Ok, it looks like the product below — while quite handy for sanding and other particulate-matter-heavy environments — wouldn’t have helped us much with the BMW.  So what should we have used to get those two years back?

The National Ag Safety Database (NASD) has a lot to say on the subject.  They recommend using a respirator with the appropriate chemical type insert for the particular fumes you’re looking to avoid.  (While units like the one in the post below simply remove particles from the air by pulling them through a filter, fumes must be removed by chemical reaction.  Thus, the proper insert will contain chemicals that will react with the one(s) you’re looking to trap, holding them in the cartridge.)

The NASD also recommends a supplied air respirator.  3M makes a truly incredible selection of these, as linked below.  They offer 23 different “headtops” (applications ranging from hoods, visors, and welding visors to helmets) along with multiple lines of supplied-air (and powered-air) systems.  In some configurations, these provide fresh air from a remote source, avoiding entirely the need for a filter.

Cost?  It varies widely based on what you select.  However, an air compressor filtration system, hoses, and headtop can be had for well under $1k, and if 3M makes the appropriate chemical filter for your application — they make many — a powered-air system with headtop can be had for less than $500.

Enjoy that extra two years — we plan on spending them drooling and bitching about the government.

Powered & Supplied-Air Respirators [3M]

(Sunday, November 12th, 2006) A Ho-hum Sunday with some reruns to watch.  But hey, there’s a lot of insomniac’s suggestions at least!

All times are central.

• Assembly Required: Ferrari (National Geographic, 6 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Steam Cannon (Discovery, 7 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 10 (Science, 7 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 11 (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
• Classic Tractor Specials (RFD-TV, 8 p.m.)
• Rock Solid: Stone Veneer Bar (DIY, 9 p.m.)
• Tricked Out: Honda CRX: Engine Dress-Up (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s suggestions: Two episodes of Trick My Truck (CMT, midnight), Chop Cut Rebuild (Speed, 1 a.m.), and two episodes of Pimp My Ride (MTV, 2 a.m.).

Remember the post a long time back about the BMW airhead?  We didn’t mention the part about cleaning out the bad gas in the tank.  That was my job, and it sucked.  Let’s just put it this way: I figure I took at least a year or two off my life.  What I really needed was one of these powered respirators.  Take my advice now:  If you’d like to live to be an old shop guy, you’ve got to look out for yourself — and that includes avoiding the nasty stuff like as grinding dust, smoke, and spoiled gas fumes. 

Update: See the next post for better fume protection.

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Remember how we told you GearWrench announced at SEMA that they’re expanding into non-ratcheting tools?  Here’s one of their new screwdrivers.  We don’t know much about them yet, but we thought we’d share the pix.

I guess there’s not much to say about them except that they look like nice screwdrivers.  In fact, they look a lot like the ‘drivers in MAC’s Foose kit.  (Hint: That’s a good thing.)

There’s another photo of the mini screwdrivers after the jump.

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(Saturday, November 11th, 2006) Today we’ve got the most recent Mythbusters rerun and four good DIY woodworking shows.  Wood Works should be worth catching because Krenov was one of the driving forces in the Fine Woodworking movement of the late 70’s.

Otherwise, it’s a pretty quiet day, and a good day to hit the shop.  Hope it’s as nice where you are as it is where we are.

All times are central.

• MythBusters: Concrete Glider (Discovery, 7:00 p.m.)
• Freeform Furniture: Entry Table (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Masters and Mentors Tour: James Krenov and Art Carpenter (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Handmade Music: Gruhn Guitar Restorations, Episode 5 (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• Woodturning Techniques: Natural-Edge Bowl (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s suggestions: C’mon, Speed, why ‘ya playin’ us this way?  We need the late-night fare.  Bring it!

Sears is in the middle of a 3-day sale on Craftsman tools, including storage, mechanics’ tool sets, compressors, and some other “selected” items.  And, if you’re signed up for the old “Craftsman Club,” look for a “10% off everything” (read the tiny print by the asterisk to see what this really means) coupon in your mail — or press the clerk for it anyway if you didn’t receive it.  It’s valid from 6-9 p.m. Sunday night.

If you’re dying to try out Craftsman’s new 20V li-ion drill/driver, it’s $270 right now.  We haven’t seen it yet, so we’ll get back to you when we know more.  But in the meantime, we can speculate that it looks a lot like the V18, and if you read our V18 hands-on you already know that the V18 is a 20V tool as well.

Major differences: Be sure and ask about the warranty.  Considering Sears’ lackluster warranties on other power tools, we strongly doubt they’re going to match Milwaukee’s 2,000 cycle guarantee.

Tool Sale [Craftsman]

There’s been a lot happening behind the scenes here at Toolmonger, including our new podcast that’ll accompany The Week in Tools.  So, if you’ve ever wondered what we sound like — or you’re just jonesin’ for some tool talk, be sure to check it out.

And, if you’ve been out in the shop all week and haven’t been keeping up with Toolmonger this last week, we suggest you start with these posts:

Hands-On: MAC Tools’ Foose Special Edition Tool & Box Set
Wow.  If you’re looking for a sweet Christmas present for Sean or Me — or your own favorite Toolmonger, look no further.  Seriously, this is not your average “celebrity” tool kit with pretty pictures and nothing more; This kit is extremely well thought out, offering just the right set of tools to get you started — all wrapped up in a beautiful, high-quality tool box.  MAC Tools + Foose’s personal tool selection + cool graphics = very, very cool product.

Preview: GearWrench’s Double-X Pliers
Sacrificing a little torque for a lot of jaw opening, these pliers’ll fit in all sorts of tight little spaces.  Besides that, they’re polished with laser-etched logos, and they’re pretty nice looking.  Commenting readers who’ve already grabbed a set say good things.

Finds: The “Dingo” Utility Loader
Tracks = Cool.  This unit’s a lot smaller than a Bobcat, but’ll do a significant percentage of the work.  Check back soon for our — well, Sean’s — personal experiences operating one.

Finds: Ryobi’s “Super Drilling and Driving Kit”
With 215 drill and driving bits, this seems like the perfect home bit kit.  Sure, they’re not of the same quality as your $300+ 115-piece set, but hey — at least you’ll have the right bit for home use.  This comes in around $50, which sounds like a great deal.

Finds: Empire’s E70 Level
Is blue that much better than yellow on a level?  We’re pretty happy with our Stanley FatMax Extreme, but let us know what you think.

This week we’re joined by Joe Brown of Popular Science who takes us through 2006’s tool-heavy Best of What’s New.  Hey, any group that gives “Innovation of the Year” to a nail is cool with us.  We also discuss MAC’s Foose-branded special edition toolkit, GearWrench’s Double-X pliers, Toro’s “Dingo,” Ryobi’s zillion-bit kit, and Empire’s E70 level.  Oh yeah, we also hear about Joe’s experiences riding the NYC subway with a Fubar.

What can we say?  We’re big Foose fans, both for his incredible work and his incredible art.  Some people can draw pretty pictures of cars, but how many of them can actually build the car such that it looks just as crazy as the illustration?  Foose.  That’s about it.

So when we heard about MAC’s Foose-branded special edition tool kit, we had to see it.  And see it we did.  Wow.  We’re totally blown away.  So many celebrity collectors’ kits are just completely impractical; They’re either designed in such a way that the prettiness wears off if you use them or they’re full of tools for which you have no need whatsoever.  While it’d have been so easy for MAC to just slap Foose’s hot-item name and graphics on a kit and shove it out the door, they really put some time into selecting the tools.

Let’s get that out of the way right up front: The selection of tools in this kit is so well thought out that it’d make a killer starter kit for anyone looking to get into automotive work.  The tools themselves are absolutely first class quality, too.  This is the ultimate Christmas present for your tool-loving spouse or friend.

Update: Some readers asked where exactly these tools are manufactured.  They’re manufactured overseas to the same spec as the MAC tools manufactured here in the US, and the ones we saw at the facility were there for quality control checks, which are performed here.  We’re speaking with the actual engineer in charge in the next day or so, but the early word seems to be that they were sent out mainly because they didn’t want to tool up for the one-off special finish.  My take?  This is a helluva deal for some great tools.  They look and feel just like the other MAC tools we’ve used, and we can attest that they’re quite durable.  More soon.

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We use our heat gun in all manner of different ways around the shop from removing decals to melting down heat shrink tubing.  Issues with the direction of flow, however, can become supremely annoying at times.  That’s why there are fittings that help you “bring the heat” – where it’s most needed. 

A reflector nozzle may be highly specialized, but then again most tip accessories for a heat gun would fall into that category.  The reflector nozzle directs hot air around heat shrink tubing or wire connectors for even heating to the surface area.  Even heating means a better, more professional-looking end project — and a more secure connection underneath, which is an all out win at the end of the day.  

The lesson: A little nozzle that looks like a cake funnel tip can be handy to have around the workbench.

Street pricing starts around $9.

Street Pricing [Froogle]

You see guys in the movies whip out a set like this one when breaking into a vault or examining the latest cool techno-gadget that will save the world.  While mirco picks probably won’t save the world — they could save the day. 

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It really doesn’t matter what your ride is, pin striping and scroll work makes it better.  Even if you don’t have a ride, that push-mower out in the garage could use some pimping.  Just think how cool you’d be rolling on some awesome scroll work you did yourself!  These Kustom Shop brushes are just the ticket to bringing out your inner Monster (Garage). 

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(Friday, November 10th, 2006) We’re recommending Offbeat America tonight for one reason only: so that you’ll get inspired to build your own homemade roller coaster.  Otherwise, it’s a dependable Friday night of shows on Home and DIY, a new Trick My Truck, and little elsewhere.

All times are central.

• DIY Tools & Techniques: Shop Solutions I (DIY, 5 p.m.)
• Offbeat America: Roller-Coaster House and More (HGTV, 5:30 p.m.)
• Trick My Truck: Don Scott’s Prairie Dog (CMT, 7 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Hoof Cleaner (Discovery, 7 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Coal Miner (Discovery, 8 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Deck Extension (Home, 8 p.m.)
• Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette Roadster: Exterior Finishing and Carpet Installation (DIY, 8 p.m.)
• Toolbelt Diva: Toy Chest (Home, 8:30 p.m.)
• Classic Car Restoration: 1962 Corvette Roadster: Interior and Finishing Touches (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Step By Step (Home, 9 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 10 (Science, 9 p.m.)
• Classic Rides: Flooring, Windows and Exterior Work (DIY, 9 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Wall O’ Shame (Home, 9:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 11 (Science, 9:30 p.m.)
• Tricked Out: Honda CRX: Engine Dress-Up (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)

No insomniac suggestion tonight.  There just seems to be much less on Toolmonger-wise during the overnight.  If you disagree, we could really use some good late-nite-watching suggestions.  Drop us a line!

A beautiful blanket of fluffy white snow over your neighborhood is just one of the perks of living up North.  Thankfully we miss out on that down here in Texas, because otherwise we might need a two-stage snow thrower like the one pictured above.  They’ll rid your walkway of the white stuff, but you still get blow back from the thrower all over you — and that’s almost worse than the cold itself.  This snow thrower cab seems like the ticket to not freezing your extremities off.

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The “Macsimizer” sounds like it might be home gym equipment, but it’s not.  It’s Mac Tools’ mammoth eleven drawer toolbox.  It’s not really fair to call it a toolbox either.  Think of it more as a workstation-slash-shop-in-a-box. 

The Macsimizer’s cavernous interior contains some 37,000 cubic inches of storage space.  The full-extension drawers are standard Mac design with reinforced pulls, and they come in four color options: gold, black, chrome, and aluminum.  The box itself comes in eight standard colors or your choice of three uber-cool metal flake colors for some extra bling.

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Here’s another of GearWrench’s SEMA releases: a new electronic torque wrench.  Besides the advantages of all electronic torque wrenches — unlike “clickers” they can measure maximum torque applied to install or remove a fastener — GearWrench also brings some of their own “flavor” to the pie in the form of a 60-tooth ratcheting gear and an innovative “traffic-light-like” system to warn you as you approach your target torque.

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(Thursday, November 9th, 2006) Well unlike most Thursdays, there’s some stuff to watch, not that it’s terribly exciting.  Tonight is probably a good time to explain to your spouse why you need a jackhammer for Christmas.

All times are central.

• DIY Tools & Techniques: Power Nailers and Jackhammers (DIY, 5 p.m.)
• Modern Marvels: Engines. (History, 6 p.m.)
• Classic Tractor Specials: “Florida Flywheelers & the Gathering of the Orange.” Allis Chalmers tractors; A/C birdcage. (RFD-TV, 7 p.m.)
• Assembly Required: Science of Steel (National Geographic, 8 p.m.)
• Assembly Required: Ferrari (National Geographic, 9 p.m.)
• Rock Solid: Stone Veneer Bar (DIY, 9 p.m.)
• Overhaulin’: Episode 12 (TLC, 10 p.m.)
• Unique Whips: Grand Theft: Autos (Speed, 11 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s suggestions: Lots and lots of re-runs…