Make do and Mend

[Evans Electric]

The "Triangular Screw Head " thread has prompted me with this one .

Ever had to make , invent, codge up, borrow, or try to find something to enable you to finish the job or get over a problem/ hitch.

I can start off with :-

Fitting a new radiator in my house I found that to fit the threaded spigots that take the valves needs a special tool that plumbers no doubt carry. Being Sunday , stuck, so find 10" length of M8 threaded rod , bend a R/angle in vice, put two M8 nuts on the end, one locking the other which fitted the inside hexagon of the plumbing dodah. Jobs a good 'un.

Installing steel conduit at Cadbury's , a 20 minute walk from the site cabins, forgot to bring any threading paste or tallow with us . My M8 grabs a Hazlenut Whirl , applies to tube and continue threading , nice and smooth . No problem as you could eat as much chocolate as you want there, but must never put any in your pocket.

Have also had to make pyro off without the proper tools , can be done but not recomended !!

 

[ProDave]

Got to a second fix 50 MILES from the nearest wholesaler or even DIY shop (far north west of the Highlands)

Found I only had a few inches of earth sleeving.

I had to resort to stripping bits of the outer sheath of 10mm earth cable to use as my earth sleeving to avoid a 100 mile round trip.

This all stems from my keep loosing stuff on jobs. Having left a full coil of earth sleeving behind before.

So now when I get a new coil of earth sleeving, I cut of several 2 metre lengths and take those with me. Knowing if I leave one behind I have another 1 or 2 with me, and I never loose the whole lot.

Works great, until you have used up all the little coils you had, and forgot to replace them. :_|

 

[sprocketflup]

mmmm choclate cutting paste.....

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 19:50 ---------- Previous post was made at 19:48 ----------

prodave - again im with you there. Every one of my boxes, be they tool boxes or organisers or whatever has a small coil of earth sleeving in it, coz no matter what job i go to do at a customers house, i always seem to need a bit

 

[Evans Electric]

Same as you two, a few short coils of green sleeving in the toolbox for when you've climbed to the 6th floor to do a 15 minute job.

 

[ProDave]

Same as you two, a few short coils of green sleeving in the toolbox for when you've climbed to the 6th floor to do a 15 minute job.

Green and Yellow I hope:slap

 

[Andy™]

i once travelled 50+ miles to an emergency job at 2am. got there, opened back door of van and suddenly remembered i had took my tool bag in the house the evening before to do some work, which was unfinished, so tools were left ready for the next morning

fortunately, for most used tools (drivers, cutters, volt meter etc) i have spares / 'retired' ones in the van. they got me through the job

and Deke, you mean a large hex key? even i keep one of those in the van (in the plumbing tool box, along with pipe slicers, grips etc)

 

[Barx]

One of the monkeys at work managed to loose my only Allen key that fits the single pole Henley blocks you often find used as earth blocks. Needed to connect new tails and earth. Ended up getting my sh!test flat blade screwdriver and wearing it down on the concrete path outside till it fit the Allen screw.

Sent from my Desire Z

 

[Phoenix]

I made a bit of angled bar with a slot in the end for MICC.... came in usful few days later when I found that the joist stripper I had borrowed off my mate for it had blunt blade and kept trying to twist the came around

Put a 24v relay together with a couple of diodes to interface some mag locked doors to a fire alarm when found the aux contacts on the panel were already in use

Used yellow 77 in place of tallow when I forgot to pick any up!

 

[Evans Electric]

[quote name='Andy

 

[ProDave]

And how many times have I done a quick job in a loft, only to find I took my head torch indoors last night to charge it, and guess where it still was.

Oh the hassle of unwinding an extension lead to power a lead lamp, where the head torch would have been just fine.

 

[Evans Electric]

But Prodave , you're not supposed to go out with it on all the time , like weddings etc People may think you are the guy in your Avatar. O) :slap

 

[Sidewinder]

You mean a small "Allen key"!

I carry a 25mm & 1" hex keys on the van & YES I MEAN they are 25mm/1" across the flats of the hex!

Used to quite often use 12, 14, 17 & 19mm hex keys though not as much now, normally 10mm or less.

 

[Andy™]

are you sure its really 25mm, not that your just small with small hands so think it is?!

 

[kme]

How do you lot cope with hex screw henleys used on phase / neutral, where you can`t isolate????? ]

 

[batty]

I've got my ratchet screwdriver insulated with insulation tape only problem is finding the correct size allen bit they always seem to get lost. Andy showed a link to insulated tools probably best to get proper ones in the long run.

 

[steptoe]

well, thats a bit old hat,

I remember old allen key CU,

2 options,

your normal allen key with the pliers on the end,

or,

Im fortunate enough to have some fibreglass sockets and racthets.

9 times out of ten though the specials aint in the van so its the pliers on allen keys time, I only have a 3 5 and 6 mm insulated allen key,

BTW, Ive NEVER came across hex ISCOs/HENLEYs yet.!

 

[NozSpark]

well, thats a bit old hat,I remember old allen key CU,

2 options,

your normal allen key with the pliers on the end,

or,

Im fortunate enough to have some fibreglass sockets and racthets.

9 times out of ten though the specials aint in the van so its the pliers on allen keys time, I only have a 3 5 and 6 mm insulated allen key,

BTW, Ive NEVER came across hex ISCOs/HENLEYs yet.!

Loads of them around here,, grey ones with a little round earth sticker,,, they seem to be Power systems latest thing

 

[Terry W]

can't say I've seen hex henley blocks?

you can get vde hex keys thats a base tools thats been dipped or smaller sizes in srcewdriver type, I don't own either!

 

[Sidewinder]

I have a set of insulated hex keys 3-8mm...

Not that there is ever an excuse to work live... O) ]

 

[Andy™]

BTW, Ive NEVER came across hex ISCOs/HENLEYs yet.!

not looking hard enough, most new heads these days are hex screws

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 09:35 ---------- Previous post was made at 09:34 ----------

How do you lot cope with hex screw henleys used on phase / neutral, where you can`t isolate????? ]

insulated gloves, can then use any non-insulated tools

not that i ever work live :run