Your Tool - Purchasing and Maintaining It

No pun intended but proper tools are very important to any active or passive DIY'er. Going down memory lane, one of the first D.I.Y. superstores in Petaling Jaya opened its doors in the early 1990's. Handi-Mart was a household name to amateur as well as 'professional' DIY'ers. On display were tools from reputable makers such as FACOM, Elora etc. They also sold automotive tuning aids such as timing light, carburettor tuners etc. They had a very good range of tools, products and even had demonstrations/ workshops on the various aspects of DIY from home fixture installation to plumbing.

Needless to say, what a shoe-shop was to women, HandyMart was to me. I became quite a regular feature there, just browsing through the aisles and dreaming of the thick wad of cash I was going to finish off there - Sadly, it suffered a decline and finally closed its doors several years ago. It has now become an open car park - an idea ahead of its time. Today, ACE hardware is the household name with branches in Mid Valley, the Curve, Jaya 33 and other places. Similarly, Houz Depot in Kota Damansara, although leaning more to home improvement has a decent range of tools on display.

Now that you have decided on the toolbox of your choice, it is time to fill the bloody thing with tools. The first step is to set budget. Don't go ballistic and buy up the entire tool section only to have most of the tools collect dust in the store room later on. Be realistic about your goals and purchase some basic tools then progressively add on to the collection. Decide on what you want to 'major' in - auto repairs, home improvement, woodworking, plumbing etc.

A good basic tool set would compose of the following tools:-

1. A set of combination wrenches (American term) or spanners (British).
These used to come in metric and imperial sizes. However, unless you're restoring a classic
Jaguar, purchasing a decent metric set would suffice. Avoid the normal hardware store brands
such as Panda, Yanda or Diamond (although I must admit some Diamond tools I've had from
before were pretty hardy). Go for a mid-range set such as Sterling, TOPTUL, Mr.Mark or the
Japanese KYT/ JTC range.

A common street term for these wrenches are 'common-ling (Malaysian Chinese slang) and if
you mention this to the hardware shop owner, he'll know that you know what you're talking
about and might even give you a discount. Usually, it will be sold in a roll (refer to the picture above) and what I usually do is roll a good morning towel in it to clean the tools. It is always a good habit to give the tools a wipe down after using. Don't worry so much about it rusting as oil from your work/ hands would prevent it. DO NOT however leave it exposed to rain or water. Always use the RING side of the wrench to loosen/ tighten a nut. Only use the open end on fittings/ pipes - but you knew that didn't you hahahahaha

The Mother of all Tool-Boxes

Behold, let your eyes feast on the picture on the left, all ye citizens of Gearheadistan. This is the grand-daddy of all tool boxes. The dream of every living breathing, eating, sleeping gear-head alive today. Some have achieved the dream, others working their way towards it. If there is one major force that binds gearheads of all nationalities, gender, age and and creed, THIS IS IT!

Besides the current Playboy Centrefold, this is the other thing most red blooded boys drool over and dream of. This topic is so close to my heart that I had to choose another font and dedicate 2 paragraphs for the introduction alone.

Now read closely people, you are about to be enlightened. The roller cabinet or toolchest came from America. It was developed in the late 1800's for woodworkers and cabinet makers. In the years leading up to World War II, American tool makers saw the need for more storage space as cars got more complicated (if you think they were complicated then, look at the cars now!!) and needed more tools. They came of age on US Navy Carriers operating in the Pacific as it cut down on maintenance time.

Being traditional DIYers, most American homes had one of these in the garage. This culture caught on rather late here in Malaysia. It first gained popularity in the late 1980's and early 1990's when a DIY concept store known as HandyMart opened its doors in Section 14 Petaling Jaya. They carried a Taiwanese brand called Waterloo. It was rather pricey though. I bought a 9 drawer topchest for RM500.00. It was an ex display unit with scratches n dents but in my eyes, it was a dream come true. Bringing it home, I proceeded without delay to wax polish the red powder coated surface to bring back some of the shine, lined the drawers with non-slip liners, paste stickers all over the box and just sit and admire it for hours.


The advantages of having a tool chest is that there are the endless storage combination's and possibilities. There are places for sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers etc. It cuts down on the time needed to look for particular tool. Besides, it's also eye candy that really feeds the ego of the owner.

I prefer keeping my sockets at the highest compartment within easy reach. Having smaller drawers allows me to separate my AF and Metric wrenches according to type. The wider lower drawers allow me to display (ahem) I mean arrange my pliers and screwdrivers.

The bottom cabinet is useful for storing bigger tools such as spring compressors, torque wrenches and other tools and equipment. Personally, I can find no disadvantage with the tool cabinet/ chest except that its BLOODY EXPENSIVE and out of the reach of most Malaysian handymen. It costs a minimum of RM1000.00 for even the lowest quality example from China.

Although it is expansive, it is worth every cent. As with any other tools, proper care and maintenance it will last for years to come. In the following posts, I will discuss the various tools, how they are used and maintained. Happy Chinese New Year and happy reading.

The Traditional Metal Cantilever Toolbox

Ahhh.. the cantilever toolbox. Now where do I begin? From the first sentence, the discerning reader will know that I enjoyed writing this particular post very very much.

Now we're taking a trip down memory lane. My first tool-box was similar to this. It was purchased at a princely sum of RM28.00 from Taimah Hardware in Section 8, Petaling Jaya in 1992. I brought her home one afternoon, carrying her in my arms like a beaming dad. I remember showing it to my dad, asking him "what do you think dad?". His reply was simply "Hmmph, looks just like you". Dad was a little sarcastic (thank God I never inherited that part of him, well maybe a little).

The cantilever tool-box has been around for ages. Most of your grandpa's has one in the backyard, store room or under the staircase. This was the norm of tool storage long before plastic tool-boxes and roller cabinets came into the scene. I'm not too sure when these tool-boxes first made an appearance but I believe it was around the 1920's as I had seen old photographs with the tool-boxes making special appearances in them.

The wonderful thing about these toolboxes are the amount of abuse they can withstand. They can hold a tremendous amount of tools and the separate compartments allow better organization of tools. The downside was the weight. Ingenious motorheads would attach castors to the bottom and pull them around with a rope, not unlike walking a dog.

What I personally like about this tool-box is its sense of nostalgia. This is one of the things which bound motorheads for many generations. Something almost all of us can relate to. My tool-box was given a custom paint job, branded stickers, carpeted flooring (yes, a good tip is to line the bottom of the compartments with a thin felt or cardboard lining. This will help prevent the paint from peeling and keeps the noise down a bit. The former causing a lot of unnecessary flakes n dust at the bottom of the box). You can also purchase small castors and attach them to the bottom of the box. Then it won't be so difficult to haul it around. Final tip - ALWAYS keep the heavy tools at the bottom compartment - but then, you probably knew that, didn't you.

Till the next post - The roller cabinet (I can hardly wait)

Selecting a Tool Box - Plastic Tool Box

This is the traditional plastic tool box. You can find many varieties of this type of toolboxes at your local hypermarkets. They are usually around the same price all over.

The advantages I find with these types of toolboxes are that they are lightweight, extremely durable (I have used mine as a stool and step-although I don't generally recommend it). Being lightweight means portability. Also, as it is made of plastic, you can safely carry it in the boot of your car. In the event of sudden braking or swerving, you don't have to worry much about the toolbox denting the side of your car. The other thing I like about these plastic toolboxes are the choices. There are so many sizes and varieties to choose from. Some have a basic single tray inside, others a 2 layer tray, side pockets and so on.

A disadvantage I find with these types of toolboxes are that you have to dump most of your larger tools into one big compartment. Seasoned tool-heads will tell you how annoying it can be when u have to wrestle with plier handles, move hammers out of the way and generally take half the tools out just to find something. To overcome this problem, I bought a set of wrenches (spanners) that come in a roll up bag (see picture below). This not only solves the problem of searching for the particular tool, it also helps save space. Another neat trick I learnt along the way was to keep the socket set in its original metal
box. This will also help save space but the mother of all tricks with the plastic tool-box is to utilize the space underneath the lid. I attached some elastic bands (can be found at tailoring suppliers) and use it to hold my collection of files, metal ruler and other lightweight tools.

It takes only a little imagination and know-how to customize your tool-box. Trust me on this one, the satisfaction gained is priceless. Brighten it up with some stickers (which you can get from hardware shops or auto spare parts dealers for free), add some graphics or custom paint your tool-box. The admiring stares you get from others will be worth it.

Next - The traditional metal cantilever tool-box

My Tools - Part 2 (The beginning)

It all began in 1990 when my dad went for supper at a restuarant called PJ Baru, located opposite the Celcom HQ in PJ. He saw an old Morris Minor and decided to buy it. He put an RM70.00 deposit and decided to come back the next day for it. It was supposedly a gift for his 16 year old son...

I still remember those words "Son, I learnt to drive in a Morris Minor, and so you will too. Follow me tonight, we're going to see the car". Eagerly I told my mate Adrian who jumped delightedly and told me HIS plans to modify the car. Imagine my horror when I set my eyes on that piece of junk!! My dad negotiated with the owner and bought the car for RM2000.00.

Everything had to be fixed on that car. the seats could not fold, the doors were hanging at its hinges, the lights were dim, the engine was leaky and the list went on and on. That night I went to sleep or lied awake in my bed with so many things running through my mind. Bigger wheels, lowered suspension, sound system, a fully loaded engine etc. Then it dawned upon me. The first thing I needed to do - get my own set of tools!! A motorhead was born.

I went down to Thrifty supermarket (with Adrian) and bought 2 screwdrivers, a pair of combination pliers, 4-5 combination spanners/ wrenches (known in Malaysian slang as "common ring"spanners. And that's how it began. The first set of tools I had was an all important "Diamond' brand, made China. To me at the time, they really were diamonds. I admired the clanking sound it made, the bright metallic sheen and the 'feel' of the tools. Then I began hanging out with other like minded friends (Thanks, Raymond, Bobby, Gerard, Vinesh) and learn't a whole lot more about tools. I began to invest in good tool. Soon, brands like Stahlwille, Elora, Stanley, Craftsman and Snap On were among my inventory.

Most of my tools still survive today, thanks to careful handling and maintenance. In the next few posts, I will share what I know and have learnt through the years. Happy reading.

My Tools - Part 1

In any trade, tools are the most important assets anyone can have. My late dad always said 'you can always tell a man by the way he kept his tools'. Actually he never said that, he used to complaint about how messy my car was. It always performed well though, and my excuse was that I was too busy making sure that the car was performing well rather than looking well.

So, I decided to take out the old tools and clean them up. (This would be a good time to discover what I have left after so many pieces being borrowed- and never returned, misplaced and broken). It was a boring Sunday evening when I took out all my sockets and decided to clean them. Deciding on a quick option, I put it all in a tray and sprayed/ soaked them in STP's patented TUFF STUFF. Its a foam based cleaner which worked REALLY REALLY well. The pictures speak for themselves

Some of the sockets and tray before the clean up


Getting Soaked


Wallah - Brand New.. Well, almost


Taking Shape

I Am Back

Has it been that long? It is really really good to be back blogging again. My only excuse is, I have been away doing 'research' and compiling materials. So what has been happening since then?
I left my beloved job at Competitive Supreme and went into a business venture with friends. What happened next has always been referred to as - a learning experience. So, today, I decided to share what I've learnt with you, the rest of the world who by some providential arrangement come across these ramblings..