What are the tools of the trade?  What should you have in your toolbox to help the client?  The following are some of the tools I think should be in every inspector's bag at all times.  These tools are not billable.  This is what it takes to show up in the morning and at least look like an inspector.

I think the most successful inspection tool is a quality scraper.  I personally use a Buck brand 1 1/2" wood chisel. 

At first it may seem a little hard to run a brand new, shiny, bright edged chisel up against a rusty, painted, run down pipe. 

But the effectiveness of the weight, size and stature of a good chisel cannot be questioned.  Not a flimsy putty knife, or some overkill home made, file-knife-saw device someone found in a Cajun-style thrift store. 

A quality tool that will prepare any surface for inspection.  The chisel fits nicely in the hammer pocket on your coveralls. 

But don't forget to run the edge over a bench grinder before you first use it.  You don't need that sharp edge cutting your coveralls or even worse.  At least drag the device on the concrete.

Digital Camera.  First of all, if you have a camera, and it is a film camera, you are probably way out of your league.  A number of inspectors believe that a camera is a special tool requiring a daily pay rate, equating a digital camera to a welding machine or other billable equipment.  While it may be your equipment, and you can certainly bill as you wish, I would like to propose the following business action. 

Consider the camera part of the basics of inspection.  Many of your peers are already doing this so your client may wonder why you charging extra for part of the basic inspection package.  A picture says a thousand words.  This is so true.  A picture is invaluable especially when many engineers and others who make decisions may have no idea at all what you are talking about.  Many plant engineers and managers have never seen the inside of a fractionator tower or any other item in the plant.  A picture on a field report says more than all the words you can write.  An inexpensive camera may cost as little as $80.  You can make this up in a day, easily.

Flashlight.  Duh.  I did hear however, of a CWI with a solar-powered flashlight.  Just kidding.

Pocket sized notebook.  This item fits perfectly in your coverall chest pocket.  How else are you going to keep track of all the towers you've been in?  I still see too many inspectors writing on their hands.

Pens and pencils.  These go great with the above mentioned item.  You can never have too many pens in your pockets.  Colored pens, markers for writing on steel, pencils and colored pencils, all essential.

Tape measure and a steel rule.  These sound to be pretty self-explanatory, but I have seen an number of inspectors without a tape measure.  How do they explain measurements?  Which leads to the next measuring devices;  Pit gauges, V-wac gauges, Cam-style gauges or other similar instrument.  Again, these are pretty obvious, but are often neglected and then, so is the accurate measurement.

I believe these tools should be with every inspector at all times.  A special tool bag may be needed to carry this equipment.  Or coveralls with  a lot of pockets.