach far into a steerer or fish light wires through some recess. The "feel" is magnificent, and you can apply exactly the needed amount of pressure and the finger-holds make them captive to your hand, so you can "store" it on a pinky if it is inconvenient to lay it on the floor or workbench. They are capable of the most delicate touch yet are extremly robust and strong. 10 of 5 stars on this one; it has stolen my heart.

Next up, we have the "Paper Tools". Paper tools?!?  In the pre-Internet/WWW days, things were shared on paper, often of necessity, These tools were intended as an aid to sellers rather than buyers. Let me explain. The larger tool is a cog-sizer and the smaller, L-shaped tool is a brake-reach indicator, intended to determine the drop needed for a centerpull or sidepull brake to properly engage a rim sidewall. These both date from 1976, and are yellow from the epoxy I used to bond them to sheet aluminum to make them more durable and long-lasting than the paper copies alone. I had no idea they'd still be going strong 36 years later!

The cog sizer is a cut-out from an old Bike Nashbar catalog. Arni Nashbar founded the mail-order firm in Ohio, and soon built it into the nation's largest by-mail discount retailer. Nashbar's catalogs were always a thing of beauty, with little hand-drawn line art and nary a photo in sight. An upstart firm by the name of Performance Bikes started in the Snook Family basement in North Carolina and gave Nashbar a run for its money with its slick, glossily-photographed catalogs. In later years, large holding companies acquired both, them merged. Nashbar is now the closeout and discount arm of Performance, both owned by a much larger operation. The brake-reach indicator came from a Bikecology catalog of the same era; Bikecology was a glossy and prettily-photographed effort in bicycle mail-order cataloging, operated by Alan Goldsmith out of Santa Monica (greater Los Angeles), California. Alan also operated a chain of large shops in the area, and his imported brands included Jack Taylor singles and tandems, Mercian, and AlAn screwed-and-glued aluminum frames (AlAn stood for Aluminum, Andodized and the tubes were cut off square, threaded, then screwed to threaded lugs and secured using a variety of LocTite anerobic adhesive. Alan Goldsmith's operation was large enough to include several captive house brands, including the Niko line of bikes...the same as Centurion, but with the Niko name silkscreened atop the clear coat instead of Centurion. These were really colorful and visionary characters in the industry -- pioneers is what they did -- and responsible for a number of mail-order innovations.

In their early days, all these mail-order companies soon ran afoul of the various standards in the bicycle industry -- SAE, metric, Whitworth, French, and Italian threading, various stem clamp and quill diameters, and on and on. Often, customers owned no measuring tools or were mistaken about their needs when placing orders, so restocking and returns-related costs soon mounted. In an effort to reduce and address the problem, catalogs came printed with various sizing guides. Buyers would cut them out, hold them up, get the right part the first time, and everyone was happy. These two tools date from that era, roughly 1976-1979.

The two hook-like tools you see in the second photo are both used to aid removal of misplaced or undesired star-fangled nuts in threadless steerers. Some time ago, I detailed a procedure for removing SFNs here: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=3800.0 ...and these tools aid the process further, easly tipping the upper star once the rivet has been drilled and the connection with the threaded stud and lower star has been breached. The larger tool was originally intended to release the adjustment springs on automotive headlights, but I modified it by heating and bending it, changed the shape of the hook, retempered and reblued it, then added some thick-walled silicone tubing on the handles for comfort. The smaller one is a repurposed screwdriver that was heated, bent, milled, retempered, and then had a new handle attached after it was coated in toluene-based tool-handle dip. Both work a treat.

More tool oddities in the next installment. Right now, it is a lovely Fall day and I need to put the yard to rights before the winter rains arrive. A lot of our summer growth was delayed until now, and I have tree suckers to cut, bushes to prune, a yard to edge and mow, and a myriad of loose ends to tie-up. The Nomad is calling, and I may be able to squeeze in a hard, fast ride on it if I hurry. The Nomad is the subject of several smaller projects and on the cusp of a Big Project I will soon be able to reveal and solicit your thoughts and opinions on, so keep an eye on the gallery and bike-electronics boards. Fun stuff is in the works!

Best,

Dan.