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 A small, not-all-encompassing guide to tools 
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Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2004 5:33 am
Posts: 610
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Post A small, not-all-encompassing guide to tools
I'm bored at work today, so I figured I'ld put up a short essay on tools. It is in no way a complete list, and not every tool on this list is required to make every piece of armor.


THE BAREST OF MINIMUMS



A couple of things you need from Wal Mart:


Sharpie: $1 - Tracing patterns and marking things.
Box of Manilla File Folders: $5 - These are the ultimate pattern material.
Soft measuring Tape: $3 (in the sewing section) - For taking measurements from bodies.


All the tools you absolutely have to have for armoring can be purchased at Harbor Freight and/or Lowes/Home Depot and Wal-Mart. Stuff from Harbor Freight will be cheap crappy versions that won't put up with everyday abuse, but they might be able to get you through making your first kit. Item nimbers are from the Harbor Freight website.


Automatic Center Punch: $4, ITEM 91080-0VGA - Spring Loaded punch that makes a dimple in a piece of steel. Used to help you align your hole punch or your drill bit.

Hand Punch: $18, ITEM 44060-6VGA - Comes with a seven die sets for punching holes.

Ball Pein Hammers: $12 for a set of 6, ITEM 36523-7VGA - I do almost all of my work with an 8oz ball pien. The larger ball peins can also double as ball stakes when clamped into a vice.

3lb Sledge Hammer: $8, ITEM 6748-8VGA - After some grinding and polishing, this will be your dishing hammer.

4 1/2" Angle Grinder: As cheap as $15, ITEM 91223-9VGA - Use it for grinding edges and even sanding plates (use 120 grit wheels or thereabouts.)

File and Rasp Set: $10 for set of 12, ITEM 924-1VGA - The rasps are only useful for wood, but the files are great for filing down plate edges that you cant get your grinder into. Also useful for some detail work.

Jigsaw: As cheap as $20, ITEM 92772-3VGA - For cutting out plates. It's loud as fuck and spits pieces of hot metal, but it beats a set of hand snips. Make sure to use metal cutting blades. Ideally, you'ld just buy a damned shear (see below).

6" End Nippers: about $20 at Home Depot or Lowes - Used to trim rivets down to size. (not for circumcisions, as I know you were thinking...)

For straps:

Utility Knife: As cheap as $1.60, ITEM 3359-3VGA - For cutting leather.

Leather hole punch: $6, ITEM 91076-1VGA - For punching holes in leather.


Total: $94.60
+ 9% tax 8.51
$103.11


THINGS THAT MAKE LIFE EASIER


Needle Files: $6 for set of 12, ITEM 4614-1VGA - Mostly for detail work and finish filing on hard to reach plate edges.

Dividers: $13 for a 6 piece set, ITEM 94447-0VGA - The straight dividers are the only ones you'll really use. Helpful for marking holes and transferring measurements.

Punch and Chisel Set: $13 for 16pc set, ITEM 547-6VGA - Chisels are handy for removing pieces of metal from the center of a plate, like chiseling out oculars in visors. Also handy for making hinges.

Vice: As cheap as $35, ITEM 3794-1VGA - Mostly for holding stakes and hammering on the anvil. And every now and then you just need to clamp some oddball object in to work on it.

Bench Grinder: As cheap as $30 , ITEM 94186-0VGA - For... grinding... stuff.

Total: $97.00
+ 9% tax 8.73
$105.73


THE ONE THING THAT WILL KEEP YOU MAKING ARMOR

Throatless Shear: $100, ITEM 38413-5VGA - This is your most expensive tool, but is WELL worth the amount of time and headache it saves you when cutting out pieces.

Total: $100
+ 9% tax 9
$109


NOTES

- Every hammer, no matter how good it is, is going to need additional grinding/filing/sanding/shaping to keep it from leaving dings and excessive marks in your metal. If you grind them, be extremely careful how much you heat the metal up because you will cause it to lose it's hardness. Grind a second and then dip the metal in water to cool it off. When filing by hand, you don't have this problem.

- Things like 4" masonry chisels and an extra set of chisels and punches can be sanded and filed into all kinds of useful shapes. Again, be careful how much you heat it up or it'll lose temper.


Last edited by Sir Eric on Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.



Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:26 pm
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Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:41 am
Posts: 32
Location: Slidell
Post A small, not-all-encompassing guide to tools
In the machine shop, when we have to grind on a cutting tool and we dont want to alter the hardnes of the material, we dont let it get past a straw color or brown at worse. If it turns other colors like blue or red, then you have let it sit against the wheel too long and it has altered the hardnes. This might help someone when grinding on a hammer, chisel or such.
CP.


Sun May 27, 2007 5:57 pm
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