Electronics > Beginners

Your best/worst innovative but completely incorrect usage of tools...

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jerryk:
I recently had to recover the tail of my airplane after a moose tried to mate with it.  I used my hot air rework station set at it's lowest setting to lay down some pinked tape edges that had lifted and smooth out bubbles that occurred in the tapes.  I did this after I applied silver which is normally a near impossible task with any type of iron.  I also assisted smoothing the bubbles out with a paint brush handle covered in Kapton Tape.  These are now essential tools in any of my aircraft recovering adventures.

Jerry

 

KL27x:

--- Quote ---Spinning a drill bit on a drill press, then encouraging sandpaper to wrap around it to lightly clean the inside of a metal shaft
--- End quote ---
Better if you can lay hands on a wood dowel or a small metal tube or rod. Cut a slot in the end to start the strip of sandpaper, wrap it tight so it grips in the slot, and use tape to affix the other end. Or an O ring, if you're going to wear out a lot of sandpaper.

Johnboy:
I have had some surprising luck with removing stripped screws (and "security"-type screws for which I don't have the right screwdriver head at hand) by using a Phillips head screwdriver slightly smaller than the head that would be normally used. What I have often done is cut a rubber band to the approximate size of the slot (only if the screw is recessed, otherwise I don't cut it at all) and then applied a lot of force with the Phillips head on top of it to get the rubber to 'fill' and grip the screw slot tightly enough to turn it counterclockwise. There is probably a better way, but this has worked for me in some situations that would have otherwise been supremely aggravating.

sokoloff:
Another tip is to use valve grinding compound (find it at a legitimate auto parts store, not one that sells neon lights and 16" subwoofers) to give additional grip for partially stripped screws.

GreyWoolfe:

--- Quote from: james_s on October 14, 2018, 04:46:09 pm ---
--- Quote from: IDEngineer on October 14, 2018, 02:00:21 am ---Another favorite of mine is using a very normal C-clamp to install PEM nuts and other press-in fittings. I don't have a hydraulic press but you can impart a LOT of force with a C-clamp, and using sockets or other devices (even custom-shaped ones if necessary) you can focus that force down to very small, or even custom-shaped, areas.

--- End quote ---

I do that frequently too, also for pushing the piston(s) back into a brake caliper so I can install new pads.

--- End quote ---

I have done that for years.  Not long after I bought my retired company van, I needed rear brakes.  Found out they had the ratcheting pistons.  Not wanting to bug Mrs GreyWoolfe for her car as I didn't want to put the tires back on the van, I came up with an alternative.  They were rotated back in with a rubber mallet and a big honking slotted tip screwdriver.  I didn't even damage the screwdriver. :-+

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