Must haves in your shop

(#5, #5, #5............)
IMG_20171121_204021.jpg IMG_20171121_204011.jpg Best dang staple puller ever. Some other frame shop's pneumatic staples are no match for this baby. Cardboard corners stapled on a readymade? Easy-peezee to remove. I actually got this sent to me free when Arrow had a promotion for one of it's staple guns that I bought a short while back.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arrow-Fastener-Staple-Puller/999957999
When pulling staples or points I keep a magnet handy to attract all those loose things but somebody mentioned having the magnet handy already.....smart framer! I need to get another one of those extendable magnets soon as my back and knees don't bend and flex like once upon a time.
https://www.amazon.com/SE-8036TM-NE...=1511340786&sr=8-1&keywords=extendable+magnet
 
Tools mainly geared to hand-finished frames.....

Cordless screwdriver and cordless drill. Must have one of each.
Small hammer and a BIG hammer.
Craft knife with snap-off blades. A good one.
Clean big paint brush for whisking away particles.
Broad-bladed screwdriver for getting lids off.
Strap clamps - more the better.
Lots of abrasive papers.
Manual sliding nail-driver.
Stanley Surform Shaver.
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I was going to say my favouritest stanley knife or my favouritest tape measure or my awl or my cordless drill or my.... then I realised, the most important tool is the witchy-poo stamp I use to mark my personal tools in an effort to discourage my sticky fingered collegues from borrowing & mistreating them.
 
My old Bruning electric eraser. Invaluable. This thing has rescued so many mats I can't begin to count.
 

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I wants me one of them. Are the rubber eraser refill tips easily available?

These trade on Ebay for around 25.00. The stick that is in mine now is at least 5 years old, and I have a reserve box of 7 or so - have not needed to shop around for refills. Seems like a common diameter though and mount is a collet that could accommodate other close diameters.
 
Wow, this thread was started in 2010.
 
Too bad all the original images are gone from 7 years ago. :(

As to the Chartpack Adjustable Burnisher - I have one of those - but the "adjustable" part I have never understood. Mine seems frozen. But it is still handy. But as for handy burnishers my go-to is the curved olive-colored plastic one that used to come with Presstype. Best. Gadget. Ever!
 
I have one of those adjustable burnishers. The adjustment applies to the tension of the spring inside the handle that allows the metal ball end used for applying transfer lettering to retract more or less forcefully. Too much force when applying the letters will cause the delicate film to crack and tear. Too little force will leave half of your letter attached to the carrier sheet. Of course you could control this with your hand pressure, but this is a "deluxe" tool. The other end is just a squeegee to burnish the type in place using the carrier sheet as a protective shield while doing so. Although Letraset type has pretty much gone the way of the dodo, I sometimes order custom transfer text for putting names on mats for class photos, organization officials, etc. Here is the go-to source for that: rubdowntransfers.net

:cool: Rick
 
These trade on Ebay for around 25.00. The stick that is in mine now is at least 5 years old, and I have a reserve box of 7 or so - have not needed to shop around for refills. Seems like a common diameter though and mount is a collet that could accommodate other close diameters.

I'm watching one on eBay. If I get one, I will also be looking for the hanger for one. I have a drafting table on my shop and remember these hangers that attached to a drafting table. It's a metal piece about a foot or so tall that clamps to the table with a hook at the top to hang the eraser from.

So far I haven't found a search term on Google that show one.
 
I'm watching one on eBay. If I get one, I will also be looking for the hanger for one. I have a drafting table on my shop and remember these hangers that attached to a drafting table. It's a metal piece about a foot or so tall that clamps to the table with a hook at the top to hang the eraser from.

So far I haven't found a search term on Google that show one.

After thinking about this, I remembered that they are used for rotary tools and Dremels as well like this one.

.f
 
Interesting info, Rick. My "adjustable" burnished originally belonged to Kim and it seems to be stuck on 4 and the ball end does not move at all. I unscrewed the burnisher end and discovered the nylon broken off in the middle of the device. So if had a spring 30+ years ago, it is long vanished.
 
Just out of curosity, what are must haves in your shop. For example, for me it mechanical pencils. I hate dull pencils and pencil sharpeners.

My 7/8 grade shop teacher called them "never sharps", hated them and wouldn't let us use them. A real wood pencil, rotary "sharp"ener and sandpaper for honing was a necessity to pass his classes.
 
smoothing out filler?

If only they would smooth out and fill in your retirement income. I'd think about retiring now. They've been sending me the stupid things for almost 5 years already.
 
my must haves are:
1. The wide tape dispenser that holds 2 sizes of 811 tape, 810 tape, and a clear tape.
2. My surgical knife - better than X-Acto and less expensive. 100 blades plus a holder for around $10.00 when I bought several months ago.
 
Pistachio nuts and Reese's peanut butter cups....
Oh, yeah... and some other stuff...:p
 
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned a S&W for when the crazy's attack I personally keep a Louieville slugger behind the entrance to my workshop.

I agree with most other said but want to add a small hand drill. I got one that over 100 years old and still works perfect.

A good digital camera that I can document things that come into the shop with. An old Nikon D2h has been my choice for the past 10 or so years. I can take a photo then press a button and record a 30 sec audio message to the photo like frame order number, issues with the piece and location if needed. These can be had used real cheap these days.

framer
 
I use the AARP cards mostly for inserting or forcing glue into crevasses; those SOBs have been sending me the things for over 20 years now - might as well make some use of them before I bin them.
 
I use the AARP cards mostly for inserting or forcing glue into crevasses; those SOBs have been sending me the things for over 20 years now - might as well make some use of them before I bin them.

:D I get packages of postcards now and then from various worthy bodies asking me to display them in the shop so that
people can pick them up and attend the events advertised thereon. I can't be bothered with all that though. :p But I save
them because they are exactly the same width as a sheet of gold leaf. So when I'm doing a 'faux' leaf gold finish I can paint
on the lap-lines and use the cards to get the spacing right. They are even more faux then.:cool:

btw. Mar. I think you mean crevice. A crevasse is what mountaineers fall into. :confused::rolleyes::eek:;)
 
I must have been channeling the Smothers Brothers . . . ;)

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I use the AARP cards mostly for inserting or forcing glue into crevasses; those SOBs have been sending me the things for over 20 years now - might as well make some use of them before I bin them.
Maybe in a few years you will qualify to become a member???
 
I must have been channeling the Smothers Brothers
When I was a little kid, one of my favorite albums was "The Two Sides of the Smothers Brothers" (which I actually still own). It contained that song.
:rolleyes: Rick

BTW, although Tommy played a dumb guy in the act, he was actually brilliant.
 
great minds think alike. Similar knife here, had it for years. Its so good I bought a couple of spares just in case ;)

Ooooh, Dave, we must have been separated at birth. :)

I never leave home with out it, and it is the one tool,
other than my tape measure, that gets the most use.
I would be lost with out it.


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Ooh - my favorite mat knife of all time! I have a bright red one and a bright blue one (made by Mastercraft, sold by Canadian Tire). Never saw a mini one, though. Must find one now . . .
 
I didn't get this at first because I thought you meant one of these:

I didn't get it because I thought "What could you get with Green Stamps for framing?".

(I know, it was S&H. I said "at first")
 
I use the AARP cards mostly for inserting or forcing glue into crevasses; those SOBs have been sending me the things for over 20 years now - might as well make some use of them before I bin them.
A woman I worked with many, many years ago brought in new, Plunger-in-Needle Syringes. Her husband was a veterinarian. We'd slightly dilute the Cornerweld wood glue and "shoot" glue into the crev-gaps. Worked like a charm, they were free so when they dried/clogged we'd safety-wrap them in masking tape and dispose of them.
 
A woman I worked with many, many years ago brought in new, Plunger-in-Needle Syringes. Her husband was a veterinarian. We'd slightly dilute the Cornerweld wood glue and "shoot" glue into the crev-gaps. Worked like a charm, they were free so when they dried/clogged we'd safety-wrap them in masking tape and dispose of them.

We get ours at the local ranch store.

One thing my favorite framer loves is his set of Master Clamps. The Hoffman has been a great addition. And, when we ladies struggled with some tall metals last year, he brought up a strap clamp. I still join most metals by hand, but for the tricky ones, it's a lifesaver.
 
Ah, but Peter, you may have a hammer but do you have a wrench? After all we silly framers are supposed to use both hammers and wrenches. ;)
 
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