[sdiy] Resisting UberDIY (More soldering)

[media.nai at rcn.com]

>Since that day, my little finger and the one next to it (to a lesser
>degree), always feel like they are asleep. There is no pain, and I can move
>both fingers *almost* as well as I could before the accident, but a lot of
>the feeling is gone now.

I had a pinky re-attached.  It's still not as good as it was, but it is
*much* better now than it was couple of years afterwards.  So I'm sure
you'll be fine eventually.

>So when we were urged to throw away our cheap tools earlier in the UberDIY
>thread, there is indeed some merit to the idea. Certainly throw away any
>tool that might ever be considered a safety risk for either yourself, or
>the equipment you are working on.

Since you were talking about an automotive incident, what I did was take
cheap tools I already had and put a set together to keep in the trunk.
That way I have them with me for emergencies.  Assholes have broken into my
car at least a half a dozen times in the city, so would be very foolish to
carry around anything as expensive as my good tools.

Compared to the cost of all the tools required to fix cars, or build
furniture, or renovate houses, or almost any other diy pursuit, the amount
of tools needed for synth-diy costs almost nothing.  So you might as well
buy something decent.

>I'm not trying to scare off any new people, but I just hope that they fully
>appreciate the value of using well-made tools, designed for the job at
>hand. (No pun intended.) Also, a cheap tool isn't a bargain if it breaks
>the first time you really need to use it, leaves you crippled, or damages
>some expensive piece of equipment.

I agree.  A tool is only useful if it works when you need it.

Although, as far a synth work is concerned, cheap hand tools are more
likely to result in stripped screws and scratched panels than personal
injury.

Otoh, people the mechanic-diy lists people say stupid things like "Why
should I spend $100 for an angle grinder when I can buy one from China for
$30??"  Well, I'd rather not have a smoldering disc spinning at 10,000 RPM
fly off and land in my crotch.  Then again, that's just me :)