If you charged your A/C system not too long ago and it’s still anemic, you might want to look at this UV leak detector.  In addition to the A/C it’ll find leaks in any of your car’s fluid systems, including hydraulics, and it can really save you some headaches.  If you’ve ever chased a leak you couldn’t find, you’ll immediately see the value.

Street pricing for the TP1121 universal kit starts at $50, a reasonable price considering the time you’ll save.

LeakFinder Kit [Tracerline]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?] [What's This?]

When you grasp rectangular objects with pliers you don’t alway get a good grip since the jaws aren’t parallel. Needle nose pliers compound the problem further with their narrow jaws. The parallel movement of Stanley’s MaxGrip 7″ needle nose pliers increases the otherwise wimpy holding force and the jaw capacity to boot.

(more…)

As wood projects go, you’ll probably never deal with any bigger surface than wood floors, and sanding them with a hand tool, powered or not, is a huge project.   To hide as much scratching as possible you’ll want to sand with the grain — which is impossible with the big rotary floor machines — but the SL-8 straight-line floor sander will do the job nicely.

(more…)

For every nut, bolt, and fastener on your car or truck, the factory probably recommends a specific amount of torque to tighten it down to.  Mac makes two models of adjustable 1/4″ torque screwdrivers — the TSM4-22 and the TSM16-88 — that measure torque from 4 to 22 in./lbs and from 16 to 88 in./lbs respectively.  With these little guys you can torque down even delicate fasteners without winging it.

(more…)

What can’t a reciprocating saw do? Designed to remove grout from tile with minimal dust, the Grout Grabber six-inch adapter fits most reciprocating saws.  The Grout Grabber’s two-inch curved-bottom carbide blade makes it easier to make the starting plunge cut into the grout.

(more…)

Zena Inc.’s extensive website, though amateur-looking, advertises some welders with extremely impressive specifications, all backed by a three-year warranty and a 60-day free trial.  They design the welders to attach to an existing engine, either freestanding or in a vehicle, and they claim that electric, gas, hydraulic, and pneumatic motors are all compatible with the welders.

Obviously, an assemble-your-own-welder kit could save you some money over a big commercial welder, but the specifications are hard to believe for $800. And I’m especially impressed by the specs on the pictured backpack welder, a cordless welder in a 65-lb backpack you can carry anywhere — no wonder they’re charging $3,750 for it.

Am I missing something? Does anybody out there have a Zena welder?

Backpack Welder [Zena]

Porter-Cable’s PTX5 pneumatic reciprocating saw isn’t quite as powerful as its electric corded and cordless cousins, but what it lacks in power it makes up in agility.  Its lightweight aluminum body weighs only 2.7 lbs compared to 8 lbs for a corded saw.

(more…)

(Monday, June 30th, 2008) Monday is really neglected in our opinion.

All times are central.

• Trains & Locomotives (RFD-TV, 8:00 p.m.)
• Rock Solid: Outdoor Bar and Grill (DIY, 5:30 p.m.)
• Top Gear: Episode 9 (BBC America, 7:00 p.m.)
• Top Gear: Episode 8 (BBC America, 8:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Rockets, Binocular Lenses, Windshield Wiper Blades (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Mega Freeways, Minting Coins (Science, 8:30 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: Hydroelectric Power, Computer Microchips (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
• How Do They Do It?: High-Speed Trains and Ballpoint Pens (Science, 9:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Solid Tires, Cheesecake, Canoe Paddles, Globes (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Boomerangs, Barbecues, Pinball Machines, Strobe Lights (Discovery, 10:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

(Sunday, June 29th, 2008) We get a new Ice Road Truckers, preceded by previous episodes of the season, and a Dirty Jobs marathon as well.

All times are central.

• Ice Road Truckers: Edge of the Earth (History, 5:00 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Bug Breeder (Discovery, 5:00 p.m.)
• Cool Tools: In the Garage (DIY, 5:30 p.m.)
• Ice Road Truckers: Mechanical Mayhem (History, 6:00 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Brown Before Green (Discovery, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Crayons, Wooden Kayaks, Lawn Mowers, Gold Chains (Science, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Inflatable Safety Devices, Braille Typewriters, Carbon-Fiber Cellos (Science, 6:30 p.m.)
• Ice Road Truckers: The Big Blizzard (History, 7:00 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Bridge Painter (Discovery, 7:00 p.m.)
• Ice Road Truckers: Arctic Whiteout (History, 8:00 p.m.) NEW
• Dirty Jobs: Snake Researcher (Discovery, 8:00 p.m.)
• Classic Tractor Show (RFD-TV, 8:00 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Alpaca Shearer (Discovery, 9:00 p.m.)
• Dirty Jobs: Wine Maker (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)

Enjoy.

(Saturday, June 28th, 2008) Ok, we get it, Discovery really likes How It’s Made. Notice that TLC is showing a Holmes rerun tonight — good to see it again.

All times are central.

• Ultimate Factories: Caterpillar (National Geographic, 5:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Nails and Staples, Safety Glasses, Fabrics, Bicycles (Science, 5:00 p.m.)
• Cool Tools: Lost and Found (DIY, 5:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Kayaks, Safety Boots, Electronic Signs, Cereals (Science, 5:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Trucks, Adhesive Bandages, Computer Circuit Boards, Liquors (Science, 6:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Steel, Apple Juice, Aircraft Landing Gear, Cosmetics (Science, 6:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Aluminum Screw Caps, Chocolate, Pills, Pasta (Science, 7:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Bicycle Helmets, Lithium Batteries, Car Brakes, Aluminum (Science, 7:30 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: The Pier Table (DIY, 8:00 p.m.)
• Holmes on Homes: Shaky Foundation (TLC, 8:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Eyeglass Lenses, Granite, Potato Chips, Microprocessors (Science, 8:00 p.m.)
• New Yankee Workshop: The Dining Table (DIY, 8:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Honey, Fiber Optics, Bricks, Pipe Organs (Science, 8:30 p.m.)
• Wood Works: Bowl Table (DIY, 9:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Holograms, Package Printing, Skin Culture, Canned Corn (Science, 9:00 p.m.)
• Hammered With John & Jimmy DiResta: The Rocking Chair (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Plastic Bags, Solar Panels, Plastic Gasoline Containers, Hockey Sticks (Science, 9:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Air Filters, Billiard Cues, Ice Sculptures, Suits (Discovery, 10:00 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Traditional Bows, Coffee Machines, Mascots, Hammocks (Discovery, 10:30 p.m.)

Enjoy.

This hand pump turns any five-gallon water bottle into an instant drinking fountain. Perfect for camping or large picnics, it’ll also keep your construction crew or little league team well-hydrated.

The pump installs without tools and the long siphon makes sure you get every last drop. The large easy-push pump will squirt out eight ounces of water with just two or three pumps.

Pick one up from Amazon for $5 plus $8 shipping.

Via Amazon [What’s This?] [What's This?]

With Milwaukee’s 8″ Metal-Cutting Saw you can cut 10-gauge sheet and 1/4″ plate steel all day long, with the convenience of cold-cutting and metal-shaving collection. With proper cutting techniques, Milwaukee claims that the saw can cut 3/4″ steel plate.

(more…)

I have six huge windows in my family room through which Texas sun streams in all day, baking the room and causing my A/C to work overtime. And while I’m tired of the elevated electric bills, I’m a bit leery of some of the solutions I’ve seen.

So I thought I’d turn to my favorite source for this kind of advice: fellow Toolmongers. What do you think of the various stick-on window films? I’ve seen some kind of dark screen replacement — kinda like the ones in the picture above — on some houses around me. Any idea what that is or how it works?

(Thanks, tom.arthur, for the great CC-licensed photo.)

What’s in a name? I might never have noticed the Big Gulp dust hood if it didn’t have such a kick-ass name. If you need to collect dust from a miter saw, lathe, sander, or any other tool with no dust port or an inadequate one, the Big Gulp might be an inexpensive solution.

(more…)

It’s been a busy week here at Toolmonger. If you’ve been spending time in the shop — you should! — and you haven’t had a chance to keep up with Toolmonger this week, we suggest you start with these posts, which our readers helped to select:

Protect Your Eyes Without Compromising Your Hearing
Safety glasses and earmuffs don’t always feel so comfortable when worn together, and what’s worse, you may also be compromising the seal of the earmuffs, thereby reducing your hearing protection. FullPro says they have the solution: They attach ANSI Z87.1+ high-impact safety-rated lenses to the earmuffs with hook-and-loop straps.

Gas-Powered Wet/Dry Vac
Start with a gas blower and a five-gallon bucket, and you end up with a big vacuum that recharges at the pump. With gas prices going up you might prefer a cheaper alternative — but if you really need the right tool for the job there may not be a substitute.

RMJ Tactical Tomahawk: Badass
Like a good knife, a good tomahawk can prove useful in many ways to a soldier/airman/marine in the field. Despite its military heritage you might also employ it in less lethal operations such as climbing, digging, forced entry, and search and rescue operations.

Magnetic Jaw Pads For Woodworking Bench Vises
If you need a wood-faced vice on your bench, these magnetic jaw pads will cover those wood-marring metal jaws with a less damaging material — wood. Strong magnets back these pads so you don’t have to worry about the pads moving or slipping out of place as you tighten the vise.

See Where You Can’t Go
Now you can check out the insides of gas tanks, garbage disposals, and even walls if you’re willing to patch a 3/4″ hole. This could prove very helpful even to those of us who aren’t professional inspectors. Your local equipment dealer may even rent you one if you just want something interesting to play with.

Help us choose next week’s Top 5!

We’d appreciate your help in choosing next week’s Top 5, which’ll be featured here, elsewhere, and in the podcast as well. While you’re reading TM this week, look out for the “Interesting Post” button at the bottom of the article:

When you see an article that piques your interest, click the button once. You’ll return to the same page, but TM’s software’ll score your click for future reference. We’ll check in on the totals before selecting next week’s Top 5.

If you can’t quite justify buying the contortionist or the masseuse of reciprocating saws, because you already own a more mundane model, you can at least make your life a little easier by adding a double-sided blade with a plunge tip. Though the demonstration video isn’t much to look at, it does demonstrate how easily this blade’ll start a cut, even in the middle of a sheet.

New blades may not give you the same “new tool” fix, but at $19 for a three-pack of the 10″ blades — and less for the smaller blades — it won’t break the bank either.

Boar Blades [Corporate Site]

A fender roller is your last, best hope for fitting over-sized wheels and tires. Why? It flattens out the bit of sheet metal sticking out horizontally from the wheel-well lip, giving you another few millimeters of space inside the fender.

Best of all, Eastwood is offering their quite sturdy and functional-looking model for $200 today. Sure, that’s not pocket change (for we poor bloggers at least), but it’s chump change compared to what the body shop’ll charge you to straighten and repaint your fender after you jack it up with a hammer.

PS: If you’re wondering how this thing works, there’s a video on the page linked below.

Fender Roller [Eastwood]