Whats in my fitting box?

I am often asked by folk starting out, what tools should I be using.
As many will know, there are so many tools required to do our day to day job it would be very hard to just list them all. So I have decided to show what it is I use on a daily basis. I will start with my vinyl fitting kit which I take with me almost everywhere….

The Box
The pictures below shows my vinyl fitting box.
At a glance you may think it’s a bit much and not necessary. Well I can assure you I wouldn’t be without it. If I am going out on site or maybe even just wrapping a car in our unit, I like to have everything I need at hand. How many times have you went out on a fitting and something crops up and you think, damn I wish I had brought my ???? Well I know I have. This way I have everything regardless to the job or location.
The box itself is made partly metal part plastic. It is very well made and doesn’t weigh much at all considering its strength.
As you can see the box is made up of two boxes that join/fasten together very easily to create a sort of wheeled trolley.
When joined together you can easily lift it like a case without using the trolley handle but with all the contents in it can be a tad heavy if you’re walking a distance.
The handle is telescopic and if you push it down it disappears out of site.
Each box has latches that can be padlocked shut. I find this important too because I get sick of members of staff popping in and lifting a knife, measure tape or squeegee and not replacing it. Only for me to find that out while out on site… not good!
Once separated either of the boxes can be used as a step or even a seat whilst trimming up.

As you can see from the pictures of the two open box sections that everything is pretty well organised as in you can open and see at a glance what is where. This is probably due to the split level shelves/trays. So there isn’t any digging under a mountain of tools to find a knife at the bottom of the box.

Using the key at the bottom you can see what each tool is.
i have added a couple things that are not shone in my box because i haven’t added them just yet but did have them in my old box.

1. Masking Tape [Cost approx £1.50 per roll]
2. Tool belt (for holding my most se tools whilst I work) [B&Q. Cost approx £12]
3. Digital Angle Finder (finds the level of a van and allows all other sizes to be measured off it) [JAG. Cost approx £90]
4. soft cotton rags (used to wrap around my thumb and fingers when wrapping)
5. calculator
6. “Centre Finding” measure tape. [JAG. Cost approx £8]
7. small Stanley measure tape [B&Q. Cost approx £4]
8. large measure tape [B&Q. Cost approx £4]
9. 6 & 12 inch stainless steel rulers for trimming with. [B&Q. Cost approx £10 for both]
10. Olfa blade bin. This keeps all of my old knife blades in, it also acts as a blade Snapper for breaking off blades [JAG. Cost approx £4]
11. Spare blades for my 3 knifes
12. large scissors [B&Q. Cost approx £8)
13. small scissors [B&Q. Cost approx £4]
14. Stanley blade window scrapers [B&Q. Cost approx £2 each]
15. replacement Stanley blades
16. Pencils, Pens, Marker, china graph pencils
17. Stanley knife [B&Q. Cost approx £3.50 each]
18. olfa snap-off blade scalpel [JAG. Cost approx £4 each]
19. swan Morton retractable scalpel [Grafityp. Cost appprox £4 each]
20. 3M Gold with cotton strip for wrapping [JAG. Cost approx £4 each]
21. mactac squeegee ( for removing car/van badges) [amari. Cost approx £2 each]
22. Felt squeegees [Europoint. Cost approx £2.50 each]
23. 3M Gold squeegees [JAG. Cost approx £4 each]
24. lil chizler [for removing stubborn vinyl and small lettering] [JAG. Cost approx £1 each]
25. Bosch heat gun for heating vinyl, removing and wrapping. [B&Q. Cost approx £20 each] (to be upgraded to industrial bosch soon)
26. Knee protection pads for long periods of applying vinyl on your knees. [B&Q Cost approx £15]
27. White paper towel on a roll. Best in white to prevent dye running onto white vehicles. [Local car valet supplier. Cost approx £4 each]
28. Oracal dry application fluid. [Europoint Cost approx £27]
29. tar and glue remover [Local car valet supplier. Cost approx £12 each]
30. isopropinol alcohol [Local car valet supplier. Cost approx £25 per drum]
31. 30ft 4plug extension cable [B&Q. Cost approx £20]
32. olfa stock blades
33. swan morton stock blades
34. Rubber vinyl removing wheels [Internet. Cost approx £6]
35. Magnets for positioning vinyl on vehicles. [JAG. Cost approx £3.50 each]
36. chalk line [B&Q. Cost approx £10 each]
37. small sharp scissors [Chemist. Cost approx £10 each]
38. rollepro rivet and groove application wheel [Jag. Cost approx £28 each]
39. 3M vehicle wrapping wheels [Wm Smith. Cost approx £45 & £20]
40. 4inch and 2inch rubber vinyl application wheels [X-film. Cost approx £15 & £10]
41. seamless vehicle wrapping gloves [Grafityp. Cost approx £5 each]
42. gun handle laser thermometer for vehicle wrapping [Internet. Cost approx £95 each]
43. wand handle laser thermometer for vehicle wrapping [Internet. Cost approx £40 each]
44. Window/vehicle water squeegees. [B&Q. Cost approx £8 each]
45. Metal board for trimming/cutting on. [made myself. Cost approx £0]
46. Trolley Box [Whickes. Cost approx £35]

Total Content Value Approx £600

It takes time to build up your kit, so do not think you have to just run out and buy from the list. some products you may like using, whilst others you do not.
If i see something new i like to buy it and give it a go, i am always looking for ways to speed me up and make the work eaiser.
I still have a few thing i want to get for my box, i just thought i would share what it is i use now.

I hope this may help some folk. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reply…

Robert Lambie

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