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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 27th Aug 2014, 8:13 am   #1
Ti Pwun
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Default A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

As you no doubt know, a cheap set of 'helping hands' is always going to be useful to have around.

I've had this one for over 30 years and as I'm currently using it for something, I thought I'd take a quick photo to show how I had modified it.

It's been this way for several years and although it's nothing special, it is a definite imporovement and something you may also find useful (if you haven't already modified yours).


The first problem was instability. The second was the damage the croc clips would do to wires and other vulnerable stuff. The third was the not-very-good magnifier that was always more in the way than it was useful.

So gone is the magnifier - I have a head magnifier and a large 5 diopter magnifier, both illuminated.

To cure the instability problem I simply stuck it on top of an old heavy speaker magnet. Very stable now, even with a board clamped in the jaws.

One croc clip is useful but they are not nice to wires, etc., so I replaced one of them with a long pair of normally closed tweezers (with good but not excessive clamping force). The slot in the arm is perfect for holding them and they can be tightened very securely.

Now it's kind to wires, even ribbon cable. It's a great heatsink. It holds components in place on a board. And on and on...

It also can be used side-on to reduce the required footpring as the tweezers will hold a board securely on their own.

If you don't have one of these things, get one. If you do and you have modified it, I'd love to get other ideas from your photos.
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Old 6th Sep 2014, 9:11 pm   #2
dseymo1
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Default Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

Good idea - the magnet is also an ideal place to put screws during diassembly to prevent them rolling off the bench.
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Old 7th Sep 2014, 11:28 am   #3
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Default Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

I tend to stick the screwdrivers to it that I need to keep magnetised but you're right; it is a convenient place to shuffle case screws toward so they stick to it - I have a laminate floor down here so if a screw bounces off the bench, it can be gone and out of sight for a while, usually until I'm looking for something else! .
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Old 1st Jan 2015, 1:19 pm   #4
Wendymott
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Default Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

Hmmm... Brilliant addition... the "tweezers" thing....I mounted my base on to a small piece of "conti" board, same result...job 965 for 2015.... THanks
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Old 3rd Jan 2015, 5:16 am   #5
Ti Pwun
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Default Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

Much kinder to whatever is being held than the croc clip was, that's for sure.
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Old 3rd Jan 2015, 11:38 am   #6
Alistair D
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Default Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

A further improvement for the helping hands is to find nuts that will fit the bar clamp screws. Fit the nuts so that one of the bar clamps is locked to the screw. I now find that loosening and re-tightening the clamp is a much less fiddly operation.

I was also thinking of buffing down the croc clip teeth and cutting pieces of pencil eraser to fill in the jaws. High grip with no component damage.

Al
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Old 4th Jan 2015, 3:09 pm   #7
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Thumbs up Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

Good ideas.
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Old 7th Jan 2015, 10:18 pm   #8
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Default Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

What I use here over the teeth of the 'gator clips is the plasticized ends that go over wire, similar to the ones on coax. (Here AKA: "cable condoms") They also use them on the handle on toggle switches. They come in a variety of sizes and colors too.
Or one can put a piece of heat shrink tubing over each jaw or clear plastic air line similar to that used on aquarium pumps.
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Old 8th Jan 2015, 11:25 am   #9
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Default Re: A couple of VERY useful helping hands mods

Before I fitted the tweezers I did try heat shrink tubing but it quickly got chewed up. I suppose several layers would make it usable.
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