What are your favorite tools and accessories?

[Dubbie]

I second(third, forth?) the Knipex parallel pliers.
I have the small pair in my machine shop apron pocket. They come in handy for so many jobs.
My most used machine shop tool is probably my Mitutoyo 150mm calipers.

On my electronics bench, my favourite things are probably my Lindstrom sharp side cutters. That and my Metcal iron.

[rdl]

In The US, ethanol is readily available as an industrial solvent in anhydrous form, at very good purity (99% or better). It's commonly denatured with a choice of other pure solvents, usually at 5-10%, none of that bitterant crap. The last place I worked we bought it in bulk, usually 2000-3000 gallons at a time. The type we used was anhydrous and denatured with mostly IPA and a bit of MIBK.

[jfiresto]

...My most used machine shop tool is probably my Mitutoyo 150mm calipers....

One with a traditional, locking thumb screw or with a thumb clamp?

[Dubbie]

It’s a digimatic so thumb screw. I have to say I have never seen one with the thumb clamp before.
For precision measurements I use mics anyway. Or a height gauge on the surface plate depending on what I am measuring

[jfiresto]

It’s a digimatic so thumb screw. I have to say I have never seen one with the thumb clamp before....

They are pretty neat as you do not have to fiddle with a thumb screw before or after the measurement and possibly muck it up. They have a couple disadvantages, however.

• Because of the clamp, they do not slide as easily as a completely loose, thumb screw clamp calipers.
• When they clamp, they are either all or nothing. While that assures a good measurement, it makes it hard to set a modest resistance and quickly set the calipers to an exact depth or width.

Despite that, I quite like my simple Mitutoyo 531-122.

[jfiresto]

This evening I discovered a new tool. 

I need a proprietary camera connector to make up a custom data cable. No one has been able to find good ones in loose form, so I have been scavenging them from camera data transfer and remote shutter cables. To do that, I need to remove the molded-on plastic from connectors like this:



I have a tolerable variety of straight and angled miniature electronic component snips and cutters, but I have yet to find anything that did not make heavy weather of it. Until now. Behold, the Fiskars 2921 (190500, 1003874, etc.) spring-action, microtip scissors:



Soften the plastic with a heat gun, snip, snip, snip and the plastic is soon off. You may have to hide this puppy or buy another if anyone in the house sews.

[Smoky]

I second the calipers 

I use mine everyday for something. Last night I was measuring the stick-out of a BNC pin from a terminator that I broke open.

[Dubbie]

I second the calipers 
I use mine everyday for something. Last night I was measuring the stick-out of a BNC pin from a terminator that I broke open.

Just a small tip - you probably already know this but I have come across many that don't. There are 4 measuring options on calipers. The main inner jaws, the outward jaws, the depth rod, and then finally, if you flip the caliper over and open it, you will see a step between the body/fixed jaw end and the sliding jaw. This is also a precision measuring option. This would be ideal for measuring the stickout on your connector. Place the body of the connector against the end, and slide the jaw up till it just touches the pin.

Here is a picture to show what I mean.

[Renate]

Panavise
I disassembled mine when I got it, oiled it up and filed away some of the burrs.

What a good idea!
I like my Panavise but I'm always fighting when it gets stuck at points and then never think to do anything about it.
The castings are pretty unfinished. Just a little 220 emery cloth took the burrs off.
I have the vacuum base. On my Formica desk it works better than just a weighted base.

[Rick Law]

From sometime in your 40s and onward, optical magnification, for example, flip up magnifiers, a jeweler's loupe or the acme of them all: a 3–20X, stereo microscope on a boom stand. The last is wonderful at any age.

I was about to say "reading glasses".  The pair I got improved my soldering immeasurably.  Loupe is much better than glasses when inspecting the work after it is done, but can't really use them while soldering.

[tooki]

Knipex parallel pliers are my favourite brand.

Those aren’t parallel pliers. Those aren’t pliers at all, those are wrenches. They’re not what the OP is talking about.

Knipex also make the best flush cutter, the Superknips.

They’re OK. But not as nice as the Knipex precision diagonal cutters, and nowhere close to as nice as Erem, which are in a league of their own. Erem’s “semiflush” cutters cut more flush than Knipex’s “super full flush”!!

[mansaxel]

Those aren’t parallel pliers. Those aren’t pliers at all, those are wrenches. They’re not what the OP is talking about.

Care to enlighten with link or pictures? If there are more kinds of tools around, I probably am going to want them.

[Cerebus]

Quick, crappy, photo of my parallel pliers and a hole punch that operates on the same principle:

[mansaxel]

Quick, crappy, photo of my parallel pliers and a hole punch that operates on the same principle:

Yes, it is a bit different, but the Knipex can be used (and indeed is!) for many of the same things. The goldsmithing community seem to like the one pictured above  for straightening wire and similar and that's something I've done a lot with mine too. Many press-fit applications are a breeze with the Knipex as well.

Ultimately, I think I'd want both, of course. Tools, test equipment, you can never have enough.

[Skashkash]

I find the Hakko Omnivise really helpful for holding PCBs and other workpieces.  Looks a little weird, works great.
  Just wish they were cheaper.

[wizard69]

One thing that just came to mind is the flashlight.   Due to working on the plant floor a good part of the day, it is a tool I use everyday now.    part of that is age but it also has a lot to do with the lack of lighting where the goods are located.   

Now I use to get really frustrated with flashlight due to leaking batteries ruining so many.    This actually drove me to buy a Milwaukee flashlight that works with their 12 VDC system.    Some may think that such tools are expensive but I can honestly say it is far cheaper than having batteries leak in your Mag-lites (good flashlights, terrible battery solution).   It has gotten to the point that I don't even want a flash light using alkaline batteries anymore.

Another item that gets more and more use is a wire ferrule crimper.   Initially I was of the opinion that wire ferrules where just silly but they have been proven to be a great improver of electrical connections, especially for extremely fine wires.    I now try to use ferrules and a crimper wherever there are setscrew type connections.   These days manufactures of transducers and sensors use extremely fine wire in their leads and thus require some bulking up and corralling of those fine wires to install well at termination points.

[mansaxel]

Another item that gets more and more use is a wire ferrule crimper. 

Let me yammer on about another Knipex device, then, the Aderendhülsenzange.  Ferrules are wonderful in and of themselves, but paired with this tool they make you a much better person!

[Renate]

Due to working on the plant floor a good part of the day...

(Not to derail the thread.) You're making me jealous and nostalgic.
I used to work in large facilities where I spent a lot of times walking between locations.
Nowadays most people just sit their butts down in front of a computer.

[tooki]

Another item that gets more and more use is a wire ferrule crimper. 

Let me yammer on about another Knipex device, then, the Aderendhülsenzange.  Ferrules are wonderful in and of themselves, but paired with this tool they make you a much better person!

FWIW, as someone who has used both, this is a tool where the $15 Chinese copies on Aliexpress actually work just as well as the original. They make a great addition to the toolbox.

[tooki]

I find the Hakko Omnivise really helpful for holding PCBs and other workpieces.  Looks a little weird, works great.
  Just wish they were cheaper.

I’d love to see a full teardown of one of those, to see if it can be DIY replicated at reasonable cost.

[Skashkash]

I’d love to see a full teardown of one of those, to see if it can be DIY replicated at reasonable cost.

Pretty simple construction, The central core does weigh in at almost 1.5kg for stability. Don't really need the knurling. Hard rubber discs glued to washer and core to sandwich and protect workpiece. I'm sure anyone with a lathe could crank them out by the boatload..

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eGcn7NvWJBEU3efd8

[Cerebus]

That knurling seems more than pointless, it actually seems counter productive. As the central core is only held up on one side by the 'gearstick' slot, it's relying for a good fit and parallelism between the core and the sheath to hold it square and level. Adding the knurling is going to make the fit of the core in the sheath less precise and, as can be seen I think on the photo you liked to, going to wear more against its contact points than a smooth finish would. Odd.

[Electro Fan]

Another item that gets more and more use is a wire ferrule crimper.   Initially I was of the opinion that wire ferrules where just silly but they have been proven to be a great improver of electrical connections, especially for extremely fine wires.    I now try to use ferrules and a crimper wherever there are setscrew type connections.   These days manufactures of transducers and sensors use extremely fine wire in their leads and thus require some bulking up and corralling of those fine wires to install well at termination points.

+1 for ferrules

[Electro Fan]

I find the Hakko Omnivise really helpful for holding PCBs and other workpieces.  Looks a little weird, works great.
  Just wish they were cheaper.

looks similar....

[Electro Fan]

Good sales pitch for why 3 might be better than 2



- it’s actually a nice quick review