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Home-made Tools and those you've adapted or modified. And also "tips and tricks".


Bfg

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2 hours ago, yorkshire_spam said:

These little b*ggers are strong! I've even sealed them in the end of plastic tubes before now to go fishing down inside timing covers and places like that for lost washers.

 

They are great little things those rare earth magnets, i have used them in sockets as well Sam.

Tony.

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Hi

“Fishing”?. One time we “lost” a big nut, 2”Whit?. Into the bowels of a large Marine Engine. We could see it, but not reach it. Access meant removing large amounts of ancillary equipment and inspection covers. Ship`s Electrician, came up with the idea, Large Electric magnet on a length of rope wired to the ships Mains!. We care fully lowered it. Sat it on said Nut. And switched on. Then using rubber gloves as a further precaution we lifted offending item.👍

 

Pete

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18 hours ago, yorkshire_spam said:

On the subject of magnets... I have a pack of roughly 8mm diameter circular rare earth magnets in the garage (stuck to the side to the tool box)...

Very handy for taping to a "stick" to retrieve dropped nuts/bolts/washers... BUT also they fit really nicely inside my 3/8" drive sockets - when working in tight spaces I can put the magnet and bolt into the socket, use the socket/extension to manouver the bolt into place and get it started without it dropping out and falling on the floor 1000s of times. (I'm thinking things like re-ftting the master cylinder brackets and stuff like that!)

 

A bit of insulation tape across the end of a socket or spanner then press the nut or bolt into it is very handy for getting the tricky sods into place. Some times a bit easier than a magnet as magnets can occasionally get attracted to the wrong piece.

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31 minutes ago, PeteH said:

Hi

“Fishing”?. One time we “lost” a big nut, 2”Whit?. Into the bowels of a large Marine Engine. We could see it, but not reach it. Access meant removing large amounts of ancillary equipment and inspection covers. Ship`s Electrician, came up with the idea, Large Electric magnet on a length of rope wired to the ships Mains!. We care fully lowered it. Sat it on said Nut. And switched on. Then using rubber gloves as a further precaution we lifted offending item.👍

 

Pete

I lost a socket on my Peugeot 405, couldnt find it anywhere. It turned up in the diff after a trip home on a trailer. But thats another story for a different forum.

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Keping nuts in the socket.    Don't you need a range of magnet sizes, just like nuts & sockets.    I find it's the tiniest that are the most difficult.

My solution is to pack the socket with paper roll, so that the nut slightly projects, and then tape it in place.    Once engaged on the thread, pullthe socket off, strip away the tape, and complete tightening the nut.    Works for any size!

 

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2 hours ago, ahebron said:

I lost a socket on my Peugeot 405, couldnt find it anywhere. It turned up in the diff after a trip home on a trailer. But thats another story for a different forum.

Peugeot 405's ( and others) are famous for spitting their diffs out through the side of the box :(  Worn diff bearings...

Tony.

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This was the socket getting picked up by the ring gear and driven into the diff pushing the spider gear shaft out the side of the housing, it made an awful mess but I got it the gearbox welded back up and back in the car.

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7 hours ago, Bfg said:

^ a bit of  Blu-Tack  is surely easier ?

..used to use Plasticine, but that wonderful stuff doesn't seem to be readily available in my local town of Ipswich.   Reminder to self : order some off e-bay as it's right useful to have in the garage and on the boat. 

Recently I needed to create a dam around a cylinder sleeve, and had to use Blu-tack because I had no Plasticine. :(

P1330760s.jpg.cfb08ac3f34bf8cd670ae55b685dc77f.jpg

Blu-tack is not so easy to work ..but it did the job.

Pete.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Plasticine, playdough is good for measuring clearances on say bonnet to rocker. Put a small thin verticle dob on the rocker and a small smear of oil on the top (stops bonnet from sticking). Carefully close bonnet and it will squish the plasticine. Raise bonnet and measure thickness of plasticine...hey presto you have your clearance! Make sure the plasticine is soft and only use a small piece or you can dent your bonnet! 

Iain 

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Plasticine, playdough is good for measuring clearances on say bonnet to rocker. Put a small thin verticle dob on the rocker and a small smear of oil on the top (stops bonnet from sticking). Carefully close bonnet and it will squish the plasticine. Raise bonnet and measure thickness of plasticine...hey presto you have your clearance! Make sure the plasticine is soft and only use a small piece or you can dent your bonnet! 

Iain 

IMG_20200526_145443.jpg

IMG_20200526_145450.jpg

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We used to use the plasticine trick on prototype press tools. We used kirksite which is a zinc/aluminium alloy for proto body panel tools (quicker to cast as much lower melting point) and never had enough time to finish the tools so plasticine and some brave guy climbs in the tool with a die grinder! Yes we always used big stays just in case the mechanical press overcranked or a hydraulic press creeped down....you only make one mistake! 

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On 12/04/2020 at 19:51, ahebron said:

What is odd is I am resizing then directly attaching them.

Lets try again.

Small Chassis (Medium).JPG

Big Triumphs (Medium).JPG

Steve Weblin has kindly posted om YouTube the Six Cylinder engine one I sent him. If this gets you excited then..........

 

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John, the plasticine was only to check clearances. We did 'plastic coat' some tools using a rough cast kirksite base for strength. Ciba Geigy 219 with 'flexidiser' was the preferred coating as it was durable and crack resistant. Speed is of the essence with automotive prototypes and we managed to get down to just under 6 months to tool up a complete car Body in White from a phased cad data release. The Japanese were down to 3 months, industrious little buggers, but they have almost limitless manufacturing capacity. 

I do sort of miss the wide eyed panic and time penalty scares, it made everyone pull together and help to a common mission, a bit like Covid. 

Iain 

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Yep there ferile if they pick you out for inspection you will have to employ an asbestos removal expert who will likely dismantle the car to check everything for asbestos, he won’t put it back together that’s another expense then the import duties and GST will be based on the purchase price shipping and all remedial costs.

these casts can well exceed the cost of purchase it’s all out of control

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46 minutes ago, Peter Truman said:

Yep there ferile if they pick you out for inspection you will have to employ an asbestos removal expert who will likely dismantle the car to check everything for asbestos, he won’t put it back together that’s another expense then the import duties and GST will be based on the purchase price shipping and all remedial costs.

these casts can well exceed the cost of purchase it’s all out of control

https://ferraris-online.com/australia-asbestos-and-the-international-maserati-gathering/

 

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5 hours ago, ahebron said:

Steve Weblin has kindly posted om YouTube the Six Cylinder engine one I sent him. If this gets you excited then..........

It's a real disappointment to me, I always thought it was an actual film with clipped British Pathe News tones throughout.

"Sit up straight at the back, there!"

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