Couple of things at Lidl

I have one of these diaphragm compressors. I use it with an old fire extinguisher (300PSI rated) as a tank. It will run an unloaded Stuart 10V or any of my similar sized engines at a stupidly fast pace on about 10psi, but is a bit noisy. More of a spraygun compressor than an airbrush one

Ah, and Lidl's Java Sumatra coffee they're selling at £1.99 a bag, loaded 3 dessertspoons to a standard 10-cup coffee filter, makes a good ar$e-kicking mug, too...

cordless drills, inverter welders at 60 bananas, kneeling pads

etc etc

grab em while you can

Electric Brad nail and staple gun for a tenner this week, does to 14mm

The little Parkside jigsaw is a useful thing too. Lidl released it in their stores yeterday and mine's just made a batch of Easter bunnies to go in the grandkids' egg baskets.

Picked up these at our local store today:-

The angle finder has a few rough edges but seems accurate enough, the lock isn't up to much but overall not bad for £9.99 with a 3 year warranty. They had a stack of digital calipers for the same price but I resisted as I already have three. Loads of air tools as well but as I don't have a compressor... The hot glue gun is small fairly flimsy but works, I don't know what the glue is but it sticks quite well, £5.99 with six glue sticks. Takes about 5 minute to warm up. Oh yes, picked up a pair of work trousers for £9.99, seem quite well made but I'm sure you don't need to look at a pair of my strides!

John

Edited By Journeyman on 13/03/2018 16:58:38

The glue gun looks the same as one I got as part of a 'dent-pulling kit' for the car after a brief argument with the corner of a uPVC window frame. It sort of worked - invariably the glued joint of bodywork to the pulling button was what popped as you pulled at the dent, but that was probably just as well. It never looked quite as it had before the incident, but as compared to a £250 excess and loss of no-claims I decided to accept the result.

I'd think the guns are ideal for ad-hoc wooden structures with non-safety-critical loadings.

I'm glad I went and bought mine on release day - Sunday. Went into local Lidl again today and they're all gone.

Lots of other tools left.

Mentioning Bambi air compressors, you may be able to pick up a failed one, cheap.

DON'T test it with the cover off! If you do, you'll never rust!

The one at church failed. We stripped it out and a 1/4 UNF bolt had failed. It held a sort of welsh washer over a cast chamber, but had broken off flush with the bottom of the chamber. Drilling out was a nightmare. The head was embossed "12.9". At the cost of two drills, (one hard tipped) drilled it out and enlarged the hole so that could be tapped 1/2 x 40 tpi, Made up a stud, tapped 1/4 UNF at the upper end, and Loctited it in. Sealed the welsh washer to the chamber and the bolt with hylomar. As John Stevenson would have said, "Job's a good 'un" Works just like it always did. A replacement would have been £800!

Howard

Howard Lewis,

can I ask what is a Welsh washer.........?

From distant memory, before PC had been invented, a Welsh washer was a Core plug. That is, a dome-shaped disc of steel with a chamfered edge. It is placed in a casting hole with the sharp edge inwards, and given a smart tap. That is where the Welsh, being smart, have the advantage, see.

Tim

Or is it a Welch Washer, so named to confuse the English?

I think you will find they are Welch plugs. Named after a couple pf brothers in the US.

Welsh washer, hmmm, seem to remember seeing one of those in the drawer of our Welsh Dresser.
DaveD

Electric impact guns in this week

30 bananas

Specifications:
Max. loosening torque (Nm): 320
Max. tightening torque (Nm): 100 (safety limited)
No-load rotation speed (rpm): 3,600
Tool holder: 1/2" external square

Edited By Ady1 on 26/03/2018 02:44:14

I could have done with one of those yesterday, getting a brake caliper off to change my discs.

I have one of the electric impact guns. It is good value and pretty effective but in practice the specifications seem to be a bit optimistic. Somewhat bulky and I'm not completely sold on under car with 240 V electrics but a proper pro level windy impact gun is approaching ten times the price. Doubt if there is much to choose between it and the Machine Mart et al DIY windy gun offerings.

I doubt if it will shift anything needing much more than about 250 Nm / 180 ft lb to undo. Maybe clean dry oiled threads just tightened up but filthy dirty under the car. Nope. My rule of thumb is to expect that under the motor may take double what it was done up to. Had to resort to the 6 ft scaffold pole with 3/4 drive short extension welded on crossways to deal with something brake related under friend Mikes VW Touareg. But it zipped out the impossible to see, foot or so inside, top rear damper bolts on my P38 out so fast that I thought the socket had cammed off. Book says torqued to 92 ft lb, and they certainly weren't playing ball with the standard 1/2" breaker bar. With EAS wiring and air suspension pipes in very close proximity thats one bolt you really need to be certain of good socket & drive alignment when tackling.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 26/03/2018 10:02:26

My dad taught me the 'jack under the wheel wrench' trick.

In this case it needed a extractor for rounded nuts as on my previous attempt the socket had spoilt the bolt heads.

It was 3/8" drive and I managed to fubar a cheap 3/8 ratchet spanner. In the end a 1/2 to 3/8 adaptor, a foot to keep the extension in line and both hands eventually rewarded me with a very loud crack. A much longer bar failed because I couldn't keep it straight and apply enough force.

Have you invested in a tube of anti-seize as a result of this?

Got some paintbrushes today, will report on quality later

What pleased me was getting a bunch of screws from 25mm to 80mm

6 boxes for 9 quid 25mm x 300 up to 80mm x 40