New tools you've bought recently?

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Yeah, I have a 3 in 1 and have never tried tig yet.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, I've used the spool gun, probably didn't have enough argon flow, some welds were great, some crap... have a project for TIG but haven't worked up the nerve yet or had the time to work on the project yet...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I learned to weld with an old Oxy/Acetylene set dad had. An old Craftsman set that I still use from time to time. I’m not the best with it, but I’m good enough. Dad ended up giving it to me and going to I think a Harris set with smaller tanks. I ended up buying an Oxy/Propane set too for heating and cutting use. Big oxygen bottle and 100# propane tank. Of course, that one stays put so I have to be within hose reach, the others are on carts.

Got a Lincoln AC-225 stick welder. I can get stuff to stick together, but I’m not good with it. Maybe with more practice or a better machine or both, but I really don’t use it much. Just a few years till I got a Lincoln PowerMig, think it’s a 200 model. Big 220v machine that runs 10-44# spools and has spoolgun capability, I just don’t have the gun. I do run it with the 70/30 mix gas. Just recently finished off my first 44# spool. Got a 10# on there now and another 10# plus a 33# on hand.

Dad bought one of the little Harbor Freight Titanium inverter flux core machines. It was pretty nice until we finished off the first 2# spool and got out of warranty. Then it decided to stop feeding hot. Cold feed switch works fine but that’s it. Haven’t really got to sit down and try to figure out what happened. I needed a portable 120v welder and was getting tired of borrowing my buddy’s little one with the high/low switch so I scored a Lincoln at an auction. Older machine, kinda bulky and heavy, but it works on 120v and there’s two knobs to control things. It can be converted to a gas welder, but I wanted to run it as a portable flux core machine. A bear with a 10# spool on board, but it does exactly what I wanted it for and then some.

I want a TIG machine and a plasma cutter, but that’s gonna have to wait till I get my garage up.

 

[Rick W]

Yeah, I know... I at least obtain less stuff than I used to, I'm trying... . What I really need to do is get a loft built in the shop so I can get some of the parts inventory out of my way so I can get more organized so I can clear out the garage and separate stuff I've upgraded from or don't need...

You’ll need more tools to do that…

 

[Rick W]

View attachment 113102

That’s a very large toenail cutter…

 

[Rick W]

It sure is purty!

I can’t remember the last time I bought something at retail besides cheap stuff at Harbor freight. I’m almost afraid to get it dirty, but I’ve been working in a pool of sweat for a month now.

 

[Rick W]

Have I ever shared with you gentleman that I am fond of Craigslist/marketplace?

Bench top metal bender, $30.

Now I have to find something to bend….

 

[Shran]

I took 2 years of welding in high school shop class. We had to start with stick, then MIG, then oxy/acetylene (optional.) We had to pass each one before moving on to the next. Welding with the torch was optional because it is so rarely used these days but the skill is useful and brazing is still a good method of repairing things. It somewhat crosses over into TIG skills as well although we never got to do that in shop. I am having a lot of fun since I picked up a TIG welder but boy is it expensive compared to other processes.

I still keep a shitty little Harbor Freight MIG around with a spool of flux core in it for times I need to weld outside. It is incredibly handy for things like fences, gates, etc. Flux core is awesome for stuff like that and fixing things in the field - it just gets a bad rep because building a shitty AC MIG machine that will produce mediocre welds is much cheaper than building a DC MIG with gas capability... so people think the process sucks when it really just comes down to simple economics.

 

[Curious Hound]

I took 2 years of welding in high school shop class. We had to start with stick, then MIG, then oxy/acetylene (optional.) We had to pass each one before moving on to the next. Welding with the torch was optional because it is so rarely used these days but the skill is useful and brazing is still a good method of repairing things. It somewhat crosses over into TIG skills as well although we never got to do that in shop. I am having a lot of fun since I picked up a TIG welder but boy is it expensive compared to other processes.

I still keep a shitty little Harbor Freight MIG around with a spool of flux core in it for times I need to weld outside. It is incredibly handy for things like fences, gates, etc. Flux core is awesome for stuff like that and fixing things in the field - it just gets a bad rep because building a shitty AC MIG machine that will produce mediocre welds is much cheaper than building a DC MIG with gas capability... so people think the process sucks when it really just comes down to simple economics.

The torch is still very useful for cutting and for heating things get them apart or together, even if you don’t do any welding or brazing with it.

 

[ZMan]

So we bought a Toyota Sienna back in October. This is the first vehicle I've owned with a canister filter, so had to buy that kit...then bought one of those special oil fill funnels at harbor freight because a regular funnel does not work at all. That funnel actually comes in really handy for ALL of my vehicles, so kinda glad I bought it.

 

[pjtoledo]

Have I ever shared with you gentleman that I am fond of Craigslist/marketplace?

View attachment 113479View attachment 113480

Bench top metal bender, $30.

Now I have to find something to bend….

did you get all the forming rollers too?
plus the offset square and the foot?

firmly bolted down you can easily bend 1-1/2 x 3/16. that's the biggest I've tried so far.

 

[Rick W]

did you get all the forming rollers too?
plus the offset square and the foot?

firmly bolted down you can easily bend 1-1/2 x 3/16. that's the biggest I've tried so far.View attachment 113500

I don’t have the pedestal. I’ve got a box of parts. I haven’t gone through yet, but some of them are obviously the rollers from your picture.

I’m going to look up the owners manual. But I really don’t have any need, I just couldn’t pass it up. And even if it’s incomplete, I’ll bend something and put it on something with wheels!

Heck, maybe I’ll just mount it next to baby!

 

[scotts90ranger]

Those who pay attention are going to be REALLY surprised when I say I went to another auction today... I actually refrained from a fair amount of things but still ended up spending over $300... but that included:

-5 BB/pellet guns
-valve grinder
-thought it was a stump grinder but may be something else but for $10 it's a Honda 8-10hp engine...
-like 5 valve spring compressors
-peavey
-tire bead slide hammer thing
-higher end Work Mate bench with foot rest
-two 12 ton jack stands
-one of those folding body work sawhorse things
-maybe 2 gallons of Coleman Camp fuel in 4 cans and in a milk crate
-key duplicator machine (meant to look up model before posting, will do later)

There's a bunch of misc too but that's the bulk of it, there was also a tote of various fancy rocks with petrified wood and agates and stuff for $33 for the wife too... and she got a sewing serger for $15 too... I did forget to load a box of single gang electrical boxes which I'm a little sore about but not too bad... it was only 95ish out so it was nice and mild, I was over it by the time I was loaded... I didn't even include the stuff my brother got...

Now that I have the key machine I might actually have more than one key for vehicles which would be weird! Since '13 I've only had one key for the F350 and since '19 I've only had one key for the '97 Ranger. It will likely convince me to get Forscan so I can make keys for the '00 Explorer since I only have one key for that...

 

[scotts90ranger]

I forgot to mention the 3cfm vacuum pump for $17 and the radiator pressure tester for $11... those were good buys...

I just tested the valve grinder, it works! So next engine I rebuild I don't have to wait to go to work to surface the valves! For like $94 I don't think I did bad on that...

 

[JoshT]

JEGS Piston Ring Filer, ended up not getting used, but will be nice to have for future rebuilds. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078WJFVBQ?tag=959media-20

Universal Piston Ring Squaring tool, more handy than using an old piston with rod attached. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKST8JD1?tag=959media-20

Klein Tools Digital Electronic Level and Angle Gauge, to try to dial in a rough alignment. It'll be better than trying to use my phone. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZWW3BW5?tag=959media-20

OTC 7826 Torsion Bar Tool, after using it to replace torsion bar pads yesterday, it's worth every penny. Much better than trying to make the rental to from the parts house work, or any of the other workarounds I've used in the past. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RMGMPS?tag=959media-20

No links for the next two. Bought a caramel eraser wheels to remove the 4x4 decals on the bed, it's not a 4x4 any more. Also a 1/4 drive 5/16" crows foot. 3/8 drive too, but I think the first will fit better. That sze is surprisingly hard to find, but needed to get at some of my header bolts.