Dollar Store Supplies

[Canucker]

so seeing as I'm the guy who asks all the technical questions but wants to contribute in other ways I figure lets see if we can advise each other on some money saving measures.... are there any supplies you get from the dollar store?

so far I've used

-pannasonic 9 volt batteries
-disposable gloves...not the tight latex kind cus you sweat a lot in those and they become hard to take off but the cheap 50 for a buck sandwich making (food prep) gloves...they are loser so they slide off easy...use them when I'm handling things to print circuit boards.
-they have small wooden craft boxes with hinges and latches (for $2) that are decent for making little smokey amps...you just have to paint the box first to make it stronger but they sound pretty decent...they had ones around valentines day that had a heart opening to put a photo but I just popped out the plexiglass and shoved a speaker in there...put a knotch in the wood and didn't have to do any other work to hold the speaker in place...though I never got around to putting a grill so that wold take a bit extra...but the hinge factor plus the price for something wooden is fantastic.
- cases for components
-mini ziplock bags for when I'm component shopping...i write up what part I need stick it in the bag and then go shopping...so I have a holder and shopping list in one!
- peroxide to print my boards with

so is there anything you guys get that I should be looking out for? (hey i just turned it into a request again!)

[Jdansti]

so seeing as I'm the guy who asks all the technical questions but wants to contribute in other ways I figure lets see if we can advise each other on some money saving measures.... are there any supplies you get from the dollar store?

so far I've used

-pannasonic 9 volt batteries
-disposable gloves...not the tight latex kind cus you sweat a lot in those and they become hard to take off but the cheap 50 for a buck sandwich making (food prep) gloves...they are loser so they slide off easy...use them when I'm handling things to print circuit boards.
-they have small wooden craft boxes with hinges and latches (for $2) that are decent for making little smokey amps...you just have to paint the box first to make it stronger but they sound pretty decent...they had ones around valentines day that had a heart opening to put a photo but I just popped out the plexiglass and shoved a speaker in there...put a knotch in the wood and didn't have to do any other work to hold the speaker in place...though I never got around to putting a grill so that wold take a bit extra...but the hinge factor plus the price for something wooden is fantastic.
- cases for components
-mini ziplock bags for when I'm component shopping...i write up what part I need stick it in the bag and then go shopping...so I have a holder and shopping list in one!
- peroxide to print my boards with

so is there anything you guys get that I should be looking out for? (hey i just turned it into a request again!)

*Masking, electrical, and duct tape
*Files
*Sandpaper
*Brushes of all types
*Plastic containers for etching, painting, etc
*Alcohol
*Razor blades
*Spring clamps
*Clothes pins
*Rubber bands
*Cheap ear buds - I wouldn't use them for serious listening or recording, but I buy a bunch and leave them in various places around the house where I sit and in the cars so I can listen to music and videos without disturbing my wife.  I also don't care if they get lost or if a cat chews a bud off.

+1 on the 9V's, and great idea for the small bags!  There's a surplus electronics store nearby,and they have bins of individual components.  I'll have to start using my empty Tayda bags for shopping!

I've found that Hobby Lobby and Michaels here in the US also has those inexpensive boxes.  I also pick up old wooden cigar boxes at the junkier antiques shops.

[amptramp]

A lot of people have oscilloscopes - but not as many probes as they need, so go to the dollar store and get

plastic salt and pepper shakers

bore a hole in the bottom for the coax and one in the opposite end for the probe and terminals.  For a 10X probe, you need a resistor and a variable trimmer capacitor.  You can buy BNC cables for a few bucks, cut them in half and you have the probe cables.  You can also make audio tracers and audio signal injectors from salt and pepper shakers.

[thelonious]

A lot of people have oscilloscopes - but not as many probes as they need, so go to the dollar store and get...

Ha! That is brilliant.

*Photo paper
There was a thread a few months back about how dollar store photo paper can be a good substitute for PNP Blue toner transfer.

[defaced]

I got alot of my supplies for photo resist etching from the dollar store:

Dish wasing detergent (sodium carbonate - developer)
Drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide - resist remover)
Measuring cups
Kitchen timer
Hydrogen peroxide
Picture frames (glass for holding down the artwork)
Plastic tubs (hold chemicals)

I think that was about all, but I'm sure I'm missing some.

[Canucker]

Michaels here in Canada is expensive and has pretty low quality stuff. We have one five minutes from my place and I've never bought anything in there. I just go in and laugh at the prices and walk out. A custom framing shop was our family business for decades and Michaels prices for custom work were about 2.5 to 3 times our prices. I went to school for commercial illustration so I was pretty in tune with the prices for art supplies...maybe some of their craft stuff prices are ok. I was never into that sort of thing.

[Hemmel]

Those mini-ziploc bags are great ! 100 for a buck. Or 60 for a buck if you want the ones with the white part to write on. Only thing is when I buy those bags, people think I'm a drug dealer (I was actually stopped by a guy when exiting the store to ask me if I sold smack... he didn't believe me when I said no!).
There's a store in Quebec called Dollarama at it really has everything one might need. I need to check if they have muriatic acid for etching. If they don't, no worries, there's a Rona right next door !

[electricgrave]

I've got acrylic paints there recently. They carry the same brand that Amazon sells for $5.99 a bottle

[alparent]

I also get some clear adhesive vinyl, to cover books.
Print your laser transfer on the vinyl side, then apply as you would with photo paper.
I only need to apply heat for like 45 sec.
Cool is down in cold water and just peal off the vinyl. Zero residue! To prevent warping on big boards, I just stick the vinyl on some scrap paper before ironing.
You can also use the vinyl backing paper if you like, but the toner just barely sticks to that.

Never calculated which was cheaper? Photo paper vs Vinyl? Just saw a YouTube video of a guy using the vinyl and I had to try it! You know how it is!

[Hemmel]

Salut Alain 

Can you give me the exact name of that adhesive vinyl ? Usually all Dollarama stores have the same stock, and I'd like to try etching a few boards.

Merci !

[Canucker]

Those mini-ziploc bags are great ! 100 for a buck. Or 60 for a buck if you want the ones with the white part to write on. Only thing is when I buy those bags, people think I'm a drug dealer (I was actually stopped by a guy when exiting the store to ask me if I sold smack... he didn't believe me when I said no!).
There's a store in Quebec called Dollarama at it really has everything one might need. I need to check if they have muriatic acid for etching. If they don't, no worries, there's a Rona right next door !

I think its down to sixty bags for a buck now. When I first saw them and wasn't doing this stuff I shouted "Cool they have supplies for drug dealers!"...sadly nobody turned and looked on in horror....but same kinda story...first time I had a mohawk my friends and I figured...hey we are camping...outdoors are good for a haircut cus it doesn't mess up the house...so we shaved my hair into the fire pit and then went to the washroom and dyed it green. Twenty minutes after the fact it was back to the washroom for touch ups...some guy comes in and said "There are little kids out there that said theres some freak running around the camp sites". Then for the next fifteen minutes he attempted to buy weed off me (which didn't exist). He went away disappointed and stating that I was holding out on him.
As for Muriatic acid....Canadian Tire is the place for that. Dollarama doesn't have it...at least not around here.

[toneman]

Yeh. 

Never heard this before.

Searched YouTube.

Found several videos that dealt with vinyl for pcb.

What's the brand name of the "clear adhesive vinyl" that you mentioned??

Is it like "shelf paper"??

thanks

T

[Tonemonger]

I found some tiny little wooden clothes pegs about 3cm/1" long ( I guess they're for dolls clothes ).
They're fantastic for holding wires out of the way when soldering inside a pedal.
I also have a regular sized one stuck to My bench for soldering jack plugs and pots.

[Canucker]

just went and grabbed some velcro that I wanted to use to hold a 9volt in place inside a box for a smokey amp....its not as crappy makeshift as it sounds. I'll take a photo once its done to show that I'm only somewhat amateur!!!

[alparent]

Yeh.  

Never heard this before.

Searched YouTube.

Found several videos that dealt with vinyl for pcb.

What's the brand name of the "clear adhesive vinyl" that you mentioned??

Is it like "shelf paper"??

thanks

T

This is the video that inspired me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWUJtmgh55M (Starting at 3:35 into the video)

Yes, it's basically the vinyl you stick to shelves.
The one I got was labeled as book cover protectors (as it is clear and glossy), not the usual gran-ma flower pattern.

just went and grabbed some velcro that I wanted to use to hold a 9volt in place inside a box for a smokey amp....

I also get some velcro, but I use the pre-cut round velcro. Use the prickly ones on the back of pedals. When I put my pedals on carpet or pedalboard with strips of velvro....then never move! (Inspired by my friend Mark Hammer!)

[GGBB]

Alain - do you find the vinyl easier than photo or magazine paper?  Great tip - thanks.

[deadastronaut]

@alain:  cool vid.

thats can foil method would be cool for spraying pedal graphics too....

[toneman]

alparent, thanks for the youtube link!!

Had not seen that one!

Shows a picture of the actual vinyl shelf paper.

The SMD solder paste mask video is a trip and a half.

thanks again!!!!

T

[alparent]

Holy crap! Did I actually contributed something useful?

I find the vinyl much quicker and cleaner. No soaking, no rubbing, no paper residue.
Just have to readjust my process.  (I've been doing photo paper for over 10 years)

Not sure how fine I can go with this technique?

At first I didn't stick the vinyl go regular paper and I had warping issues. Watched the video again and after sticking it to regular paper, the warping is gone.

Next time I'll actually try reusing the same vinyl. I known I'm cheap!

[GGBB]

What size are those mini bags?  I just came back from Dollarama and the smallest they had was 6-1/2x3-1/4.  I'd like to find ones about 2x3.