Best buys for DIY

[AndyT]

Eric, I've not noticed any strobing. The colour is probably not quite the same as daylight or tungsten. However, it's a reasonably warm white, not too cold and blue. The real benefit is that when you are painting white on white there is enough light to see where you have been and where you have missed.

I should have said that you could easily put it on a tripod or stand but I have just been hooking the legs round bits of the stair railing, which is ok with a light that doesn't get hot.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Had a Fugi set for years - wonderful. Pay for themselves quickly, as they're very economical with the mastic.

That's funny, I think I waste a lot more silicone now I have the fugi set. I don't reallt worry about it though because the finish is so much better but I would bet at least a quarter of the tube ends up in the bin.

Cut the nozzle for a smaller bead.

One thing you can do with a Fugi is go back over a bit, and you can also use most of the mastic that gets lifted off - using my finger or a spoon, it just ends up on a bit of kitchen papar, about 5x what goes on the actual job!

 

[Eric The Viking]

Eric, I've not noticed any strobing. The colour is probably not quite the same as daylight or tungsten. However, it's a reasonably warm white, not too cold and blue. The real benefit is that when you are painting white on white there is enough light to see where you have been and where you have missed.

I should have said that you could easily put it on a tripod or stand but I have just been hooking the legs round bits of the stair railing, which is ok with a light that doesn't get hot.

Thanks Andy. At that price it's definitely worth a shot.

I have our staircase to do next year, and you've seen what I'm up against there :-(

 

[skipdiver]

Had a Fugi set for years - wonderful. Pay for themselves quickly, as they're very economical with the mastic.

I had a couple of 200W incandescent bulbs for decorating - brilliant things! The big advantage was that you got bright light from the same direction as the proper light fitting, and when the radiator was off the wall, they kept the room a bit warmer, if you didn't mind the rotting fish smell of scorching Bakelite.

Unfortunately I was clumsy packing away last time so now have one good bulb and one show & tell, coiled-coil filament :-( Zero chance of replacement now, sadly.

Andy, the Screwfix one looks good - do you notice any strobing with it, and do colours look natural? Those are the things that put me off LEDs, so if it's good enough it goes on the Christmas list, definitely.

My brother, a decorator, carries those bulbs with him to use on jobs. I'm working with him at the moment and i commented on how bright they were and remember them as a kid as my Mother used to have 200w bulbs everywhere, was like Blackpool illuminations. Anyway, said to him that i didn't think you could get them anymore and he said he found some on Ebay.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Thanks Steve - that's well worth a look.

 

[skipdiver]

Thanks Steve - that's well worth a look.

I'm helping him put up lining paper tomorrow. I'll ask him some details.

 

[woodpig]

Telescopic Ladder. Its been brilliant just make sure it's a good make, mines a Youngmans.

 

[porker]

For me it is a laser measure. There are plenty around for less than £50. I do a lot of house renovation and it really helps when you really need someone else to hold the other end of the tape. Planning some fitted wardrobes in a complicated alcove and measuring up was quick and easy.

 

[morfa]

AndyT - whats the overall range of that light - could it be used as an overhead light to give spot lighting over a workbench position? I've got general lighting but would like some extra when doing more fiddly stuff with marking lines etc.

I have a very similar light and I have one directly above my workbench, it's amazing. Currently gaffa taped in place, so when I need to charge it I have to take it down. But it's very good. You just need to try a few positions so you don't end up with bad shadows. I found that above but ever so slightly behind me was best.

 

[Roughcut]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hamilton-roll ... Swvg9XfR8E

When decorating I also find a supply of clear sandwich bags very handy for wrapping rollers and paintbrushes to prevent them drying out.
Old margarine tubs (empty and washed out) are just the right size for adding some paint to when cutting in around skirting and coving prior to getting the roller out.
A small green or yellow washing up sponge with the scouring back are perfect for cleaning up stray paint splashes on light switches and sockets and window frames.
I also use an old plastic Ovaltine tub for keeping the majority of my drill bits together and easily found.

 

[monkeybiter]

Andy, the Screwfix one looks good - do you notice any strobing with it?

Might not be such a bad thing...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38220670

 

[Eric The Viking]

Aye, but not for filming or rotating machinery!

 

[graduate_owner]

One of my best buys has been a beefy cordless drill. I have had a 14 volt Makita and an 18 v Site for a quite a while and they have been great, but not enough torque when fixing larger screws, and definitely not enough torque when it comes to loosening o!d, stubborn screws. Thsn I bought a second hand Makita MXT844D and what a difference in torque. I could stop the others by holding the chuck, even on full torque setting, but not this one, not even on half torque setting. I had never realised before that there was such a difference in the various models within the same brand range.

K

Edit - I don't suppose it comes anywhere near the performance of an impact driver, but these are pretty expensive, whereas I paid £10 inc postage for my second hand MXT.

 

[cowfoot]

I'd recommend a small Brushmate -
http://www.decoratingwarehouse.co.uk/bu ... 7QodSSEPiw
Label your brushes (undercoat, eggshell, gloss etc), stick em in here and you'll rarely have to bother with white spirit again. I've got a separate one in the workshop for oils and varnishes, keeps my fancy Italian flat brushes in top condition.
Also for painting - scuttles rather than trays! Less likely to spill, easier to move about and you can sprinkle a bit of water over the top to stop a skin forming on emulsion when leaving a job for the next day. A mini scuttle and mohair sleeve on a rad roller, you'll fly through MDF built ins etc...

 

[graduate_owner]

Another really useful tool which I would not want to be without is a digital calipers. Only about £12 and so easy to read. May not be accurate enough for some metalworkers, but for wood I think it is brilliant.

K

 

[SteveF]

not really a tool, but has anyone got workshop clothing that don't attract sawdust?
during my recent workshop "tidy", i found half a dozen fleeces (i dunno why)
they are so thick in sawdust they will never be allowed near her washing machine
so destined for a black sack

Steve

 

[lurker]

not really a tool, but has anyone got workshop clothing that don't attract sawdust?
during my recent workshop "tidy", i found half a dozen fleeces (i dunno why)
they are so thick in sawdust they will never be allowed near her washing machine
so destined for a black sack

Steve

Hang them on the clothes line in the wind and rain for a few days then bung them in the washer

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For straightforward money saving over decades the tool is without any doubt a decent multi tester.

 

[Rorschach]

not really a tool, but has anyone got workshop clothing that don't attract sawdust?
during my recent workshop "tidy", i found half a dozen fleeces (i dunno why)
they are so thick in sawdust they will never be allowed near her washing machine
so destined for a black sack

Steve

Hang them on the clothes line in the wind and rain for a few days then bung them in the washer

Any of my workshop clothing that gets that bad goes out in the garden for a good shake and if needed a "pre-wash", otherwise known as a big bucket of water with a glug of detergent in it. After that it can go in the washing machine.

That being said, I also wash my filter bag in the washing machine, comes out lovely!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

When we had our boxer, once in a while I would blitz my workshop clothes, training shoes and any boiler suits followed by her blankets followed by a check of the pump filter and an empty very hot wash with a machine cleaner. Never had a problem.