Author Topic: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?  (Read 3614 times)

sozin

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Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« on: 17 March 2019, 11:23:51 »
Hey everyone! I recently made the jump to the IWM based on the sage advice of this forum, and have been struggling with getting the pieces glued together. (I've got two left hands and inevitably they end up glued to each other  :thumbsup:).

After browsing the various guides and videos on the topic, I started wondering if electronics soldering "helping hands" might be useful here (an idea inspired by the Citadel Assembly Handle. For example, something like the QuadHands station or the Hobby Creek Helping Hands.

Thanks in advance!


Cache

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #1 on: 17 March 2019, 12:31:00 »
It helps if you use it right, but it all costs money. I'd stay with low-tech found objects if you can. Bits of sculpey (clay) and paint bottles work for me: http://brianscache.com/builds/

Bedwyr

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #2 on: 17 March 2019, 12:36:24 »
I moved the thread to tips and tricks as it's better suited for the forum.

Concur with Cache. The tools can be very helpful if you want to get them, but they're not required. I've used balls of blue/poster/sticky-tack to hold pieces in place while the glue cures.
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sozin

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #3 on: 17 March 2019, 13:27:39 »
Thanks fellas. I tried the sticky tack/bottle solution and it didn't work well for me  :-[

Has anyone tried out any helper's hands products and has feedback?

Cache

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #4 on: 17 March 2019, 14:44:36 »
Has anyone tried out any helper's hands products and has feedback?
Mine has alligator clips. They leave bite marks on the soft metal. I have used them to prop up parts. Might be worth wrapping the jaws with electrical tape.
« Last Edit: 17 March 2019, 14:48:18 by Cache »

Bedwyr

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #5 on: 17 March 2019, 14:58:47 »
Oh yeah. That one he's talking about is usually coupled with a magnifying glass to help electronics designers and hobbyists work with printed circuit boards. Usually you need at least three hands, often four, to get parts soldered together and this holds the board in place nicely. The alligator clips are pretty toothy and stiff, so you probably would need some bit of cover.

Find them at any electronics hobbyist store or site (Amazon, Sparkfun, Digikey, probably Element14, or Adafruit).


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dgorsman

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #6 on: 17 March 2019, 15:47:07 »
I've never been able to get those to hold where I want them to.  The arms settle just out of alignment, and getting a change to stay put means pushing them too far in the other direction.   :(
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Valkerie

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #7 on: 17 March 2019, 16:36:42 »
I got one as a gift this Christmas.  It has been quite useful for some work where putty wasn’t going to cut it.  Mine came with six arms and a magnifier.  It aslo uses alligator clips, but they came with pads on them.  I’ll take a picture of it when I get home.
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DarkSpade

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #8 on: 17 March 2019, 17:12:00 »
I have the citadel one.  I haven't used it yet, but I have played with it a bit.  I've noticed that whenever I push in the arm where I want it, it always moves back a little.  That could get annoying really quick. The version without the arms is great for painting though.

I'd recommend trying Zip Kicker or some other glue accelerate.  A drip of it on one part and a drop of glue on the other and you're set.  Doesn't work for everything.  When gluing heavier parts together, you're better off if the glue drys at its normal speed.  Fantastic for small bits though.
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Valkerie

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #9 on: 17 March 2019, 22:02:28 »
Ok, here is the one I have.  I like the multi position arms. 
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Robroy

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #10 on: 18 March 2019, 04:07:59 »
I have been using modeling clay. One of the best tips I got. There is a couple of minis that I would have not been able to put together with out that stuff, but if the clamps work for you go for it.

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mbear

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #11 on: 18 March 2019, 05:51:05 »
Mine has alligator clips. They leave bite marks on the soft metal. I have used them to prop up parts. Might be worth wrapping the jaws with electrical tape.

Or covering with plastitak/bluetak.
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Cache

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #12 on: 18 March 2019, 09:06:21 »
Or covering with plastitak/bluetak.
I can't see how that would help. Bluetak is soft, wouldn't the jaws bite through?

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #13 on: 18 March 2019, 10:23:21 »
I can't see how that would help. Bluetak is soft, wouldn't the jaws bite through?

It's soft when it's heated up and pliable from pulling and stretching. Tougher when it's cooled down, so it might work.
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shadhawk

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #14 on: 18 March 2019, 18:05:18 »
Helping hands work well. I use them all the time and have a few difernt ones from different companies.
The gator clips will mark up soft metal a said before. You can use that type with cheep tweeser so you do not get the marks. Pressure tweezers work best as they will hold what you need held and no marks.
X-acto is one of the better ones but you have a lot of different ones on the market

DarkSpade

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #15 on: 18 March 2019, 18:13:05 »
I've also made good use of different size clothes pins(the kind with the spring).   Wooden ones can even be cut and filed into the shapes you need for tricky bits.
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sozin

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #16 on: 18 March 2019, 18:51:46 »
Helping hands work well. I use them all the time and have a few difernt ones from different companies.
The gator clips will mark up soft metal a said before. You can use that type with cheep tweeser so you do not get the marks. Pressure tweezers work best as they will hold what you need held and no marks.
X-acto is one of the better ones but you have a lot of different ones on the market

Shadhawk, are you using X-acto? Curious about your rig! Thanks for the fb!

shadhawk

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #17 on: 18 March 2019, 20:45:16 »
Shadhawk, are you using X-acto? Curious about your rig! Thanks for the fb!

Yes and others. Some modified for my way of doing things or special needs.
I will post pics of the ones I use after work.


OK the pics

first up a group shot
the single tweezers one is x-acto, the two cheep looking ones are from Harbor Freight. they have gator clips that can not be switched out but go to a local dollar store get some cheep tweezers sets from them and look the gator clips hold the tweezers  :thumbsup:
the last one I do not recall the company it is from and I have a couple of them. the gator clips can be removed and pressure tweezers can be mounted in their place  :thumbsup:

second one with pressure tweezers

last same rig with the gator clips


« Last Edit: 20 March 2019, 00:01:43 by shadhawk »

Cache

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #18 on: 20 March 2019, 09:52:21 »
The reverse tweezers setup is brilliant.

Colt Ward

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Re: Helping Hands? Experience or recommendations?
« Reply #19 on: 20 March 2019, 15:30:23 »
I use props, tweezers, file & groove the joint areas, make sure they are well washed to get rid of the mold residue, and will even drill at times.

But I will probably put something like this on my Christmas list.
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