90 What do you consider basic tools for working on old phonos or radios?
Description
This article is from the Antique Radios And Phonographs FAQ, by Hank van Cleef vancleef@netcom with numerous contributions by others.
90 What do you consider basic tools for working on old phonos or radios?
There are a number of common small tools for working with any small
device. These are:
a. Flat-bladed screwdrivers. You will need an assortment of
these in various sizes.
b. "Phillips" cross-point screwdrivers. The also come in
various sizes. The most common is #2, but you will also want #1 and #0.
The tips on these wear out, and the only solution for this is to buy
good quality replacements when the tip becomes worn.
c. Hex socket keys, commonly called "Allen Wrenches." Start
with a kit that has the common sizes, from .050 through about 1/4 inch.
The most common are the "L"-shaped keys. They are also available in
screwdriver shanks with straight bits. Once again, these wear out. You
can grind the worn tip off one to give it more life, and buy the various
sizes individually. Most people working on old electronics have several
.050, 1/16", and 5/64" keys as these are the ones most frequently used
in small work.
d. Socket wrenches. A 1/4 inch drive set in a box, with
ratchet, screwdriver handle, and extensions, is a good choice. You can
also buy nut drivers, which are screwdriver shanks with socket tips.
The "six point" (or hex) sockets are best unless you actually need to
work with 12-point hardware. Most commonly used are 1/4", 5/16",
11/32" nut drivers. 3/8", 7/16", and 1/2" are used on binding post,
switches, and potentiometers. For these, a ratchet and deep socket is
best.
e. Box and end wrenches. These come in a variety of styles. A
box wrench has a hex shape at either end, two different sizes. An "open
end" wrench has fork-shaped tips with parallel sides, also made with
tips at both ends, two different sizes. A "combination wrench" has an
open end at one end and a box at the other, same size at both ends. Box
wrenches are generally made with the box ends offset from the wrench
shank. Open end and combination wrenches don't generally have this
offset, but the box end of a combination wrench is generally set at a
small angle to the shank so that the wrench shank has clearance above
the work. Which is best? Most people use all three types in their
work. The open end wrench will tend to spring and round off the corners
of the hardware if a lot of torque is required, and most people feel
that the box ends should be used except where clearance requires use of
the open end. Note that there are specialty "tubing wrenches" for use
with hex fittings on tubing. These are box sections with a cutout to go
over the tubing, to get a good grip on the fitting. These should be
used only on tubing fittings, not as general wrenches.
f. Pliers. These come in a bewildering variety of sizes,
shapes, and tip types. Many people also try to use them instead of
wrenches or other more suitable tools, which is not good. Pick pliers
for pliers applications, and get the right tools for other hardware
tasks. For small work, needle-nose pliers get steady use. You will
want to have a set with a very long narrow set of jaws and another that
is larger and more blunt, generally called "round nose." Both have long
parallel jaws and a rounded tip cross section. A pair of "duck bill"
pliers is also quite useful.
The common slip-joint "gas pliers" can be useful, but many
people consider them a tool that works poorly on a variety of tasks and
not very well on any of them. For large work requiring sturdy jaws, a
set of "Channellock" (TM) pliers is much better. The originals were
made (and patented) by Channellock in Meadville Pa., originally named
"Champion Dearment." Get a set that have the interlocking channels for
adjustment.
g. Diagonal pliers, wire cutters, side cutters, etc. These
names are all applied to plier-type tools with cutting tips. You will
want a small set for cutting wire. Some of these are made with the
cutter tips ground all the way to the very end, which is useful for
nipping wire loops on old electronics terminals. They are intended for
cutting soft materials, like copper wire, and can be damaged by trying
to cut hardened steel with them.
h. Hemostats: These look like scissors, but have duck-bill
tips on them and a latching mechanism on the handle. Originally used in
medical work for clamping off blood vessels. They were used in
electronics as "heat sinks" for soldering germanium semiconductors, to
bleed the heat off the lead. Also valuable for use in applying clamping
pressure to thin sections.
i. Magnifying lenses and eye protection. You will want some
sort of magnifying glass, jewellers loupe, or bench magnifier, for
examining things in detail. A 5X magnifier is a good choice for most
work.
Always have eye protection when using tools. If you do not wear
eyeglasses normally, get some safety glasses. Corrective lenses must be
the "shatterproof" eye protection type, and if you wear corrective lens
eyeglasses, get a pair that is suitable for close work that has
shatterproof lenses. Contact lenses do not provide eye
protection---have something in front of them.
j. If you are going to do really small work, like meter
movements, a set of jeweller's screwdrivers is a good investment.
Brookstone sells a kit in a box that includes an assortment of small
flat-bladed and cross-point screwdrivers, tweezers, small cutting
pliers, and a magnifying glass.
Continue to:
My Books
