A Handful Of Trusty Tricks.

[Dennis]

Here are five trusty tricks you might like. Why not add some of your own?

Tea Light Delights

Tea lights come in large packs, so if you have some to spare or can scrounge them from family or friends, they make smart waxy disks for lubricating saw blades, and also heavy wire when drawing it down. All you do is to pull out the wick and remove the foil cover. They can even be hung up somewhere out of the way.

Restoring Soldering Blocks.

When your soldering blocks get rough and untidy, you will want to restore them. Traditionally this is done by rubbing two together, a dusty dirty business best done out of doors. But once you are outside, you might just as well use a dry paving stone instead, which is much quicker. It leaves behind some dust and graffiti, but that will soon wash away with rain. There is no lack of that at present.

Make Up Brush.

Magnifying loupes get dusty in use, or display greasy marks. If the lenses are made of plastic they will need careful treatment to save them from becoming scratched and opaque. My answer is a large, soft make up brush, either used dry or with water and a drop of detergent. They are then rinsed and shaken dry or only dabbed lightly, never rubbed.

Travel iron.

Most of us have a small travel iron, put away and not earning its keep. They are good for transferring images from film to metal for etching, and also clamped upside down in a vice as a hot plate for Keum-Boo. You can leave yours on a favourite setting, as it won’t be needed for the weekly chore.

Investment Soldering.

When parts become really tricky to solder because they won’t stay together, investment soldering might spring to mind. This is not an attractive option, because to start with you have to buy more than twenty kilos of the stuff. In many cases a squidge of Technofux, a cool-paste which comes in a tube, will hold small components together perfectly well. It does not change much when heated: an instant remedy.

Dennis.

[mizgeorge]

A fantastic selection of tips, as always, Dennis - thank you

[ps_bond]

To add to the tealight theme, I use the cheap Ikea glass tealight holders on the bench to hold small parts, findings and the like.

[trialuser]

A money saving tip.
Currently paying 15 quid a kg for pickle powder, plus getting stung for courier delivery?
Buy this then
If you are happy to store it in a paper sack it can be bought and delivered for even less.

[caroleallen]

Great tips. The only one I currently do is the iron in a vice trick. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

[Dennis]

Yes Peter, those pesky small parts are in danger of being buried under a pile of tools on my bench, or dropping off the edge. I have taken to using a round ceramic palette from an art shop to keep them safe.

Trial user, you're quite right. When I first started I was puzzled by the Sparex they use in the USA for pickling, only to realise it was swimming bath additive. Might etch your teeth though, if you swim a lot. Dennis.

[Goldsmith]

I have just posted this small tutorial photo on another question, and I thought it may be useful on this ideas thread.

The photos show my method of making the type of setting used on the second photo of a ring I made for my daughter.



James

[Keia]

Excellent tips, thankyou Dennis. I've printed your wee tutorial for my private folder to try that type of setting James, I've a plethora of books & none of them demonstrate this setting, thankyou for linking =D

[LydiaNiz]

ahhhh I was just cussing at my mucky soldering blocks today. I shall give 'em a rub down tomorrow