To have a dedicated place/box for them, as the image suggests, is already way ahead of the organization game.
I got an allen key bit set and just started throwing all of these oot.
Protip: tape this to the bottom or back of whatever it is you’re assembling. Makes it super easy to tighten loose screws or disassembly for moving.
No I’d rather put it in the junk drawer with the other 20 I already have. They need friends
Yup, super convenient to have a tool on hand instead of trudging down to the basement to crack open the ol’ box o’ mystery.
This is also really good if you want to sell or give away your stuff, so the next person has the tool they need to put it together.
I tape a DeWalt 18v XRP, including the battery, charger, and a bit set. Makes screwing or uncrewing easier.
I have never thought about that before. That’s a good idea
Melt them down and make a single big one
But they were all of them deceived, for another Allen key was made
It’s currently at 666, so I can’t upvote it. Hail Satan.
I might need it
I don’t remember where I put it if I do need it
But I can’t get rid of it because I might need it
i’ll never need these disposables i said
20 years later, i dug through my pile of disposables and pulled out the 3 sizes i needed for my bike, and it has most of what i need for my repair kit.
I have so many of these things, I’ve thought about getting a forge to smelt them into ingots.
Forge is for blacksmithing. You want a foundry for smelting.
I have seen enough forged in fire and home smithing videos to know you can also do it in a forge. You just aren’t casting them.
Much easier and efficient to put your crucible in a foundry. You also cast ingots.
Billets. Ingots. They’re both oblong squares of metal. 🤷♂️
Chip off the L-bit and now you have Allen Keys that will fit into any drill chuck
Alternatively, keep the L-bit on and now you have one wild drill thingy, and will be feared.
Do it. It’s starting to feel like a different kind of mine.
One does not simply throw away Allen wrenches.
I used to have a box of one-off tools I didn’t know what they went to, but devoting a day to the use of a label maker, determining which adapter went with which thing, and writing up a file of what’s in what box, was one of my greatest feats. I haven’t had to dig through a box for something in years.
My minimalist self loves it. Now I have more room for more useless shit.
“After all, why shouldn’t I keep it?”
Pro tip: don’t cast it into a fire and expect it to be cool. Don’t ask how I know.
Don’t even look at my random wire collection.
I bought a complete Allen wrench set and still don’t throw away the disposable ones that come with assemble-it-yourself products
I have literally a dozen allen key sets, at least, and still toss the freebies into a drawer
they come in handy every now and then when you need to hammer one into a partially stripped bolt head or something like that
Precisely. They’re the red shirts of the operation. I’m not putting the fancy Craftsman shit into my drill.
A ratcheting driver set is even nicer, you get all the allen tips plus torx, the weird philips variants, etc. Mine has sockets under 3/4" even. I use the thing like 10 times a day.
No matter which one I get. It’s always missing the one I need 😢
“Some day I’ll have a tiny forge and turn them into tiny swords.”
What about a giant allen key
They’re probably made from tool steel, which is very hard but not very flexible, making it brittle.
Sword steels usually have a better balance between hardness and toughness. The hardness helps them retain their edge, while the toughness helps them withstand blows without cracking or shattering
Reals hex keys, yes. IKEA keys are only made to last one build.
Even worse for making swords, then
Map gas torch and 5 fire bricks. Or an induction bolt heater.
forbidden fleshlight you say?
No, that’s not what I said at all. But you do you, and if you end up in the hospital, I’m not responsible.
Oh, that speaks to me.
