A guy at the scrap yard in Akron told me to keep a magnet in my toolbox, saved me from a bad part last month.

3 comments

3 Comments

That's a solid tip about the magnet. It's one of those simple things that sounds too easy to work, but it really does. I've been burned before by parts that looked fine but were just cheap pot metal. A quick check with a magnet would have shown they were junk. Now I keep one in my own toolbox, no question. It saves you a lot of hassle down the road.

ruby_thomas432mo ago

A magnet can also help sort different steel grades if you know what you're looking for.

terryj452h ago

Yeah, that magnet trick saved me too, but not before I learned the hard way. I bought a "stainless steel" socket set at a flea market once, looked great in the package. First time I used it on a rusty bolt, the thing snapped in half like a cheap cracker. Now I carry a little magnet on my keychain, and I'll sit there testing random parts like I'm some kind of hardware psychic. It's a good way to look both smart and ridiculous at the same time.

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