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Thread: Tools that work & Etc.

  1. #16
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    Jan 2005
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    middle earth
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    Thumbs up rite thru the hull

    these grinders turn around 10,000- rpm---I bet they can be used to power the boat in a pinch--jus' hook it up where the power head to a small outboard was--using a generator for power----I got this idea whilst driftin in nowheresville---I had a yamaha generator---a small electric drill---and the shaft from the sea generator----anything wooda' been bettern' nuttin.necessity is the "muther of all inventions"

  2. #17
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    Jan 2002
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    McKinney, TX (but sail in MI)
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    43

    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.
    Too Contagious (1966 Ariel #392)

  3. #18
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    middle earth
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    120

    tool overboard

    I have had to go up on deck at all hours of the day to effect repairs while still under way.it is a good idea when doing so to attatch a line of some sort from the tool to your------well in my case----safety harness.I distinctly remember fashioning that new bowlite from the "dime store lites"and the most versatile tool used under way for me is/was a large vise grips---and any other such tool ---that varies in size---- that can be used in a pinch.also be careful when using power tools around water---and volatile liquids----
    Last edited by eric (deceased); 04-19-2006 at 02:35 PM.

  4. #19
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    Stripping varnish

    Lacking the chemical stripper that was recommended, I used a $25 heat gun from Home Depot and heated as I scraped. It worked pretty well.

    The Stanely 9-in-1 tool which I also used for removing deck hardware and coamings is great. The cabinet scrapers were given to me many years ago. I never used them, but for some reason I hung on to them. They worked really well too - I guess that's why they make them. The red handled paint scrapers are worthless.

    A couple of notes: 1. Heat guns are HOT. 2. Latex gloves are not heat resistant.
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    Mike
    Totoro (Sea Sprite 23 #626)

  5. #20
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    Self-centering drill bit

    Everyone but me probably already knows about these. But, I had never seen one until a couple of years ago when Tim L. used a self-centering drill bit while installing my cockpit hatch. With this bit, after the hatch was laid in place for a dry fit, it was just a matter of zip-zip-zip and all the pilot holes were drilled - each nicely centered. I finally got one this Summer and have found it very useful for reinstalling the various pieces of hardware. I got a #8 which has worked fine for everything so far...
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    Mike
    Totoro (Sea Sprite 23 #626)

  6. #21
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    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!
    __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____
    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.
    __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____

    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'.
    __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____
    (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......
    Last edited by ebb; 11-23-2010 at 08:52 AM.

  7. #22
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    Nov 2005
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    San Diego, CA
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    23
    In the spirit of ebb's post about tool catalogs. I have used Defender Marine for tons of stuff relatively cheap. They have everything from foul weather gear to replacement tillers to safety gear. You name it, they have it. I am probably stating something that most of you already know, but here it the link to their website.
    Jack

  8. #23
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    Sep 2001
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    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.
    __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________
    *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.
    Last edited by ebb; 03-04-2008 at 12:40 PM.

  9. #24
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    Sep 2001
    Location
    San Rafael, CA
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    nut drivers

    Nut drivers are useful tools. What they have going for them is their hollow shank, which means you can often spin the nut all the way without have to find a wrench. Nut drivers are specific to the nut, which means you can reach the thread end in impossible locations with the nut in the cup ready to spin it on.

    Nut drivers come in sets of seven or eleven usually. If you own metric as well, that means you have sixteen color coded handled drivers in your tool box. The one you need is never there and the metric ones don't fit.

    It's time to find a compact kit for the boat anyway.

    Here's one that looks like a nice set. Has a stubby red handled adjustable wrench and needle nose pliers too. A short and a regular handle for the nut and screw drivers. But the nut drivers aren't hollow and the set is in a space-robbing hard case.

    Here's a stainless steel set from McMasterCarr for about $800! A W L R I G H T !

    Here's an adjustable cup nut driver that fits 1/4" to 7/16". I'm sure to want the 1/2" size.

    Here's a canvas roll set of screw and nut drivers, but again the socket driver shanks are not hollow. Nothing about the metal finish either - and they want $58.32. Ought come with a stubby crescent wrench for that price!

    Why don't we have needle-nose pliers with an adjustable axis like all normal pliers? Could then hold a tiny part with more parallel tips.

    Here's a 45pc Stubby Tool Set (Performance Tools)
    http://hondadirectlineusa.com/stores....asp?ID=459670
    Direct Line Parts. Shadow Online Store. 888-693-1011
    SAE 5/32 to 3/4 and metric 4-17mm sockets (but no hollow shanks). The (screw-driver handled) socket driver is dual ratcheting 1/4 and 3/8" (which to me means you can replace a lost socket). Comes with another ratcheting screw driver also for 4 kinds of bits. Also a stubby crescent-style wrench. In vanadium steel with rubber handles - for $30. But in a see-through plastic box. Not bad. Like the size range and compactness. Might get it.
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    LATER ADDITION:
    OK kids, Have received the compact Stubby tool set from the Honda motorcycle site.
    The set does have a perfect range of chromed sockets (4mm to 17mm and 5/32" to 3/4" - it'll handle the nuts for 1/2" bolts on the SAE side.) And an adequate range of 10 bits. The ratcheting driver for the sockets is about 5 1/4" long with a nice stout plastic handle and no-slip rubber inserts. Has the 1/4" driver on one side and the 3/8" on the other which does the whole range - as will the 2" extension.
    The bit driver is 4"" long with a magnetic head to hold the bits. There is an adapter which will allow you to use the sockets except for the the last three that are 3/8" drive. It also ratchets and has an immobilizing locking ring.
    The third handled tool is a crescent-style adjustable wrench that opens to 1".
    This tool, unlike the sockets and other drivers is NOT PLATED and will begin rusting immediately. An amazing omission.

    Even more peculiar is the case.
    It houses the pieces and two of the drivers. BUT the more important driver, the chromed socket wrench is attached, unprotected, outside to one side of the case - like a handle. THAT's Borg weird. The case and lid was molded specifically for what looks like a 7-of-9 after-thought. "OOPs. Li-po, we forgot something!"
    And the blow-molded insert that holds, marks and separates the pieces in the case is pretty thin for anything long term, and holds everything too deeply for easy removals.
    SO, Has good points and some glaring bad ones.
    I think all tools like these want to be in space saving soft rolls or cases aboard a small boat.
    Give it a generous 2 out of 5 - the set needs further development. After the plastic case breaks and the liner starts splitting what do you do with the collection? The unseen ratcheting mechanisms inside the handles given the strangeness of the adjustable wrench might also be halfassed.
    But it is kinda cute and might be useful.
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++



    __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __
    What I really could use is a compact convertible (interchangeable) socket/bit driver with hollow shanks. I'd have 3/16" to 5/8" chrome nut cups that fit onto hollow shafts - and the same complement of metrics the Stubby set has..
    The sockets would have rubber nubs inside that hold the nut in the socket no matter where you wanted to put it.
    Hollow shafts would fit into a single cushion grip handle. The set could also include a ratcheting driver or two, a 90 degree handle, and a super-stubby that only the sockets fit on. Very often you can twist a handle but not swing a crank. [Got to get in that electrical panel again.]
    Seems like a simple idea - but haven't seen it. The set would come in an anti-rust treated fabric roll for compactness with the sockets stacked one above the other but individually accessed through velcro pull-strip holders. I'd pay 36bucks for it maybe out of a marine catalog.
    Make it so!
    Last edited by ebb; 03-04-2008 at 12:51 PM.

  10. #25
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    Sep 2001
    Location
    San Rafael, CA
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    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!
    Last edited by ebb; 01-17-2008 at 07:51 AM.

  11. #26
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    Sep 2001
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    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.
    __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _
    * no longer available from Dremel
    Last edited by ebb; 05-02-2008 at 07:28 AM.

  12. #27
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    Dec 2006
    Location
    Massachusetts
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    230
    This particular tool was especially helpful when I removed all of the debris from the sump of my former bilge...

  13. #28
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    Beautiful!
    A great adaption of the outlawed stadium brewski hat.

    Looks like this one has a special T-fitting allowing both cola cans to be emptied simutaneously into the back of the brain - entirely bypassing the stomach.

    A couple improvements would be to include
    petcocks at the T for improved flow control. And a chin strap.

    Tim,
    I know you're enjoying cucumber sandwiches and iced tea on your dusty-bilged upscale this spring!

    Fair winds, far seas, and fast bottoms.
    Last edited by ebb; 05-08-2008 at 06:36 AM.

  14. #29
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    Sep 2001
    Location
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    Thumbs up Lee Valley and Veritas

    Tool catalog for Fall 2008 arrived recently in an order. The catalog seems to be more of a supplement this quarter. As usual the art work is beautiful, clearly showing what you might be buying.

    Here is a selection of interesting and pertinent stuff:

    1) Corrosion Inhibiting Storage Bags.
    They are 4mil polyethylene impregated with a non-toxic corrosion inhibiting vapor. Example: Ten 10"X12" bags for $8.10. Other sizes. I feel tools are much better stowed in soft bundles than space robbing plastic cases. These could be overwrapped in canvas or sunbrella pieces and tucked into the triangular spaces that abound in our boats. Maybe small cordless tools could be wrapped in this stuff?
    [ McMasterCarr has these blue bags (cat pg 1514) AND also rolls of corrosion inhibiting film (pg 1523) for ferrous and nonferrous metals. They do not say whether the vapor is non-toxic. Have no way of knowing if they are the same product as Lee Valley's.]

    2) Blindman's Fractional Electronic Caliper.
    Does it all, mm, fractions and inches - converts back and forth and is 'hardened stainless steel'. $42. Recently had to check on the guage of some metal. Each of the three analog calipers I found had a different reading. Time for my first digital. [This is not a $300 tool - so it may be chinese.]

    3) Universal Thread Restorer.
    Hardened steel cutters adjust to any style and pitch or direction of thread. Tool is compact and rotated around the thread. $26.50. [Can't fix threads in holes.]

    4) H D Duct Tape.
    Non delaminating, leaves no residue, water resistant. 90' roll $7.95. [But will it stick to damp surfaces? How long will it last in the sun?]

    5) Stainless Canisters with see through acrylic disk tops.
    $3.40 / $3.70. 3.3oz and 6.8oz - for small parts storage, large mouth, rounded edges (spun stainless) friction seal tops. Just might be better for some things than plastic bottles.

    6) Clamptite Tool.
    Tool and Wire $32. Makes permanent hose clamps with s.s. wire. Chromed steel and aluminum - might store well in above bag. Not sure what access is needed to hose and fitting. [Wire is wire - and you can find all 316 band clamps with rolled edges these days - for a price.]

    7) Clamshell Scissors.
    $4.95. Serrated s.s. blades for cutting wire, thin sheet metal, leather, fabric and welded clamshell packaging. Styled like fabric scissors, off-set handles for flat surfaces makes this versatile.

    8) Lifetime Knife Sharpener.
    $15.50. 'Sub-micron carbide particles' on the blades, but each can be reset to another edge 4 times. Considered a 'single pass' sharpener. Can be set for left-handed use. Said to have a 'long as you live' guarantee! [Will it sharpen the wavy edge blade on the leatherman?]

    This is a selection of some of the stuff that might be useful aboard. I've left out many items.

    __________________________________________________ _____________________________________________
    Unnecessary to say: I'm not an agent for these people.

    There must be an old aphorism that states:
    A good tool is more constant than a good friend!
    Last edited by ebb; 10-14-2008 at 12:46 AM.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    Scarborough, Maine
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    1,439

    Pella Oil Extractor

    Got one of these this Spring after my stupid little hand-pump oil changer thing leaked all over the place last Fall. If you hate changing oil like I do, get one! I had so much fun, I changed the lawn mower and snow blower oil while I was at it! Great little device!
    Attached Images  
    Mike
    Totoro (Sea Sprite 23 #626)

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