On 2012-01-03, wrote:

[ ... ]

About 60 years ago I bought a hand operated nibbler, IIRC it is "Adel"
brand, ordered mail order from Allied Radio.

Now "Allied Electronics". :-)

That, and my Weller Jr.
soldering gun are still in use.

Hmm ... about 1957, so only 55 years ago. An Adel as well. The
Weller soldering gun finally died, and is bad news for today's
electronics work, but the nibbler is still there and works when needed.

I *think* that I got it in a local electronics shop -- which is
no longer in business, but I'm no longer sure.

To start it in the minimum sized hole (5/16" IIRC) you have to
loosen the stop screw on the handle, slide the jaw out, thread it though
the hole and back into the handle, and re-tighten the stop screw.

And I used it a *lot* of aluminum which was a bit thicker than
it was designed for. I had to file away the threads a bit on the stop
screw to allow the jaw to open enough to work with that gauge aluminum
(1/8" IIRC). I have replaced the bit a time or two, and acquired some
spare bits in a used pallet style tool case which I got a few years ago.

But I also have used a manually powered three-jaw one (nice for
cutting straight lines, a bit more awkward for tight curves, and have
since added two of the air powered ones which produce the nasty crescent
moons. Both of those came from eBAy -- and the larger one I was able to
get a corresponding replacement die set, too.

But for much of my sheet metal working, I use a DiAcro 24"
shear, a DiAcro 24" finger brake, and a no-name corner notcher, plus a
collection of Greenlee chassis punches, including a 1/2" D punch, a
15/32" key punch (for bat handle toggle switches), a square or two, a
rectangular one for P&B relay sockets, and even one for DB-25 connector
cutouts. :-) I recently discovered that the 15/32" key punch will work
in 16 ga mild steel.

And there is always the mill for strange shaped one-off holes.

Enjoy,
DoN.

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