Hand Tools Hand Tools Description loft to the DZ. The rigger who works in a full-time loft may  have a more comprehensive tool kit, since it does not have to  be hauled around. For the weekend rigger, there are several  field rigger kitbags available commercially that hold a full  assortment of tools. Many riggers design and build custom  kitbags tailored around their individual requirements. Doing  this is an excellent way to show off sewing skills, while  at the same time creating a needed tool kit. There are also  contractor tool bags made of a strong fabric with many  pockets and compartments that work well with the type  of tools a rigger uses. These bags are inexpensive and are  available at hardware and home improvement stores. A new senior rigger must acquire enough tools to pack and  maintain the types of parachutes for which he or she is rated.  In the course of training, the rigger candidate is exposed to  various tools and individual rigging techniques. Some riggers  adhere to a minimalist philosophy and use as few tools as  necessary. This may initially consist of a packing paddle, a  pull-up cord, and a temporary locking pin, or just a pull-up  cord, when packing main parachutes at the drop zone (DZ).  With some types of parachutes, these may be all the tools  needed to pack them. Other riggers develop techniques that  utilize an array of tools designed to make the job easier or  the end result neater. Some manufacturers have designed  specialized tools to make their particular parachute easier to  pack and maintain. Each rigger develops a suitable technique  and then obtains the tools to support it. To stock the tool kit, the rigger must determine what tools he  needs. This depends on where the tools are used: in the field,  DZ, or in the loft.  Figure 6-2  shows a list of necessary tools  that have been proven useful for today’s rigger. The list of  tools is broken down into two different categories: Category  1, items 6-3 through 6-49 are mandatory tools; Category 2,  items 6-50 through 6-56 are optional tools as most of them  are for use in the loft. In the past, the list of tools needed to pack and maintain  military surplus parachutes was limited. Since most military  parachutes were simply variants of the same canopy designs,  common tools could be used across the board. In today’s  high-tech world, some of these original tools are still used  along with a number of newer designs. Many riggers and  manufacturers design and build tools to fit a need, whether  it is a new rig design or to make a job more productive. The tool belt is one of the most useful items the rigger can  have.  [Figure 6-3]  Most tool belts are custom built by the  riggers themselves and include a selection of tools that are  frequently used around the loft. It always seems that the tool  the rigger needs at a particular moment is at the other end of  the packing table or on another sewing machine. The use of a  tool belt makes riggers more efficient as they are not always  looking for and having to retrieve their tools. A well-designed  tool belt holds the following tools as a minimum: scissors,  thread snips, 6-inch ruler, marking pencils and pens, butane  cigarette lighter, seam ripper, Exacto$^{®}$ knife or scalpel, short  packing fid, and finger-trapping needles. Other tools can be  added according to the needs of the individual rigger. The  following is a list of common tools and a brief description  of how they are used.  All riggers need to create a tool kit tailored for their particular  situation.  Figure 6-1  shows a commercially-available field  rigger kitbag with tools. Although commercially-made  kitbags are nice, they are expensive. Many riggers are  “weekend” riggers, meaning they have a regular job during  the week and work as a rigger on the weekend. This is typical  of many skydiving riggers. Other riggers work full time in a  loft or manufacturing environment. Seam ripper—used in the sewing industry for “picking”  stitches and ripping out seams. It has a pointed sharp end and  an inside cutting edge for slicing through thread.  [Figure 6-4] Hemostats or clamp—used by riggers for many clamping or  retrieving operations. Two or three sizes should be obtained,  as well as both straight and curved models. These tools can  be found at hardware or auto parts stores.  [Figure 6-5] Scalpel or Exacto ® knife—used for delicate cutting of  materials or thread. The Exacto $^{®}$ knife is preferred as the  handles come in various sizes and with a wide selection of  blades.  [Figure 6-6] Depending on their needs, riggers have different approaches  toward their tools. The weekend rigger may travel to a DZ  where the primary job is packing. Therefore, the tool kit is  more basic as the purpose of this kit is not to take the whole  Figure 6-1.  Field rigger kitbag with tools. 6-2