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1: This is an X-Acto Third Hand. One of the original alligator
clips is on the left while one of my replacement clamps is on
the right. Unfortunately, these flat clamps didn’t work much
better than the alligator clamps.
1
Another short-coming with the X-Acto tool are the ball joints.
Assuming that you can hold your work in one of the alliga-
tor clips, it is difficult to accurately position the alligator clips
where you need them for gluing or soldering due to the limita-
tions of this type of joint. If you tighten the wing nuts on the
ball joints enough to ensure that the clamps won’t accidently
move, then it is difficult to move the clamps just a little as is
often needed to proper position the item being held.
The Excel Hobby Blades Corp. has a third hand tool which uses
self-closing tweezers mounted on a double ball joint assembly.
However, the short height of the base can be a limitation in
many situations if you need to position the tweezers vertically
but with the tip of the tweezers down. In addition, it appears
to have the same ball joint design as the Xacto.
The Tool Shed - 2
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MRH-Apr 2013