Tested in 2016: Simone’s Favorite Things!

12 thoughts on “Tested in 2016: Simone’s Favorite Things!”

1. Wow, that potato is holding up remarkably well haha! Thought it would be really manky by now.

   Happy new year to the Tested team!

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2. I bought that cordless Dremel this year to make some slight modifications to a SaberForge hilt I purchased (weathering and cutting down aluminum blade plug to size). I was left pleasantly surprised by its ability to glide through aluminum, as well as the precision for gentler distressing during weathering with the multitude of brass & steel bristle brushes, it’s light and accurate in the hand. Came in handy for some nice Pumpkin work too, in short I agree great pick! Cant wait to try pop rivets!

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3. I’ve been using my Dremel a bit more this year. Can highly recommend getting the EZ SpeedClic mandrel and cutting discs. Bit on the pricey side, but much easier to change than the screw-on ones and they lock nice and positively. Also slightly larger diameter IIRC.

   Also, brass wire brush attachments are pretty nice for cleaning up seam lines on PU resin castings.

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4. Can pop rivets fix shoes? Specifically reattaching the soles.

   Optional back story below:

   For example, I have an awesome pair of hiking type “boots”. At least 3 years old now. The right shoe’s sole has almost come off. It’s peeled away from the heel. I have tried all sorts of glue and tape but eventually the soul comes loose again. I love the shoes so much I have continued to wear them even with the floppy sole (“Floppy Soul”… WOW! Cool song title… or maybe new music genre?).

   My concern is if I use pop rivets (have to buy a kit first) the “heads” inside the shoe will feel annoying. Of course I am already using shoe padding/liners for cushioning and… odor… so it might help. The shoes kind of have “two layers”. The uppers of course overlap at the edge but there is a layer attached to the uppers and the sole. I glue the whole “sandwich” together.

   The problem with shoes… or any type of “fashion”, stupid manufacturers make something… I buy it… it lasts… one or two or maybe three years? I go back looking for the EXACT same thing… BOOM! It’s long gone. Discontinued. Have to find something else. I lucked out so much with these shoes. They felt comfortable the first day. They “were” waterproof (floppy sole lets the water in now). After gluing I tried using some silicone caulking to make waterproof again with lousy results. Since then I have bought another similar pair… horrible. Uncomfortable… taking ages to break in.

   Anyway… long story short (too late) would it be advisable to use pop rivets to reattach the soles of shoes?

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5. its been many years, but pop rivets did blow my mind the 1st time. I’ll have to check out that Dremel. Thx

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6. I think I’ve been entirely desensitised to pop rivets since I’ve been using them in some shape or form since I was… I think 5? I certainly remember actively looking for specific rivets in my dad’s garage at age 6 to build a marble run from offcuts of box steel. We used to have a hand-grip style gun for the small jobs, and accordion style one for the bigger rivets (life saver). When I started work in the aviation industry, I learned how to use full size hammer-and-anvil air driven rivet guns, so I think the idea of riveting things together has followed me throughout life.

   Never had a Dremel though…

   Oh, also, +1 on the freedom that a benchtop adjustable PSU gives you. Mine isn’t quite as fancy as that, but if the two best investments for a prototyping bench aren’t an adjustable PSU and a temp controllable soldering iron, I don’t know what are.

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7. When I decided on a rotary tool for light saber building I discovered the Foredom, American made tool. It has a separate motor and flexible shaft, seems slightly more heavy duty than a Dremmel. I have cut through 2 cm thick copper without it getting hot as well as it being able to go in foward or reverse. All Dremel tools fit, and if you have a Dremel the reverse is true for the Foredom tools. Thank you Tested for these wonderful Favorite Things episodes.

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8. Come on Simone, don’t cross to the dark side just because you’re in the states. It is ‘aluminium’! :p

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9. It’s already 2017 here in NZ! Woo!

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10. Wait until she finds grommets.

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11. I had three dremels and burned through them after a time so I’m trying a Proxxon rotary tool. It has a bit more metal in the housing and has not failed after three years. It accepts all my old bits too.
    After making a lot of flight cases with heavy or long pop rivets my knuckles wrote a petition to score a pneumatic riveter.
    It is amazing and allows me to collect and recycle the spent mandrel.

    Thanks for a great year Tested. Looking forward to 2017.

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12. 3/5

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