unexpected uses for tools (and techniques) Share Yours!

[whitrzac]

1.5mm Piercing needle
2mm Small hammer
2.5mm Slightly bigger hammer

[soze]

Just thought of something since I used it yesterday.

I use a swiffer to dust off the truck after a run if it's just dry dirt/debris on the chassis/axles.

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Originally Posted by soze

Just thought of something since I used it yesterday.

I use a swiffer to dust off the truck after a run if it's just dry dirt/debris on the chassis/axles.

Good call, I also keep a clean (unused) 3"-4" paintbrush on my bench for dusting rigs and sweeping the bench.

[HumboldtEF]

Old toothbrushes are useful too for dirt that needs to be scrubbed off, I have one dedicated to cleaning the grease out of trannies and diffs.

[HumboldtEF]

This is more of an Internet tool but I find myself using this converter a ton for converting metric to imperial and just visualizing measurements. It has an on screen ruler which can be scaled if you need but I find all I need is to see the ruler without worrying about scaling it.

https://www.ginifab.com/feeds/cm_to_inch/

[whitrzac]

I use tower's calc
https://www.towerhobbies.com/help/convcalcs.html

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

This is more of an Internet tool but I find myself using this converter a ton for converting metric to imperial and just visualizing measurements. It has an on screen ruler which can be scaled if you need but I find all I need is to see the ruler without worrying about scaling it.

https://www.ginifab.com/feeds/cm_to_inch/

You don't even need to do that. Google is a very powerful converter. In on Google.com or even in the address bar on Google Chrome you can just type "2 in to mm" and it'll convert inches to millimeters for you. That works with almost any unit conversion I've ever tried.

If I'm doing more conversions I use this awesome, freeware app called Convert for Windows.

https://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/

[dr frankenstyle]

I guess I AM old skool, I still use these.



But they WORK.

[HumboldtEF]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

You don't even need to do that. Google is a very powerful converter. In on Google.com or even in the address bar on Google Chrome you can just type "2 in to mm" and it'll convert inches to millimeters for you. That works with almost any unit conversion I've ever tried.

If I'm doing more conversions I use this awesome, freeware app called Convert for Windows.

https://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/

I've used google many times but once I used this tool its all I wanted to use as its so versatile and granular. Googles top results are just too basic for my needs.

That app looks pretty useful

Originally Posted by dr frankenstyle

I guess I AM old skool, I still use these.

You misunderstood, I still use the heck out of rulers, tape measures and calipers on a daily basis. I do need to pick up a longer ruler though.

I use this simply as a reference tool.

I grew up on imperial and can understand smaller metric measurements but with larger measurements I need to reference the imperial equivalent to fully understand it.

Say for example a new crawler is coming out in a 457mm wheelbase, well for me I struggle to understand that number so I plug that value in to find the imperial equivalent, its just a hair under 18" (17.99") and I can now visualize it.

I also design 3D parts in metric so I often need to find a number off of an imperial caliper reading or a number that is unspecified like just a touch under 3/16" (4.8mm), I could guess and get close using my ruler but nailing metric decimal points is tough.

So this is much more of a visual aid and reference tool not for actually measuring things.

[dr frankenstyle]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

You misunderstood, I still use the heck out of rulers, tape measures and calipers on a daily basis. I do need to pick up a longer ruler though.

I use this simply as a reference tool.

I grew up on imperial and can understand smaller metric measurements but with larger measurements I need to reference the imperial equivalent to fully understand it.

Say for example a new crawler is coming out in a 457mm wheelbase, well for me I struggle to understand that number so I plug that value in to find the imperial equivalent, its just a hair under 18" (17.99") and I can now visualize it.

I also design 3D parts in metric so I often need to find a number off of an imperial caliper reading or a number that is unspecified like just a touch under 3/16" (4.8mm), I could guess and get close using my ruler but nailing metric decimal points is tough.

So this is much more of a visual aid and reference tool not for actually measuring things.

I was just being an ornery old fart. I switch my digi-caliper back and forth for small conversions. But most things over an inch or so, I can use the rulers easier than an app to get a better visual. My highest tech tools are a bench-top drill-press and jeweler's files. Most of my fab' work doesn't need that tight of tolerances either. I still use a flip-phone so I'm not used to all of the available technology.


jim

[nightcrawler48]

Originally Posted by AnimalHippie

Big socket placed under the rim to mount beadlocks.

Not a tool but I use ABS plumbing pipe to mount beadlocks. 2" ABS pipe (about 2-5/16" OD) for 2.2s and 1-1/2" ABS Pipe (about 1-7/8" OD) for 1.9s. A 1-1/2" to 2" long piece works okay for me. I like the plastic rather than metal as there is less chance of scratching the aluminum/anodizing/paint.

Also use a bunch of different sizes of ABS pipe as a sanding block when radius sanding something like lexan or aluminum.

[HumboldtEF]

Also not a tool but for Hardbodies save the spru's and extra body scraps to use as patch material. For body mount holes (or any hole) either widdle down the spru to size or drill out the hole you're patching to size.





An idea I heard from Natedog was to soak some body scrap and shavings in acetone or MEK to make a slurry of plastic, smear it on as a body filler.



Sorry no before pic. There was a gap around this sunroof, the filler material is darker



I like this because you're actually fusing material when using this method and in theory it should be stronger than any glue.

[Stollenritter]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

Also not a tool but for Hardbodies save the spru's and extra body scraps to use as patch material. For body mount holes (or any hole) either widdle down the spru to size or drill out the hole you're patching to size.





An idea I heard from Natedog was to soak some body scrap and shavings in acetone or MEK to make a slurry of plastic, smear it on as a body filler.



Sorry no before pic. There was a gap around this sunroof, the filler material is darker



I like this because you're actually fusing material when using this method and in theory it should be stronger than any glue.

In this case, is this "beetlejuice" ??
Sorry couldn`t resist

[Jim85IROC]

Lots of good ideas here. I've improvised a million different things to get a job done, but off the top of my head, I can only think of a couple.

First, somebody mentioned a lighter to strip small wires. I don't like using a lighter because it's somewhat imprecise, and generally if I'm stripping a small wire, I only want a small amount of the jacket stripped off. I use the same tool that I use to strip EVERY gauge of wire: My pocket knife. I've generally found most wire strippers to be completely useless, so I almost always use my pocket knife or a razor to strip wires from 0-gauge power wire all the way down to 30AWG signal wire. I set the wire on the blade, then roll the wire with my thumb.

Another thing that I've recently done after getting frustrated with trying to cut tape/masking inside of a car body was to go get a $4 aluminum-handled X-Acto knife at Wal Mart and cut about 3" off the handle. Now I have a nice little stubby knife that is easy to maneuver in tight spots inside of a car body.

Although I've finally bought a couple of the RC car stands from Crawler Innovations, previously I just used 4x4 wood blocks to keep my RCs elevated.

For my shock holder, I had a piece of scrap cutting board around that I just drilled 4 holes in. I clamp it to the edge of my work bench when I need it.

Another tip is to grab a sheet of 1/8" Kydex from Ebay and keep it nearby. Any time you need to fabricate any sort of mount or bracket, this stuff is amazing. It's very strong, and can be heated & bent into position. I've made bumpers, bumper mounts, and all kinds of mounting brackets with it. I even had to repair the HID headlight assembly on my wife's buick with it. One of the light mounts broke off when she hit a deer, and I wasn't going to pay $1200 for a new headlight assembly. I cut a strip of the Kydex, heated it up, twisted it 90 degrees, drilled a hole in one end where it mounts to the radiator support, and attached the other end to the side of the light with a couple screws and a lot of plastic epoxy. You can never have enough of this stuff around!

[1tonscout]

Here's more drill press hacks. Most people never think about using a drill press as a press even though thats what its called. I've used the drill press to install/remove bearings. you can also use it as sheet metal break for small brackets by inserting a chisel into the chuck and pressing into a v block. I've also seen them used as an arbor press for broaching a small keyway.

[nightcrawler48]

Originally Posted by Jim85IROC

Although I've finally bought a couple of the RC car stands from Crawler Innovations, previously I just used 4x4 wood blocks to keep my RCs elevated.

I was using 2 x 4s for a while to keep my RCs elevated. I too bought a commercially produced car stand but still thought about the 2 x 4 stands and how to improve on the ones I made. Biggest problem was keeping the RC from sliding off. Finally figured out a solution. Take some of the perforated rubber shelf liner (pretty inexpensive at Walmart) and glue/staple/tape it to the surface of the 2 x 4 the RC skid plate sits on and no more sliding off!

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by 1tonscout

Here's more drill press hacks. Most people never think about using a drill press as a press even though thats what its called. I've used the drill press to install/remove bearings. you can also use it as sheet metal break for small brackets by inserting a chisel into the chuck and pressing into a v block. I've also seen them used as an arbor press for broaching a small keyway.

Great tips for the drill press. It's funny that the word "press" is in "drill press", but I never thought about using like that. I was thinking about get a small arbor press for small projects, so my drill press should work great for small items.

Thanks for sharing!

[goobs]

i bought some small plastic syringes like dentist use. fill them with grease and use it to grease diffs, etc.

[high plains drifter]

I've used this thing a lot over the years and it works really well to clean bearings and other very small parts... Basically a prescription pill bottle with a hole drilled into the center of the cap and a bunch of smaller holes drilled throughout the bottom. Insert the spray tube from your favorite cleaner... WD40, brake-cleaner, PB Blaster, etc... and blast away! I just make sure to use a heavy rag to catch what comes out the other side. A film canister or something else similar would also work but I like to be able to see the parts while I'm cleaning them. Also the hole in the cap should accommodate the spray tube as tightly as possible to minimize any back-spray.




I've dedicated hex-drivers and nut drivers to certain wheel hardware tool attachments like sockets and scale hub installation tools. It make one less part to drop on the floor or search for in the tool box. I've only done this with hex/ nut drivers that I no longer use or ones that I have multiples of but essentially I just slathered in some JB Weld and permanently affixed the two together.




I've used this old screwdriver tip as a modified pry-bar to remove stubborn ball-cups and similar things in tight places. Just cut it short, ground down the end to make it sharper/ thinner, then cut a slot into the middle. I'm actually surprised how many different tasks I've used this for.




One time I needed a closed-end 13/64 but it was in a very tight spot. I needed it to be more slender so I would up grinding down a Craftsman wrench to a slightly slimmer profile. I felt bad for doing that to a perfectly good tool but I had no choice and it worked quite well.




Last of my hacks for now is this weird little thing that I've used to cut long pieces of straight and curved strips of mylar and vinyl. Basically it's just two xacto blades bolted side by side to a "handle". This particular handle wound up being a transmission brace from an RC10GT lol but you could use anything that was the right thickness to achieve whatever size stripe you wanted. It takes a bit of practice to get the feel of it but it does work well with certain materials and creates very clean and parallel edges.

[HumboldtEF]

Good stuff High Plains Drifter

I just figured this out the other day, needed to shave a few mm off of some screws and I used to try to hold them with vice grips or needle nose pliers. Results were spotty, many screws were lost.

I took a scrap 3D print but you can really use anything with a hole the right size to thread your screw into.

Leave the screw sticking out the length you want to remove and grind it down. if its plastic you're using make sure it doesnt get too hot and move or come loose. It makes ending up with a nice flat end a lot easier.





After that thread it in more to get the end to stick out and clean up the threads by filing or sanding a chamfer on the end.



Shock shaft pliers work good for longer screws but for small stuff a scrap to hold the screw is the way to go