Shadow foam toolbox/case

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Mr. Dazzle
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

Rockburner wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:55 pm submarines, etc.
Well you say that...

My first "real" job was working on nuclear plant for submarines. The whole thing was designed to only need 3 or 4 sizes of wrench. They'd put to sea with like 50 of each and then come back 3 months later, having been submerged the whole time, with none left.

Damn thing must gain 10 tonnes in spanners alone through its life :D
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by mangocrazy »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 11:21 pm
Rockburner wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:55 pm submarines, etc.
Well you say that...

My first "real" job was working on nuclear plant for submarines. The whole thing was designed to only need 3 or 4 sizes of wrench. They'd put to sea with like 50 of each and then come back 3 months later, having been submerged the whole time, with none left.

Damn thing must gain 10 tonnes in spanners alone through its life :D
Saves on ballast, I guess...
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by demographic »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 11:21 pm
Rockburner wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:55 pm submarines, etc.
Well you say that...

My first "real" job was working on nuclear plant for submarines. The whole thing was designed to only need 3 or 4 sizes of wrench. They'd put to sea with like 50 of each and then come back 3 months later, having been submerged the whole time, with none left.

Damn thing must gain 10 tonnes in spanners alone through its life :D
A significant percentage of ex military types I see that now work on sites are massive pilferers.
Now that might just mean they're no longer in the military cos they were chucked out for being dodgy and end up on commercial building projects (where I do most of my work) and I'm just working at the shitty end. Say it aint so, I'm gutted ;)


There are some who are absolutely spot on guys, dedicated to doing a good job but I wouldn't take just being ex military as being any form of recommendation for honesty.
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

I inherited loads of tools from my ex RAF FiL.
Nearly all of them say 5sqn or Binbrook on :lol:

TBF he was one of the people who closed that base down.
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Noggin »

C'mon guys. This is a Weeksy question. I absolutely can see Weeksy sitting down and cutting foam for all the tools. You've seen the bikes he cleans, no???
And the amount of spannering on the mountain bike each weekend, if it makes it easier for him to have things in a specific space, then this shadow foam sounds brilliant!!

I bloody love the idea for ease of use too.

Ok, I'm a spazz and a smidge kakhanded with tools on occasion - but working solo I do get so very p'd off having to rummage for the right tool every time. I could probably get the tool box more organised, but if I ever get a garage of my own, things will be stored in a very specific way to make it easy to find any tool at any time!!! :lol: :lol:
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Rockburner »

Noggin wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 10:10 am C'mon guys. This is a Weeksy question. I absolutely can see Weeksy sitting down and cutting foam for all the tools. You've seen the bikes he cleans, no???
And the amount of spannering on the mountain bike each weekend, if it makes it easier for him to have things in a specific space, then this shadow foam sounds brilliant!!

I bloody love the idea for ease of use too.

Ok, I'm a spazz and a smidge kakhanded with tools on occasion - but working solo I do get so very p'd off having to rummage for the right tool every time. I could probably get the tool box more organised, but if I ever get a garage of my own, things will be stored in a very specific way to make it easy to find any tool at any time!!! :lol: :lol:
You do need double the volume of storage though....
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by weeksy »

Rockburner wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 10:33 am
Noggin wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 10:10 am C'mon guys. This is a Weeksy question. I absolutely can see Weeksy sitting down and cutting foam for all the tools. You've seen the bikes he cleans, no???
And the amount of spannering on the mountain bike each weekend, if it makes it easier for him to have things in a specific space, then this shadow foam sounds brilliant!!

I bloody love the idea for ease of use too.

Ok, I'm a spazz and a smidge kakhanded with tools on occasion - but working solo I do get so very p'd off having to rummage for the right tool every time. I could probably get the tool box more organised, but if I ever get a garage of my own, things will be stored in a very specific way to make it easy to find any tool at any time!!! :lol: :lol:
You do need double the volume of storage though....
I've got a Transit van that needs to fit 1 bicycle :D

Space is the least of my issues :)
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by ZRX61 »

Rockburner wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:55 pm Also for use in places where accidentally leaving a tool lying around can be "bad", eg aircraft workshops, submarines, etc.
It's compulsory at the airlines, AF & defense contractors. I've never done it because I have so many tools I'd need to buy another 2 tool boxes to spread it all out. Fuck that.
I did spend some time over several days retrieving a stubby screwdriver from the P38 QEC assembly using ever stronger magnets.
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Horse »

Any way of placing a sheet of clingfilm over the tray, placing the tools in the required layout, with a weighted sheet of board on top - then gradually squirting expanding foam under the clingfilm?
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by ZRX61 »

Rockburner wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 10:33 am You do need double the volume of storage though....
At least triple... Case in point, the pliers drawer....

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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Screwdriver »

Noggin wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 10:10 am C'mon guys. This is a Weeksy question.
viewtopic.php?p=208443#p208443
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by ZRX61 »

Horse wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 5:26 pm Any way of placing a sheet of clingfilm over the tray, placing the tools in the required layout, with a weighted sheet of board on top - then gradually squirting expanding foam under the clingfilm?
Some people use that method.
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Skub »

Horse wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 5:26 pm Any way of placing a sheet of clingfilm over the tray, placing the tools in the required layout, with a weighted sheet of board on top - then gradually squirting expanding foam under the clingfilm?
A long running tit for tat between a workmate and myself came to an abrupt end when I filled his entire toolbox with expanding gunk.

He found it all very funny right up until that moment. :lol:
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Horse »

Skub wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 5:42 pm
A long running tit for tat between a workmate and myself came to an abrupt end when I filled his entire toolbox with expanding gunk.

He found it all very funny right up until that moment. :lol:
We had a guy who was a tad OCD.

While he was on holiday, someone he'd annoyed picked up his locked desk drawer unit, inverted it, and gave it a good shake before replacing it.
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

Horse wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 5:26 pm Any way of placing a sheet of clingfilm over the tray, placing the tools in the required layout, with a weighted sheet of board on top - then gradually squirting expanding foam under the clingfilm?
This is a pretty common way to ship stuff now I've noticed. No idea which kinda foam they use though, you can get shit to explode if you 'over constrain' the expansion!

ZRX61 wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 5:22 pm
Rockburner wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:55 pm Also for use in places where accidentally leaving a tool lying around can be "bad", eg aircraft workshops, submarines, etc.
It's compulsory at the airlines, AF & defense contractors. magnets.
It goes completely the other way on a lot of the new build production lines though - hand tools are verboten, If it ain't part of the bench, you can't use it. :D
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by formula400 »

ill post a picture of mine tomorrow or so, managed 1 draw. and its far from perfect, happy with the results, ive got another 7 sheets to do. had them 8 months or so :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by wheelnut »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 11:21 pm
Rockburner wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:55 pm submarines, etc.
Well you say that...

My first "real" job was working on nuclear plant for submarines. The whole thing was designed to only need 3 or 4 sizes of wrench. They'd put to sea with like 50 of each and then come back 3 months later, having been submerged the whole time, with none left.

Damn thing must gain 10 tonnes in spanners alone through its life :D
All the rattling will give the Russians something to listen for. I did hear of a pair of step ladders being left in a US missile sub ballast tank…
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

you wouldn't hear 'em over all the wrattly glass bottles stacked up in the shower cubicles anyway :D
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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by ZRX61 »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 7:43 pm It goes completely the other way on a lot of the new build production lines though - hand tools are verboten, If it ain't part of the bench, you can't use it. :D
At Lockheed & Northrop on the local F35 production lines there are no personal tools allowed. It's different on the MX side of things, but everything is still shadowed.
This is a mates box that used to be Northrop MX. He welded up the cage for it:

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Re: Shadow foam toolbox/case

Post by Demannu »

weeksy wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 8:46 pm Long been thinking about this for the race day tools.

There's companies you send the box and tools to and they make it all fit.

Or you buy the box and foam and do it yourself

https://www.redboxtools.com/product/cus ... ing-tools/

It's something I'm considering but I honestly don't have the aptitude for this sort of thing myself. However I think paying someone would be incredibly expensive
I just like it when you just tip your tools all over the floor in a Donington pit garage!
So much simpler :banana-wrench: