A Basic Tool Kit II

Household tools are basic machines that assist you with repairs and building structures. They are custom designed to manipulate smaller aspects of larger parts that are necessary for the overall function of the part. With only two hands repairing things around the house may require that you use multiple tools to get the job done. There are times when you will need to hold one aspect of a part in place while simultaneously removing and replacing a smaller portion of that part. In today's article I will discuss some tools that can be used to hold and adjust parts making them a MUST have in your basic tool kit. 

 

Pliers: Slip joint & Long-nose, Vice grips 

At first thought you might be wondering why would you need two different types of pliers in your basic tool kit, "shouldn't one pair be enough"? Well there will be moments during repairs when each plier type will serve you best and are cost effective.

Adjustable tools like slip joint pliers and long-nose/needle-nose pliers are designed to grip a smaller part and hold it in place. They can also be used to guide metal and flexible wires through small spaces efficiently. 

There are 33 types of pliers that can hold objects firmly in place, as well as, bend or compress them. They can tighten and loosen nuts & bolts, assist with assembly work and long-nose pliers can be used for both cutting and holding. 

☆ The anatomy of pliers are as follows:

Long-nose pliers/Slip joint pliers 

1. Nose/Jaw -- grips wires/nuts & bolts

2. Cutters/Pipe grip -- cuts wires/grips pipes

3. Fulcrum/Pivot point -- enables handle movement/adjusts jaw size

4. Handles- your holding area when gripping materials 

Vice grips 

An additional plier type that needs to be added to your basic tool kit; vice grips are a plier type with an adjustable jaw that can be locked in place. Vice grips can attach to both fixed and damaged bolts, as well as, loosen frozen nuts. 

☆ Vice grip parts include:

1. Adjustable screw- works on jaws by applying pressure to the nut or bolt

2. Grip- the area to you hold on the handles

3. Handles- 1 fixed and 1 movable for holding

4. Jaws- 1 fixed and 1 movable, attaches to the nut/bolt

5. Link/Connecting rod- connects the movable and fixed handles 

6. Release lever- releases lock

The Wrench

Nuts and bolts are stainless steel parts that act as fastners to larger parts, this is achieved by fitting tightly on a part. Wrenches are a specialized tool that can apply or remove nuts & bolts and can even remove them when they have been corroded due to water & air or acid exposure. Often times wrenches and vice grips are used in conjunction to repair or build larger structures. Adjustable wrenches contain a specialized gear that enables it to adjust to various nut & bolt sizes. 

A standard wrench is fixed in size and is used in the automobile industry to fit specific nuts & bolts. Whereas an adjustable wrench has a movable jaw that can accommodate various sizes of fastners. 

☆ The parts of the adjustable wrench are as follows:

1. Handle- area that you hold

2. Jaws- 1 fixed and 1 adjustable, used to grip the nut or bolt

3. Worm screw- adjusts the jaw to fit the nut/bolt