Topic: Cool Tools.

[Kelly E]

Last week the boy broke the handle off the Collins axe just below the head. My buddy said to make it into a club for disciplining the boy since he is as big as me and only 15yo. Then I remembered that I have a 100yo H H Co hatchet head I've been dragging around for 40 years.
So I found the hatchet head and derusted it so I could put an edge back on it. Then I cut down the axe handle and spent 4 hours shaping it to fit properly and maintain the edge alignment. I got a really tight fit to the hatchet head.

The slightly curved handle really works well and I achieved a near perfect balance. I have painted the hatchet head and put 2 coats of oil based polyurethane on the handle. After a few more days for the paint to cure it goes out to the woodshed and back to work.

[BenelliSEI]

My ancient Motion Pro Sync. tool. Cleaned out and reloaded today. I like the way you calibrate it each time. Hook it up to one cylinder (all four columns) and ensure they are all identical, on the day. Very reliable. The only thing you have to watch is NOT to create enough vacuum to suck the fluid out the top.

What did you fill it up with?

I ordered a small squeeze bottle of the stuff from Motion Pro. It came with 4 new “0” rings for the bottom needle valves too. I’ve tried other stuff and nothing else runs up and down the tubes properly.

[BenelliSEI]

Last week the boy broke the handle off the Collins axe just below the head. My buddy said to make it into a club for disciplining the boy since he is as big as me and only 15yo. Then I remembered that I have a 100yo H H Co hatchet head I've been dragging around for 40 years.
So I found the hatchet head and derusted it so I could put an edge back on it. Then I cut down the axe handle and spent 4 hours shaping it to fit properly and maintain the edge alignment. I got a really tight fit to the hatchet head.

The slightly curved handle really works well and I achieved a near perfect balance. I have painted the hatchet head and put 2 coats of oil based polyurethane on the handle. After a few more days for the paint to cure it goes out to the woodshed and back to work.

Kelly……. Really nice work. There is something so very satisfying about a tool that stands the abuse of generations, and still looks great! I have a set of ball peen hammers that belonged to a friends father and g’father (son is clueless). I had to replace the handle on the small one not long ago, because he drove over it in his driveway. I kept the set and am not returning it!

[70CB750]

My ancient Motion Pro Sync. tool. Cleaned out and reloaded today. I like the way you calibrate it each time. Hook it up to one cylinder (all four columns) and ensure they are all identical, on the day. Very reliable. The only thing you have to watch is NOT to create enough vacuum to suck the fluid out the top.

What did you fill it up with?

I ordered a small squeeze bottle of the stuff from Motion Pro. It came with 4 new “0” rings for the bottom needle valves too. I’ve tried other stuff and nothing else runs up and down the tubes properly.

By stuff you mean mercury?  Thats what was in the one I have.

[BenelliSEI]

My ancient Motion Pro Sync. tool. Cleaned out and reloaded today. I like the way you calibrate it each time. Hook it up to one cylinder (all four columns) and ensure they are all identical, on the day. Very reliable. The only thing you have to watch is NOT to create enough vacuum to suck the fluid out the top.

What did you fill it up with?

I ordered a small squeeze bottle of the stuff from Motion Pro. It came with 4 new “0” rings for the bottom needle valves too. I’ve tried other stuff and nothing else runs up and down the tubes properly.

By stuff you mean mercury?  Thats what was in the one I have.

NO. Mine has an alcohol based liquid. It looks, feels and smells like -40 degree windshield washer fluid. I tried the ww fluid but it bubbled too much. In the end I ordered the Motion Pro refill, #08-0581. Came with some fresh “0” rings for the needle valves and top caps for the long pipes. It’s expensive on EBay but my local bike shop got it for about $10.

[70CB750]

My ancient Motion Pro Sync. tool. Cleaned out and reloaded today. I like the way you calibrate it each time. Hook it up to one cylinder (all four columns) and ensure they are all identical, on the day. Very reliable. The only thing you have to watch is NOT to create enough vacuum to suck the fluid out the top.

What did you fill it up with?

Thank you, I might dig out the old one I have in my shop.

I ordered a small squeeze bottle of the stuff from Motion Pro. It came with 4 new “0” rings for the bottom needle valves too. I’ve tried other stuff and nothing else runs up and down the tubes properly.

By stuff you mean mercury?  Thats what was in the one I have.

NO. Mine has an alcohol based liquid. It looks, feels and smells like -40 degree windshield washer fluid. I tried the ww fluid but it bubbled too much. In the end I ordered the Motion Pro refill, #08-0581. Came with some fresh “0” rings for the needle valves and top caps for the long pipes. It’s expensive on EBay but my local bike shop got it for about $10.

[simon#42]

i would think there are a lot of laws prohibiting mercury use these days , and for good reason

[jgger]

Simon, you mean you don't want to loose your hair, ALL your teeth and go insane? C'mon, live a little!

Just kidding.

[Don R]

 Mine also has an alcohol based liquid. Oh wait, that's my refrigerator. My carb balancer has metal rods in a cylinder.

[Don R]

 I was going to snap a pic of my 3/8" drive palm ratchet but it must be in the race trailer already.

[70CB750]

I dog out the sync tool, there is some mercury left.  I guess I have to get it our first.

[simon#42]

Simon, you mean you don't want to loose your hair, ALL your teeth and go insane? C'mon, live a little!

Just kidding.

that all happened without mercury !

[jgger]

Sadly my friend, I can relate.

[Tim2005]

This seems a good idea I spotted somewhere online. On some bikes it's a real pain to refit the wheels, especially the rear, when you've got to lift the wheel up, juggle spacers, chain and brake disc into position then get the spindle through. I saw someone using an air wedge under the wheel to gradually lift it up into position, leaving both their hands free to deal with spindle and spacers etc.. Here's a link to a air wedge, cheaper ones are available on amazon etc.   https://www.screwfix.com/p/winbag-inflatable-air-wedge-160mm-160mm-x-160mm/1363k

[grcamna2]

This seems a good idea I spotted somewhere online. On some bikes it's a real pain to refit the wheels, especially the rear, when you've got to lift the wheel up, juggle spacers, chain and brake disc into position then get the spindle through. I saw someone using an air wedge under the wheel to gradually lift it up into position, leaving both their hands free to deal with spindle and spacers etc.. Here's a link to a air wedge, cheaper ones are available on amazon etc.   https://www.screwfix.com/p/winbag-inflatable-air-wedge-160mm-160mm-x-160mm/1363k

I hope it will raise the wheel up high enough with the bike on the centerstand.
Do you own one ?

[Tim2005]

I hope it will raise the wheel up high enough with the bike on the centerstand.
Do you own one ?

I've got one on the way ( a pair actually as it was only 10% more to get 2, wierdly). I'm hoping this idea works as I've a Kawa ZX12R that's really awkward to do a rear wheel change on my own 

[Trevor from Warragul]

My old school "Offset Handle Tap Wrench" arrived from Amazon today. Of course, one of the adjustment screws was missing...  this wasn't a big deal, as I intended to replace the screws with socket cap head screws that can be nicely cinched up.

[RAFster122s]

Why do you need an offset handle tap wrench, For what is it used, or does it help overcome?

[Trevor from Warragul]

I really struggle with standard tap wrench handles, in my experience they don't hold the tap tightly enough, plus I never seem to get the tap dead centre. With the offset wrench (with socket screws), the tap is held very securely, and is always in the centre of the wrench.

[RAFster122s]

My ancient Motion Pro Sync. tool. Cleaned out and reloaded today. I like the way you calibrate it each time. Hook it up to one cylinder (all four columns) and ensure they are all identical, on the day. Very reliable. The only thing you have to watch is NOT to create enough vacuum to suck the fluid out the top.

What did you fill it up with?

I ordered a small squeeze bottle of the stuff from Motion Pro. It came with 4 new “0” rings for the bottom needle valves too. I’ve tried other stuff and nothing else runs up and down the tubes properly.

By stuff you mean mercury?  Thats what was in the one I have.

NO. Mine has an alcohol based liquid. It looks, feels and smells like -40 degree windshield washer fluid. I tried the ww fluid but it bubbled too much. In the end I ordered the Motion Pro refill, #08-0581. Came with some fresh “0” rings for the needle valves and top caps for the long pipes. It’s expensive on EBay but my local bike shop got it for about $10.

The wind shield washer fluid likely has either Ethanol, isopropyl alcohol based, or Methanol based, denatured alcohol. Likely the later variant, poisonous so don't drink unless you wish to go blind, leads to blindness,  after getting the buzz from the alcohol...

You can buy denatured alcohol from chemical supply houses or at local home improvement shops...

Do you cut lacquer or melt lacquer flakes in acetone or alcohol? Friend is a wood worker. Last time I bought a 5 gal can of Acetone it was $120. First one I made the mistake of not putting  the tank I was stripping a failed liner out of abd had filled it with 4.5 nearly 5 gallon of acetone, to find the stopper popped out and since it was sitting on the ground in patio gravel behind my apartment the acetone went into the gravel and ground. The paint shop I bought it from suspected me of meth or other drug production as they acted a little weird and fact I bought the first one with a POR15 kit to reline. I told them I screwed up and what happened but they didn't believe my story. Should have brought the tank in to get their advice or sealing the port...threaded bung. Was a CX500 tank with failed liner...a big chunk of the liner that is very hard is now bouncing around inside the tank...
Did t realize it was. So, it is taking up space as well as now a problem on how to I dissolve it since I don't know how to weld metal like on tanks... No clue how to break it up either. But it is sizeable in sq inches across... The PO who lined it didn't drain the excess liner and it popped in the top of the tank. I guess they thought it better to have that than letting the excess settle in bottom of tank forming a thicker layer of liner and the area for the petcock getting a pool around whatever you stuck in the tank to prevent the liner from sealing the hole closed.

[chesterburnet111]

There is a local tool consignment store and I picked these Snap On sets up for $346. They are all never used. On the Snap On online store they got for about $1000. I thought it was a good deal.

[grcamna2]

There is a local tool consignment store and I picked these Snap On sets up for $346. They are all never used. On the Snap On online store they got for about $1000. I thought it was a good deal.

Very nice tools;they'll last for a lifetime.

[BenelliSEI]

Nice find.

[HondaMan]

My Snap-On tools are the best of my cache.
A now (long) defunct close second was Indestro. I still have whole sets of their wrenches, once sold in places like K-Mart as their 'premium' tools, and they display no visible wear after more than 50 years of steady use on bikes and cars. Nice sandblast-like finish, too.
Proto is also not bad, but hard to find, and expensive.
And, Craftsman (when they were in Sears stores) round out my roster. Their newer stuff isn't half as good as before Sears gave them up.

[grcamna2]

My Snap-On tools are the best of my cache.
A now (long) defunct close second was Indestro. I still have whole sets of their wrenches, once sold in places like K-Mart as their 'premium' tools, and they display no visible wear after more than 50 years of steady use on bikes and cars. Nice sandblast-like finish, too.
Proto is also not bad, but hard to find, and expensive.
And, Craftsman (when they were in Sears stores) round out my roster. Their newer stuff isn't half as good as before Sears gave them up.

I've enjoyed my Craftsman;a close second is SK which I have a 1/4" dr. metric set