I keep a complete tool box onboard
I try to get the best quality at the cheapest prices, so when they go overboard I don't feel the urge to dive in after them! I've gotten some real good hand tools (wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers) at Big Lots. When I sail, I harbor hop in Lake Huron and most marinas do not have the services to repair anything. So I believe in the self-sufficiency. And since I have an inboard 2-cylinder diesel, I have a few more tools specific to keep it running well.
Keep everything in a plastic toolbox that is just wide enough to fit into the side laserette.
one hand belt sander, sandpaper source, best tool catalog
I hereby take back any implied recommendation for the PorterCable 371K Compact Belt Sander. See post 81.
Self-centering VixBits:
You have to have a VixBit to install any hardware, hinges and latches.
But you can also use them to center holes on non-chamfered hardware, like chocks and cleats. #12 and #14 are good ones to have aboard too. But for those sizes you must shop around. Prices vary a lot, and sometimes a set gets you individual bits significantly cheaper, especially for what they bite you for on those larger ones. GarrettWade has a complete set for about $38. Chinese but nicely made.
Klingspor Woodshop, the sanding catalog, has #12 and #14 VixBits for $10, $11.
[I find that instead of futzing with the bit length in a Vixbit, it's more convenient to get the screw-hole spotted in the work, then use a taper drill for the depth screw you are using for the fitting. Or the proper sized straight bit for straight, non-tapered screws that are popular these days. This is the way to do it if you are driving screws into hard wood, and have to tailor the hole.]]
Also, the Klingspor Germans make/sell some of the best sandpapers on the planet!
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My TOOLS THAT WORK candidate for this list is
PorterCable's 371K Compact Belt Sander (2 1/2 X 14).
It's about 9" long - and proportionately tall - because the belt has to go round and round, but I've sanded flat surfaces with it.
It's small, it's weighty, you can find it for around $100 these days. Only PC makes the belts, so you pay for those! Easy to use, it's an ergonomic soft onehanded belt sander, good for edges and flats, made for plywood and frp carpentry. You can hook a small vac diameter hose up to it! Because of its smallness it bears little resemblance to it's larger breathern. The proportionate weight of this sander is a plus in tracking the belt on the work, it's a good feature in an allround nice design. Can get hot.
Comes in a stupid toosmall case. No slot for extra belts....etc.
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And for them who like to get tool catalogs, Lee Valley Tools has the most satisfying one in the business. They also feature Veritas which are often jig tools from the past, modernized, updated - beautiful tools in their own right! It's what GarrettWade wishes it was. It's what Woodcraft, Hartville, Rockler will never be. I'd rate it Numero Uno for 'feel good'.
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(Nov. 2010) DON'T BUY THIS SANDER.
Just had this little belt sander die on me. Went into forums and found one guy who had his die because the DRIVE BELT broke. Amazing how some people don't listen, posters on that site would pop in with their take on sanding belts, not comprehending his post.
The replacement drive belt costs $26 (when he was writing about his experience) and he opted to get the part and replace it himself because of the downtime in UPSing the tool to an authorized repair shop - and of course what that repair would cost PLUS packaging and shipping and futzing around. The drive belt is 25% of the tool cost.
And the tool costs too much to toss it. So it will sit in its terribly designed case and die in tool limbo.
No warning: pushed the switch off and it won't run pushing the switch on now. (So it can be the switch, rather than the drive belt!) The sander didn't have time to get hot this time, altho it warms up and gets really hot to touch where thr tips of the fingers hold the tool. All long term users mention this. You can burn your hand!
The idea and virtual design is excellent, but the product off the shelf is very flawed. As the guys say, it may have something to do with PorterCable now being owned by Black&Decker - who have earned a rep for cheap junk over the years. PorterCable had a great rep. I still own a couple of their D-handle routers, decades old - the rubber covers on the cords cracking with age - but their toggle switchers still connect.
(sigh)
PROS: The tidy size of the belt sander, easy to finesse, had no problems with sanding belt tracking that some rweport. The rubber ergo top has easy location and dust protected on and off push buttons, a nearly dustless vac attachment, and a nice tame cord.....I'll miss these. Never worked the bugger hard. There isn't a whole lot this baby can do. But it's perfect when needed. When can you use a belt sander inside a small boat?
Never had any nother sander suddenly konk out like this PC371. Nor any other PorterCable tool I've had around. Imco it's a big red flag to stay away from further involvement. Goodbye PorterCable! Hello Makita. They have a two handed 10" long 3X18 that looks promising......
step wrench alternative for through-hulls
This indispensible tool comes from looking into one of C'pete's Links (Repairs and other stuff) on the Link Thread.
Want to draw your attention to a great adaption of a common socket tool to the how the hell do you remove the through-hull problem.
This comes from George de Witte of the Nepean Sailing Club.
What you do is find a socket wrench, the cup thingy, that fits snugly INTO the through-hull and cut a slot across the cup that will slip over the two lugs molded inside the bore.
With seacocks, using this adaption you will be able to back out the through-hull while leaving the seacock in place untouched. maybe it is damaged or needs recaulking. If you have ballcocks you need the wrench to hold the through-hull while you unscrew the fitting inside. Two person job.
Not to be ridiculous but the tool is useful if you are adding a new hole in your boat. It's a pretty big deal to mount a true flanged seacock properly. But once it is in place, you can take the time to turn the t'hull in - and take it out to trim it - until you get the length exactly right. Then turning it in a last time with caulk.*
A one man job. And theoretically you could do it with the boat in the water. Might want to close the seacock.
Cutting the slot into hardened steel socket is perhaps not the easiest thing.
George mentions a way he did it. I might try a plywood jig that a hand circular saw with a carborundum blade would slide in. You'd have to immobilize the socket in the jig. Maybe drill a hole hole slightly too small that you bung the socket into! I'm assuming that single passes of the blade in micro-depth increments would cut the groove and the groove would not be too wide. A friend with connections to a machine shop would be a good alternative. As they say: different sockets for different through-hulls - hopefully the same driver. 3/8" was suggested.
[Recently installed small 1/2" seacocks using a short length of modified 5/8" brass hex rod to turn the through-hull . A box end wrench was used to turn the fitting into the seacock through a bulkhead. The inside part of the hex rod was machined round to fit and long slots milled into the round sides to slip over the lugs. Being brass it was no problem to machine. But in this case, most of us would have to have it done by someone with a metal lathe. Had fairly long slots cut so that there would be more bearing surface when used to break the rubber caulk seal if the fitting had to be removed. The slots fit the lugs in the through-hull without too much slop, much like you'd want any wrench to. The through-hull is nylon. But the same would be good for a bronze fitting. The lugs are rather small and the more tool surface you get on them (by having longer slots) the better imco.]
Polysulfide has the rep for being the correct underwater caulk for the t'hull/seacock. It'd be more likely than polyurethane to allow mechanical sheering when it comes time to take it apart than 5200 or maybe the newer silicone/urethane** hybrids. It's just my feeling that p'sulfide stays elastic longer than p.urethane. T'hulls are notorious for being non-removable.
This seldom used socket alteration can live with the usual wrench collection aboard and therefor would always be found when needed.
This slotted plug idea has been given the coveted Five Star Seebee's Can-do Award.:D
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*If your flanged seacock is mounted on a nice backing plate that is epoxied or 5200ed permanently over the through-hull hole.... It seems possible to screw the t'hull in with old fashioned underwater bedding compound. The seacock should be waterproof with the through-hull removed. Much more civilized.
**Silicone/polyurethane hybrids (except for BoatLife's LifeSeal hybrid) are new enough in the states that not much is talked about them on forums. These hybrids supposedly stay flexible forever, never hardening. It might be easier to break a flexible seal rather than one that has hardened.
Tenacious Sealing and Repair Tape
from a company called McNett.
Here's a candidate for the 'Tools That Hopefully Work' category.
It's a clear matte peel and stick tape to be used on synthetic and natural fabrics, fleece, rubber, vinyl - on clothing, tarps, raingear, sleeping bags, mats, backpacks, stuffsacks and so forth. One guy used it to repair a bike tire. Maybe sails too?
It peels off again without leaving a residue. A way step up from 100-mile-an-hour tape: duct tape - which cannot be removed without delaminating and leaving an amalgamated mess.
It is sold in a roll 3" X 20" for the camping trade in a blue see-through plastic container. $3 to $4. That's nice too!
Found the stuff reviewed on the Backpack Gear Test site:
www.backpackgeartest.org
"The most comprehensive interactive gear reviews and tests on the planet"
What you guys and gals got to do is go to that site and see how it works.
To be a reviewer of a product your opinions are preceded by an extensive review of your background, along with the website's methodology for 'testing'. A really nice system, imco.
I have let my Practical Sailor sub lapse because I no longer find their reviews important and questioned their methods
and didn't give a damn about megayacht 'tests'. It may be that PS for me slipped into a recognisable 'personality'. Where I want a product review I get an annoying and questionable PS review. [Maybe the last straw was their comedic marina mud anchor test a few years ago. Close second their paint chip comparisons on a Boston Whaler.]
What is refreshing about the Backpack Gear Test site is that there ARE real individuals involved and a number of their reviews of one product - and the mettle of the reviewer is always on display. At least we can read the testing methods and decide if they are trustworthy. Extensive testimonials. Check it out.
Backpackers are true minimalists when it comes to gear. A lot like micro-cruising an A/C. There have been some great gear changes since my camping days.
A product you might check out for its use onboard for the gunkholer is a tiny UV watertreatment device - "mUV Ultrviolet Portable Water Treatment System by Meridian Design,Inc." Just the idea of taking a UV water purifier in a backpack is mind bending to me. What will they think of next, etc!
Haven't explored the Backpack Gear Test website at all. Hope somebody from here looks in and comments on it.....
At first blush this website makes me wish us small boaters had a Product Review Board for ourselves. Right now we have to roam the forums and read a bilge of hype.
I've been looking for a very compact ultra-lite tarptent to carry in the truck for emergencys, and overnight camping. Any interest???
If the package is truely small enough it would be great to have aboard. A tarptent stuffsack would have useful fabrics (Polycryo, spinnaker cloth and Tyvec, for example), Spectra line, noseeum netting - that would have a place in the ship's survival grab sack. Including that little roll of Tenacious!
Dremel tool carbide grit bits
On the rudder discussion thread we talked a bit about the usefulness of Dremel type tools. Often used for model work they are necessary when small details and close up work must be done.
Here is a source for tungsten carbide 1/8" shank wheels and burrs of many shapes. The wheels can be used for cutting and shaping composites, laminates, fiberglass and of course wood. The source also has carbide sleeve drums for the 1/2" rubber arbor that I've not seen before.
When you go to the home page of the Duragrit site you'll find a video showing the tools being used. A Dremel-type tool adds a lot of versatility to tackling picky on board projects and please-fix-this stuff around the house. Here there is a variety of carbide grit bits I haven't seen before. Prices are perhaps better too, I've paid $16, maybe more, for the combo cutting/shaping 1 1/4" wheel at the local hardware* - here they are $12 + S&H.
{It occurs to me that this price may be in Canadian dollars???}
I haven't used this source yet, it just came from a friend. Looks promising.
http://duragrit.com/us/index.html
They are a Canadian company. There is a telephone to call. Maybe they will do a debit card. I won't type any bank numbers into the computer.
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* no longer available from Dremel
Thanks a million for the insight and recommendations!
To all that took the time to respond so graciously, a hearty thank you!
I now have, thanks to those that have been there, done that, the info to proceed. There was some great input. Here's a few comments in general:
1) I would find it very hard to believe that the tabbed in bulkheads, and associated furniture would could be cut with sharpened putty knives. Perhaps a "chisel", as they of course would work in areas that are accessible enough.
2) Hand powered draw stroke saws would work in open areas, to some degree.
3) Ebb, I was thinking of installing flush through hulls as well (haven't pursued that project yet), however I determined the same thing you know, hull thickness. My solution would be to glass in a 1/2 thick piece of G10 garolite from (McMaster) that would support the sea cock flange and would obviously give the the thickness (perhaps I bit overkill) to accomodate the mod. This would also provide a very flat surface on the interior (bilge) side.
4) I'm involved in working up on the foredeck currently. I've mocked up my anchor platform, chain/rope deck pipe, mooring cleat, chocks, and cowl vent. I've finally determined all the locations of each of the above with an emphasis on fairleads from all points that will be in use at one time or another (speaking of the future of course). I'll post photos on my gallery page in a few days.
Thanks again everyone.
[sorry, this post is not appropriate for this thread]
Chance, thanks for the input!
I had laid in 3/8" of Xmat and epoxy befor I holesawed just the depth of the chamfer. Barely enough it turned out!. Then I vacated the old polyester for the thru hull flange with straight and V router bits. Then continued to holesaw the big hole thru.
I have the seacock and a Whale foot water pump sharing this cubby hole (about 14" wide) between two minor bulkheads. The seacock in its own footprint is built up thicker with layers of ply.
I chose to use Forespar Marelon. That means I had to use their nylon thru hull too. Because it is nylon, that is why I chose to install flush.
That fitting is really not made to be cut shorter like you can with bronze ones. I called up F. to find out why the inside wrench ledges were at the far inside of the fitting. "These are from the mold casting of the fitting, not meant for screwing the thru hull into the seacock,"
So I've built up the thickness (about 1 1/4") under the seacock with Meranti ply. I've built up enough that the thru hull when screwed in flush with the hull does not bottom out in the seacock. All the wood pieces and the hole in the boat will be sealed with epoxy. Am thinking about using a thread seal tape for most of the two inches of thru hull in the seacock. And just bed the chamfered head and the hole in the plywood backers in thiokol. Not sure how to manage this, but I don't want polysulfide inside the seacock.
I think I'll bed the seacock on butyl tape.
[ There is no good way to take out the thru hull once it is set in polysulfide, once the rubber has cured. It's stuck there forever.
BUT a thru hull can't allow water into the boat screwed into the seacock. Therefore the fitting does not need to be glued in at all, Right???
Think I'll find some beautiful butyl wet caulk and bed with that. Bolt heads also!]
Am I missing something?
The finesse is to get the backing plate under the seacock at exactly 90 degrees to the thru-hull.
And the thru hull wants to be in flush with the bottom, not tilted any.
Forespar instructions are for a very large oversize hole in the hull and backing so their fitting won't bind when everything gets tightened.
That's a lot of wet rubber again!!!
Bulkhead tabbing and frp cutting
Ovations for the innovations posted here for cutting out those pesky bulkheads.
STILL, imco the Fein MultiMaster is probably the most versatile renovation tool for our historic fiberglass boats. Not to say that it is as efficient or even compares to what can be accomplished with a smart airtool. And an innovator behind that tool.
The MultMaster is an excessively EXPENSIVE corded tool.
The 'accessory' blades are even more excessively OVER-PRICED.
E-Cut Universal Narrow and Wide 'bi-metal' blades - the dog-leg flush cutting ones - are about $50 for three.
Fein has no specific blade for working FRP. I've been using E-Cuts for fiberglass. The bi-metal aspect is for cutting thin metal and nails along with wood. Heat build up on the blades imco kills them. The E-Cuts are quite thin and that with eccessive heat may take the temper out of the teeth. Have been cutting thick glass that requires the tool to work hard. However the thin blades do surgical quality work for as long as they last.
Also, they probably aren't made by Lenox.
There is animated discussion on the net (type in Fein on google) about MM.Other cheaper competitors are appearing, Couldn't be too hard to come in cheaper - and 20 year old patents are running out. Craftsman and Bosch are two. If you think you want an oscillating cutting tool check with these first. The blades will not be interchangable. Aftermarket blade makers have been threatened by Fein with patent suits. These guys have disappeared. Those that still sell non-Fein blades for the MM sell at prices not much under the real gouge. And no Aftermarket E-Cuts have appeared anyway.
Guys in the remodel trade want $15 blades for $2 to $5. That is what they should be sold for by Fein. If the tool wasn't so good at straight IN CUTTING nearly everybody would have bailed for a cheaper tool by now. This tool started life as a get-in-the-corner triangle sanding tool, but there are better shorter triangle sanders now, its main claim these days is its ability to plunge cut straight in. At a wallet plunging price.
That's what it's good at on the boat. The E-Cut Universal Narrow is my favorite - even if they dull too rapidly.
Other useful blades are the brutal triangle handyman rasp and the ($45!)* smaller finger rasp for rough shaping of frp.
Fein could do no better than develop a few more blades for boatworkers.
Blades that will happily cut fiberglass all day (carbide?), cut aluminum and s.s. tube, and cut the ends off s.s.bolts.
A set of smaller less aggressive diamond rasps as flats and 1/2 rounds for detail work in corners.
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($45)* .....Bill won't stand for OBSCENITIES on this Forum.
But that right there is a real bad one!
In the tools that work category...
I've started using these sanding disks on my random orbital sanders and they work better than any others I've tried.
For hook and loop try these. The 80 grit 5" dia. is part # 4195A11 at this link
http://www.mcmaster.com/#4195a11/=2a65ub
For adhesive backed version try these. The 80 grit 5" dia. part number is # 4675A53 at this link
http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/115/2624/=2a67rq
Sunglasses for glass wearers
Practical Sailor July'09 looks at and rates $100 to $200 sunglasses.
Cover photo shows a guy wearing correctives closely inspecting a pair of Harken's with a doodah scope.
This article has a good deal of general knowledge about protecting the eyes with the use of these tools. I'd recommend it for everybody to read. It is. imco, very hard to excuse some of the prices that fashionable glass get. I'm sure there is a perfect pair if you can afford it.
Despite the tech on the P.S. cover wearing corrective glasses, there is not one pair of 'fit-over' sunglasses tested. I wear glasses - and I would think many consumers do. This omission is myopic of P.S. And while not typical certainly typifies the personality of the magazine.
So I got edjucated but I got no help.
All on my own I discovered SOLAR SHIELD. Wearing them for years.
They are sunglasses that are sculpted to stand off from your face enough for your regular glasses and still keep the sun out of the eyes. Imco they are really nice looking, even stylish. Fairly comfortable considering there are double frames on your nose. They come grey and amber/copper and clear.
You must make sure you get the polarized ones.
I like the amber and find them clear enough to wear even at night in oncoming traffic.
They don't fold small.
The earpieces get very skinny in section and can break. My last pair did but then they live on the UV dash of the truck.
They have kept their natty new appearance for years despite the high heat and knocking around with other pairs on the dash.
Found some recently on the net for $18.95.
They come in two or three widths, which gives them some custom. They supposedly are available in drugstores, but I haven't noticed.
Worn them while sailing, and had them stay on without using Croakies.
Can see having these aboard like you do extra lifevests, for your guests. (Put some tape or mark on them because they might leave with them too!)
For what they are I'd rate them one to five with a :cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
which vac and sander combo?
Was born with a metal can Shop Vac. Hated it. Hated it for YEARS. Nothing stayed together.
Pulled on the hose the plug would pull out of the wall. Try vacuuming with hose extensions and everything would pull out of everything else. Use just the hose and it would drop out of the vac.
Worked recently with a giant Rigid for years on the boat. It ate a lot of glass. Kept sucking until you had to empty the enormous bucket. Most of the stuff was impacted in the pleated filter. Couldn't replace the filter because a new one cost too much - so it got a lot banging and whacking to clean it. When I did, the vac acted new for awhile.
I ran a hose from the exhaust side out of the boat. Didn't phase it.
But it was too big any more and had to go.
Now I have a smaller 'cannister' type Rigid, the type with two cart wheels that you pull around with the hose. It does not have enough power to have hose attached to the exhaust side. Can't lock the wheels so the damn thing moves all the time like grease.
It was fairly cheap but it really is a PITA.
And it's loud. The on/off switch works OK in one direction but not the other. Halfass.
Looking forward
I really wanted a vac that would do well with an oscillating 5" 8hole sander for seasonal bottom work - but also anything else around the boat requiring dustless - which is absolutely everything around the boat. I have used the Festool right angle 5" oscillating sander with the matched vac. ( I don't like working with palm or vertical sanders.)
That's about $1200 right there, before the special hook and loop deutsch disks you have to buy to fit the import platen..
So far here in this thread the Porter Cable 5"RO gets good marks.
I don't know if I can just jump back to a ShopVac I guess the PC Vac is axed by a poster here....... I'm at a loss for a good small vac.
So what is a good combo?
Need a well designed, light, easy to hold oscillator with an inexpensive source for 60grit.
Would be great if common 5" 8-hole papers could be used.
Need a small, powerful, QUIET, easy to maintain, light weight vac (washable cloth filters rather than paper) maybe wetvac feature as well. One that likes the sander it is attached to.
When I get hauled for a DIY bottom job I want to at least appear to know what I'm doing -
and I don't want to switch on a loud vac and an annoying whining sander. Do I want to attract that kind of attention? And want to avoid draping the boat with blue plastic to keep dust contained. Ideas?
Seriously.:confused:
Multifunction Power Tools
[Hope Kurt doesn't mind my piggybacking on the subject here.]
The Rockford SoniCrafter looks like a TRUE CLONE of the Fein at about half the price -
with all the accessories and a VACUUM PICKUP available.
While these tools don't produce much airborne dust, there are jobs that require no dust.
When you punch in the above title you get a million Harbor Freight hits.
Harbor Freight has at least three versions of a multi-function tool for between $30 and $70.
Guys complain the attachments are poor quality (blades) and none have a vac pickup.
They are all made by the 6 Foot Power Cord factory in China, and sold under the rubric 'Chicago'.
None have VARIBLE SPEED - single speed only.
My Multi-hundred Dollar Fein Multimaster has dial variable speed.
But we get shafted by the price of replacement accessories, altho the blades, by forum consensus, are the best available.
The hard edged tool case this multifunc comes in has exterior hinges on the bottom!
so that it will unbalance and tip over on any but a dead flat horizontal surface. Fancy case, not a clever design but will take the tool WITH an attachment.
Now the SoniCrafter has a soft bag. Great idea. But one guy said it's too small to put the tool away with a blade attached, so he said. This is a huge gripe with me. Tools that make you remove the accessory to put it away are thoughtless and stupid.
Most of these tool cases are just big enough for the tool, have hardly room for a stiff kinky cord and never enough room for the compliment of attachments.
Just bought a very high-end Bosch lithium drill ($100 cash back) that has NO place inside for their own plastic index of drill bits. For crying out loud! I think it's this kind of thing that has fried my brain.
The midget onehanded Porter Cable belt sander comes in a bowling-ball style case and has no storage for the belts. What's the matter with these jerks?
My little cordless Hitachi hammer drill lives in a hard case that also doesn't stand up on the nobbles at the opposite end of the case handle.
And every time the case is opened there is a jumble of bits in every corner.
You know why....? Because the lid molding doesn't match the tray compartments when closed!
The Dremet Multimax ($100) sized like the other oscillating multifunction tools has no vac attachment.
Another point to look at is number of oscillations per minute. The assumption is the more OPMs the smoother the tool does its thing. Fein says theirs vibrates at 21,000 OPMs. You'll find others at 10,000.
One other thing: my Fein multi is a LOUD tool. I don't know how others fair on that score.
I find it NASTY - to say the least. And will only use the tool when I absolutely have to. NOT often!
One guy said the CHEAP tools here are "OK for cutting pumpkins."
In some ways you get what you pay for.
In one case, the multi speed Fein Multimaster and expensive blades and number of nearly useless accessories like the tile degrouter, the concrete scraper, the nasty rasp thingy, the half round 'saw' blade, the hook and loop sanding grits that don't stay on the plate, the useless molding sanders - it's not a tool I reach for very often working on the boat, and definitely NOT worth the insulting $$$$$$$$.
The SoniCrafter like the Fein comes in various versions, each 'kit' more expensive the more accessories they toss in. It may be worth while to buy just the basic tool and add only the attachments you want.
Kurt,
I've read that the SoniCrafter (this may be true of other VARIABLE SPEED RO MULTIs)
can be cooled off by running them at high speed NO LOAD for 2 - 3 minutes.
Ref to Post #21 this thread
It happens. This tool that had so much promise didn't live up to it.
I hereby take back any implied recommendation for the PorterCable 371K Compact Belt Sander. See the earlier post (Pg 2) if interested.
Aeropress, a tool that works
Aeropress is a tool for making a great cup of coffee in a unique way.
It was invented by a Stanford professor (so....?) and is made by the Aerobie company who invented the ring frisbee.
That might be cause for caution BUT we can associate the drinking of the brew
with great pleasure and good times - and certainly a necessary ingredient for break fasting.
It's a great tool to have at hand during an Ariel rehab.
Look it up. It'll make this description easier to understand.
It's a plastic tube that has a screw on bottom piece that holds a smallish paper disk filter.
After loading the filter put into the tube a measure of 20 second espresso grind - using a wide-mouth funnel that comes with the kit.
Mine is electrically ground fresh in a loud and ancient Krupps, but the coffee could be brought aboard preground in an airtight container.
Put the tube on top of a coffee mug, pour in hot water. Stir with the paddle that also comes with the kit. Then take the plunger which has a rubber boot on the end that fits tightly in the tube
and push the mixture slowly to the bottom.
The plunger also pushes a short collumn of air on top of the mix through the filter along with a the brew.
Hence the name Aeropress. Remove from the cup.
Unscrew the filter holder and push out a semi-dry puck of coffee grounds.
Cheapskate here peels off the paper filter and uses it again and again.
The kit comes with a stack of 350 filter papers.
Just used the last filter after four years of two-plunge mornings.
The company hype uses the word 'espresso' to describe the brew its gizmo makes.
It is as close perhaps as any $30 plastic coffee maker can come, BUT
only a talented barista on a $10,000 machine can make a better cappachino.
Using only esspresso grind coffee in this Aeropress is as close as any purista can hope for a really GOOD cup of fresh coffee to bring up the sun in the cockpit of the A/C.
You can take my word for it.....Scandanavians drink more coffee per capita than anyone else on the planet.....
believe me, there's roasted bean in me blood.
Because there is no percolating or soaking of the grounds - the water and coffee quickly strirred and pressed thru the filter - this brew is NON-ACIDIC and gets the best out of whatever roast you use. I do like intense concentrated coffee mellowed with a dollop of moojuice. Add hot water to taste for a regular cup of coffee.
It's certainly cheaper to press your own coffee. And you can buy and support organic, family farmed co-op beans. Hope so anyway.
There are parts and pieces to this kit. A lot of moves to make a cupa.
imco It's worth a try aboard the boat, but if it doesn't fly there, no better coffee can be made in your kitchen at home or office.
On the Aerobie site there is a page detailing that the plastic they make the press from is phthalate and bisphenol free.
My original antique model is made with polycarbonate, can't mistake clear plastic with a blue tinge to it. May have been rearranging my endocrine system these past years - there have been signs. But the coffee has been delicious, dahling!
New Aeropress models are made with another plastic "co-polymer". ??? What BS they want us to swallow, at least the company is conscious!
The rubber seal at the bottom of the plunger finally gave out. Couldn't make a tight enough seal to get a column of air to go through the grounds. Called up Aerobie, they sent me two replacements for $5, NO shipping. Can't beat that.
I'm no jingo, but this doodah isn't glass French press or chrome Italian steam or emameled camp percolator
- it was conceived right here in the good ole Western hemispere and it's all plastic, fits our life-style.
Time to move on, second cupa gone......
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(10/2012)Will add a new post below in the que. It has been awhile. A s.s metal disk has finally made it to the market!
Able DISK-FINE Filter for AeroPress from Prima-coffee.com
towards a non-bitter brew
Jerry on another thread asks whether
the Aeropress makes non-bitter coffee?
Purely by chance I ran into Karlc's tastey essay:D on the subject at
google> How do I make coffee less bitter?
askville.amazon.com>Food & Drink > Drink
He covers all the points. And there is a bean learning curve.
Maybe it's like grilling or bread-making: quality ingredients, temperature, gear, experience, luck. And our own expectation.
But his article makes clear the mysterious rhumb we must take from bean to brew.
Karlc also recommends the unique Aeropress as our best bet.
Because it makes only one or two cups, imco it is perfect for a small boat galley
if you insist on enjoyable coffee. The gizmo has its own but simple learning curve.
Here is another site:
google> Aero Press Brew instructions from Sweet Maria's
http://www.sweetmarias.com/aeropress...structions.php
Good PHOTOS showing the jig. Not as complicated as they instruct. You'll find your own method once you get into the swing of it.
Aeropress recommended 170/180 degree water makes too thin a brew for me - but it does make my beans less bitter. Bitter is directly related to beans, roast, grind, and how much time the grounds are kept in the hot water. Aeropress just naturally makes less bitter brew.
However, I use a heaping measure of whole beans and grind them to an almost espresso powder for ONE cup. Milk takes the edge off bitter.
If boiling is 212 degrees, I guess the temp is around 200 by the time it gets poured in for pressing. Dump in the hot water ignoring the blue printing on the sides - never understood them anyway. Wet the plunger and slowly push it down to the bottom. Unscrew the filter holder - peel off the filter - push out the grounds puck - and rinse the pieces. I reuse the paper filters until they are almost black and starting to frey. Have to rinse them and set aside to dry - which is another step. Always press through a dry filter.
Coffee house reputations are built on non-bitter brew (and a decent pastry).
A beautiful chocolaty smooth brew is like the search for the wholly grail. Or that distant island paradise.
It's all about how to get there - if it is there!
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Later edit, 7/3/11. Been focused on 'less bitter brew' since Jerry mentioned it.
Bitter is definitely related to water temperature. And I've been doing some 'tests' while making the morning coffee.
Happen to have a little GoodCook meat thermometer that sits in a pencil-like tube with pocket clip -
in case we want to carry it around in a shirt pocket. It has a small dial with easy to read numbers on it.
It's accurate because when I get it out to use, it's already reading ambient temp.
Slip it into the waterboiler's pour spout while the water is heating.
Not letting it boil and bringing it up to no more than 190 degrees makes non-bitter brew with my beans. Brewers state that water can be anywhere from 160 to 180.
Otherwise, by the time my Aeropress is in the cup and raised for the morning's first glorious sip it has lost its steamy aroma. So I have to nuke it 30 secs.
But that's yor science.
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Later edit. 7/22/11. This coffee press uses espresso grind to make brew. The gizmo isn't making espresso that you get at a coffee bar. But let's say it's more like espresso when just a little water is used than a good cup of coffee made with coarse grind. (In a french press, eg)
Making a good cuppa is definitely a luxury. I can't extend that to having an expensive onboard grinder.
Haven't found a 12V grinder yet, anyway. There are hand grinders....
Have to bring pre-ground coffee. This is where the morning ritual starts getting expensive. Unless I do my own grinding and vacuum packing I'm stuck with what the marketplace has to offer. Here is an online where I will start researching - seems to have a decent rep AND, for starters, has a 8oz can of LAVAZZA espresso-grind for $7 which is cheap compared to other sites. Cheaper by the case. I'll get a can and experiment. We'll see how bitter Arabica can get. (Nothing about 'fair trade, hand picked, shade grown, or organic' in the description.)
www.espressozone.com
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an even later edit, 7/31/11
There is a little KYOCERA CERAMIC BURR (no rust, no rust taste) HAND GRINDER that'll grind fine for the Aeropress or coarse for the Frenchpress. Just had it recommended by a trusted source and the internet immediately brought up an aeropress forum - some of whom liked it too. Haven't tried it yet. Compact. Hold in one hand, turn the crank with the other.
There seems to be a couple $45 models, one slender and one squat. We want the one with the longer handle. Am of the opinion that the better cuppa is obviously freshly ground.
It's a match to the Aero as it is designed to grind two scoop double shot loads. Two cappuccinos or two large cups regular.
Very good regular strength joe is made by simply adding more hot water to taste.
Add the hot water after aeropressing or, better, add extra water befor putting the plunger in the tube (once commited the plunger cannot be withdrawn without sucking the filter up into the column and making a royal mess) and press through the grounds.
Maybe you can Frenchpress coarse grind in the Aero - never tried it, never will. The finer the better, because cheapskate thinks he's getting more out of his bean the smaller he grinds it.
OK, OK, to close this loop, now we really want an efficient water boiler!
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________
[Endless edit 8/29/11.
Aeropress is becoming more popular!
There's evena bunch of aussies on UTube purporting to show how to use this efficient brewer upside down. Waste of time. Here is a good video that makes a great intro to this brew tool's plunge into fame: http://aeropresso.com
The video there explains its attributes, which you have to admit are considerable for this ridiculous little plastic jig.
Phoned Aerobie twice today and talked with two gals who are completely NOT interested, for instance, in Coava from Portland OR which is a s.s. screen we can use instead of paper filters. Fantastic! Nor in the Euro hooplah around its product
There is the World Aeropress Championships - 3 years going strong - and this October takes place in Venice. First prize is the Bronze Piston trophy! AWLRAHHTE!
COAVA is a coffee bar in Portland.
They have a store where we can buy the s.s. filterscreen. $15. 1-503-894-8134. Be patient! http://coava.myshopify.com
More research on the Kyocera ceramic grinder reveals that a convincing and difficult upgrade shown in a long video for the CM50CF (orphanespresso.com) persuades me that the more expensive, better made, and more slender Kyocera CM45CF will out perform and custom grind to exactly what we want. Aimed at the travel market.....
and the grinder cup into which the beans are put has a cap, a cover, that the slightly larger one doesn't have. imco It is absolutely a requirement for two handed grinding. Unless your breakfasts are always tied up in the marina, don't get the topless CM50CF. The CM45CF is not in any stores & only one internet vendor in the US. I don't do Amazon or eBay.
We are sadly behind what's hip: I dreamt I saw the PaloAlto Aeropress, the new Portland made Coava s.s. filter, the Japanese CM45CF grinder, and two fat red silicone rubber demitasse cupnsaucer sets in a truly global trekking kit.
orphanespresso has the two fat combokit with another brand ceramic all stainless grinder but not with the upgrade disk. NOR with a mug to take a receive the pressing! Point is we can skinny the kit by not having to take paper filters, nor the bulky funnel, as we can load the press directly from the grinder. But we do need something strong to press into. What we need now is a nice bag or rollup to keep it all together. {'Ah dreamed ah saw a joe kit last nite, as fine as it cud be.....')
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Apologies to Ben and Mike - who have posted just below here - for all the extra bruhaha I have added in edits that wasn't here when they first posted!
top bearing slot cutter for trim router
How did I miss it? Have the catalog right here....er somewhere under these pile of paper.
But it cuts a slot only 3/8" deep...
which I'm guessing won't accommodate the screws of a normal fill fitting - will it?
The fasteners might be outside the donut-ring (in the balsa core), or partially which would make it dicey to bore fastener holes.
Could oversize the screw holes if they were thru balsa, fill them as we have dissussed here, and redrill for the exact screw size.
I like your 1/2"-9/16' undercut, what ever you're getting with your method.
So IF there was no choice and you choose this 1/4" shank MCLS slot cutter, would the deed be done this way?
The main hole bored thru the deck to size with a holesaw.
Thru-drill oversize holes for the fasteners, where they have to be..
Evacuate main hole with slotter. The top bearing would ride on the thick top glass layer of the deck composite.
Block off all the holes from underneath with cardboard, seranwrap and sticky tape.
Pack with mishmash. Fill scew-holes with liquid epoxy. Cure.
Rebore to EXACT size of the fitting and screws.
Chamfer edges of all holes to create caulk rings.
A bit wastefull of epoxy, but you'd get an absolute - total isolation from the balsa core.
And no distortion in the composite when thru-bolting.
Minimal backing block needed.
If you used the holesaw with a pre-bored guide-block, the way you'd bore a hole without the center drillbit.....
just the undercut ring in the deck could be packed if your filler was stiff enough.
After cure use the same guide-block with the holesaw to clean up the hole, rather than re-boring thru solid stuff.
Able DISK-FINE Filter for AeroPress
http://prima-coffee.com/catalog/able...lter-aeropress
Bet some people think I've hi-jacked the Tools That Work & Etc thread with this coffee-maker rant. Figured that ETC left the door open!
My old PORTABLE, $26, java-maker, the plastic syringe, Aeropress, is still going strong after I forget how many years. Had to get a new rubber plunger.
Sometimes I stop drinking coffee - but I always come back.
This disk ($12.50) takes the place of paper filters. The stack of paper disks (350 for about $.01 ea) in their holder are a major part of our coffee making kit, eventually become waste. My morning regimen included rinsing paper filters after use and drying them on the bottom of upturned water glasses to reuse the next day. Cheapskate environmentalist.
This stainless filter came about by popular demand - the makers of the AeroPress were not interested in offering an alternative to paper.
Used this metal disk filter for a couple weeks now and it is perfect - makes almost perfect coffee (at 190degrees.)
You have to learn to use it. It's slower than pushing coffee and hot air thru paper. Patience, brother....
It IS perfect for the inverted Aeropress method of pressing that translates more of the oils and bloom - that fanatics insist is the only way - to the cup. The inverted method puts the aromas and oils at the bottom of the squeeze - right at the filter - where the good stuff is first to come thru when you invert it over your mug to do the press. Quite logical, really. You get instructions printed on a card with your new s.s.disk to perform the reverse method. Reads like a botony experiment!
The stainless filter doesn't remove flavors like the paper seems to.
Sometimes the bottom of the cup ends up with some visible fines in it - but they are so fine that (my) tongue can't feel them. Down the hatch!
The first "celebrated" stainless disk on the market had larger holes and produced a turkish chew.
This is the one.
Don't make my coffee inverted - normal makes me a contrary snob.
This is a better brew, for sure. I'm a two cuppa. Sometimes later in the day I find my second cup
untouched & forgotten in the microwave - obviously the one richer cup by the new disk seized the day!
In My Considered Opinion you cannot make a better tasting cup of coffee in your galley by any other method. Even with paper!
This new, by popular demand, Able Disk Fine is paper thin. Be interesting to see how long it lasts.
As we might expect, when you go to the Q&A page on the Aerobie site, they insist using their paper makes better coffee. What can they say?
Purists argue that filtering thru paper makes coffee flavored tea. Ebb knows his cuppa is more robust and tastey using the new filter.
If the metal filter lasts in the long run, it will reduce the portable kit, making it more compact. The paper has no pedigree (do you know where your paper has been?), it could contain manufacturing residues, and it represents a waste cost for every cup that doesn't have to be part of the ritual. It is a smart upgrade for the Aeropress. [Right! Do you know where your stainless has been?]
On site Prima flogs an 18k gold plated coarse disk for $50.
Has to be a popular product for this kind of tackle !
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OK, later EDIT.
What alloy are the Able stainless steel etched (not wire mesh) disks made from? 316? I went to their relatively new site. They do not say - and I will say - that for real purists, and for anybody who swallows - what and how your personal coffee is made isn't something that can be glossed over.
You want to know if you are drinking dioxins & furans when you filter your coffee with paper.
You want to know if the stainless filter disk is food grade. I did see "laboratory grade" mentioned - but not on the Able site.
I obviously think - because I'm primed to think - that if important information is missing, that is a deliberate form of DECEPTION. The metal disks may be made in the US, but the metal roll the disks are made from may come from China, eg. Alloy stainless steel (even labeled 316) sheet made from recycled metals can be infused with poisonous rare metals, that can invert the immune system. Suspect are the paper disks that come with your new Aeropress, if they are specifically silent about the filter. Paper is notorious for carcinogens hidden in it. Makers of food related products have to be totally transparent - if they are not, then they are not.
On site Aerobie talks about materials used to make their product. BPH & polycarbonate are mentioned and pthalates are not found in tests done on the coffee their coffee making syringe produces. Were the tests any damn good?
Their very white paper filters are not discussed. Come Monday I'm calling the manufacturers.
MEGAPRO 151SS (15 in 1) MULTIBIT DRIVER
First attracted to this screw driver because it has a #3 Philips.
My other 4-in-1 bit drivers, just couldn't take it any longer!
These might be the multibit drivers that were looking for me!!
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Megapro 151SS has a stainless steel shank, bright yellow
nylon handle with tiny 0.10" (like embedded #6 bird shot)
molded-in handicap traction nibs that are a bit abrasive,
a marvelous pull-out carousel with 7 nickel-infused double-
end bits* that sucks back into its hollow handle as if there is a
vacuum. Handle ends are navy blue and revolve independent
of the body so you can turn the driver and bear down or guide it
at the same time. It's 8.75" long with large handful of solid
cylindrlcal knobbly yellow grip. So, not all that much 'stainless',
per se, but on the grip you can't miss MADE IN THE USA
Could be 'assembled in the USA' -- hope we can mostly be assured
that this clever and innovative tool is made with... pride. This is a
Canadian firm from B.C. that makes only innovative screw-drivers.
Don't know that 'Made In Canada' wouldn't be just as convincing.
It is in all aspects precisely engineered. Nothing wiggles, all tight.
Driver does not ratchet. Bought two, one for a gift.
Going to keep one onboard and one at home!
Unique 2" bits are 'Electroless Nickel Plated ENP Double End':
One slot 4-6 -- Two Phillips 0-3 and 1-2 --
Two Robertson square 0-3 and 1-2 --
Two Torx star 10-15 and 20-25.
Spec 1/4"x2" HexShankDoubleEndBits, with a noticeable tiny mid
shank 'spring ball' that holds bit in the shank. Under a loupe, you
can just make-out the CNC tracks that transform the tool steel rod
into their precise form. These are the only ENP bits offered by the
Company. Allen hex from 3/32 to 1/4" and 2.00 to 6.00mm in S2
steel are available. Some anti-theft two-prong spanner bits also
offered. 1/4" & 3/8" socket adapters to drive nuts w/ yr own sockets.
There's much more.
When you locate them, www.megapro.net - find their 16pg catalog.
*Bits are Rockwell 59-62: S2. Can't do that with 300 alloys. Easily
remove from the pull-out storage, but need extra force snapping
them back into their holsters. Weighs 7.9oz.
https://www.techtoolsupply.com/ lists more than 100 Megapro
double bits. Also stock many of their drivers. Two or three are also
'yellow handle' -- to get SS version: 151SS .
Driver from Specialized Products. $24.80 http://www.specialized.net/
This outfit is located in Southlake Texas. Two 151SS sub-total at
$49.60. Freight added $13.55. They also charged me $4.03 sales tax.
TOTAL: $67.18. $33.60 each. Still cheaper than amazon or ebay.
They stock no Megapro bits.
What's extra nice? Easy to find yellow handle in the tool bag!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
info on the enigmatic Frearson
MEGAPRO RATCHET DRIVERS (toward a more complete kit)
{currently amazon has wrong description & comments on this driver}:
Megapro Ratcheting Driver 211R2C36RD 13-in-01 Red is the
only ratchet aye can find that comes with 2" double-end bits.
Same length as above, almost 9", but a more usual and much more
comfortable handle in a handsome tapered red nylon and black
rubber anti-slip grip. No stainless.
Easy and smooth left-lock-right ratchet collar has inside a patent
-pending: ZAD 8 Zinc Alloy Solid Core precision 28-tooth design
(make of that what you will). Revolving palm end with a 6-12
slot-Philips-square-Torx selection of those clever 2" bits in cheerful
and patented carousel storage. 7.8oz. Made in Canada.
This Megapro could be uograded by the maker to a s.s. shaft and
nickel-plate bits. It would then get my vote as the best looking and
most talented driver you ever had the pleasure to hold in your hand.
> 171BK/RD-R 7-in-1 Megapro Ratcheting Compact S.S. <
Good-looking Orange/Black tapered handle - significantly smaller
and lighter. Same left-lock-right smooth turning ratchet in the collar.
Known as 'insert bits', and harder yet less brittle 'impact bits', they
are standard hex 1". Magnetic shaft accepts any 1/4" hex-end
from your collection, including impact and 2" power-bits.
Stainless shaft: 6 normal 1" slot-Philips-square bits in carousel. 7.25".
6.4oz. USA. warning: don't put this driver down near the Compass!
Not included in the Catalog. Choose this driver and personal hoard
of 1" bits for your cruiser.
211R1C36RD 12-1" insert bits, Ratcheting Automotive*, S.S.
Big Brother Red/Black taper handle. 9.25" L. 9.2oz W. 3oz heavier
than Compact. 6 Torx, 2 Slot, 1 Square, 3 Philips.
MEGAPRO CATALOG tells the company's tale.
Their distribution system is a total mess. They depend on venders
who do not stock the complete product line, and have their own
unhelpful and arbitrary display systems. The only way is to study
the catalog and then blindly rummage online venders.
MY read of the Megapro catalog is that there is no clear origin for
many products. Krayola-colored drivers with the harsh embossed
tubular grips originate in US. Red/Black ratchet taper drivers with
"rubberized cushion grip handle" are said to be made in Canada...
The phone is brightly answered in Canada, US address is a mail
service. Given the number of foreign patents, this company may
be another global distribution shell -- always suspicious.
"All bits - S2 industrial grade steel. Made in Taiwan". Industrial?
Unfortunately, industrial is a China red flag word. Say, tool steel.
Imco, any of their products can be made anywhere: MEGAPRO,
registered trademark of Winsure Enterprises Corp. (Win Sure is an
automotive repair garage in Oregon.) www.megapro.net/
There is a vast array of insert bits, a few made in Germany, most
made in Taiwan, probably all major brands. Irwin on web: good
info, their bits are labeled well. Aye look for slots and Frearson
because both are still found on bronze screws. Irwin has the only
full eight pc SLOT set (found on zoro.com). Irwin also has a single
Frearson #2 (only need the one for most Frearson heads) that
looks better made than others that pop up.
**RESEARCH Insert Bits-Fastener Drive-Tools-IRWIN TOOLS.
http://www.irwin.com/tools/browse/fa.../inserrt-bits/
(This post keeps growing, sorry. Frearson, Reed & Prince, drive
heads are found on bronze screws (don't know why***). You can
place a screw on your driver and the tight deep cross in the head
will hold the screw on the bit. Great when screwing planks on a
hull! Philips heads are the opposite, the incise has rounded
corners and is designed to 'cam out', didn't know this when aye
began looking into this subject. Always have problems with
Philips heads turning out of the screw. Wrong size - Worn bit
- no, it's designed that way! Why in hell is it designed that way??)
***Bronze screws are often on display. Frearson driver fits insert
cross very tight, so you won't cam out and spoil the $$jewelry.
To collect and organize the 1" 1/4-hex bits, now have 3 'bags'.
Enkay 3030 ScrewBitHolder poly bag, Red. You get two 33
hole pliable plastic blocks - 2.75"Lx2"Wx11/16"H - simply push hex
ends in. $8. Easy in / easy out. Nicely molded, China. 'Poly bag'
is the package. Store bits open, or use the second 'block' as a cap
and rubber band together, they'll make it to Mars and back.
To fill out your double end bit collection, haven't found a simple
holder for them. Nor a soft 'canvas' case for all bits and 3 drivers.
Plus a palm ratchet, extra long bits, sockets, flat ratchet wrench.
Simple waxed fabric maybe, with industrial hook-&-loop closure.
BOAT TOOL CASES SHOULD BE SOFT SIDE, conformable.
The 2" double bit organizer I'm looking for is similar to the 3030,
but bits lay flat in tightly spaced open channels, in a compact
red rubber/plastic tray, maybe 3 x 4", each 'tray' holding 12 bits.
Like the holster in the end of the Megapro's. Easy in / easy out.
To preserve the rustables, try a lanolin product called Fluid Film.
Spray it on, dry it off. It stays not wet but pliable, doesn't harden.
Sheep wax. Processed out of sheep wool. Nobody gets hurt. Has a
bit of petro in it... the aerosol propellant. Non toxic, non-flammable.
https://www.fluid-film.com/
LATER EDIT: Megapro makes 18 or 19 specialized screwdrivers. All
but four (3 mentioned above) are cylinder grips with what now
seems an irritating hard pebbled surface. My hands can't take it.
The 3-or-4more conventional red/black cushion grip ratchet drivers
are ergo and very comfortable. Recommendable.
2" bit drivers do not have shank magnets. Limited to Megapro's
range of patented bits. Having a magnetic 1" hex bit driver on the
boat is dangerous around a compass. But 1" hex bits are versatile
- complete sets from other makers take little space to store.
**Just ordered Frearson bits from https://www.greenboatstuff.com/
#1, #2, #3 TWO inch hex insert. Concise, not totally informative site.
Littlgull's coamings used a large Robertson square bit in #14. If the
fastener was #14 Frearson, #3 bit is a better fit than common #2.