How many times have you been building something and
realized that it would be nice to have another modeler
sitting next to you to hold something in place while you
glue or solder it in place?...
by Jack Burgess
I
f this has happened to
you a few times in the
past, you might have
purchased an X-Acto Third
Hand as I did several years ago.
However, after using it a number of times I realized that this
tool had some shortcomings. The main problem is the alliga-
tor clips incorporated into it. While they might hold larger
objects, they won’t hold small parts or thin styrene, brass
wire, or stripwood.
Once I realized that, I set out to fix those clips. A friend sug-
gested that I cover the clip faces with shrink tubing. While
that seemed a reasonable fix, I decided that rather than
trying to fix the existing alligator clips, a better solution
might be to replace them completely. I purchased some flat
clamps which could also fit in the screw holders in the tool,
but the new clamps weren't much better.
The Third Hand
The Tool Shed - 1