Home | Links | Contact |

Printed from www.nzmeccano.com

Top Home Bottom

The Top Ten Tools

(Author: Stan Knight)

Indispensable Tools for the Meccanoman

In 1967 Meccano Ltd introduced, with great fanfare, their new ‘Super Tool Set’ – three unusual implements designed to be essential additions to the serious Meccanoman’s kit. Hardly! Apart from a decent, long screwdriver (ignoring its rather nasty plastic handle), the Set contained two quite useless gadgets – a Nut Dispenser with sliding action, and a Flexible Nut Driver which was supposed to bend around corners. Bert Love dismissed them both as ‘little more than a gimmick of very little practical use’.

So what are the truly Indispensable Tools for the Meccanoman of today? Returning to Meccano building after a more than 50-year gap, perhaps I have a rather unorthodox vision of what they might be. So don’t be surprised if my List of Top Ten Tools is not the same as yours. My only claim is these unlikely devices work for me.

Number One   First on my List has to be ‘Blutak’! Without this ‘Mounting Putty’ (as they call it in the USA) I would be stymied/snookered/dead in the water, time and again. But with a little ‘Blutak’ applied to the end of a long slotted screwdriver, I can boldly go where no Meccanoman has gone before! I can reach places the Flexible Nut Driver had never even heard of! And while the good old Box Spanner has its merits, placing a dab of ‘Blutak’ on the end of it, greatly enhances its effectiveness and reach-ability. Blutak gets my vote as the Most Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman.

Number Two   Talking about 34b… Some time ago, Alan Esplen kindly sent me a new-fangled Spanner (proudly stamped with the Meccano name) that this Meccano

Boy of the 1950s knew absolutely nothing about. It’s a sort of cross between a Box Spanner and a standard one. The trick is that the ‘box’ part tapers slightly towards the end, so it grips the Square Nut (who would ever want to use any other type of Nut??) instead of just cradling it. Magic! Except that not all Square Nuts are created equal. I mean, even some of my original Binns Road 1950 Brass (now brown!) Nuts (to admit nothing of modern ‘replicas’) slide right through the gripping part. So, even in those days, they manufactured Nuts with inconsistent widths? (Gosh! What a concept!) Nevertheless, I love this new Spanner; and as most of my Square Nuts are gripped by it, it fully qualifies as an Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman.

Number Three   On the one hand, spilling a whole box of Washers on the floor (be they M4s or mere 38s) can cause time-consuming, not to say Anglo-Saxon-vocabulary-inducing, inconvenience. On the other, after totally dismembering your Prize-Winning Traction Engine on the dining room table, what a pain it is to separate the Nuts from the Bolts in order to redistribute the said Nuts (Square, of course) and said Bolts (Cheesehead, naturally) to their respective repositories. Well, in either case, my next Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman comes to the rescue! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO, it’s Super Scoop!! Artfully crafted from plastic modeller’s polystyrene to a precise configuration (which fits inside the repositories perfectly), with leading edge sanded to a knife-like profile, our Super Scoop makes light work of otherwise tedious, time-consuming labour!! Sorting and gathering in quick easy movements, the sheep are separated from the goats in no time at all. And this amazing Tool even improves the Meccanoman’s vocabulary.

Number Four   What if, quite by accident, a whole box-load of Fixings disappear under your Welsh Dresser like Lucy through the Wardrobe? Or what if (like me), Meccano building is confined by SWMBO to that guest bedroom, with its wall-to-wall deep-pile carpet which sucks errant Washers and Bolts into instant invisibility? Hah! Another Indispensable Tool is called for – the Mighty Magnet. Preferably – if one is easily able to get down on hands and knees to chase migrant Washers, but quite unable to get up afterwards without the aid of a Fork Lift Truck – one mounted on the end of a long handle! Unfortunately, magnets don’t work on Plastic Meccano…

Number Five   I used to think that Tweezers were tools only useful for the removal of splinters (USA: ‘slivers’) from the forefinger – and, of course, the plucking of female eyebrows. But Wait! These remarkable implements have now been promoted to a much more important rôle. They have become an Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman. They can pick up the tiniest Grub Screw (even the ones omitted by a certain UK Dealer); they can extract a single Shoulder Bolt buried in a sea of Set Screws; they can even substitute for a Spanner in a really tricky situation. Tweezers – I wouldn’t leave home without them.

Number Six   Have you ever come across Meccano brassware which refuses access to standard Meccano Axle Rods? I seem to have a lots  – particularly among my shiny modern ‘replica’ brassware (which apparently originates from a very large country which begins with the letter ‘I’). At first, I thought that the Grub Screws were creating the obstruction, but no, the problem is much more serious – the tappings are not finished smoothly inside. Never fear, I have found the perfect device to reform these unruly objects. Somehow, I have inherited from somewhere a set of files (the steel variety that smooth out the roughs in metal). And one of them is yet another Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman. It is a round file with a diameter of 1/8th inch, a long business section, and tapering ends. Insert this file into blocked openings inside brassware, apply a few deft planing strokes to the obstruction and the problem is solved. Meccano Axle Rods now slide through the brassware holes with the greatest of ease.

Number Seven   One Ancient item – an Aeroplane Constructor part, A1083 from 1932 – has to be included in my list of essential tools. This is the Humble Drift, incorporated into Meccano Outfits after WWII, as Part 36c. What Brainless Idiot decided in 1964 to omit them altogether from Meccano Outfits?? (Whoever that desk-bound, paper-pushing Accountant was, quite obviously he had never tried to build a single Meccano model himself!) But as every Real Meccanoman knows, no decent mechanical model can be constructed without the aligning persuasions of the Meccano Drift. (And, by gum, often it is that Brute Force is required to tame those wayward perforations!) No Meccanoman worth his salt would be without his Drift – a truly Indispensable Tool.

Number Eight   Talking about Screwdrivers (we were, weren’t we?), I have to admit deep disappointment in this one aspect of the Products of Binns Road. What Sadistic Joker dreamed up the Looped Screwdriver (part 36) with its clunky slotted end (surely not St Frank?), or that dreadful Combined Spanner and Screwdriver (34a)? (Could the latter have been another brilliant notion of that same Deranged Accountant; this time penny-pinching the 1970 Pocket Meccano?) For proper Meccano building I need different lengths of Screwdrivers, but they need to be Beautiful as well as Efficient. (Form follows Function, remember.) They should sit in my hand comfortably, have perfect balance, yet allow firm grip. Also they should spin without the slightest effort. So where do I find such idyllic hand tools – Liverpool? Calais? Argentina? Nah – Ace Hardware!! These excellent Screwdrivers not only perform effectively, they are a Joy to Behold and to Behandle. Here is an Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman, if ever there was one. The top of the smooth ergonomic handle spins freely in the palm of my hand and, take note, their shafts totally penetrate standard Meccano perforations, and their hardened steel tips even go into the tapped holes of Bosses, Collars, and Couplings. Beat that, Binns Road!

Number Nine   My penultimate choice in my list of Ten Top Tools? Oil – a totally Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman. As the model is under construction, a little of the lubricating stuff should be applied to all the parts that move. After the model is completed, apply Oil. While it is running, add Oil. Indeed, when in any sort of doubt, Oil it. Presumably, the finer the oil, the better the lubrication, so I use Sewing Machine Oil – easy to find, and easy to use. Especially if you also have my Tenth Indispensable Tool in your kit…

Number Ten   …A Pipette (which I pronounce ‘pip-ette’, but Americans seem to say, ‘pipe-ette’). Whatever would I do without this invaluable item, which is available, a dime a dozen, from local Medical Suppliers (and also online)? This is undoubtedly a Required Item for every Meccano workbox, one which facilitates the easy application of very necessary lubrication in those hard-to-reach places and, what is more important, with precision quantity control. In MHO the Pipette easily earns its place as an Indispensable Tool for the Meccanoman. (Repro Magic Motor Box, courtesy: A Esplen Esq.)

What works for you?


Stan Knight
Idaho, USA
(A Meccano Wilderness)

 


 

Total number of messages on this page: 11.  This is page 2 of 2.   Previous

Arup Dasgupta      (at 2:10am, Thu 16th Dec, 10)

Agree with you on all counts. I also use a set of jewellers screw drivers and for my plastic non-focussing eye a head mounted magnifier which keeps both hand s free. I use to also posses an old discarded syringe from my diabetic uncle for drop by drop oiling. You can see my kit sans the syringe in my album.

Charles      (at 3:27pm, Wed 15th Dec, 10)

You don't have to worry about "Ace" brand, almost anyone sells 4mm screwdrivers, and buying the more expensive ones tends to get you a better one. I also use a 3mm for the short grubscrews which can fit into some smaller spacers, and a very long shaft 4mm for the impossible stuff. If you get a strongly magnetic tip it can hold the bolt securely as you place it.

Stan Knight      (at 3:18pm, Wed 15th Dec, 10)

Brian, The Ace screwdrivers of that type are available in Phillips, Square, Slotted, and I think also in Hex. If not on the shelf they can be special ordered. My 6 inch slotted one is Item 2167104, and the 2½ inch one is Item 2167096.
Stan

Brian      (at 12:14pm, Wed 15th Dec, 10)

Hi Stan, tend to agree with your observations. Must look out for the s/driver at ACE. Wish they sold hex points! I see the Asplen repro box has been included, mine houses one of the M/Motors. The Drift is undoubtedly one of Meccanos best thoughts although its easily subbed of course. Its also handy for checking the other problem you mention concerning certain brass. Fortunately my workbench is the kitchen table on hardwood floors but your super scoop is a good idea. In the absence of BluTak, I have been known to use Plasticene pr in a real emergency a bit of spit on the end of your finger!

Stop by when you're next this way.

Brian.

Paul D      (at 4:38am, Wed 15th Dec, 10)

Nice article! A rather poor version of your dual-ended 'gripping' spanner is that some square nuts are an interference fit in the jaws of hex spanners.

Paul


Your name:
Your message:
Security check: (Please type in the text to prove you're a person!)
 
Login status:  You have not yet entered your user name and password. You cannot create or edit documents until you do.
Enter your user name and password to log in

Remember me

If you click on the box marked 'remember me next time', you will not have to log in again on this computer for three months.

If you don't have a user name yet, please click here

Latest documents:

 
(Neil Bedford and Richard Smith)
Midlands Meccano Guild
Model Report 
97th Meeting 
 
The Arduino Sketch 
and how to upload a Youtube or Vimeo video to the Gallery 
(Paulo Kroeff de Souza)
"Homemade" Screwed Rods
 
(Paulo Kroeff de Souza)
The Meccano driving band problem
 
(Paulo Kroeff de Souza)
Meccano Cord Reproduction
 
(Paulo Kroeff de Souza)
Substitutes for parts 142 and 155
 
(Philip Drew & Richard Smith)
Midlands Meccano Guild
105th Model Report 
92nd Model Report 
(Neil Bedford and John Rogers)
Midlands Meccano Guild
104th Model Report 
91st Model Report 
 
103rd Meeting Model Report 
by Peter Stuart, Meccano Modellers Association Sydney Inc 
(Richard Smith and Neil Bedford)
Midlands Meccano Guild
102nd Meeting Model Report 
(John Rogers & Colin Bull)
Midlands Meccano Guild
101st Meeting Model Report 
Spanner Challenge 
(John Rogers and Neil Bedford)
Midlands Meccano Guild
100th Meeting Model Report 
 
A G gauge model 
(Colin Bull & Richard Smith)
Midlands Meccano Guild
99th Meeting Model Report 
98th Meeting Model Report 
 
97th Meeting Model Report 
(David Couch)
The Little Tram
An introductory Arduino project 
(G. Eiermann and M. Schild)
A Short History of MARKLIN Metall
 
96th Meeting Model Report 
83rd Meeting Model Report 
 
82nd Meeting Model Report 
Picks up three golf balls 
(Roger Marriott)
Midlands Meccano Guild
95th Meeting Model Report 
The Spanner Challenge 
 
 
94th Meeting Report 
(Andre Theberge)
Meccano Segway
Instructions 
(Andre Theberge)
A Meccano Segway
Arduino code 
(Andre Theberge)
A Meccano Segway
Assembly instructions 
(Michael J. Walker)
Meet the new MMG President
Geoff Wright 
The Spanner Challenge 
(Michael Walker)
Midlands Meccano Guild
93rd Model Report 
Report by Michael J. Walker. 
92nd Model Report 
(Stan Knight)
Minimal Meccano
Pocket Meccano Sets of the 1970s 
Little Lever, Bolton 
The Spanner Challenge 
91st Model Report 
(Bob Thompson)
Back to the beginning
Shop Display Model 
90th Meeting Report 
(Old Blue Gold)
Getting Old
A screwy story 
The Spanner Challenge 
Model report written by Michael J. Walker 
76th Meeting Report 
Exhibition in Nelson, New Zealand 
(Barry Gerdes)
Meccano Radio
 
 
How to flatten  
(Rod Socket)
Dear Mrs Spanner
Survival techniques for the Meccanoman's wife 
(Stan Knight)
The Top Ten Tools
Indispensable Tools for the Meccanoman 
A call for help 
The Spanner Challenge 
 
For small brass and nickel parts. Also for stripping paint and rotted zinc plating. 
(Stephen Heafield)
Waterslide Transfers
Refurbishing 0 & 00 Aero Models 
Construction details 
or Put Your Hammer Away 
Mobile Morris Crane from 1968 MM 
Bert Love's Blocksetter in colour 
The dangers of internet auctions 
(Rob Thompson pp Terry Bullingh)
BlockSetter Tower
Built by Terry Bullingham 
(Rob Thompson pp John Reid)
Captain Robert Falcon Scott
1912 Polar Sledging Party 
(Niels Gottlob)
Bucket Wheel Excavator
Transcribed from typed document with photos 
Selected Spanner messages 18th to 24th January 
Selected Spanner messages 11th to 17th January 
Selected Spanner messages 4th to 10th January 
 
(Norbert Klimmek)
Hulett Ore Unloader
A 1 to 32 Scale Model 
 
(Joe Attard of Malta)
A model ship
 
 
 
(Arup Dasgupta (ISM 652))
My E15R Motor
A repair story 
(Charles)
About Meccano
What is Meccano? 
Thoughts about modern Meccano 
Some hints and tips 
Not many in this condition I'll bet! 
 
 View all | Chat | Models | Hints and Tips | Opinion | Reviews | Mine