I went on Amazon and bought a custom initialed small 13 mm hot iron brand. Was about 20 bucks. Its hexagonal in shape and I just heat it up and brand all my tools.
Unfortunately some of us jus need a really good tool to do our job efficiently like flexvolt grinders. All 3 of mine have a custom rafter hook attached to them. Helps out for my job and its an identifier
This is the way. I have no experience with it but hell I’m only 15. But my dad on the other hand has been working at my grandpas metal shop since he got out of the Air Force and he engraves ALL his tools
I use a Dremmel tool to scribe my initials into all of my tools! Also numbered all of my batteries so I know to rotate and keep track of what’s on charge etc
I scribe both where the battery goes and on the right hand side next to the trigger- engraved with a pick. They will eventually pack with dirt but as long as you keep your tools clean they’ll be easy to miss for potential thief’s. I chose right hand side near trigger because most guys are left handed and when they’re checking out the tool before the steal they’ll most likely only look at it in their right hand.
A saying from when I was in the Marines that stuck "there's only one thief in the Marine Corps, everyone else is just trying to get their shit back, mark your gear ". My tools look like a kindergarten kid went at it with paint markers. Always go for the battery slot too
I always clearly mark my tools then use a uv marker in a weird place so even if they clean the visible mark off I can still prove it’s mine we also these markers to mark codes for padlocks and so on for follow up personnel
I mark mine like that. However, I still mark the top somewhere. Both, to find it easily in a pile of tools, and to ensure a thief doesn't look for any other marks.
On the Milwaukee M12 batteries I mark mine on the inside where the battery slides into. On the M18 I mark them where the battery slides into. But not only mark them with a permanent marker, but scribed with a scribing tool and than marker
The fun part is that I’ve had six of my hand tools go missing on my current data center job site. I’ll get it stolen, buy another, and it’s gone by the end of the week. Super, super frustrating
Every tool in my box is engraved with initials, the more expensive stuff has my drivers license number incase someone breaks into the shop and steals the box. And my information is on the back of one of the drawers of the box. You can go right ahead and be that trusting but I'm not. The only thing not engraved is the engraver.
I engrave my full name and phone number, and then spray paint half of the tool in fluro green, and they still get stolen. Initials that can't be seen aren't going to stop anyone.
Bought a SKIL combo kit after all my Milwaukee stuff + packout. I pull SKIL out of my packout and still use both brands while my stuff gets left alone the crew don't want anything to do with SKIL. I love it 😅
I chip all of my tools I can completely lock them down, track location of them, ect once my drill was lost on the site my app was showing the tool was actively being used locked it up and sure enough it was back in my bag by the next day 🤣
If you work in a place that you have to mark your tools, you should find a better place to work. Also, it's much better to use a UV ink to mark stuff like that.
Along with engraving and using a good maker, which are good ideas if you're around a lot of folks using the same tools, take a few minutes, with your tools all lined up, and spray with them with a certain color paint. Not all over the tool, but a quick swipe of paint. Something bright and noticeable. Pink works real well. Most thieves won't touch a pink tool, not manly enough and is obviously not theirs. The ones that accidentally grab your tools, won't, for the same reasons.
Been doing this for years. I had a boss that told me he bought pink lighters because nobody stole them. I said well then... I'm painting my tools pink 😂
And by the way it's best to engrave it because they'll find where you wrote your initials and wipe it off and then there you're screwed again if you engrave it they'll leave your tools alone.
Black marker works waaaaaay better than white as it’s easy to shine a light and read the change in emissivity of the marker versus plastic but five fingered frank isn’t going to see it like the glaring white marker.
I can’t recall if I did or not but I was pretty surprised to see a Chicago electric miter saw the last time I was at a pawn shop. It’s was something like $35. For it. Meaning this crack head that brought it in probably made $5-8. off of it.
@@cherob1984 Yeah, isn't that stupid?! Only thing stupider than that is the person who pays almost full retail price in a pawn shop for tools that can be bought new at the Big Box store for not much more.
You gotta get one of those metal etching tools. but it etches into it. Schools used to use them on calculators, science equipment, and computer equipment.
I got a couple cheap metal stamp kits from harbor freight. Welded the letters of my last name together and lightly torch them to get them hot. Now my tools are permanently engraved 👍🏼
I keep my tools locked up in a toolbox inside of my garage and the only other person that uses them is my father. So, no I do not mark my tools. I have no reason to.
Yeah we pretty much needed one on big industrial jobs. Otherwise we'd be emptying out and writing down everything in our personal job box(gangbox) when we arrived on site.
@@cappalott6646 not much other than it give you the serial number if i does get stolen so you can give it to the police. It also gives you a reference if someone gets tools mixed up, you know which one is yours by the serial number.
Don't just put your initials put your driver's license number that way if shit gets stolen it can actually be traced back to you instead of some random set of initials that thousands of other people have.
I always get wierd comments like this. Yes I do, I just wipe em down try to keep them nice. They are used for my personal use and side work. My work tools look much worse. Either way people love to hate
I clean my tools every time I use them! Also this is my home set, my work set is pretty bad, but I also clean those everyday. Just like to make them last. ATF usually deteriorates the grips pretty bad if you don’t wipe them all down.
That’s what happens when you have a homes set and a work set and you take really good care of them. Usually when the new generations come out, I take the old ones from home and take them to work and I keep my home ones as the nice ones.
tools are used to make money not look pretty take a bright green spray can and put a stipe across it. On a large job site you aren't going to take someone's tool and remove the battery to check.
I went on Amazon and bought a custom initialed small 13 mm hot iron brand. Was about 20 bucks. Its hexagonal in shape and I just heat it up and brand all my tools.
This is a good idea! I may do that honestly
@@TuneNgoon not one tool has come up missing since I started doing it 😁
What jonda felt was that you where using
Got a link ?
Work on chrome or does that just wipe off
If you use Hercules or Bauer brand tools you won't even need to worry about them being stolen in the first place
Got the Hercules for work for that exact reason 😆
Unfortunately some of us jus need a really good tool to do our job efficiently like flexvolt grinders. All 3 of mine have a custom rafter hook attached to them. Helps out for my job and its an identifier
Don’t leave Ryobi outta this
A plumber showed me the 'Mark your measuring tape underside at 5ft'
I was shown, long ago, to write my name on the underside of my height…unless… you are 5’ lol.
Mark a 7 on the back of mine with a blade. Get it back every time... $25 for a fat max fudge that
Except when your measuring tape has measurements on the back too.
i literally did that today at 69 inches
Little do we know he's just marking up his coworker's tools with his initials to sell
Engraving is best way
Yep
Ya, I’d mark all my tools that way. You can’t wipe that off, it’s permanently there.
invisible dye is the best way to catch scrubs
This is the way. I have no experience with it but hell I’m only 15. But my dad on the other hand has been working at my grandpas metal shop since he got out of the Air Force and he engraves ALL his tools
I use a Dremmel tool to scribe my initials into all of my tools! Also numbered all of my batteries so I know to rotate and keep track of what’s on charge etc
I do the same with my batteries
I cut my initials with a razor in the same spot you marked yours
THE cheap engravers from harbor freight work grear5
Same with a lucky number lol
I scribe both where the battery goes and on the right hand side next to the trigger- engraved with a pick. They will eventually pack with dirt but as long as you keep your tools clean they’ll be easy to miss for potential thief’s.
I chose right hand side near trigger because most guys are left handed and when they’re checking out the tool before the steal they’ll most likely only look at it in their right hand.
I absolutely mark my tools.
A saying from when I was in the Marines that stuck "there's only one thief in the Marine Corps, everyone else is just trying to get their shit back, mark your gear ".
My tools look like a kindergarten kid went at it with paint markers. Always go for the battery slot too
I've got so many tools with initials that aren't mine.
They're not stolen. Just old.
I definitely mark my tools with sharpies and oil paint markers.
I mark mine on the batterys themselves as those are far more likely to go missing
You know what really works well, and no one will ever steal your tools and you never even need to mark them? A steel pipe. IYKYK.
I always clearly mark my tools then use a uv marker in a weird place so even if they clean the visible mark off I can still prove it’s mine
we also these markers to mark codes for padlocks and so on for follow up personnel
And this is why I love working by myself
I mark mine like that. However, I still mark the top somewhere. Both, to find it easily in a pile of tools, and to ensure a thief doesn't look for any other marks.
On the Milwaukee M12 batteries I mark mine on the inside where the battery slides into. On the M18 I mark them where the battery slides into. But not only mark them with a permanent marker, but scribed with a scribing tool and than marker
Engraver works too
Buy a cheap engraver at Harbor Freight. Engrave it deep. Works great
I engrave my initials on the outside of my tools and put some paint into it so it shows, usually pink. Found a lot of my stolen tools that way
The fun part is that I’ve had six of my hand tools go missing on my current data center job site. I’ll get it stolen, buy another, and it’s gone by the end of the week. Super, super frustrating
I engrave my name initials into the plastic of all my powertools with a solder.
You can use old typewriter letters heat them and imprint them into the plastic, use a little paint to highlight it
Every tool in my box is engraved with initials, the more expensive stuff has my drivers license number incase someone breaks into the shop and steals the box. And my information is on the back of one of the drawers of the box. You can go right ahead and be that trusting but I'm not. The only thing not engraved is the engraver.
I do the same thing but I use nail polish so it doesn’t come off with regular use as easily
I engrave my full name and phone number, and then spray paint half of the tool in fluro green, and they still get stolen. Initials that can't be seen aren't going to stop anyone.
Personally i engrave all of my tools and write my name on absolutely everything, even have my name on tires.
An additional benefit of doing it this way is that the tool still looks clean
Bought a SKIL combo kit after all my Milwaukee stuff + packout. I pull SKIL out of my packout and still use both brands while my stuff gets left alone the crew don't want anything to do with SKIL. I love it 😅
😂nice
I engrave all mine.
I painted mines pink.
The main reason I bought a HF cordless flexshaft rotary tool. Order and slap a battery adapter on it and engrave all your stuff. Even hand tools.
Smart man!
Paint it ryobi green no one's stealing that😂
😂
If you buy pink tools no one steals them.
I chip all of my tools I can completely lock them down, track location of them, ect once my drill was lost on the site my app was showing the tool was actively being used locked it up and sure enough it was back in my bag by the next day 🤣
If you work in a place that you have to mark your tools, you should find a better place to work. Also, it's much better to use a UV ink to mark stuff like that.
Along with engraving and using a good maker, which are good ideas if you're around a lot of folks using the same tools, take a few minutes, with your tools all lined up, and spray with them with a certain color paint. Not all over the tool, but a quick swipe of paint. Something bright and noticeable. Pink works real well. Most thieves won't touch a pink tool, not manly enough and is obviously not theirs. The ones that accidentally grab your tools, won't, for the same reasons.
Been doing this for years. I had a boss that told me he bought pink lighters because nobody stole them. I said well then... I'm painting my tools pink 😂
You can't miss your tools if they're sprayed hot pink 🤷♂️
Hahah I love it!
And by the way it's best to engrave it because they'll find where you wrote your initials and wipe it off and then there you're screwed again if you engrave it they'll leave your tools alone.
True
Black marker works waaaaaay better than white as it’s easy to shine a light and read the change in emissivity of the marker versus plastic but five fingered frank isn’t going to see it like the glaring white marker.
Has anyone ever seen Ryobi at a pawn shop?
I can’t recall if I did or not but I was pretty surprised to see a Chicago electric miter saw the last time I was at a pawn shop. It’s was something like $35. For it. Meaning this crack head that brought it in probably made $5-8. off of it.
Yup! Seen a whole kit at a pawn shop and they were asking about the same as a brand new one from HD
@@cherob1984 Yeah, isn't that stupid?! Only thing stupider than that is the person who pays almost full retail price in a pawn shop for tools that can be bought new at the Big Box store for not much more.
I use a soldering iron to carve out my name, then fill the holes with paint, or an engraving tool on wrenches and ratchets.
You gotta get one of those metal etching tools. but it etches into it. Schools used to use them on calculators, science equipment, and computer equipment.
Agreed!
Initials and date put into service. Helps track longevity and tool life. More important for the battery but all the tools get it regardless.
That’s smart!
Normally I just keep my boxes locked, or weld tabs of steel with a hole drilled through on my boxes and lock a drop bar to it
Never had anything stolen but I work in small shop and we all have a lot of the same tools so we get them mixed up sometimes but always figure it out
Usually same, that’s why I don’t go to crazy with engravers or branding lol
Thats why you brand them, like a cow....just brand your initials into the plastic that's what I do.
I ingraved my tools
We use spray paint on my crew. We have red blue and green tools. Each color represents the owner of said tool.
That’s a good idea too! I like it
Inside the tool is the move
Take metal letter stamps heat them up a little and melt your initials on.
I mark the battery slot, and the battery, with a unique scratch of my initial and a dab of spray paint
I got a couple cheap metal stamp kits from harbor freight.
Welded the letters of my last name together and lightly torch them to get them hot.
Now my tools are permanently engraved 👍🏼
Love that idea
I keep my tools locked up in a toolbox inside of my garage and the only other person that uses them is my father. So, no I do not mark my tools. I have no reason to.
I maro mine on the outside ke qnd qnother mechanic are always getting our Milwaukee batteries mixed up I've accidentally taken his a few times lmaoo
Use a pen engraver imho plus the paint pen
Could you mark under the trigger so that it only shows when pulled back?
Of course I mark my tools .. and territory, by pissing on them. Everybody’s nose knows the difference
I just engrave my initials
I use an engraver and then they can't see it to scrub it off
Smart!
I burn mine in with a soldering iron. Cant get rid of that without it being lika a car with a scratched out vin. That shits stolen.
That’s true that’s a fool proof way!
I engrave my initials. I see people taking everybody's batteries all the time at work.
Smart man!
I use a Dremel and engrave my tools with my initials
I wonder if snap-on tools sells engravers? 400$ well spent.
😂
Team soldering iron and paint pen. Yer done.
Where did u buy that marker? Thanks
If you go on Amazon and type in “ paint marker” there will be a TON of options in any color you want !
I saw a guy that was heating up a piece of metal that had his name on it, then he branded his tools with it lol.
Looked pretty good actually.
That’s honestly pretty cool !
I use a little hand held engraver works good as well
can't unmark my engraving ;)
I paint mine yellow for DeWalt, and everyone stays away
my dewalt is green and makita is black and some batteries are knock offs full of rocks
@@dancearoundtheworld5360 mine are squirt guns 🔫
8nce they start looking beat up I usually spary paint them a odd color.
I also have a spreadsheet that has a list of all of the serial numbers incase they do get stolen.
Dang! You took it to the next level 😂😂 for me a lot of my serial plates are so worn down you can’t see em!
Yeah we pretty much needed one on big industrial jobs. Otherwise we'd be emptying out and writing down everything in our personal job box(gangbox) when we arrived on site.
I’ve very curious what does that even do ?
@@cappalott6646 not much other than it give you the serial number if i does get stolen so you can give it to the police. It also gives you a reference if someone gets tools mixed up, you know which one is yours by the serial number.
We dip ours in chocolate. Haven’t worked or been stolen since!
Brand them with solder iron and bent metal….. doesn’t have time be initials either
Engrave it if you want it to last
joke's on you, i could get that off with some acetone. better to etch your initials in deep.
They’re locked up anyway lol
Harbor freight engraver does all my tools
Lol anyone who does not own a soldering iron and does not burn their name into the tool is the fool
Everybody knows rubbing alcohol takes off, just about any kind of pen 😊
Don't just put your initials put your driver's license number that way if shit gets stolen it can actually be traced back to you instead of some random set of initials that thousands of other people have.
That paint pen is instantly wiped off, always do a deep engrave.
Etch it in there, really small where it’s hard for them to see.
I try!
I use an engraver
I also date mine by my initials where the batts go
Do you work with those tools or are you a collector of new tools??
I always get wierd comments like this. Yes I do, I just wipe em down try to keep them nice. They are used for my personal use and side work. My work tools look much worse. Either way people love to hate
I dremmel my initials on everything
If I am concerned with having my tools stolen, I'm in the wrong shop
A lot of people use the same tool brands too.
Ingrave your tools bro way better then hit the ingraing with the sharp paint marker way better and good lung giting it off with brack clean
Thanks for the tip
I laser etch my name into my tools.
Milwaukee power tools are just battery operated paper weight.
Nahh if you have to mark your tools because you worry about your coworkers stealing your tools that says a lot about the shop .
How is the person who buys the stolen tools at fault? Blame the thief
I mean if they can’t tell then oh well
Just use a scribe or a dremel. You can't rub that off (I know... thats what she said.)
😂
I don’t think them tools have ever seen much work being done with them they all look brand new still
I clean my tools every time I use them! Also this is my home set, my work set is pretty bad, but I also clean those everyday. Just like to make them last. ATF usually deteriorates the grips pretty bad if you don’t wipe them all down.
Better start carving that name in there
Those tools look like they are for show only 😂
That’s what happens when you have a homes set and a work set and you take really good care of them. Usually when the new generations come out, I take the old ones from home and take them to work and I keep my home ones as the nice ones.
Why mark something i dont want to use?
tools are used to make money not look pretty take a bright green spray can and put a stipe across it. On a large job site you aren't going to take someone's tool and remove the battery to check.
there is a reason all my tools are neon pink. absolutely noone wants a pink impact or hammer
An engraver or Dremal tool nd engrave ur initials in them
I just make sure everyone on the site understands that i wipe poop on my tools 💩