homemade nail adjustment tools

[TilionMtl]

Here is some pic of my nails adjustment tools.

I bought pliers at the $1 store, and with my dremel and a grinding disk, I made a T shape in the pliers nose, so the head of a nail will fit in the top of the T, and the body of the nail is held down between both pliers tip. It allow me to gently bend the nail if need.

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I recommend trying to find pliers without teeth, or grind them so it don't damage the nails

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It was hard to check the proper spacing between nails. Trying to hold a ball by hand between two nails usually end up with the ball falling off, or not seeing properly. So I made a gauge to see if a ball go between two nails or not.

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I held a pachi ball in metal clamp, because I don't have a vice. Using the dremel and grinder disk, I carved a path all around the ball. I used a metal wire, bent it around the ball in the carved path, bent again the two extra length to join them to make the long handle. I used a little copper wire curved around the two wire of the handle, near the ball to hold the ball in place. I used heat shrinking tube to make the extremity of the handle. It's nice to have the ball at the extremity of a handle about 8" long, to be able to go everywhere, at any angle.

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Of course this gauge have a single size, so it is usefull only to see if a ball can go easily or not between two nails. because the metal wire around the ball is not completely hidden in the ball, and make the ball a bit larger where the wire is, it kinda give me two possibility. I can move the ball between the nails, with the metal wire not agains the nail, this give me the real size, the tighter setting for a ball to go between nais, or I can move the gauge with the wire toward the nails, for an extra spacing between nails.

Hope this can give you some ideas.

Cost of the nails adjustment tools (pliers and gauge), about $1.50

[musky]

Excellent job, I like homemade tools.

[Sid]

Well done indeed!

[new in town]

A True "Handi Pachi"

[bfree]

That's a winner!! great job.

[TilionMtl]

There's a US seller which was selling gauges and so on some time ago. Unfortunately he didn't want to ship to Canada, so I made the gauge myself. it's not as pretty as the real adjustment tools, but really useful, I recommend to everyone to get one or make one.

The only thing which can add a bit to the cost is the grinding disk.

[Mr. Takeya]

For all the lazy folks out there, I think i've devised a pretty cheap and easy method of creating your own ball gauge in 5 minutes (and with ordinary household items).

Tools:
-Standard #2 wood pencil with eraser
-Superglue
-Pachinko ball (use one in poor condition; you won't get this guy back)

1. Secure the pachinko ball so that the tiny dude won't escape from your grasp.

2. Apply an even coat of Superglue to the eraser of your pencil.

3. Hold the pencil firmly against the pachinko ball for a good 3-4 minutes. I did this by pushing the pencil down onto the ball. Also, it's important that the eraser be squishy enough so that it can mold itself to the roundness of the pachinko ball!!!

4. Once the ball and eraser are bonded, consider placing more super glue along the edges where ball and eraser meet just to give it a really good seal.

Ta Da!

[mudfud]

I used the end of a pointy chopstick and goop, my favorite fix-it formulation, to hold the pachinko ball. but usually, I don't have it handy, so I hold a pachinko ball between my fingers and try out the ball paths.

[BigBearSteve]

but usually, I don't have it handy, so I hold a pachinko ball between my fingers and try out the ball paths.

I just play the machine and watch the balls as they fall.

Then I adjust the nails in between shots, to get the game to play the way I like

[Withoutink]

this is just awesome!

[kburger]

Wow very cool. Very inventive what would you charge me for a set of the tools. I am disabled and limited to what I can do in a shop anymore. If the cost was low enough I would just pay you to make me a set if you would?

Let me know I'm Kevin

[Moparformances]

Wow very cool. Very inventive what would you charge me for a set of the tools. I am disabled and limited to what I can do in a shop anymore. If the cost was low enough I would just pay you to make me a set if you would?

Let me know I'm Kevin

Welcome to Pachitalk

[takethecastle57]

I love using this stuff to stick a pachinko ball to the pencil eraser end

Amazon.com: Loctite 1360784 1-Ounce Tube Stik 'n Seal Extreme Conditions: Home Improvement

[Tink]

How about JB weld and a piece of 1/4" SS tube IMG_20150806_225146.jpg

[pachiwall]

How about JB weld and a piece of 1/4" SS tube IMG_20150806_225146.jpg

Or a 1/4" piece of brake line instead...it has a flare (inverted flare) to center the ball, and gives more surface for the JB Weld to stick to!

[Tink]

I like that Idea

[cait001]

other than the pliers method, what kind of hammers and such do people like to adjust with?

[Wayne-Ooo]

There are a lot of good ideas in this topic. Here is what I came up with after seeing all the ideas.

I used a 1/8" brake line and used JB Weld to attach the ball to the flared end of the brake line. Then mounted a handle to the other end.

For the pliers, I cut a channel, using a dremel tool, as in previous posts. But, I also used Liquid Tape, which is basically liquid rubber, to line the channels and gives a little cushion when holding the nail.

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[middleway]

Just another idea for a quick/cheap/easy nail spacer checking tool. Made with a hex screwdriver from the thrift store for 50 cents, sacrificial ball, and super glue gel.

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