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jono1987

Due to start training as a plumber and want to start building my tools up now to save me spending in bulk at a later date. I appreciate it does take a long time to build up all of the tools needed but what tools are essential kit like pipe cutters and basin wrench etc :confused:
 
Well if I empty out my tool bag
The basic stuff we need are

3 pairs of good quality grips,standard pipe grips

A cheap set of screw drivers with various philips,posy and sloted in

One slotted average size screw driver that you can abuse for many purposes,may get one in set

1 good long philips screw driver

Tape measure

Boat level

Standard Hammer and brick+ wood chisel

Allen keys and maybe security key set

Tap spanner as said

stanly/craft knife

junior axe saw,pipe slices,normal axe saw,do not forget blades :p

adjustable spanner (I have never used mine,corrodes up first)

Foot prints(again I never use as log as you get good quality pipe grips)

Immersion heater spanner

plier set,with pliers,lond nose pliers and wire cutters

Then you want your jointing compounds,ptfe tape,standard washers for taps,ball valves,silicon greese


Then,in the bottom of the tool bag, to weigh it down a bit and stop any one running off with all your tools, you need bits of pipe ends ,nuts and old olives,maybe the odd old motorized valve body,a few old brass ball valve bodies,a few old solvent weld brushes,about 3 dozen rusty screws and a few crumpled up copies of shower screen instructions,right at the bottom ;)
 
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Well if I empty out my tool bag
The basic stuff we need are



junior axe saw,pipe slices,normal axe saw,do not forget blades :p

do you mean hacksaw, or is that what you call a hacksaw?

Its been a long hot day :p but the way I cut through pipework ,I was probably right :)
you call something silly for long enough ,you start to believe it,sorry
 
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And that's just the tool bag. Another three tool boxes to go ...

It's tempting to buy something for every imaginable occasion but it involves a large amount of money and is sometimes a waste.

If I was starting again, I'd buy just the tools I need for the next job as I go along. Best tools so far (apart from basics like pump pliers, screwdrivers, etc) are Jaw Droppers (ÂŁ45 ish) and Wet Vacuum (around ÂŁ50+). So that's ÂŁ100 for starters.
 
When I started out, the tool I always wanted was a Reciprocating Saw (after me axe saw) but then they were really expensive,then when I got one,never use it much,as now can use modern jigsaws with all blades available,it is more robust when ripping old pipe work out though,never use now but still my favorite tool for some reason
Maybe I was saved by one once when I was a kid :p
 
Well if I empty out my tool bag
The basic stuff we need are

3 pairs of good quality grips,standard pipe grips

A cheap set of screw drivers with various philips,posy and sloted in

One slotted average size screw driver that you can abuse for many purposes,may get one in set

1 good long philips screw driver

Tape measure

Boat level

Standard Hammer and brick+ wood chisel

Allen keys and maybe security key set

Tap spanner as said

stanly/craft knife

junior axe saw,pipe slices,normal axe saw,do not forget blades :p

adjustable spanner (I have never used mine,corrodes up first)

Foot prints(again I never use as log as you get good quality pipe grips)

Immersion heater spanner

plier set,with pliers,lond nose pliers and wire cutters

Then you want your jointing compounds,ptfe tape,standard washers for taps,ball valves,silicon greese


Then,in the bottom of the tool bag, to weigh it down a bit and stop any one running off with all your tools, you need bits of pipe ends ,nuts and old olives,maybe the odd old motorized valve body,a few old brass ball valve bodies,a few old solvent weld brushes,about 3 dozen rusty screws and a few crumpled up copies of shower screen instructions,right at the bottom ;)
footprint are good quality pipe grips they dont rely on your grip like water pump pliers which slip like mad and never seem to be on the right notch
 
Your best tools are your hands. Become skilled with these and youl be ok with any tools.
 
My hands are fine - I just have difficulties with the grey mass in my head.
 
a rechargeable led light to see where you've left all your new tools is essential in my mind. But most important of all buys are a set of baggy work trouser with knee pad pockets and gel pads to enable you to work for the next 40 years.
 
a rechargeable led light to see where you've left all your new tools is essential in my mind. But most important of all buys are a set of baggy work trouser with knee pad pockets and gel pads to enable you to work for the next 40 years.
I agree with Oldplumber, Knee pads are the number one priority!
 
http://www.*********.com/jpgs/365drills_pack.jpg

ÂŁ49.99 - The pack contains seven drills in five popular plumbing sizes
Toolbox essential !

26038_376015397013_617362013_3798632_3566816_n.jpg


And if you would like Jenny and Chelsea to show you how they work then they are on standby !
 
well thank you Richard for drilling home the fact that I am a dirty old man or would like to be anyway :D

with lasses like that flying around ,no wonder a volcano erupted :p

imho
 
http://www.*********.com/jpgs/365drills_pack.jpg

ÂŁ49.99 - The pack contains seven drills in five popular plumbing sizes
Toolbox essential !

26038_376015397013_617362013_3798632_3566816_n.jpg


And if you would like Jenny and Chelsea to show you how they work then they are on standby !
now i remember what my most important tool is
after my npen to write the bill
 
i knew a bloke who fitted a full steel job of various sizes with only a pair of 14inch stilsons and a hammer!

http://www.*********.com/jpgs/365drills_pack.jpg

ÂŁ49.99 - The pack contains seven drills in five popular plumbing sizes
Toolbox essential !

26038_376015397013_617362013_3798632_3566816_n.jpg


And if you would like Jenny and Chelsea to show you how they work then they are on standby !

had em
 
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i knew a bloke who fitted a full steel job of various sizes with only a pair of 14inch stilsons and a hammer!

could not the back of the stilsons double up as a hammer,sounds like over tooling to me :p
 
a rechargeable led light to see where you've left all your new tools is essential in my mind. But most important of all buys are a set of baggy work trouser with knee pad pockets and gel pads to enable you to work for the next 40 years.


100% top advice, remember when us old, tough (now riddled with bad knees and poor hearing) tradesman wouldn't be seen dead in all that namby pamby safety kit
 
when you walk out the door in the morning always carry yer phone, a pencil, a tape measure, and a sence of humour, youll need em all to get through the day
 
when you walk out the door in the morning always carry yer phone, a pencil, a tape measure, and a sence of humour, youll need em all to get through the day



Yes ,think the sense of humour and the knee pads are in the lead so far :)
 
knee or kneeling pads for me,my dads 40 years in the trade shows me how bad knees can get,he once had his own built in set,his knee filled with blood!!! as he puts it my 16 years in the industry gives me plenty of time to start looking after my knees before i catch up with him!also a VERY important tool is a quality dust mask and an awareness of what contains asbestos when my dad started out they were told to just wet it before cutting!!! new entrants to our industry should have compulsory awareness training on asbestos
 
when you have been at it for a while you will realise all you need is a good set of pump pliers. lol
 
when you have been at it for a while you will realise all you need is a good set of pump pliers. lol

Very true can go days with just a pair of pump pliers and screwdriver with reversible end between philips and slot

My favorite tool at the moment,is my plastic pipe cutter,love if when running the condensate pipe work,find it therapeutic for some reason,sit in van with small piece of pipe,cutting away at traffic lights,imagining it is some of my customers heads or other arts of the anatomy

My least favorite tool is the junior axe saw (hacksaw:p),every time I pick it up,I get flash backs to the times before pipe slices and you would cut the side of you thumb all the time or index finger leaving a nice and fresh open wound for the acid flux to get into, all water would be turned off in property,so you can not clean out,a little tear would run down your cheek and you would look around for sympathy and the only sympathy is from your reflection in a cracked,dirty window,you feel lonely and vulnerable,the world is against you,the reflection in the pain of glass, turns from a man into a whimpering child,years of struggling and strife to try to provide warmth and shelter for your loved ones is questioned,dark depressive clouds formed above your head........
Anyway thats the reason I gave the wife for going to pub afterwards and coming home plastered,all in my post 'how to change a women's scorn into sympathy in 30 secs,by 'got time for another,bet your smelly cotton socks I have!!!!':D;):p

imho
 
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thats a crackin paragraph for the missus, im gonna try that one on friday afternoon.

cheers puddle:D
 
My lease used tool is the Rems Amigo III I bought for doing a sprinker system job 2 years ago. Used for 1 job only and tbh it was a pain in the bum having to lug a cable and transformer all over and went back to using my ratchet diestock.

Anyone interested in a Rems Amigo III? :D
 
sorry chaps but I just had to bring this back again

Rawlplugs Mason Master. We used to call it a rawlplug jumper. Its truly cordless and all apprentices should be forced to use them until there thumbs are a bloody pulpy mess!!!. Sorry bout that I hate the damn things but have secret pleasure of watching someone else in pain.
 
Are those the things you had to hit repeatedly with a hammer to make a 1/4" hole?

Inherited a couple with my grandad's toolkit, along with his plumbers turnpins and drift plugs them but not old enough to remember seeing anyone use one.

I do remember being shown how to use a turnpin and drift plug when I was about 12!

I also inherited a kind of device which was used to generate acetylene for lead burning but I've no idea how it was used. Anyone on the forum ever used one?

I also have a fancy paraffin blowtorch which was my grandads. It does actually get used, but only to get the barbecue going!

I guess the above must be my least used tools as I've NEVER used them!!
 
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my favourite tool is the one behind the steering wheel of me van!!!!!
 
I have been told that the acetylene generator takes calcium carbide and you set water dripping onto it to make the reaction.
 
Here are some of the tools not already mentioned that you will probably want;

Blow torch- I recomend the rothenberger superfire2, +fire extinguisher (powder type), plus flux, solder(lead free), gas (map gas prefarably) and a flux brush.

Small mirror- either an extendable one or simply a little make up mirror. Very useful little thing to have in the toolbag.

Camera!- the one on a phone is fine (I like to take before and after shots but maybe thats just me^^) also good if you look at a job but wont be returning for a while to do it, much quicker than making a diagram. Calculator on the phone can be useful too.

Box spanners for taps (monoblock and regular) and an adjustable spanner, like this one- although not this one as it looks cheep and nasty but you see what I mean: Adjustable Basin Wrench - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys
Having these makes life a lot easier when access is difficult.

I love my multitool! - pliers/wirecutters, knifes, saw, file, screwdrivers, alan keys, and various other random spikey bits all on your belt- best bday present I ever got!

Stop ends(2x15&22 min.)
Rad key and rad bleeding key.
Mastic gun, floorboard saw, emery strips/wirewool, round and flat files, garden hose and hose clips, scraper (the sort with replacable blades), wd40 or similar, tubs for catching water and a towel for mopping it up, gloves (disposable and riger type), safety goggles, ear defenders, stubby screw drivers. Toilet/kitchen roll for testing for any weeping joints. Dust sheets and dustpan and brush.

Stud/metal detector, multimeter, approved voltage meter, temp. earth bonding clamps (jump leads will do).

Steps/ladders.

Then later when you have more money: Pipe bender, Drills (combi and sds and bits- masonry, wood, holesaws), jigsaw, circ saw, angle grinder (I have 2 a standard makita one and a dremal for tight spots, both with diamond blades).

Hope that's of some use, you wont need it all at once though so like someone already said get what you need for the jobs you have to start out.
 
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I am just about to finish my 4 year apprentaship and in that time ive bought most tools imaginable, and most have now been relegated to the dark corner of my garage.

most important

1. Hammer
2. Plumbers chisel (big flat head screwdriver)
3. 15mm & 22m pipeslices, dont scrimp on cheapos off ebay, they dont last.
4. pair of decent pump grips (12'' rothenberger & a smaller, cheaper one)
5. Adjustable spanners Spanners (bahco wide mouth ÂŁ17, 8'' bahco,and mini adjustable spanner ÂŁ4 on ebay)
5. Junior hacksaw
6. long stanley fatmax pozi 2 screwdriver (main screwdriver)
7. extendable basin wrench
8. footprints
9. blowtorch
10. stanley
11. set of screwdrivers
12. pipe bender (dont buy cheap one)
13. tape measure
14. box spanner and mini box spanner set
15. radiator ratchet wrench (a must have luxury)
16. rasp file (if youre going to be installing poo pipe)
17. duck tape
18. jet blue paste
19. mini tube cutters
20 3 amp fuses to impress the boss
21. insulation tape (blue and red)
22. a handfull of 15mm and 22mm speedfist stop ends
23. torch
24. a stupidly big tool box
25. tin snips
26, decent brass rad bleed keys

ect

things ive regretted buying

olive puller
toilet seat gizmo (wtf?)
cheap pipe bender
cheap pipe slices
waste pipe cutters

theres probably plenty more ive blocked from memory. Its not cheap, and has taken me years to accumulate, and restock.

good luck
 
LOL - and he's got a great eye that he doesn't need a spirit level.

Joking aside, it's odd how you regretted your olive puller purchase whereas mine's got me out of a number of difficulties.
 
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