Mark your tools

[antdoran]

I have recently ordered some new tools from flints because they always seem to grow legs!!

 

I was just thinking about how I could mark them, you got any ideas?

 

Thanks

 

Ant

[Nick S]

I know somebody who screen-printed her name onto all of her sharpies, along with an appropriate message for those who might steal them. Clearly not the most practical solution, and I don't want to know how much it cost...

 

More seriously, everyone has their own way - some people just use LX tape, others spray them vivid colors, or use stencils. There's lots of other methods, depending on the amount of time and/or money you're willing to give up.

[Kevin Ross]

99% of my stuff has red LX tape over it. It might be worth looking at something not so common like gas pipe tap or earth tape. Having said that I have not seen anyone else with red tape!

[mac.calder]

I use a small yellow cable tie - tighten it as tight as it can go, and SNIP! It is hard to get off, and everyone around work knows that if it has a yellow cable tie on it, it's mine. There are now five of us at work who use the same method of IDing tools. I am sure there would be more, except there are only 5 different colours of cable ties in the "bulk mixed pack" of cable ties that we have.

[Bobbsy]

Two possible answers:

 

First off, I used to work with a female technician who painted all of her tools a very bright, very girlie pink. People thought twice about even borrowing them and, as for KEEPING them.....never! (This was a double joke by the way; Helen was very good at her job and definitely not a "pink" person by nature.)

 

Second though, many years back I invested in an engraving tool (I think it was RS I got it from) and put my name absolutely permanently on ever piece. My engraving skills mean it looks a bit like a six year old scrawl but it does the job. There's a hidden advantage to this. I also engrave household valuables (TVs, computers, etc. etc.) with my name and post code and actually get a discount on my insurance which, over the years, has paid for the engraver many times over.

 

Bob

[sparkiemarc]

Get real! If you are working an environment where other people can access your tools GET A LOCK for your tool box. If not, do not use lx tape or cable ties, just don't lend them out!

Sorry for saying this so strong but as a technician I always carry the right tools to do the job its part of the job. And have lost loads of tools by people just borrowing it for a minute.

Many times have I got mad at other people using my tools to do something they were not designed for.

I was brought up to use the right tool for the job.

Please can everyone respect other peoples tools and realises it is part of our livelihood

 

 

:) :)

[Bryson]

The Lock Smilie belongs to me. Just so you know. Don't use it again.

 

[ceecrb1]

I Use the car paint touch-up pens you can buy...

 

everything in my toolkit has a dot, band or some form of mark, of the same colour. I also carry the pen and use it to PERMANANTLY mark anything which may need it.

 

 

IT works GREAT, only a few things need to be re-painted every so often but its just a case of take the "pen" and write again...

[ryandell]

I carry a toolbox around with me and I am now locking it because tools DO go missing, I also know a guy that marks all of his tools with earthing coloured electrical tape which is brilliant becuase when someone borrows tools out of his tool bag they always get returned, but for myself I just use a toolkit and lock it.

 

Ryan

[Wuddy]

I'll just go OT here, to the day job and tell you a tale about borrowing tools.

 

We were involved on an install of some German print machinery, we were doing the power install a team of specialist print engineers were doing the build and commission and the factories own engineers were mucking in as required.

 

One of the factory engineers started rummaging through a print engineers tool box, which raised the question 'what do you think you are doing?'

 

'I'm looking for a spanner to fit this nut' was the reply.

 

'Oh why didn't you say, said the print engineer, here's a spanner to fit every nut ( at which point the print engineer picked up a twelve inch moving spanner and reigned a blow to the head of the factory engineer) including yours, don't ever touch my tools again!!!

 

I think the guy learned a valuble lesson.

 

I always stand by the old adage 'Neither a borrower or a lender be'

[lightsource]

Second though, many years back I invested in an engraving tool (I think it was RS I got it from) and put my name absolutely permanently on ever piece. My engraving skills mean it looks a bit like a six year old scrawl but it does the job. There's a hidden advantage to this. I also engrave household valuables (TVs, computers, etc. etc.) with my name and post code and actually get a discount on my insurance which, over the years, has paid for the engraver many times over.

 

Bob

 

We use the engraving approach also (B&D RT650 multi-purpose tool). Coloured tape and cable ties are easily removed.

 

We engrave pretty much everything, which as a hire company, includes tools, mics, cables stands etc.

 

When engraved properly (but it still looks like a 6 year old scrawl Bob ) it's almost impossible to remove.

 

On some products, (our stock of SM58 mics, for example), I also include a 4 digit date code, to identify when a product was purchased, as some are still in warranty, whilst others are not.

 

So if anyone out there has anything with the letters LSL engraved onto it I want it back :)

[rhysjones]

If you have a "old" soldering iron, you can use that to engrave your initials into the plastic handles of tools as well.

Also I use a DYMO labelling machine works quite well as long as you get the decent metallic labels not the cheap tape that won't stick to anything!!

I know I picked up the machine for £10 at staples years ago, unfortunately it requires 6 AA's and the tape is about £6 a reel, but it does last a long time!

 

Rhys

[Modge]

My old tool box bore the legend "Chris's tools. Thieves will be allowed to die. In the end."

It's the implied torture that really kept peoples hands off. Aside from that keep it close by you and ask "How well do I know this person?" and "Why the **** aren't they using their own tools?" before agreeing to lend anyone anything. I have found my carelessness to decrease markedly in proportion to the value of my tools, which if I'm honest used to be the biggest loss of them.

[Rob_Beech]

The Lock Smilie belongs to me. Just so you know. Don't use it again.

 

 

I thought it was £5 a go?

 

 

My old tool box bore the legend "Chris's tools. Thieves will be allowed to die. In the end."

It's the implied torture that really kept peoples hands off. Aside from that keep it close by you and ask "How well do I know this person?" and "Why the **** aren't they using their own tools?" before agreeing to lend anyone anything. I have found my carelessness to decrease markedly in proportion to the value of my tools, which if I'm honest used to be the biggest loss of them.

 

The best part is Modge's real name is Eric.

[MFX1]

I have recently ordered some new tools from flints because they always seem to grow legs!!

 

I was just thinking about how I could mark them, you got any ideas?

 

Thanks

 

Ant

 

I don't mark them (so many tools, so little time) I just keep track of who I lend them to. It has to be a very good reason for someone to borrow a tool off me, they should have their own and being too lazy to go and get theirs is not a valid excuse to borrow mine. I lose very few tools and those I do lose are generally due to me putting them down in the middle of a field and forgetting to pick them up. The other trick is to minimise the tools you carry to those necessary to do the job I can usually get by with a couple of quad spanners, a wide mouth AJ, a pair of cutters a multimeter and a knife, some jobs may require a podger. More specialist tools (of which I seem to have collected quite a few!) get locked away safely and I go and get them if I need them. A couple of years ago I worked on a gig where at breaks the production manager called a tool amnesty at which point if you had a tool that wasn't yours you chucked it into a pile and if there was a tool in the pile that was yours you reclaimed it. It worked surprisingly well, of course there are a few bad apples in the industry but generally IME most people are fairly honest.