Helping Hands

[TheHulk]

I recently purchased a set of helping hands from a discount hardware store thinking that they are all the same. Obviously I was wrong.

Anyway...

Are there any favorites, or name brands for QUALITY helping hands? Hopefully something under $50

I am also open to creative DIY setups

What do you have?

[Jdansti]

I've only seen, and have owned, the cheap ass ones where the female part of the clips that thread onto the screws easily get bent out of shape and slip off while you're using them. I crimped mine down onto the screws with pliers and soldered the splits with my iron on high.  This has helped a lot. Maybe someone else can point you to a better model, but if not, this work around might help. 

[tubegeek]

I ... soldered the splits with my iron on high.

What did you use to hold it steady while you soldered it?

<ducking>

[mcknib]

I don't use them having had the same experience regarding quality there's an instructable here although a bit too involved I think but he also shows you ideas for keeping those alligator clips attached

http://www.instructables.com/id/Third-Hand-A-multi-use-helping-hand-for-electro/?ALLSTEPS

I did away with mine and got a small vice like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40231901-Aluminum-Small-Mini-Table-Clamp-Hobby-Jewlery-Work-Swivel-360-Vice-/281279511838?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item417d90bd1e

Does everything I need the jaws open wide enough for most pcb's apart from the larger one's over 55mm brilliant for de soldering jobs I've even gripped enclosures in it for metal polishing and cleaned up switch lugs etc.

[davent]

The crushed alligator clip bases i uncrushed and glued in pieces o fdowel so they won't recrush and can be rotated to any position, covered the jaws with heat shrink so i could hold painted bits without damaging the paint, replaced what i could of the  mini thumbscrews with brass 6/32 hardware i had laying around, worth more then the helping hands themselves. Now they're almost worthy of their title.

And if i'm soldering up a pcb, i load one level of parts at a time flip it over and place it on a small piece of scrap wood or first place the scrap of wood atop the parts then flip, before grabbing it with the clips.

[Mustachio]

Those are sweet Dave! You always have the cool stuff man

I think Codemonk uses Romex copper wire (house wire thats pretty thick) with aligator clips on the end and the other end attached to a wooden board or something. Which is a great idea and I think ill make one with some of the extra romex I have left over.

(found the thread I was thinking of)
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=108705.msg993316#msg993316

Something similar to this


There is also panavise which is sweet pro gear! But expensive
http://www.panavise.com/index.html?pageID=1&id1=1&startat=1&--woSECTIONSdatarq=1&--SECTIONSword=ww

I have a dremel vise that works nice for holding pcb's , Dino uses one of these too!

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Attachments/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=2500-01

Most the time I use my cheap ones similar to Daves with the tape on the teeth. But I think I'm gonna make a romex set tonight! And I think I'll have to borrow that doll rod trick too Dave! Great Idea!

[duck_arse]

Something similar to this

that looks like it might be a "boston startler".

I seem to collect blocks of wood, and screw down bulldog or foldback clips with a big washer. takes some manouvering (sp?) to get things in the right places, a diff block or clip each time, but are you going to do?

[bloxstompboxes]

I see people talking about using foam and other methods to sandwich the part side while they turn it over and solder the trace side. Any reason why you guys don't just bend the leads a little so the part stays in when the board is turned over. I seem to have good luck with this. Maybe it doesn't look as pretty as leads poking straight through, but how many of us or our buyers stare at the solder side all day or even look at it from time to time? My boards are always part side up when the back is off anyway.

I do like those helping hands dave. I think I ordered mine off the electronic goldmine site and they work well for me as is though.

[GGBB]

Any reason why you guys don't just bend the leads a little so the part stays in when the board is turned over.

The only reasons I don't do it are because it doesn't look as pretty and it makes removing a component a fair bit more involved (even if you snip it out). But I think that's how through-hole is supposed to be done - at least that's what I seem to remember being taught in my electronics course at college last century.

[bloxstompboxes]

Well, through hole should be done in a factory environment with straight leads so that select solder equipment can do it properly and the leads snipped off correctly as well. But in our little worlds on our little workbenches, I find the bending method just fine. But I agree that it doesn't look as pretty. However, like I said, I don't look at that side of the board usually after it's finally boxed up.

[ubersam]

I used to use a R-Shack helping hands with alligator clips to hold the pcb. Now I use a Panavise 201. It's under $50: http://www.all-spec.com/products/201.html

I still use the R-shack helping hands but only to hold wires when necessary.

[Thecomedian]

A foam pad ensures the component is more flush with the board when you turn it over. Even with bent leads, they can shift a bit. It's simply a fast efficient way. There's no "supposed to" right or wrong way for soldering or putting together circuits apart from regular concerns of too much/little solder and too/much little time spent heating it. Anything that is electrically and mechanically robust is what you're "supposed" to do. Doesn't matter if it looks pretty or not, although prettier finished products often come from being well designed in terms of physical space use and proper solder technique, etc.

[Jdansti]

Nice alternatives shown here!

[TheHulk]

Thanks everyone!

Has anyone used these?

http://cdn.instructables.com/FJC/0OH2/F7PCOX6T/FJC0OH2F7PCOX6T.LARGE.jpg

I mostly do guitar electronics, but I am starting to get into PCB work. Any thoughts?

[armdnrdy]

I misread the title...

I thought I read "Happy Hands"  

[ubersam]

Thanks everyone!

Has anyone used these?

http://cdn.instructables.com/FJC/0OH2/F7PCOX6T/FJC0OH2F7PCOX6T.LARGE.jpg

I mostly do guitar electronics, but I am starting to get into PCB work. Any thoughts?

That actually looks pretty useful, particularly if you're working inside the control cavity of a guitar. But for pcb work, I'd stick to the Panavise.

[CodeMonk]

Those are sweet Dave! You always have the cool stuff man

I think Codemonk uses Romex copper wire (house wire thats pretty thick) with aligator clips on the end and the other end attached to a wooden board or something. Which is a great idea and I think ill make one with some of the extra romex I have left over.
...

Edit: i didn't even notice the link to the original post of that 

I use this only occasionally.
Usually when I'm tracing a circuit.


I also have 2 "helping hands" things.

This DIY PCB holder is what I use most of the time.
Each side is 3 layers of scrap copper clad with the center layer about 0.5 mm in to make a "groove" in the center of the 3 layers.
Super glue holds the layers together. Hot glue holds most everything else together. Plus a few screws.
The post in the center has several holes in it so I can adjust the height.
Also have a few nylons washers on the screw that holds the PCB jig to the post and one inside the hole so I can rotate the jig.




I really like the foam idea though.
Thats a great idea.
I could probably drill some holes for the clamps in the copper clad and adapt that foam idea to my holder.

I haven't been doing shit lately though due to back problems and shit I have to do around here.

[vigilante397]

I see people talking about using foam and other methods to sandwich the part side while they turn it over and solder the trace side

I use two methods to manage this:

1) Start with low-profile components and work up to the taller components, i.e. jumpers, resistors, diodes, IC sockets, transistors, then capacitors, so the desk I set them on holds the component more or less flush while soldering.

2) A little less professional: if I forget to do the aforementioned method and I need to do a shorter component that won't sit flush I'll slip the handle of my wire cutters under the component to prop it up under the board

[bloxstompboxes]

2) A little less professional: if I forget to do the aforementioned method and I need to do a shorter component that won't sit flush I'll slip the handle of my wire cutters under the component to prop it up under the board

I have done this myself. I have forgotten to put in my IC sockets and already had caps in. It is a little unstable at times depending on the board but it does work.

[Ice-9]

These thing are about £4 free postage from evilbay and while not the best quality in the world , certainly surfice.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soldering-Iron-Stand-Helping-Hands-Magnifying-Glass-Magnifier-Crocodile-Clip-AA-/321543192896?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item4add77c140