ultimate toolkit

[sonic]

Can of Sprite and Aero... optional can of Red Bull

 

The most useful things you can have... you need food and drink to work

[the kid]

butane soldering iron kit

Why not a normal electric iron one?

[Pete McCrea]

Podger- Tool with ratchet sockets at one end and a spike at the other. Usefull for getting steel deck and truss together- podge the holes in line with the spike and then do the bolts up with the sockets.

 

Gas soldering Iron, for when there's no juice 'cos your soldering the thing that supplies power?!?!?! They are also (often) small and easy to handle with no flex, so good for soldering in hard to reach places, or where a cable is a PIA.

[gareth]

Out of interest, what is a "Podger"?

This is.

[robloxley]

Podger- Tool with ratchet sockets at one end and a spike at the other. Usefull for getting steel deck and truss together- podge the holes in line with the spike and then do the bolts up with the sockets.

A podger is really just a foot-ish-long bit of metal with a tapering end - the ratchet or fixed spanner on the other end is variable. Especially used (?designed) for doing up band-and-plate type scaffolding connectors; such podgers often have a 'hook' on the other end, useful for doing up the retaining bolts (if present!) of said couplers, or a swivelling scaff-socket for swivel couplers.

[730 doors]

I was wondering what the good folks of the blue room in their own humble opinions reckon what every technician/lampy/noise boy would consider teessential tools for the job.

 

however this topic seems to have been well covered in the past, so I've edited off my puny list and instead ask the question:

 

What do you cary your toolkits around in?

 

How do you mark your tools: lx / spray paint?

[Rob]

Moderation: Topics merged to avoid creating a third thread on the same subject.

[ChrisMartin]

All you need is a roll of gaffa tape some cds a torch and a harness with that you can do anything.

any other tools you need beg borrow or steal of work friends or the venue you are in on that day. I have done it for years

[Pete McCrea]

Me- I mark them with LX. And generally only let me use them, as they go walkies. Kept in a silver case from B+Q, which is about to fall apart on me. Next up a case from Buffalo or the likes. Proper flight case stylee!

 

Half with Chris Martin. You can get away with the little bit of kit. But then when it goes wrong. That said Murpheys law kicks in. I won't break if you have your tools!

[Jon]

After listening to some advice from a busy professional I suggest the following:

 

AJ

Volt Stick (Info. here)

A few rolls of different coloured LX

Sharpie

Multi tool

Mobile fone

Business cards

 

This is the minimal amount of kit I think would be useful on jobs. Obviously though your tool kit is going to be different depending on what your job is, the nature of the show and so on.

[Ike]

What do you cary your toolkits around in?

Old flightcase spray painted bright pink with various stickers and bits of crap stuck to it.

 

How do you mark your tools: lx / spray paint?

Pink permanent marker or spraypaint

[robloxley]

What do you cary your toolkits around in?

In a selection of briefcase-type flightcases - with padlock loops to stop people 'borrowing' things. The cheap ones from B&Q last about 5 minutes, as mentioned.

How do you mark your tools: lx / spray paint?

I find that the engraving tool (for metal) / hot iron (for plastic) is the only reliable way to stop things going walkies/ getting things back. In fact there's a nice story of someone turning up at the theatre with one of it's marked tools that they'd found and had been stolen years previously.

However, round our theatre most people just use LX tape, which is fine as we don't go round removing people's LX tape.

[Martin]

I find a 'Terminator 10' is essential and it's a more versatile alternative to a volt stick. As you can trace live cables like a volt stick, but it also works as a continuity tester using your body to complete the circuit. Only problem is since it's so sensitive it can show that a blow lamp is fine, so it's not foolproof. Although if you briefly close the circuit with your hand and the led lights brighter, then you have a lower resistance than the lamp, so the lamp is obviously dead. It also works as a screwdriver! One very handy (and cheap) troubleshooting tool to carry.

 

 

More info

[benweblight]

this topic from stage management might be of some relevence: Topic

I dont think we are talking stage managers here, are we?

 

it says 'ultimate toolkit', it does not mention anywhere it being an sms like in other topic!!!

[gareth]

I dont think we are talking stage managers here, are we?

 

it says 'ultimate toolkit', it does not mention anywhere it being an sms like in other topic!!!

We're not talking specifically about SMs, we're talking about tool kits. And the items in the SM's kit are the tools of their trade, and therefore as important to them in ther course of their job as an electrician's toolkit is to him/her.