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I'm nominating Harbor Freights pop riveter for "worst tool in the store." I just broke and exchanged two of them trying to fasten 6 rivets. The third tool finally finished the job, but just barely.
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Jul 3, 2010 03:14
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eddiewalker posted:I'm nominating Harbor Freights pop riveter for "worst tool in the store." I just broke and exchanged two of them trying to fasten 6 rivets. The third tool finally finished the job, but just barely. Is this the black and yellow $5 one? I got one and it's been a total piece of poo poo. It will only do one pull on the rivet but not go down any further to actually pop it.
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Jul 3, 2010 03:33
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Splizwarf posted:I need to replace several connectors on my car (male/female blocks where a loom comes in and turns to pins or sockets). I need these blocks in specific numbers of pinslots (at least one must be 16 pins so Deutsch is out I think?), but they don't need to match anything but each other (replacing the male and the female at the same time on each set of connections). I think I need connector blocks, pins, sockets, and a crimper in the hobby/homemade price range. M22520/01 (Search for an AF8) crimp tool with the proper head (probably should get a universal head) off eBay with old stock Mil Spec 38999 D connectors and whatever pins go in the ones you find will be reasonably priced and very high quality and will have all the tools to service them and do whatever you need with them forever. Don't worry about empty holes. The Mil 38999 connector is what the Deutch AutoSport connector series is based off of. If you click the ? to view my previous posts in this thread I talk a lot about crimp tools and that specific tool.
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Jul 3, 2010 03:35
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eddiewalker posted:I'm nominating Harbor Freights pop riveter for "worst tool in the store." I just broke and exchanged two of them trying to fasten 6 rivets. The third tool finally finished the job, but just barely. Which one? I bought the $15 model and have fastened over 500 rivets so far with no trouble.
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Jul 3, 2010 03:44
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NinjaTech posted:Is this the black and yellow $5 one? I got one and it's been a total piece of poo poo. It will only do one pull on the rivet but not go down any further to actually pop it. I paid $9, but probably the same one.
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Jul 3, 2010 04:06
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eddiewalker posted:I paid $9, but probably the same one. it's a turd. Lowes or Home Depot's riviting tools are solid.
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Jul 3, 2010 04:53
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R-Type posted:it's a turd. Lowes or Home Depot's riviting tools are solid. Arrow brand. For cheap rivet tools - only get the big scissor style. The traditional hand ones are poo poo from the cheap guys. The bigger (14-18" handle rivet tools) ones will last longer and make the actual riveting simple. Doing 3/16" stainless rivets into 14gauge galvanized steel sure was a workout with the normal hand riveter though. Made a man outta my hand.
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Jul 3, 2010 05:07
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I borrowed this one from my friend and it works great. I should have just put my $5 towards getting one. The rotating head is a pretty awesome feature as well. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00974749000P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=
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Jul 3, 2010 05:26
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Anyone ever use this harbor freight wire stripper? http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-automatic-wire-stripper-42101.html $6 is a smokin deal as comparable ones from ideal are $25-$115(MilSpec, lol) I think this is the absolute best kind of stripper for the stuff any of us would use it for. Sadly, these arent sold in the store near me. 
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Jul 3, 2010 07:34
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NinjaTech posted:I borrowed this one from my friend and it works great. I should have just put my $5 towards getting one. The rotating head is a pretty awesome feature as well. As someone who goes through ~20 rivet guns a year, I'll just say this: Arrow or Surebonder. Nothing else even comes close. The reason we go through so many is that we use them in possibly the worst possible environment: seawater, repeated use then 2 months of sitting (without being washed out), and hot, sweaty, pissed off users who regularly throw them into New Haven harbor when they jam... We tried more expensive guns, we tried rotating heads, we tried HF's guns. We end up buying a dozen surebonders or arrows at a time, and they just hold up the best. I regularly get the shanks jammed in the noses, and wail them against the gunwale of the boat to dislodge the rivet shanks. The crappy guns break when you do that, the rotating head guns snap off or jam at a wired angle, and the arrow/surebonders just take the abuse and keep on going. Eventually they jam up so badly we toss them overboard in frustration, but not until they've endured a shitload of abuse.
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Jul 3, 2010 14:41
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sharkytm posted:As someone who goes through ~20 rivet guns a year, I'll just say this: See? Those who know speak the truth. Cheap rivet guns aren't worth the hassle. These are the only style cheap ones that have held up for me - even being a cheap tool, they almost cost as much as the Arrow hand rivet tool. 
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Jul 3, 2010 16:08
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sharkytm posted:As someone who goes through ~20 rivet guns a year, I'll just say this: well that's a huge difference from what I needed it for. I just had to use it for a few rivets on my bike's silencer. I'll take a look at the Arrow ones though when I need to buy one. I've probably only put 20 rivets through that sears one between my bike and the festiva lemons car, no jams or anything.
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Jul 3, 2010 22:34
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RealKyleH posted:Anyone ever use this harbor freight wire stripper? I have a somewhat similar style one from Princess Auto and it's made wiring almost fun: http://www.princessauto.com/tools/trade-tools/tubing-tools/2990264-automatic-adjustable-heavy-duty-wire-stripper-cutter-crimper
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Jul 3, 2010 22:51
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Those do not appear to be similar? Does that one grab the wire, strip it then spring back?
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Jul 3, 2010 23:38
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Similar in operation. The wire lies on the platform perpendicular to the handles; the left jaw holds the wire while the right jaw strips the insulation, pulls it off the wire all in one stroke and then resets.
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Jul 4, 2010 00:39
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I used that harbor freight stripper a few times before at a friends house. It was pretty loose and took a few attempts to strip the wire. I have also used a vise-grip branded version of what Bulk Vanderhuge posted and can confirm that they are pretty good.
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Jul 4, 2010 00:49
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Can someone educate me on what I'd need to reflow the solder joints on a ram socket in a laptop? I just picked up an IBM T30 laptop off Ebay for my BMW DIS-GT1 clone project (I've already tracked down all of the software for it), and found out that it has the dreaded bad memory slot problem. There are 2x 512MB chips installed, but only one is recognized. Swapping chips yields the same result, so I know they are OK. It seems the only way to permanently fix this issue is to reflow the solder connecting the memory slot to the mainboard. I currently have at my disposal a Harbor Freight 1500W heat gun, a no-name soldering iron of unknown wattage, a 17w Weller soldering iron, and a 100w Radio Shack solder gun, none of which have temperature control of any sort. Everything I've been reading online says that you need something with adjustable temperature or a solder station, but I'd rather not drop a bunch of money on a solder station that I would hardly ever use. I found this while I was looking, and it seems like it may fit the bill. I know this is cheap China poo poo and probably won't hold up too long, but it seems like it may do the trick this one time, and it has the fine tip I'd need. Any opinions? Ideas? Tips on how to do this so I don't break things? Stuff I need to get? Easy tricks on how to reflow nearly microscopic solder joints? Can I use a heat gun on this? Is this a completely stupid idea for someone who's never done delicate soldering before? I've soldered tons of stuff before, just never anything this small.
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Jul 9, 2010 06:20
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Does anyone have any experience with Harbor Freight vacuum pumps? I have been looking for a used one in pawn shops and on craigslist off and on for months with no success. I need to evac and refill at least two cars, and the quote I got for the work on just one car was a lot more than I wanted to spend. I called around to rental places and none of the ones around me have vacuum pumps. It seems they have three kinds: The first is under $15 and is powered by an air compressor. I assume this is worthless if you don't have a fuckoff huge air compressor. http://www.harborfreight.com/air-vacuum-pump-with-r134a-and-r12-connectors-96677.html The second is a 2.5 cfm model for $80. The store in my city doesn't have any and the website says it is sold out. http://www.harborfreight.com/25-cfm-vacuum-pump-98076.html The third is a 3 cfm model for $150. It says it is a "two-stage" unit. Does this mean it is significantly better despite the cfm specification not being much higher?
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Jul 9, 2010 06:35
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I have the 2.5cfm model for doing plastic vacuum forming. It works fine. The two stage model just gets to higher vacuum.
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Jul 9, 2010 06:37
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Bulk Vanderhuge posted:I have a somewhat similar style one from Princess Auto and it's made wiring almost fun: I purchased the Channel Lock version after trying the HF. It's superior and works every time like a champ.
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Jul 9, 2010 06:41
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PBcrunch don't forget to replace the driers too!
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Jul 9, 2010 07:10
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Black88GTA posted:I currently have at my disposal a Harbor Freight 1500W heat gun, a no-name soldering iron of unknown wattage, a 17w Weller soldering iron, and a 100w Radio Shack solder gun, none of which have temperature control of any sort. Everything I've been reading online says that you need something with adjustable temperature or a solder station, but I'd rather not drop a bunch of money on a solder station that I would hardly ever use. I found this while I was looking, and it seems like it may fit the bill. I know this is cheap China poo poo and probably won't hold up too long, but it seems like it may do the trick this one time, and it has the fine tip I'd need. Just remember to take your time, make sure the solder joint is shiny when you're finished, and that ROHS solder melts at a higher temperature than traditional solder so you'll have to keep the iron on the joint a little longer than you're used to before it flows.
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Jul 9, 2010 09:05
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I replaced the receiver/drier as well. It was only $10 on Rockauto. The r/d was more trouble than the AC compressor. I had to remove the battery & tray, front driver's wheel, the fender liner and the driver's head light in order to get the r/d.
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Jul 9, 2010 15:20
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I was talking to a friend about this AC evac and refill business and he said that the refrigerant has to be added to the system by weight. He said when they use the big cans in real mechanic shops they weigh the can before and during the refrigerant fill so that they add the right amount. Am I correct in thinking the amateur can do the same thing by using a set number of 12 oz cans of refrigerant? Or is this not reliable because the cans don't necessarily totally empty out? Or should I go buy a little digital scale so I can weigh the refrigerant cans too? I have a manifold gauge set already btw. I know you have to add a certain amount of oil first also.
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Jul 9, 2010 15:40
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PBCrunch posted:I was talking to a friend about this AC evac and refill business and he said that the refrigerant has to be added to the system by weight. He said when they use the big cans in real mechanic shops they weigh the can before and during the refrigerant fill so that they add the right amount.
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Jul 9, 2010 16:48
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Cheap Bourbon posted:FWIW, unless the leakdown tests done at the shraeder valve show less than the 60psi you might be looking at the fuel pump which is more the failure point to those 4.3 Vortec's than the poppet's (96 -- > 2002 1/2) valves. If you are convinced due to testing and leakdown tests that it is the FI setup, change the spiders to the 2002 1/2+ assembly for $150 + installation Oh I'm not actually having any problems, I just want to be able to run FI cleaner on them twice a year and can't with my current fi cleaner rig. And when I said 60 psi that's not what I tested it at, I just knew that this system is supposed to run higher pressure than normal and was supposed to be at least close to 60 I think. That's the whole problem with my current fi cleaner, it uses pressure from a can of pressurized cleaner and I've read that's not enough for an older spider type vortec I do plan to change to the updated spider if there's ever even the slightest hint of a problem though. Vin BioEthanol fucked around with this message at 17:18 on Jul 9, 2010 |
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Jul 9, 2010 17:15
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I picked up a few extra long forceps at Fry's electronics the other day. Some straight, some curved and they're great for grabbing things in tight places [in my case fuel injector drain hoses] and much more flexible than needle noise plyers. Best $18 I've ever spent on tools so far.
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Jul 9, 2010 17:52
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PBCrunch posted:I was talking to a friend about this AC evac and refill business and he said that the refrigerant has to be added to the system by weight. He said when they use the big cans in real mechanic shops they weigh the can before and during the refrigerant fill so that they add the right amount. I'm not expert but I don't see why you couldn't do this. It seems even the pros don't take into account the refrigerant in the manifold lines, so I'm guessing whatever is left in the can won't make a significant difference. They fill systems by weight because the systems pressures change depending on ambient temperature & humidity, so pressure readings are not an accurate way to determine system fill. You could just estimate based on the number of 12oz cans you put in the system and verify the weight by weighing the cans before and after. If your system takes a multiple of 12oz, like 3.0 lbs for example that would be perfect. Just be careful not to overcharge the system. A few ounces over probably won't kill your compressor but you'll have decreased cooling performance. More than that can put too much stress on your compressor and damage it because you're sending liquid refrigerant to the compressor. If you have a sight glass fill just until you start to see bubbles in the line while the compressor is running. Jared592 posted:I always thought AC service was something you really needed to go to a shop for. The extent of my AC fuckery has been using one of those recharge cans containing R134a, oil, and some kind of stop-leak additive. It's not hard at all, and you only need a couple specialized tools which really only come into play during refill. People get freaked out over it because they think the EPA is going to come rape them in the rear end if they do it themselves. While it is technically illegal to vent R134a into the atmosphere from an air conditioning system, it is the same chemical used in a lot of computer dusting sprays (which is why it come out cold as poo poo). So if you've ever used computer duster you've likely sprayed a 12oz can of R134a directly into the atmosphere. If it says CAS #811-97-2 it's R134a. So don't feel too bad if a little gets out while servicing your A/C.
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Jul 9, 2010 22:28
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sbyers77 posted:If it says CAS #811-97-2 it's R134a. So don't feel too bad if a little gets out while servicing your A/C. Also, you need a vacuum pump to evacuate the nitrogen fill (and especially any air in the system) before you can inject the refrigerant.
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Jul 9, 2010 22:46
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nmfree posted:Just buy a replacement needle tip for the Weller pencil iron you already own, no real point in buying yet another iron. A freestanding magnifying glass would probably help, too, but you could get by without one. Thanks for the tips. I'm seeing if the Ebay seller will honor his 14 day warranty first, but if I do end up repairing it myself, I'll definitely get a new iron tip at the very least. I had already had my eye on one of those "helping hands" dealies with the magnifier and alligator clips on them, since it seems this job would suck without being able to see it clearly. Would one of those "hot air rework" stations (like this ) be good for this type of project? It seems they are used primarily for placing SMDs without external posts onto PCBs. My thought was to direct the hot air jet onto the existing solder joints to melt and reflow them without even touching them. Is this stupid? Seems like that would be easier to not gently caress up...
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Jul 9, 2010 23:02
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My friend and I were working on his Ninja and had to delink the old chain, so we went to Harbor Freight and bought this we broke the punch, like it just snapped part way through. Good thing they included a second one I guess, so much for heavy duty though.
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Jul 9, 2010 23:34
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Black88GTA posted:Thanks for the tips. I'm seeing if the Ebay seller will honor his 14 day warranty first, but if I do end up repairing it myself, I'll definitely get a new iron tip at the very least. I had already had my eye on one of those "helping hands" dealies with the magnifier and alligator clips on them, since it seems this job would suck without being able to see it clearly. That's really overkill. Just heat up an iron, tin the tip with a few inches of solder, then pull it across a damp sponge a few times to clean all the excess off. With a clean, shiny tip its just a matter of placing the iron at a 15 or so degree angle to the PCB at the end of the rod of pins where they meet the board and pulling the iron toward you slowly so the tip drags across the row of pins.
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Jul 9, 2010 23:47
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eddiewalker posted:That's really overkill. Just heat up an iron, tin the tip with a few inches of solder, then pull it across a damp sponge a few times to clean all the excess off. Is a wire wheel (assuming he has one) not delicate enough for something like that?
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Jul 10, 2010 00:43
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scapulataf posted:Is a wire wheel (assuming he has one) not delicate enough for something like that? Heavens no! Have you ever tinned a brand new tip? At least on a good iron like a Weller, they're coated such that solder only readily adheres to the last 1/4 inch or so of the tip, and there's a very sharp separation. The rosin that melts from the center of a few inches of solder is all that's necessary to renew a tip that hasn't been completely abused. Coat it up, wipe off the impurities and excess lead. You can also get little cups of coarse copper wool that you can poke the tip into a few times to accomplish the same thing. I prefer that. The same can probably be accomplished with a coarse scouring pad from the kitchen, but avoid steel wool; it burns. eddiewalker fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jul 10, 2010 |
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Jul 10, 2010 01:09
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My brakes had been making noise while rolling slowly without them applied, so I took em apart to check things out and found a broken caliper slider pin on the driver's side. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I also used a TOOL to clean up my brake rotors, namely a lathe. Here are some pics: Click here for the full 1600x1200 image.  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image. This tool wasn't relieved enough to reach in all the way, and when I ground it back I ground waaaay too much away and it was no longer rigid enough and flexed away from the work while cutting. So I ground a new tool from a piece of HSS real quick.  Click here for the full 1200x1600 image. New tool:  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image. New and Old:  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image. Final cut!  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image. Both done:  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image. Both rotors ended up at .615-.617" thick. The minimum is .630 if my miata book is correct. As you can see the one rotor didn't completely clean up but I did not want to take more material off and that is not a part of the rotor where the pad makes contact anyway. As it is I can live with .015 undersize and will see how it goes. Chauncey fucked around with this message at 00:17 on Jul 11, 2010 |
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Jul 11, 2010 00:13
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Chauncey posted:I'm here because I also used a TOOL to clean up my brake rotors, namely a lathe. My friend just got a lathe and I was excited to turn my rotors with it. When I started looking to see if there are any specific instructions for brake rotors I read that you can't really do it unless it has the special brake rotor cutter that can cut both sides at the same time. Otherwise, when you flip the rotor around to cut the second side there is no way to guarantee flatness/parallel, or something like that. Let me know how they work out on the car. And I'd be really careful with undersized rotors like that.
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Jul 11, 2010 00:31
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What I did was to set 2 different tools up on center in different toolholders before I indicated the rotor in the lathe chuck. That way I can guarantee parallelism between the faces. Then I would machine one face, swap toolholders and machine the other.
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Jul 11, 2010 00:43
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You know that new rotors are like $15 on rockauto?
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Jul 11, 2010 03:43
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But turning things is fun.
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Jul 11, 2010 04:24
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oxbrain posted:You know that new rotors are like $15 on rockauto? We had a proper rotor/drum lathe at the parts store I worked at. We would discount new rotors/drums to the point that it didn't make sense for the customer to turn the rotors (unless it was the full-size hub & rotor style). Saved us loving around for 30-45minutes and got more product out the door.
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Jul 11, 2010 13:50
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