Mid-week Fun- Tools that shouldn’t be on the reloading bench… but are

[Land Owner]

So MANY plastic 1-gallon ice cream containers with lids. Great for under bench storage of the many calibers of cases in their various preparatory stages (dirty, deprimed & sized, primed, etc.). Also used for cleaning patches, quick garbage pail, etc. Stackable when both filled or empty.

15 Jeweler's screwdrivers, punches, needles, and pins neatly inserted in the side of a pre-drilled 1/4" piece of hardwood affixed to the side of the bench.

Plastic T-square, 45* and 30* triangles, template shapes (squares, circles, triangles, etc.) for enhancing hand drawings in the Loading Book.

Turkey feathers for sweepers (like paint brushes only finer).

Plastic peanut butter jar lids as small part and piece receptacles.

[lightman]

Well lets see,
Office supply stuff;

A 3 ring binder with my loading records and notes
A package of File Labels
Label Maker
White and Black Sharpie (good for marking dates on powder cans) (I also write an "O" for opened on top of open powder jugs)
Pens and pencils
note pads and post it notes
desk top stapler and staple remover ( good for attaching chrony tapes to targets)
paper clips
scissors (heavy duty)
magnifying glass

Tools;
Linemans pliers
Needle nose pliers
Channel loc pliers
about 5 different size/type screwdrivers
torx wrench set
allen wrench set
open end/box end wrenches that fit any nut or bolt on my bench (about 5 sizes from 1/4 inch up)
Cresent wrench
dental picks
small cold chisel (1/4 or 3/8ths inch)
center punch (useful for rounding out bent case mouths)
50 caliber machine gun bullet (also useful for rounding out bent case mouths)
wire tooth brush
nylon tooth brush
cordless drill (I use it for neck turning and with Lee case trimmers)
small ball peen hammer
small assortment of files
tubing micrometer
0-1inch micrometer
6 inch dial caliper
6 inch vainer caliper (mostly just for the straight edge)
short tape measure (10 ft or so)
draftsman brush

Miscellaneous stuff;
a small flash light
a navy shell made into an ash tray that holds pencils and such (I don't smoke but its pretty cool)
a schapel (good for opening Midway boxes)
an exacto knife
a few sheets of different grit emory cloth
a package of steel wool
3M scouring pads
a bottle of polish (Flitz, ect)
pistil cleaning rod and a few bore brushes

I don't work on very many non-reloading projects in my loading room but there is some need or use for all of this stuff. Some of this stuff is useful if you mess with a lot of range brass. I've slowly acquired dedicated tools for my loading bench so that they are at hand when I need them. Even the cordless drill is a duplicate.

[daboone]

An over abundance of Allen wrenches, case lubes, pens, pencils and markers. Mostly stuff that needs to be put back in its akro bin above the benches. Oh and dust, bits of powder and run away spent primers.

[swamp]

The cotton rounds used to remove make-up. I find them very handy on the work bench
swamp

[jetinteriorguy]

Xacto knife, ice pick, small bench brush with dust pan, adjustable wrench, and small metal ruler.

[kbstenberg]

I have an electricians wire stripper. It will not be leaving my bench. It is used when pulling bullets from loaded ammunition.

[Lucky Joe]

I find many uses for dental floss. It comes in a very convenient package I keep one in my hunting gear one on my loading bench and one in my car and be surprised how many times you can use a good strong piece of string.

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[daboone]

I gotta agree with many of the "things" having appropriate use on the bench from time to time. But that's why it's necessary to have cabinets, shelves, drawers, pegboards, especially a junk drawer and bookcases around the bench. Every once in awhile I have to remember this logic when I can't see the bench top.

[rockshooter]

Electric stove burner covers. I turn them over and have shallow trays that brass or bullets don't get out of but are shallow enough to get my fingers into.
Loren

[DestructionDan]

Old Compaq computer screwdriver that was about the perfect size to remove media stuck in primer pockets.
I use it every time I clean brass.
Other than that, my reloading bench is my everything bench right now.
Limited space for now. So there is always something on or next to it that has nothing to do with reloading.

[Gewehr-Guy]

Good heavy duty paper plates and bowls to hold cases after bag lubing, easy to reach into when sizing brass. The bowls also work well for holding bullets after sizing and lubing,just throw them away when dirty.

[lightman]

Electric stove burner covers. I turn them over and have shallow trays that brass or bullets don't get out of but are shallow enough to get my fingers into.
Loren

Thats a good idea, never thought about those. I use a couple of end caps for 8 or 10 inch pvc for bowels. They would be too expensive to buy but I acquired a few from past jobs.

[jonp]

Dremel I will say that the mini drill press stand for one makes it pretty handy.

I was just loading up some 140gr 38sp.

Dental pick set (straight, bent, half round etc)
Magnifying glass both a large clamp on and small one that sits on the bench
Toothbrush. Never throw them out
Small vice grip. Used it to hold something or other.
Wooden Cheese board. It makes a great block to pound stuff like removing primers and also has a groove around the outside that catches primers and a large cutout on one side to put bullets in so they don't move.
Part of a disassembled miter box made of hard rock maple. Very tough and also used for the above.
XY Vice under the table. Pick it up and put it on the board to hold stuff like the lower block for an AR15
Plastic Cool Whip tub and plastic coffee containers for tumbling boolits. Old cookie sheet to hold them and a roll of wax paper to put them on.
Clamp on drafting table light. The kind that bends in the middle and is 32in long or so. With a 25watt LED spotlight it makes me wonder why I squinted for so long. $20 or so at WalMart
Black Sharpie to mark stuff like the top of a die so I can see just how much I'm turning it for adjustment.

[Heavy Metal 1]

I save and use the super magnets from worn sonicare brush heads. I have them stuck on my presses so small tools can be easily kept at hand. One can attach Allen wrenches, pieces of coat hanger wire, etc.