I need a new "helping hands" fixture - what are you using?

I don't use one often, but when I do, I have magnets on the base and a flat steel plate that I sit it on, it never tips over!   I bought mine at a train show tool dealer, it's probably one of these "cheap hobby ship" units.

This one works pretty well.  Heavy steel plate, rubber feet, silicone covers for the clips.  It does take up some space, so I set it aside when not in use, of course.

I got one of these a few years ago back with two extra 'hands' during a half price sale.  It's OK, but I find these things a bit clumsy sometimes.

Here's a link: Third Hand Kit if interested. They have the extra 'hands' also. The nice thing about these is they have a good heavy base, I think is aluminum, but still fairly heavy. It doesn't move around or tip over like the older type 3rd hands anyway. 

A few months ago, I was using a blob of silly putty to hold things that I needed to solder. More recently, I've upgraded to the stuff that is used to hang things on walls; I think it's called sticky tack.

I will second Leo's idea above. I didn't think to mention that before, but, like Leo above, I have been using the 'sticky tack' stuff lately as well. I stole the idea from a youtuber a while back and it does work quite well for holding PCBs and things like that. It's also good for holding things in place on the PCBs while soldering.

I often use two sets of curved hemostats for bench splices, loop tips on heavier wire. Just line them up the same and lay them down. There is always something around to set on them if needed.

The blue and orange holder is machining coolant delivery tubes& nozzle with a gator clip stuck in it. "Government work"      There are more lockable versions of this multi-link spherical socket idea in the machinists world too (expensive )  

The cheap dual-C articulation clamp type is pretty lame most of the time, but I often just use cheapies too.  But sometimes I also use the better hardware of my heavier (dial) gauging bases; forged, magnetic, or hollow square bases with suction cup for glass work (a compass point for glass cutting "too"

  Old machinist toolboxes at estate/ yardsales and inherited junk boxes has yeilded some good old knurled knob stand off hardware carried in the pocket for a day for just a few coins mostly. I could do a couple huge S-es if needed. Brass or steel rod from a hobby shop or hardware store works for rod on any non gauging uses. The sizes and types of good rod clamps vary, but they are out there.

   If I have them, stainless clips (from the electric or boat shop) is what I've used once I crush the cheap ones.(solder won't stick to most stainless. So you can also heat sink wire or touch with them with a soldering irons tip without them sticking) 

Mounting points and cast ought to draw your attention to light weight .

Mount it in a vice, maybe on a 2x4 or to a wider board/plate. If you have decent rods and hardware you could connect 2,3,4 or more bases together and work your way up with more rods.  At work we would mount the small bases in small ball and socket base/ plastic jaw "hobby" vices with those vices on about 10" squares of wood covered in light anti static cloth which further helps keep from sudden, and then uncontrollable sliding on most benches. 

I often use two sets of curved hemostats for bench splices, loop tips on heavier wire. Just line them up the same and lay them down. There is always something around to set on them if needed.

The blue and orange holder is machining coolant delivery tubes& nozzle with a gator clip stuck in it. "Government work"      There are more lockable versions of this multi-link spherical socket idea in the machinists world too (expensive )  

The cheap dual-C articulation clamp type is pretty lame most of the time, but I often just use cheapies too.  But sometimes I also use the better hardware of my heavier (dial) gauging bases; forged, magnetic, or hollow square bases with suction cup for glass work (a compass point for glass cutting "too"

  Old machinist toolboxes at estate/ yardsales and inherited junk boxes has yeilded some good old knurled knob stand off hardware carried in the pocket for a day for just a few coins mostly. I could do a couple huge S-es if needed. Brass or steel rod from a hobby shop or hardware store works for rod on any non gauging uses. The sizes and types of good rod clamps vary, but they are out there.

   If I have them, stainless clips (from the electric or boat shop) is what I've used once I crush the cheap ones.(solder won't stick to most stainless. So you can also heat sink wire or touch with them with a soldering irons tip without them sticking) 

Mounting points and cast ought to draw your attention to light weight .

Mount it in a vice, maybe on a 2x4 or to a wider board/plate. If you have decent rods and hardware you could connect 2,3,4 or more bases together and work your way up with more rods.  At work we would mount the small bases in small ball and socket base/ plastic jaw "hobby" vices with those vices on about 10" squares of wood covered in anti static cloth which further helps keep from sudden, uncontrollable sliding on most benches. 

My son was thoughtful enough to buy me one the Quad Hands set ups like TedW posted a photo of above.  Everything about it is heavy duty.   

It's probably on the pricey side, but it's worth every penny of it to me.... soldered a bunch of small LED's for 3 aspect DIY signal heads, I don't think I would have gotten through that project without the Quad Hands set up...   

If it's in your price range, I'd highly recommend it....   Mine has a large steel rectangular base,  epoxy or powder coated yellow,  4 arms total, two medium length, two long length,  They can be moved anywhere on the base as they have really strong rare earth magnets...  Just an all around well designed tool...

Thank you for the suggestions.  I like the putty idea, that's thinking outside of the box!!!  I may go the quad hand route, looks like it would work well.

Chris, your post prompted me to take the dive and upgrade from a Harbor Freight model to something better. I was surprised to find so many different models and so many different prices between sellers. Most of what is on Amazon is also on the bay. I chose the bay since Amazon has been hitting me with sales tax at check out. The one I ordered was called Quad Hands in the first picture with magnets to hold the arms on. A few hours later I received a message from the seller apologizing he had sold out of that model and asked if I would accept a substitute and promised a better one at the same price. I accepted and today received my order in an Amazon box. I was very stumped cause I didn't remember ordering anything from Amazon. Well it was my bay order and I was blown away at what he sent me. There is 6 arms that are fixed and stay put when you bend them. One heavier arm holds a large magnifier that lights via a 5 volt USB power cord and came with a silk cover to keep the dust off when not in use. Another arm can be used to hold the 5 volt USB exhaust fan that's included. That leaves 2 short and 2 long to hold your work. The name on it reads Mystery Stone. I really like it. To my surprise the ad for the one I originally ordered increased to $75.05 so I think what you would receive is the Mystery Stone.

Dave,   That's great, I am glad you're pleased with it.... Sounds like the seller made a challenging situation better than right....   I basically have the one pictured in your photo with the large rectangular base.    The illuminated magnifier sounds like a really nice option.   Now that my age begins with a 6__ I need reading glasses and LOTS OF LIGHT for small detail and repair work !!!!     

My QuadHands arrived. I think I will enjoy soldering much more than I had been.  It will make a nice fixture for painting and gluing, too.  Thanks again for the great suggestions.  I still need to get some putty!

CK posted:

Howdy everyone,

I need a new "helping hands" fixture, the thing with the alligator clips that holds parts together for soldering.  The one I have now has been cobbled together from about 3 cheap hobby shop or Harbor Freight units, and it's on it's last few breaths.  The cheap clips tend to bend, work harden, and then crack at the rivet joints.  And the weighted bases have such a small footprint that I'm always tipping them over.

What are you folks using that works well and provides minimal frustration?

Thanks,

Chris

I have a couple of these cheap "Helping Hands" fixtures.  One is just the "hands", the other also includes a magnifying glass.  They're handy in certain instances, or other times I might use other methods.

When using a Helping Hand, I usually clamp it down to the edge of my work bench with a micro bar clamp or two.  This holds it in place, and keeps it from tipping over.  You can buy spare clips, they're just about all the same universal size.  I'll pick some up if I see a bag of 4 or 6  or whatever for a cheap price.  When a clip wears out, I simply pitch it and put a new one in.

Another method I use even a lot more is a chunk of fire brick.  If I can lay the wiring or the item(s) on the brick and either weight them down or tape them down with masking tape in order to hold them in place, then I'm good to go for soldering purposes.  I've done an awful lot of soldering in this manner, and it is very easy to turn out a quality job.