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tomjkear

What's in your toolkit?

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I've always used whatever tools I've had around the house but I'm thinking of building up a set specially for R/C and other model building.

This time around I was painfully aware that, despite having a large selection of screwdrivers, none of them were a perfect fit for the screws in my Monster Beetle 2015 kit.

Aside from screwdrivers I'm thinking of getting a precision measuring tool (a ruler with a slider - I don't know it's real name).

What screwdrivers do you use? What's in your toolkit? Anything unusual? Anything you couldn't survive without? :)

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I have the Tamiya screwdrivers that have the JIS heads for most Tamiya builds. I'm a firm believer in having the right tools for the job. For the rest, I have an old set of SportWerks hex drivers that have been rock solid for 10 years. Too bad they don't make them anymore. Calipers is what you call the ruler thingy. There are 2 tools I couldn't live without. They are my shock shaft pliers and Tamiya Shock Air Removal Pump. Invest in good tools the first time and they will save you in the long run. Also, if you don't have one, get a decent soldering iron. I honestly have no clue how some can be in this hobby and not have a soldering iron lol.

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When I was stripping my latest vintage Monster Beetle at the weekend I had to resort to a hammer and punch to remove some bent screws, not something that you would normally imagine needing for an RC car :huh:

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19 minutes ago, Theibault said:

I have the Tamiya screwdrivers that have the JIS heads for most Tamiya builds. I'm a firm believer in having the right tools for the job. For the rest, I have an old set of SportWerks hex drivers that have been rock solid for 10 years. Too bad they don't make them anymore. Calipers is what you call the ruler thingy. There are 2 tools I couldn't live without. They are my shock shaft pliers and Tamiya Shock Air Removal Pump. Invest in good tools the first time and they will save you in the long run. Also, if you don't have one, get a decent soldering iron. I honestly have no clue how some can be in this hobby and not have a soldering iron lol.

As it happens I already have a good soldering iron. I am also interested in programming and electronics - Arduino, Raspberry Pi etc.

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Adjustable crescent wrench.  

SAE hex drivers for when metric ones are stripped... and working on my one Associated buggy.

and LOL at soldiering. I was prepping my old ECX truck to send to my family in Kenya... had to switch it to Horizon plugs... soldier? nope.  crimp connectors.  more reliable.

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You can accumulate all sorts of tools in this hobby, but the one tool I use more frequently than expected is a curved set of needle nose pliers:

proto-j225g-bent-nose-needle-nose-pliers

The 45 degree angle makes it easy to reach around other parts to get to fasteners and adjusters.  Also great for popping on e-clips.  For me this is an essential tool.

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Tamiya screwdriver set.

Calipers (the ruler thingy). I bought a Silverline one from Amazon - seems OK.

Tamiya soft nose pliers for building shocks.

I bought the very sharp Tamiya nippers for separating parts from sprues but they are a luxury item.

Cutting mat (saves the dining table and my neck).

I've yet to get a soldering iron but need one.

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I'll second the JIS Tamiya screwdrivers. They really do make all the difference.

Who knew that a Japanese model would use JIS screws!?

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Tamiya screwdriver set is epic and should be the #1 buy for any RC toolkit, IMO,  because a) the tools included are the tools you use pretty much every time you touch a car, and 2) because they're very good quality and absolutely right for the job.  JIS screwdriver bits are not easy to get in the UK and lots of people aren't even aware that other cross-head screwdrivers aren't compatible.  I ruined many a Tamiya screw head before I got my Tamiya driver set.

 

Next is a hobby knife - to be honest I have several, of various states and grades.  I do a lot of stuff with plasticard and I end up snapping the handles, even on expensive ones.  I should probably use a Stanley or similar for heavy use but the blades never seem as sharp.  I have various blades, which may or may not fit properly in my knife handles.  I never seem to know which type of blade to buy when I'm at the craft shop.

 

I also have a cheap Clarke miniature pliers set:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cht196-5-pce-stainless-steel-mini-plier-

It has flat-nose, needle-nose, bent needle-nose, round-nose and side cutters.  All apart from the round nose get used regularly.  They are nice because they're small enough to do fiddly operations and also fit neatly in a pitside toolbox with all my other stuff.  Side cutters are great for taking parts off sprues and for trimming small wires.  Downside is none of the pliers have knurled jaws so it can be hard to hold some pieces, and the imperfectly-finished edges of the jaws can damage soft metals.

 

I use a gas soldering iron which I love to bits, although it needs a new tip - it's not as smooth as it was.

 

I also had a Tamiya shock wrench but it seems to have gone missing, I suspect it has been borrowed...  Anyone who has inadvertently put scratches on their shock shafts after following the Tamiya instructions to "wrap a piece of protective tissue around the shaft" whilst simultaneously applying enough force to stop it spinning, seriously needs to get one of these.

 

The above are probably all the essential tools that I could do most of everything with, and if I go trackside that's just about all I take.  However on my workbench I keep a whole lot of other stuff that's useful:

2 sizes of posidrive screwdrivers for when people have bodged non-Tamiya screws into Tamiya chassis (and for other non-Japanese stuff)

2 sizes of flat bladed screwdriver, also useful as pry bars (I would never use my Tamiya driver for such a thing!)

Flat metal ruler

Small engineer's set square (more for custom stuff than Tamiya builds)

Small portable rubber-jawed vice that sticks (very badly) to the workbench and pops off at inappropriate moments

Number plate tape from Halfords - makes great servo tape

Cheap wire strippers

Cheap electric screwdriver and massive set of bits (rarely used on Tamiya chassis but helps with some custom stuff, especially if I have to use very long threads)

Big collection of box wrenches and hex keys from Tamiya and non-Tamiya kits

2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 hex drivers from HPI (3.0 is helpful on my custom stuff where I always use stainless M3 hex screws)

Tamiya multi-end spanner from some kit or other, useful where a nut driver or box wrench won't fit

Big collection of zipties of various sizes

Collection of cheap paint brushes in various sizes for cleaning chassis and dusting shells

An assortment of empty jars, tubs, pots and trays for sorting parts into during teardowns

Junior hacksaw for cutting parts for custom stuff

Adjustable pipe cutter for cutting alu pipe to make spacers etc

Probably loads of other stuff I can't remember right now but maybe I'll post up a pic of my workspace sometime :)

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Well I'm glad I asked about this!

I'd never heard of JIS  screwdriver and had aleady decided the Tamiya toolkit was expensive and dismissed it. Looks like I might be changing my mind about that.

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I bought my screwdriver set from Banzai and saved a lot. Shame they aren't stocking Tamiya at the moment. They will have other JIS drivers though. Or there is Stella models to try?

Currently out of stock..

http://www.stellamodels.com.hk/74085-tamiya-tool-8pcs-p-8107.html

Or in the UK

http://www.modelsport.co.uk/tamiya-r-c-tool-set/rc-car-products/386323

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The nippers from this set were the best I've ever used. I think the set is intended for MINI4WD, but the cutters were great. My dad managed to break them :( I suppose I've borrowed and lost more than my fair share of HIS tools over the years - I won't hold him to account!! 

tamr7416.jpg[/img]

 

 

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4 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

The nippers from this set were the best I've ever used. I think the set is intended for MINI4WD, but the cutters were great. My dad managed to break them :( I suppose I've borrowed and lost more than my fair share of HIS tools over the years - I won't hold him to account!! 

I agree. Those cutters are amazing. One cut, perfect smoothness.

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15 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

The nippers from this set were the best I've ever used. I think the set is intended for MINI4WD, but the cutters were great. My dad managed to break them :( I suppose I've borrowed and lost more than my fair share of HIS tools over the years - I won't hold him to account!! 

Luckily you can still pick up these kits for a great price :D

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Back at the work area I have so many more tools, pliers, screwdrivers, Allen keys, box wrenches, measuring tools, not to mention setup tools and the setup station. But this pack goes with me to every race meeting, and every time I work on someone else's car at their place. It's the go-to pack with sharp tools that are designed specifically for rc. 

 

D1176281-AF8F-4EC7-B856-0801F09674C3_zps

 

9D36E006-7D39-4BF1-B451-3D8FDB69D2F8_zps

 

In addition to the usual Tamiya JIS screwdrivers and hudy hex wrenches, there's the Tamiya ride height and droop gauge, the indispensable shock holding tool and the lovely Tamiya pliers and sprue cutters. 

Also in there from a racing point of view is a cheap pen shaped thermometer from maplin for checking the motor temperature. And the Swann Morton scalpel has a 10a blade with the very tip broken off so that it fits into the slot of a potentiometer and can be used to adjust vintage speedos and radios. I use it nowadays to remove the strapping tape from the chassis of a touring car. I poke the handle through the slot in the carbon to remove the tape. 

 

Theres also a tamiya normally closed tweezer that is great for fishing screws out of the spares box. And because it's normally closed it can hold wire whist soldering, and stays put in the tool pack. 

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Is your workbench like that always, or did you set it up just for this thread? :D

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On 09/13/2016 at 5:01 PM, Mad Ax said:

Is your workbench like that always, or did you set it up just for this thread? :D

 

It always looks like this when I'm not working there.
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