Do tinkerers need tools? Of course they do! Although hands are the most fundamental “tools,” having the right tool for the job makes tinkering easier and more effective. In this post, I will give you a peek inside two of my toolkits. 

A note: While tools are necessary and helpful, they don’t have to be fancy or expensive, especially to start with. Your toolkit should reflect what you want to tinker with; there’s no reason to own tools you won’t use.

Diving into Electronics

For electronic devices of all sizes, my toolkit has just about everything I have needed. All-in-one kits similar to this are available from many different companies, but if you want to create your own toolkit piecemeal, here are important components: 

Essentials:

A set of screw bits or screwdrivers – Unfortunately, screws inside electronics are anything but standardized. For some devices, say, the iPhone, you will need several unique, tiny screwdriver bits. Other devices will require a completely different set of screwdriver bits. You can find a variety of kits designed to include most, if not all, bits you will need to open electronic devices. 

Both plastic and metal prying tools – Electronic devices are glued together, so prying tools are a necessity. Having both metal and plastic tools is particularly important when working with Lithium-ion batteries (which is almost every battery powered device from the past two decades) as accidentally puncturing a battery with a metal tool will cause an explosive reaction. 

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection – One of the ways you can inadvertently damage an electronic device is releasing built up static electricity on one of the components. The most common form of ESD protection is a grounding wristband which you connect to a piece of metal that acts as a path to ground for the electricity buildup. You may also find ESD safe gloves, which are insulators and prevent ESD from reaching the device (at least through your hands)!

Nice to haves:

Heating Device – Adhesive can be very stubborn, but it loses its hold when heat is applied. A hairdryer or microwavable device like the “iOpener” is a good and safe way to heat a device just enough to soften the adhesive and not so much as to cause any damage.

Playing cards and rubbing alcohol – Another trick to beat the unwavering grasp of adhesives is to take the corner of a playing card, dip it in rubbing alcohol, and wedge the card in between the two adhered objects. Rubbing alcohol is also good for cleaning corroded electrical contacts (and sanitizing your hands)!

ESD-free tweezers – Tweezers are a godsend for retrieving tiny screws and parts that drop into only slightly larger crevices in the device. Normal tweezers, however, do not fit the bill, as they risk building up static electricity and damaging an internal component. 

 

Fountain Pen Nib Tuning and Grinding

Sometimes a truly specialized toolkit is necessary to meet an eclectic need. Look no further than the nib tuning toolkit I assembled over the course of a couple years. 

12000 Grit sandpaper – Also known as “micro mesh,” this exceedingly fine sandpaper is used to smooth the tipping of nibs, giving the writing experience an overall smoother “feel.”

Dremel tool – A dremel tool is a small handheld electric rotary tool with a variety of attachments to cut, grind, and polish. Now, you may be asking, “Why would you want to take a dremel tool anywhere near an expensive pen?” That is a good question. The answer is similar to the question of why you would want a fountain pen in the first place: the way it writes. A dremel tool (in tandem with micro mesh) can be used to shape the tipping of the fountain pen nib, altering the width of the line the pen makes at various angles. 

A notebook or paper – When tinkering with the writing experience of a fountain pen, what better way to check your progress than to actually write with it? A quick writing test in this notebook tests smoothness and line variation. I’ve devoted the remaining pages of an old notebook to this job. 

A 10x Loupe – An important part of the nib grinding process is visually checking the shape of the nib. A loupe is a helpful magnifying glass-like device

 

Knowledge

The last “tool” is intangible. While not a tool in the typical sense, knowledge gives all the other tools their purpose. For most people, knowledge comes from research or hands-on learning with someone more skilled. It also comes from making mistakes. Strive to make your tinkering as well informed as you can, and when a mistake inevitably happens, prize your hard-earned lesson.