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Vent: A trip to the old smithy museum in Cooperstown showed me a better way to hold small work.
I was there last fall, watching a demo on making colonial-era hinges. The smith, an older guy named Frank, kept using a simple pair of heavy-duty pliers with a notch filed into one jaw. He'd clamp the hot piece in the notch, then rest the plier handles against the edge of his anvil. It gave him a rock-steady third hand for filing and punching. I tried it at home with a pair of channel locks and a grinder, and it's a game-changer for detailed scrollwork. Anyone have other simple jig ideas for holding tricky pieces?
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shanem375mo ago
Try a magnet in a coffee can for tiny parts.
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ericprice5mo ago
Oh man, that's genius. I've been using a sheet of paper like a caveman.
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hayes.joel5mo ago
That magnet trick is a total game changer for sure. Taking it a step further, a strong magnet inside a clear plastic bag lets you pick up all the steel bits and then just turn the bag inside out to contain them. No more chasing little screws that jump off the magnet. It keeps everything together until you're ready to put them back. Honestly, it saves so much time and swearing.
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