Tool recommendations

Gordon

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
2,488
Reaction score
2,940
Country
llUnited States
Looking for recommendations for a pair of tweezers and/or suction tool for counter manipulation. I've always used my fingers, but with age creeping up I find I'm fumbling more and more stacks, and there's usually a cascade of failures.

TIA
 

R Hooks

Smoke Break brb
Joined
Apr 15, 2009
Messages
762
Reaction score
209
Location
beaumont texas
Country
llUnited States
I know your problem, I have essential tremors from agent orange, I shake like a leaf, barely able to keep beans in a spoon. Since I play now on VASSAL my problem is keeping the mouse from shaking, using 2 hands is my best solution so far. So my suggestion is hold your pickup hand at the wrist with your other hand, and at least one elbow planted on the table. If you come up with something better please let us sufferers know.
 

Gordon

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
2,488
Reaction score
2,940
Country
llUnited States
Very sorry to hear that. Not so much shakes for me, just seems like more of a tendency to bump other stacks on densely packed boards. I really like playing on my 120% enlarged copies of the boards, but the board setup doesn't always fit on my table at that size.
 

Sparafucil3

Forum Guru
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Messages
11,335
Reaction score
5,070
Location
USA
First name
Jim
Country
llUnited States
Looking for recommendations for a pair of tweezers and/or suction tool for counter manipulation. I've always used my fingers, but with age creeping up I find I'm fumbling more and more stacks, and there's usually a cascade of failures.

TIA
I recently bought these curved tweezers and these straight tweezers. -- jim
 

Gordon

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
2,488
Reaction score
2,940
Country
llUnited States
No danger of scratching counters, maps or plexi with them?

I've see some that are spring-loaded closed (so you squeeze to open them, rather than to hold the counters). Any thoughts on which is better?
 

fenyan

Elder Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2004
Messages
703
Reaction score
1,190
Location
California
Country
llUnited States
I prefer the above tweezers to the ones that you have to squeeze to open.
 

RobZagnut

Elder Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2003
Messages
8,814
Reaction score
1,378
Location
USA
Country
llUnited States
I prefer the above tweezers to the ones that you have to squeeze to open.
I’ve seen guys with those tweezers and then put tacky on the other end to use as suction to pickup counters on top of stacks.
 

zgrose

Elder Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2004
Messages
4,235
Reaction score
948
Location
Kingwood, TX
First name
Zoltan
Country
llUnited States
Tweezers if you want to attempt to pick up more than one counter at a time. Suction pen if you just want to manipulate the top counter.
 

Tuomo

Keeper of the Funk
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Messages
4,652
Reaction score
5,537
Location
Rock Bottom
Country
llUnited States
I've seen several folks use a "suction cup pen". Bought one, glad I have it, but I don't use it much. Seems good at picking up the top counter one at a time.
 

RobZagnut

Elder Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2003
Messages
8,814
Reaction score
1,378
Location
USA
Country
llUnited States
Got my super sucker from ASLer Bruce Billett who works for Intel and they use them to pick up chips and wafers. (No greasy fingers)

Bruce was the first guy I ever saw use a suction device. Fish was the first with a dice tower. Before that it was lots of glass with that horrible tinkling noise all over the place. Pleva was the first I saw that use a wooden ‘lean to’ to hide HIP units. I bought one from him with a cloaking lean to. Use it all the time.
 
Last edited:

Yuri0352

Elder Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2014
Messages
2,115
Reaction score
1,200
Location
25-30 Hexes
Country
llUnited States
The 'cloaking lean-to' is a great idea!
I foresee several KW night actions in my future, and I would like to build one of these.... are there any pictures?
 

von Marwitz

Forum Guru
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
14,355
Reaction score
10,204
Location
Kraut Corner
Country
llUkraine
Bruce was the first guy I ever saw use a suction device. Fish was the first with a dice tower. Before that it was lots of glass with that horrible tinkling noise all over the place. Pleva was the first I saw that use a wooden ‘lean to’ to hide HIP units. I bought one from him with a cloaking lean to. Use it all the time.
I reckon Oberst von Marwitz was the first with a carpet beneath the playing table to make it more comfy... ;)

von Marwitz
 

Paul M. Weir

Forum Guru
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
8,706
Reaction score
3,732
Location
Dublin
First name
Paul
Country
llIreland
I reckon Oberst von Marwitz was the first with a carpet beneath the playing table to make it more comfy... ;)

von Marwitz
Was that the somewhat chewed one you bought quite cheap from the Führerbunker clearance sale?
 

RobZagnut

Elder Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2003
Messages
8,814
Reaction score
1,378
Location
USA
Country
llUnited States
My favorite device is my Super SNiper Die Roller of Death. Inside is a BattleSchool SAN die. It spins around and deals out death. I bought an extra one and gave it to Bruce for giving me one of his suckers.

10867
 

DrDeath

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
654
Reaction score
148
Location
Boston, MA
Country
llUnited States
I’ve seen guys with those tweezers and then put tacky on the other end to use as suction to pickup counters on top of stacks.
2 problems with this method- The first is if you hold the tweezers throughout the game your body heat is transmitted through the tool to the clay and it becomes way too tacky picking up any and every piece of loose detritus around the board...

Second issue is with the people above in the first example who then don't change the clay from scenario to scenario and the process is allowed to continue unabated...
 
Top