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Tools.
Dec 1, 2012 18:08:33 GMT -5
Post by John on Dec 1, 2012 18:08:33 GMT -5
For the tradesmen.. Remember that tools kit we were issued with and so much, I think 2/6d was deducted from our pay until they were paid for?? How many tools have still got from that kit?? I still have all the BS spanners, some are the worse for wear now after nearly 50 years, big ones are in good condition. I still have some of the box spanners, even the pair of pliers, but they are retired, worn out, even have my long nose pliers, still in reasonable condition, hacksaw, again a tad worse for wear, it's helped me make off hundreds of armoured cable ends, and I still have my junior hacksaw!
The BS spanners gave way to metric so are retired like me now.
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ken
Trainee
Posts: 46
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Tools.
Dec 5, 2012 17:31:05 GMT -5
Post by ken on Dec 5, 2012 17:31:05 GMT -5
What I remember about tools in my apprentice days was the cost of them. It seemed astronomical on my wage. And my wage was twice that of apprentices outside NCB. Tube spanners were cheaper but not heavy duty and not much good for really tight nuts and bolts. Another problem with tools was their tendency to get 'lost' i.e. stolen! It was frustrating to get to a job and find the tool you were relying on was not in your tool bag when you needed it. We can get good quality tools now for a reasonable price. Even if they are Chinese.
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Tools.
Dec 5, 2012 18:34:39 GMT -5
Post by John on Dec 5, 2012 18:34:39 GMT -5
Got to agree, they were bloody expensive. I built my socket sets up from scratch, chose Elora for the sockets, extensions etc and I bought a Gordon ratchet handle. Still got all my sockets, the Gordon I left at one company I worked for and signed myself two Britool ratchet handles out the stores...LOL
I recall the assistant charge hand on nights at Clifton, Dave Watson, or Whatto as we called him, he came one night and said he'd bought some "reet great" alan keys real cheap at the cattle market, you could get anything down there on market days.
We were working on something that night and he said lets try the new allen keys out.......Now this was a laugh, he never lived them down, he tried to undo a bolt with a 3/8th allen key and it just twisted into a liquorice stick, friggin lead allen keys Whatto.... I think he gobbed them;D ;D ;D When I bought those I stuck to the best Unbrako....
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Tools.
Dec 6, 2012 5:11:11 GMT -5
Post by dazbt on Dec 6, 2012 5:11:11 GMT -5
The first set of tools that I was given didn't cost me anything and apart from the hammer, chisel and allen keys they were just about worthless, a set of Snail 'bed spanners' and as Ken says a set of plastic box spanners, a wooden handled screwdriver and as a special, a pair of pliers that when closed there was a gap between the jaws. I joined a tool club and paid the massive sum of 5 bob a week for a set of Stahwille ring and flat spanners, which I had to defend with my life on more than one occassion from 'Shiny Spanner Magpies'. Working much of the time on shearer hydraulic systems many of spanners and even Allen keys had to be modified, grinding down the jaws of open ended spanners, cranked at all sorts of different angle for specific applications, spanners sawn in half lengthway, split (open ended) ring spanners, short pieces of Allen key with a nut welded on. These were personalised and were worth their weight in gold. I've still got quite a few in the garage and pride of place is a hammer that must be almost 50 years old now, shaft saw off and a deep groove ground into the end of the shaft specifically for pushing hydraulic pipes into position. Each new coal cutting machine came with an 'empty tool box', allegedly full of specialised spanners and other tools when it left the manufactures.
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Tools.
Dec 6, 2012 7:06:32 GMT -5
Post by John on Dec 6, 2012 7:06:32 GMT -5
I still have the wooden handled phillips screwdrivers too, although most of them never got used, the smaller of the set was used a fair amount, there were a set of flat screwdrivers, not sure if I still have them, I still have the ball pien hammer, it's in the truck toolbox, sidecutters, still in reasonable condition after nearly 50 years of use, long nose pliers have seen better days, I even have the set of feelers too, minus a couple of feelers from the set, it was retired on safety grounds many years ago, too long!!!. I'll dig the tool list out and scan it.
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