[sdiy] special tightening tools?

[Roy J. Tellason]

On Thursday 23 October 2008 14:05, Adam Schabtach wrote:
> > All the pots I buy come with a plain washer which is just a
> > little bigger than the nut, and the nutdriver (which has a
> > fairly smooth, rounded edge in any case) actually seats
> > against the washer, thus protecting whatever is underneath.
>
> <rant>
> Years ago (around 20, come to think of it), I used a nice set of Xcelite
> hollow-shaft nutdrivers owned by my employer. They had nice, smooth,
> polished ends and would certainly not scratch a panel.
>
> A few years ago when I got into synth building in a serious manner I
> ordered a set of Xcelite hollow-shaft nutdrivers, specifically for mounting
> pots and switches on panels. The tools I received were not nearly as nicely
> made. The ends were flat, not particularly polished, and had a sharp
> corner. I didn't notice how badly made they were until I mounted the first
> pot on a MOTM panel with one and put a substantial scratch in the panel.
> (Fortunately the knob hides it.) Yes, there was a washer behind the nut,
> but the diameter and shaping of the nut driver is such that it still
> scratched the panel.
>
> I tried to smooth the end with a diamond sharpener but couldn't produce a
> useful polish. I gave up and put tape over the end.
>
> It was a frustrating and disappointing experience, and pretty much soured
> me on the Cooper/Xcelite brand name.
> </rant>

Wow,  that sucks...

I've heard some comments to the same effect about Sears Craftsman tools,  
though I have not experienced similar problems with them myself.  Mostly.

I started out with a "cheap set" -- really cheap,  the handles were horrible 
and the metal was poor quality but it let me get some things done.  I shudder 
to think of them but actually still have a few of those on hand,  somewhere.

Later on I started getting Xcelite stuff,  bought these one at a time,  
starting with 1/4" since that was the size I was running into most commonly 
and now I have those from 3/16" on up to 9/16" in their "HS" (hollow shaft) 
line.

A bit later on I got a set of Snap-On nut drivers,  in a set that runs from 
1/4" to 1/2" and there is a noticeable difference between those and the 
Xcelite stuff -- there is a higher polish on them and the metal is much 
thinner for any given size.  I've since supplemented those with going down to 
1/8" and up to 5/8",  and also bought a metric set,  plus a couple of sizes 
to fill in where the metric set didn't cover things.  I just wanted *all* of 
the available sizes in there.

I also have 1/4" drive and 3/8" drive in both SAE and metric and in 
both "normal" and deep sockets.  The 1/4" drive stuff goes down to 1/8" and 
to 4 mm.  And I have combination wrenches covering down to that size as well.  
I do okay with the smaller stuff,  but need to start filling in some on the 
bigger end as I also use these same tools to work on my vehicles too.  :-)

If you want absolutely top-quality tools and a no-hassle guarantee then I 
can't recommend them more highly.  They ain't cheap,  though.  I saw that 
remark that Dan made about "picking up a cheap set" and shuddered,  been 
there and done that one and while they got me out of a bind early on I'm glad 
to be past that stage.

For reference,  that "cheap set" was bought sometime in the 1970s,  as were my 
first few Xcelite drivers,  the rest having been bought by the early 1980s.  
The Snap-On stuff came along a bit later,  that first set of nut drivers 
coming as a trade for some work and the rest of it bought when I had my shop, 
basically from 1985 into 1992.  I haven't bought much in terms of tools since 
then,   though I did make a small purchase recently (numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 
Torx bits :-).   It's easy enough to find those guys,  just talk to your 
local auto mechanics,  and they'll give you a phone number,  you call the 
number and find out where the truck is when you have the bucks,  and meet up 
with the guy....


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Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space,  a critter that can
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