Chip lifter with Shapelock handle

Lifting0617Now that the sound record and playback stuff for the starter’s gun is working, I actually have to pull and replace the PLCC memory chips.  The smallest screwdriver that lives where I do this is a little too big, so I thought I’d make a quickie chip lifter.

Nail0601It’s pretty dead simple – a nail bent for a handle and ground flat at the end.  (Yeah, it got a little too hot. Meh.)  This is the second one.  The first was a little smaller, and I was afraid it would get lost on the bench.  I would have included a picture of it, but it seems to be lost.

To make it a little nicer and help keep it from getting lost, a Shapelock handle seemed like a good idea.  When I started pouring out the beads, I found a random Scrap0603scrap from some previous play (at right) just waiting to be recycled.  It felt a little too big at 2.9g, so I cut it down with a kitchen scissors to 1.9g.  That was about right.  That helps understand how many little projects I may get out of my 250g bag.

Some hot water and smushing later, I had something that would Hot+Cold0614pass for a handle.  Here it is fresh from the hot water and after cooling down.

It’s completely functional, but very clearly home made.  The nail is way too visible (shoulda made the nail more coplanar and flattened its head), and it’s kind of lumpy.  I suppose some others could see some kind of charm in that.

Anyway, it didn’t take long to make, cost almost nothing, works perfectly, and it’s probably big enough to not get lost, so it’s a winner.

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