Marking your tools

[on31ll]

What have you guys found to be the best way to mark up your tools ?

 

[Mike Jackson]

I engrave my postcode and house number in a few places and also use a touch up pen to mark them with. Larger items I use a stencil set and spray my postcode on.

 

[Subby]

I melt my name into rubber handles using a hot screwdriver! I dremmel my name into the metal bits.
It works as I left two bahcos on a site, when I returned, the one with my name melted into it was put safely in the site manager's draw, and the one without a name went walkies. £21 to replace.

 

[Guest123]

Good topic, but wrong thread for this. This is for questions related to plumbing issues.

 

[AWheating]

i mark mine with my scent.

 

[SimonG]

i mark mine with my scent.

Beat me to it, was going to say I just pee on em, nobody ever touches them.

 

[nicro3]

Hacksaw initials

 

[josh]

I just spray orange on my handles, haha i know that sounds silly compared to you other guys ways of marking and power tools have got postcode and 'plumbers' written on them, lol.
A carpenter who also sprays his said he had an argument once with another carpenter on site about his lump hammer saying it was his and that he'd wrote 'hickery' into it.
course they all say that cos its the manafacturers print!

 

[Orry Clayton]

Funnily today, while sitting around doing nothing (left lunch at home) I was writing my name on everything of mine with my Sharpie, after 10 mins it wiped off. Have a look at SelectaDNA - Some clever stuff there.

 

[Dannypipe]

I wrote 'Dan' onto a lot of my stuff with a permanent marker, just so it doesn't get mixed up with the guys I work with. My brother proceeded to add 'iel' at the end.

He did this as I hate people calling me Daniel. Thanks bro.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I wrote 'Dan' onto a lot of my stuff with a permanent marker, just so it doesn't get mixed up with the guys I work with. My brother proceeded to add 'iel' at the end.

He did this as I hate people calling me Daniel. Thanks bro.

same as me my last names daniel winds me up when referred to as daniels

 

[buckley plumb]

letter stamps for metal tools . can buy from toolstation now

 

[julesverne]

i just stick them down my pants rub them around my testicles for a bit in front of tradesmen. then put them back in the toolbox

its weird but my stuff never goes missing

 

[Subby]

Do you really think other plumbers are that bothered about a bit of scrotum sweat after changing macerators, unblocking drains, changing urinal pipework etc lol

 

[on31ll]

the first thing i looked at was the selecta dna ! but i can see where this is good when things are stolen and found but on a building site its not practical to say "let me swab it and send it away then in 2 weeks we shall have the answer to whos drill this is"

seen a spark and he had all his tools engraved but it was like a stencil and looked like it had melted the plastic cleanly and perfect

 

[WHPES]

Reminds me years ago on site - one of the pipefitters used to leave a couple of condoms (out their wrappers but not used) in the top of his tool box which he said put people off.

 

[Glenwils]

I use a Junior hacksaw to cut 3 small groves into my tools, light enough not to damage them but heavy enough to see them.

I do it just so my tools don't get mixed up with the other lads tools I work with as a lot of us have identical tools.

 

[zzzjim]

Pondered post code and door no , but was concerned if ever mislaid may turn up as murder weapon !

Like distintive bands , with a measured gap

 

[andrewcplatt]

Just had 2k of Makita tools stolen from van at WICKES,in broad daylight.Left the cheapie skill saws and el cheapo tools.
Went to see the manager,err,no cctv of the parking lot,just entry and exit points as it costs far to much to install overall footage of the car park.

Beware ALL trades people,you are being watched whenever you are buying materials and leaving your van unattended. &O&&&))&&&^%

 

[Bubblecraft]

I got hit last year Dec 27th on my drive way. Took £7.5k of tools & £2k of sounds. Same as you, they left the crap powertools & all hand tools. Was gutted. Was starting a kitchen fit on the 2nd of Jan with no router, jigsaw, drills or anything. No damage to van & still have no idea how they got in. After some reading up, there is a security flaw on the Mk7 transits. It's now got new dead locks all round, toughened cylinder locks on side door & back & a nice new alarm & GPS. I ain't getting hit again. It nearly broke me

 

[Glenwils]

Any of you lads have tool insurance? I've been thinking about it the last couple of days after hearing a few horror stories on here and on site.

 

[Dannypipe]

I've had tool insurance since I last got cleared out. I have a policy for the tools in my van (which is a seperate policy from the van insurance so I don't lose my no claims bonus if I have to claim) I also have tool cover wrapped in with my public liability. That covers my tools on site. (As long as the site is secure). All in all it costs me about £150 a year. Which covers £5000 of tools.

I lost at least £5000 quids worth last time. So its good peace of mind money. I would still be gutted. The worse thing would be to lose my hand tools, as they are more personal. If I lose an SDS I'll buy another one, just the same. If I lose a box of hand tools, there will be 30 handy little things I need to replace, from angled screwdrivers, to bent nose pliers. Getting hold of quality bent nose pliers is a mission. Trust me I know! Finally Toolstation started to stock them.

When we last got done, they took all the powertools (of course) and one box of hand tools. Mine. Typical. They also took a canterlever box I had full of unusual brass fittings. I had built that box up over years. I was well gutted about that, as I knew it would all go to a scrap man for a fiver.

 

[LPC]

I've got yellow-green electrical tape wrapped around every one of my tools to stop them being mixed up with other peoples. But nothing to identify them if they were stolen.

 

[Dannypipe]

In fairness if they're stolen, they're gone. Marked or not. (in my experience). Which is why I just mark mine with a black marker. So I don't get my stuff mixed up with the other guys on site.

Its weird the way guys you work with or even employ will nick silly things from you!

We call it mine sweeping. 'That's mine, and that's mine, and that'.

I must admit, I'm a dab hand myself, and have about six 15mm slices.

 

[Glenwils]

Danny, say for instance your van gets broken into and all your tools stolen, can you only claim for the tools you have receipts for? I've started keeping all my tool receipts because of this. 150 quid seems like an absolute bargain.