homelessjoe

i have two eye dropper bottles one filled with Kroil and one filled with transmission fluid...for rusty nuts and bolts......I use guitar makers nut files to file screw driver grooves in stripped out screw heads.....way better than a hack saw blade........I use a three inch long needle in a pin vise constantly for scribing ...moving around ball bearings... decals ...cleaning valve stems and hard to reach spots......a million uses.....I made a small wooden tray with holes drilled in it to hold all my screws and bolts in the order that I removed them and a tray for all the small parts.....no more laying parts on the bench.......outside calipers for measuring seat posts and stems.........screw thread gauges a must for old bikes........carnauba paste wax protects everything from weather............home made bamboo tweezers are invaluable and a jewelers hand vice for polishing and cleaning small parts.....stick shellac for dings and chips and tons of other secret uses like stopping cables from un raveling

oneclick 

And they can also gain magnetism when struck, if the external field is strong enough (not very in some cases; the earth can be sufficient).

cirp 

Or, save your old brake or shifter cables. Then when you ready to cut the housing, insert the old cable through the oposite end your going to cut until it slightly pokes through the end your going to cut. Then just cut the
end and pull the cable out the other end. Keeps the cable round. Or cut with a dremel tool. Makes a clean, round cut.

oneclick 

Paintbrush - a little one - in the solvent jar; when you just need a drop or two to clean a small spot.

P!N20

Baby wipes for cleaning, well, most things, including hands.

J.Higgins 

Well tie me up with cable housing, slap me arse and call me Lance! You learn something new every day!

mountaindave 

In all these years, I can’t believe I didn’t think about putting scrap cable inside housing before I cut it...

mountaindave 

We may have legalized weed, but we haven’t legalized that... that’s just wrong. I’d never call anybody Lance.

elcraft

using a ball shaped bur, I grind depressions into the tweezer tips to provide the “grip” for ball bearings. I am fond of a stainless steel set that is unaffected by magnetism. I think it is marked LaCrosse. If you compress a 3/8” copper pipe in a vise, split it along the two edges, by filing or grinding to a tapering point ( except the last1/2” at the wide end), you can make an acid resistant, non magnetic tweezer that is effective for placing or removing ball bearings.

Catnap 

The more exotic things in my shop:
- a freewheel vice made by drilling two holes in my work table. The freewheel is then bolted to the table through one hole, using a QR skewer. Then a chain whip is attached to the bottom-most cog in the freewheel. The back of the chain whip has a hole in it, which lines up to the second hole in the table. This chain whip is then secured through the hole to the table with about QR skewer. Then I use a second chain whip to unscrew the cogs. The first chain whip holds the freewheel in place and allows me to put the high level of force needed on the freewheel to loosen the cogs. The reassemble the freewheel, simply reverse the process. Cost = $0 and works with any freewheel.
- little $50 ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight. Essential for cleaning components.
- several sets of jeweler's files
- 3 foot heavy steel pipe, threaded at both ends, with different-sized adapters on both ends. used as a breaker bar, the different ends allow me to get the most snug fit over a tool.
- brass rotary brushes for my electric drill. 2 drills, one with a slow rotational speed and one with a high rotational speed. Very useful for polishing parts and removing oxidation or built up grime as well.
- Like other folks on this thread, I have my own handmade system for securely removing bottom bracket fixed cups.

P!N20

Not a problem for me, I only ride fixed.

P!N20

I use a hairdryer to make the rubber more pliable. It's a fine line between a workshop and hair salon.

southpawboston

I do something very similar-- spray adhesive. But it's the same thing, right?

gaucho777 

I like this idea. I may not want to drill a hole through my workbench, but I can foresee a modified version on a board which I could then mount to my workbench. I have to replace one of my chain whips. It got bent in a failed attempt to remove a particularly stubborn cog. Hard to keep the angles straight with two chain whips and a wheel between the legs while bursting blood vessels like Lou Ferrigno. Do you have any photos of your setup?

cyccommute 

Nope. Hairspray is water soluble. It comes off easier with either alcohol or water. Spray adhesive is solvent soluble and doesn’t release as easily.

SurferRosa

In 2021 can I still hope that you don't mean "castrated" without hatin' on anyone?

oneclick 

If you have a good vice then a short bit of stout angle will do - drill two holes on one flange, one for a bolt to stick up and hold the freewheel, one to hold the whip. Might be kinder to the QR skewer.

Prowler 

I utilize my vice as well. I fabricated replacement jaws with oak and drilled holes for 2 bolts on each, 3/8 " IIRC. Placed the holes, thus the bolts such that they would engage the largest cog on each side. This works pretty well but not quite well enough. I can tell the oak will fail on me eventually. Should have them made from steel. The vice sure is solid though.

SurferRosa

For some, a vise is their vice.

And if that's the case, I'm not sure we need all the details.

arex

RemOil, a light, slick, and tenacious gun lubricant. It's like TriFlo, but oilier and with less solvents. I use it as a chain lube, but there's a lot of uses for it.

eom 

Can't be without my snips.

trainman999

A block of Paraffin To lube cables, a tube of Permatex Blue RTV instant gasket maker to keep all threaded things from unthreading, A pair of rail nipers to cut nilon ties. and a four leged furrry helper

IsleRide

The long discontinued Craftsman 45492. This is some kind of snap ring plier but when I spotted it in the Sears tool department 20 years ago I knew exactly what it was made for.
It is perfect for prying and holding open stems and seat tube ears. No scratches on my handlebars or seat posts....ever!

Dylansbob 

I see I'm not the only one who uses the washer as tool stand and has a cat that watches to make sure I'm doing it right.