{"id":42619,"date":"2024-08-24T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=42619"},"modified":"2024-08-19T13:42:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T20:42:32","slug":"gars-tips-tools-issue-182","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/gars-tips-tools-issue-182\/","title":{"rendered":"Gar&#8217;s Tips &#038; Tools &#8211; Issue #182"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Gar\u2019s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales is published by Cool Tools Lab. To receive the newsletter a week early, sign up\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/garstips.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Buying\/Selling Vintage Toolboxes<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_42901\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r69Xe5NixO0?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Continuing the vintage tools theme from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/p\/gars-tips-and-tools-issue-181\">our previous issue<\/a>, I ran into this video on&nbsp;<em>YouTube<\/em>&nbsp;about buying old toolboxes full of tools at yard and estate sales and reselling the contents for a profit. In the video,&nbsp;<strong>Chris<\/strong>&nbsp;from the&nbsp;<em>Ultimate Recycler<\/em>&nbsp;buys two boxes, one for AUS$20 and one for $40. The $20 box looks like it\u2019s mainly cheap and exhausted tools, but he still manages, after some cleaning, to get over $100. He estimates that the $40 toolbox will get at least $150. He concludes that, even with a not-so-great collection, you\u2019re still likely to return 4-5 times what you paid. This would be a fun side hustle\/hobby for those of us who like trading in \u201cold iron.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Understanding Over-Center Mechanisms<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_65907\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ia3Iieejyg8?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Over-center mechanisms are a type of bistable mechanism, meaning they have two stable states\u2014think of your bicycle kickstand or a cupboard latch. Toggle clamps, anyone? In&nbsp;<em>This Old Tony<\/em>&nbsp;video, the always good for a laugh and a great education,&nbsp;<strong>Tony<\/strong>&nbsp;looks at the physics, construction, and application of these useful and ubiquitous mechanisms. I certainly knew of a number of these devices and how they worked, but didn\u2019t know the name for this category of mechanism and the physical science behind their function. Great stuff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Sharpening Wheels on Tube Cutters<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_36594\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K-40gY0jmbY?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In this&nbsp;<em>See Jane Drill<\/em>&nbsp;video,&nbsp;<strong>Leah Bolden<\/strong>&nbsp;shows how easy it is to replace&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/Vdjd1h\">the cutting wheel<\/a>&nbsp;on a tube cutter and how to keep the cutting wheel you have by sharpening it on a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/Acf9\">leather strop<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Removing Sticky \u201cSoft Touch\u201d Coating<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_96033\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mvTSAIV7FlI?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s called \u201csoft touch,\u201d \u201cpremium textured feel,\u201d and \u201crubberized finish.\u201d It\u2019s that coating found on some consumer products like flashlights, binoculars, kitchen items, and personal electronics. No-slip grip. It feels good. For a while. Over time, it starts to break down and the object gets sticky and unpleasant to the touch. As someone explains in the comments of this video, \u201cthe gummy material is created when the polymer [in the coating] reacts with ozone and UV and re-links. It happens faster when oils are present.\u201d The solution? In the video, they found that gasoline is one of the few things that removes it. Someone in the comments says&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/PF5t7te\">Naptha<\/a>&nbsp;works well and is safer. Naptha-based&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/gYrZK\">Coleman fuel<\/a>&nbsp;also works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Must-See Maker TV<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_59329\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0ZhHoyqQEhA?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve written about&nbsp;<em>The Practical Engineer<\/em>&nbsp;here before, but these videos are so good, you deserve a reminder. Each episode is a crash course in\u2026 well\u2026 practical engineering. Here is everything you never knew about the leaning tower of Pisa. Like, did you know that it had already started to lean during its multi-century construction and subsequent builders had to correct for the lean as they added stories? The tower is curved, not straight. Channel host&nbsp;<strong>Grady Hillhouse<\/strong>&nbsp;is an amazing and effective educator. He uses great graphics, in-shop experiments, and history to drive each episode home. You\u2019re always smarter coming out than going in. As someone comments on this video: \u201cThere&#8217;s just something extremely joyful about a guy being able to say \u2018recreational geology\u2019 with a straight face and a genuine smile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Shop Talk<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Readers offer their feedback, tips, tales, and tool recommendations.<br><br>My old friend and colleague,&nbsp;<strong>Mike Colombo,<\/strong>&nbsp;wrote in response to the Stanley Workmaster screwdriver piece in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/i\/145627355\/more-tool-love-for-the-stanley-workmaster\">the last issue<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>I inherited a few&nbsp;Stanley Workmaster screwdrivers from my father. When I watched Adam&#8217;s video, I grabbed the tools out of the box and had a newfound appreciation for their ergonomic qualities. And these were probably manufactured before the word &#8220;ergonomic&#8221; was even in the zeitgeist!&nbsp; Anyway, just another &#8220;thank you&#8221; for continuing to send out these newsletters. Cheers!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Long-time reader&nbsp;<strong>Paul Cryan<\/strong>:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>Fantastic stuff as usual! It seems that fishing tools from the trash\/thrift stores\/estate-sale-miscellaneous-jumble boxes and giving them new life is my raison d\u2019etre. And you\u2019re one of my most influential influencers in that regard. Thank you. Just this weekend, I spent a good bit of my leisure time cleaning up a $2 pair of Truecraft pliers I found at Goodwill. The purchase was really just an excuse to try the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/MdHLlYP\">Tub-o-Towels<\/a>&nbsp;you put on my radar. OMG\u2026they\u2019ve got lanolin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The lovely and talented&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/microship.com\/\">Steven Roberts<\/a>&nbsp;writes:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>I hardly know where to begin! I have a few favorites I need to photograph for you. This one just caught my eye this morning on the way out of the boat&#8230; Fabulously dense little hammer with a very useful pair of additional utilities. I don&#8217;t even know its proper name, but it&#8217;s always been in my tool cabinet. I&#8217;ll try to get some more for you. Inherited a lot from my father, a mechanical engineer from Swarthmore&#8230; Even a favorite old ice pick with a wood handle that\u2019s right up there with newer scribes. Something about that old steel.&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64bb65b8-dba2-4046-8114-aa482fef49f2_4080x1501.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64bb65b8-dba2-4046-8114-aa482fef49f2_4080x1501.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"461\" height=\"170\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b98a4eb-e35c-463f-8d66-2e76752847d7_1205x908.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7b98a4eb-e35c-463f-8d66-2e76752847d7_1205x908.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"457\" height=\"343\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>Consider a Paid Subscription<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Gar\u2019s Tips &amp; Tools<\/em>&nbsp;is always free. But if you if you find ir truly useful to you, consider a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/subscribe\">paid subscription<\/a>&nbsp;($8\/month). This keeps me in coffee and potato chips while I\u2019m working on this labor of love. If you really want to show your patronage, consider becoming a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/garstipsandtools.com\/subscribe\">Hero of the Realm<\/a>. I will send custom packages of goodies (books, tools, zines, and more) to all my Heroes.<br><br>Thanks to all those who have already subscribed. You are the Kapton tape on my 3D print bed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Access to tools, techniques, and shop tales from the diverse worlds of DIY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2371],"tags":[2372],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42620,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42619\/revisions\/42620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}