Pin Vice, it has a dirty little secret.

This post is a long time coming.  This actually happened months ago.  Something I've been meaning to share for sometime.  Time for me to share with you a rather embarrassingly funny moment.

The superstar of my modelling tools.

JJ typing, some of you may know that my pin vice has helped me more than any other modelling tool I own.  Those of you may even know that I love my pin vice.

This was the guy I was so excited to purchase several months ago.  It can has two collets for drill bits from 3mm to 0.0mm.

Time for the embarrassing story.  Several months ago I was looking for a pin vice that can handled a larger drill bit.  When magnetizing the Ebay Deathwing Lander I used a dremel for the larger magnets.  Was always afraid of punching through the plastic with the mechanical drill.  Wanted something hand-powered that would afford me more control.  Bought special x-acto handles that I thought fit.  Nope both were too large.  Then started googling drill handles that would fit.  Finally bought one from Amazon.  Came with two collets that fit drill bit sizes 3mm to 0.0mm.  It was a jewelers pin vice.  Exactly what I needed.  At the time I didn't even notice it looked like my present pin vice.  That is how excited I was to get it.

It arrives and doesn't come with a second collet.  I'm a bit miffed.  After playing around with it at work for a little bit I hear another piece loose inside it.  Unscrew the other side and there's the larger collet.  Perfect!  Exactly what I need to hand-drill for large magnets.  No more dremel.  There I am happily enjoying my new pin vice.  Little sad that my original won't be the "go to guy" for drilling anymore.  Decide to keep it around specifically as my pinning drill.  Kept the pinning drill bit in him so I don't have to swap it out.  Then it occurs to me.  'What?  Are you serious?  You've got to be kidding me.'  Looked at the bottom of my first pin vice and noticed it had the same screw connection as my new pin vice.  Unscrewed it and laughed hard for about a minute.  I had the appropriate collet the entire time.  Was always using the pin vice for one reason for so long completely forgot that it had another collet.  Man, I felt foolish.

As I shared this embarrassing story with my gamer buddies LT asked if he could have my original pin vice.  Told him no.  I've grown too attached to it.  Then said I'll purchase another pin vice so I can have all three with the appropriate drills in them for pinning, 1/16" magnet and 1/8" magnet.  He said that is a good idea.

Each has its own job.

Guess moral of this story besides possibly giving you a laugh, is to open up your perception.  Often what you've considered to only do one job often does more than you remembered.

I can only hope I'm not the only modeller to have multiple pin vices for specific drill sizes.


slainte mhath