Comments on: Dental Tools for Your Home Workshop

By: Eddie

Eddie — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:38:54 +0000

I’m a dental supply dealer, I can’t tell you how many things I sell that I use in the garage or how many dental instruments are in my various tool kits. Locking college pliers offer more precision that forceps\roachclips for intricate work, they also offer a third hand when working with small electronics or wiring.

By: David Culberson

David Culberson — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:01:18 +0000

I use them regularly in electronics work. If you have to solder onto a circuit board trace, you can use a sharp pick to scrape the solder resist off the trace. Also can be used to scrape corrosion off a contact that needs soldered or re-soldered. I also use a straightened dull pick to help push contacts out of multi-conductor Molex (or similar) connectors..

They’re just generally handy for a thousand things!

By: Toolmonger » Blog Archive » Toolmonger’s Top 5: The Week In Tools

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 04:08:33 +0000

[...] Dental Tools for Your Home Workshop Dentists use these picks to clean teeth, but you can use ‘em for everything else from cleaning paint out of tight corners to retrieving small objects from impossibly-small crannies. Best of all, you can pick ‘em up at flea markets for cheap. [...]

By: ambush27

ambush27 — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 06:08:36 +0000

I use them for digging the coin out of the seatbelt slot.

By: Guy

Guy — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:22:07 +0000

Free Dental Tools

Just ask you dental hyginist or dentist to save their worn out tools for you. They’re usually glad to do it and they always run them through the autoclave so they are sterile. The scalers (scraper) are always being sharpened and are replaced quite frequently. The probes get bent or broken too, so both these type are easy to get. Often the tools are double ended, but they toss them out even if only one end breaks. Give it a try, no harm in asking. I’ve always been able to get a bunch when I explained that I used them around the shop.

The case looks great- anyone have an extra they can send me?

By: Brau

Brau — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:56:06 +0000

I have an old set on my toolbench and they come in very handy. Sure beats grabbing a jeweller’s screwdriver to use as a scratcher/pick as the curved ends really help.

By: Hank

Hank — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 04:47:58 +0000

I have that kit, I think, or one exactly like it. I have added to my dental tools over time. Hell, once lost my mind and actually bought a full set of dental tools, with pullers, and some very painful looking tools. Out of the 40 or so that came with the auction, only about 2 are useful in the shop.

What I use the picks and small chisels for is refinishing work on furniture. When I am changing the piece, I dig out all the old gunk with the little tools. I use them at least once a week for something. I love them.

By: Saluki1

Saluki1 — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:47:37 +0000

A good friend of mine actually used a pick to get a bead out of his daughters nose when she was 4 (kids being kids, she just shoved it up there). This was a last resort after trying to get her to blow it out and trying to massage it out.

Needless to say, his wife didn’t know what was going on until the job was done (daughter came through alright).

Picks seem pretty useful for all kinds of applications!

By: Ivan

Ivan — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:28:54 +0000

I just can’t imagine having these in the shop. Reminds me too much of the dentist or some bad movies.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:12:54 +0000

I used to have a set of these in my gun cleaning kit. Super handy for getting the unburned powder residue cleaned up.