Felt guilty.....did grinding penance..

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skiprat

skiprat

Passed Away Mar 22, 2022
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I had a little job that required a fair amount of drilling in stainless and some titanium.....so while getting other stuff at the tool shop, I bought a set of 25 HHS - Cobalt drill bits...:rolleyes: Nice split point ones, too..

On the way back, I started to feel guilty, cos I really didn't need them and my normal HSS bits I've had since an apprentice have never failed me. :redface:

So stuff the job....my old faithful drill bits needed a treat and so I grabbed about a hundred of them and cleaned them up and freshly sharpened them.

The new ones ( in the black tin ) won't go to waste as I'll keep them in my van for emergency use....

I have NEVER felt guilty towards my tools before...I must be getting soft, but I guess good tools are like good friends...If you look after them, they won't let you down..

Have you ever felt bad about buying something new and how did you get over it?:tongue:
 

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Some types of stainless can be VERY unforgiving ....


I had some brand new HSS Ti/N coated bits that I brought to work to do some repair on a stainless steel part ....

I broke FOUR of them trying to drill ONE HOLE.


I never knew before this why McDonald's stainless steel parts are so heavy and so costly .... they are, without a doubt, made to take serious abuse and last.

If only I had gotten some cobalt bits ... :P

I ended up grabbing my carbide glass drilling bits and getting the holes made so that I could rivet the part back together where the weld failed after 12 years of service .... with the rivets there, and replaceable, it should stand up to another 3 to 4 years before another weld fails ...


If they ever decide to toss that part and replace it (140 dollars .... for a bent/folded/welded piece of metal that hangs on the front of the grill to hold trays), I'll ask if I can have the old part. Good steel is hard to find, and that stuff would make an UNBELIEVABLE set of knives ...
 
Ha ha, please don't get me started on Ti coatings......oops too late....:biggrin:

I believe that unless you buy Ti coated tools from a serious company, then it will most likely be a waste of money.

I have got several taps and dies from good companies like FES, Tapco, Sherwood, Trubor and not one of them have ever recommended having their excellent HSS tools Ti coated.

I have also got loads of crappy tools that have come with a so-called Ti coating that, to be honest cut like a knife through hot butter on the first couple of cuts but it soon wore off. It even wears off if you rub it with that plastic abrasive pad stuff, 3M scotchbrite for eg.

To me, I think some shady manufactures are using poor base material and coating it in this snake oil just for the DIY market as they know that the tool will only be used infrequently.

But to be fair, I've yet to be Ed-ucanized about it..:biggrin:
 
I've never felt guilty about buying a tool, only for lying about how much I actually spent on said tool! My rule of thumb is to ignore the first number after the dollar sign. That way $150 becomes $50!
 
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D.Oliver said:
I've never felt guilty about buying a tool, only for lying about how much I actually spent on said tool! My rule of thumb is to ignore the first number after the dollar sign. That way $150 becomes $50!
Click to expand...

And then just hope your wife doesn't sell off your tools for what you SAID you paid for them after you kick the bucket ....
 
Nope, never feel a twinge. Wife has no idea, and no problem if she found out. She buys here stuff and I buy mine. I'm all for spending more money if there is a difference in quality for me (I've worn my Rolex watch daily since I bought it in '85, for instance).

If it's a tool I'll use often, it makes sense to buy the best; if it's for occasional use, and a cheaper version will do, I'll go for it.

You really can't go wrong with buying the best tools your budget will allow.

Regards,
Michael
 
Yes, Skiprat I've had the odd twinge.. my husband really has no clear idea of what I've invested in the shop- but bless him, he doesn't care<g>.

I have a problem when I buy a tool I don't *yet* have a use for.. but I'm getting to them! And don't get us all started on blanks.. now THERE'S a topic that has "guilt" written all over it.

How many of us will live long enough to turn all the blanks we currently have, yet alone all the ones we're gonna buy?
 
Yep Katya, blanks are touchy subject here too.....I hope I live long enough to turn all of them.

I'm not really talking about feeling guilty for buying new stuff, but about replacing your old friend tools. I recently got wonderful old drillpress and it now has pride of place in my shop. But I just haven't got the heart to put away my little cheapie dp that has been with me since day one.

Oh well, maybe I should just put it out to stud....:biggrin:
 
Marriage, divorce, motorcycle, sports car. All better (or was this just about tools?)
 
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I have not felt guilt about replacing or upgrading a tool. I have felt sad or angry about needing to. Retail therapy would be a lot more effective if I had lower standards.
 
skiprat said:
Y
I'm not really talking about feeling guilty for buying new stuff, but about replacing your old friend tools. I recently got wonderful old drillpress and it now has pride of place in my shop. But I just haven't got the heart to put away my little cheapie dp that has been with me since day one.

:
Click to expand...
I haven't had my tools long enough to deal with this much yet.. but I did recently have to replace my vice grips as my old ones "disappeared" (my guys DO NOT put tools away!)
I was unreasonably happy when I found them again. Felt like getting reacquainted with an old friend.
 
So, you lovingly scraped off the rust spots and washed it off in light oil and returned it to it's place of honor, enshrined in your special place where you go to forget your daily worries as you create something of awe-inspiring beauty and grace?


Don't forget the mousetrap by the light switch to punish the wicked that would violate your sanctuary and poach unsuspecting tools from their homes in the midst of night ...
 
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