A simple wrench is a common tool for manipulating bolts and nuts. For a long time of existence, a huge number of such devices have been invented. All types of basic and special models are difficult to enumerate. Among such assistants, a special place is occupied by an open-end wrench with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Basic requirements for tools

For a quality fixture, there are a number of requirements:

Under the working profile of the tools, they mean a combination of planes that communicate the mechanical pressure of the metalwork tool on the element that needs to be unscrewed.

The body of wrenches is called the body of products that transmits mechanical action. Individual characteristics characterize an object.

For open-end wrenches, GOST strictly regulates standard size. It is determined by the cavity of the gap between the jaws - the mouth of the key. This parameter is calculated in millimeters and is recorded in special reference tables. The body is marked. In the description of such wrenches, GOST requires an indication of the dimension, hardness, surface coating material. There is a wide range of keys in size: the minimum is 2.5 millimeters, the largest is 75 mm. Calculus systems.

One of the characteristics also concerns the size of the tool. Some global manufacturers, on a German initiative, show performance data based on the European (metric) structure. Many others use the US inch. The conflict of systems manifested itself in the coincidence of only two dimensions - by 15 mm (19/32 ′′) and 19 mm (¾ ′′).

Depending on the system of calculus, belongings are divided into two categories:

• Those that support the metric system. The size is given in millimeters and varies between 2.5-230 mm for general kits, 6-41 mm for automotive kits.
• Inch tools work in a system with the main measure inch (1 ′′ \u003d 25.4 mm). Dimensions range from 1/8 to 91/8''. For car wrenches, open-ended sizes, GOST calculates from 1/8 to 15 / 8 ′′.

Touching on the topic of wrenches, an unforgettable image of a wrench comes up before your eyes. Fixation of nuts is carried out by means of lips similar to horns. That's where the name came from. The second name of such funds is operated by GOST - a wrench with an open throat. The center lines of the handle and head most often intersect at an angle of 15-20 degrees. When manipulating in cramped conditions, such a configuration will make work easier. The angles between the axes of the head and handle are different in magnitude, opposite heads with different slopes. Horn models are characterized by division into various modifications:

Composite kits

Such accessories, which facilitate work and access to difficult and narrow places, consist of several parts. For example, a tubular wrench is equipped with a crank, a set of heads has a ratchet - a ratchet. All of these models are of the male type: their body encloses the fastener. There are other tools as well. According to the method of operation, they are similar to a screwdriver, that is, they are inserted into the slotted channel in the same way. An example is a hexagon.

Materials for manufacturing

According to existing requirements, wrenches must be produced using tool steel, an alloy of chromium and vanadium or similar. It must be solid material. The information is reflected in the label.

Imported tools contain the following designations: Cr (chrome steel), CrV (chrome vanadium alloy), CrM (chromium molybdenum alloy), CrMoV (chromium molybdenum vanadium steel), etc. For domestic manufacturers, GOST recommends that chromium-containing steel grade 40X with good strength be preferred for making open-end keys . Usually this is enough for the bulk of actions with keys. For high-strength products, chrome-vanadium alloy 40 HFA is used. Most good tools made of metal of the 45th grade.

Chinese and unidentified keys are sometimes marked with Drop Forget Steel. These accessories are forged from unalloyed steel, which means they are brittle and will fail at the wrong time.

A nut is a fastener for a screw drive or threaded connection. They differ from other parts by a threaded hole. Together with a bolt (screw) it forms a screw pair. Nuts that are screwed onto a stud or bolt make up a bolted joint. Most often, hexagonal nuts are made in factories. They are specially made for a wrench. Also on sale you can still find nuts with "lamb" ledges, square shape, round knurled and other shapes. They are made from automatic steel. For this, special machines are used.

It is worth noting that the nuts also differ in strength class. So, for nuts made of carbon alloyed or non-alloyed steels, a strength class of 4-6, 8-10 is established. For nuts having a normal height (more than 0.8 d), strength class 12 is set. Those nuts that have a height of 0.5d-0.8d have a strength class of 04-05. The shape of the nut is also different. There are wing open and closed ones (determined by GOST 3032-76), hexagonal crowned round, hexagon slotted (determined by GOST 6393-73, 11871-80). There are lower hex nuts, especially high, high and normal height. Hexagonal castle nuts, slotted and hex nuts can be lightweight (with small outer dimensions), as well as normal (photo 1).

Hex nuts are the most common. Castellated and slotted nuts are used when it is necessary to lock the nuts with cotter pins. For fastening different details round nuts are used, well, for connections that need to be constantly assembled and disassembled, it is best to use wing nuts, which can be easily tightened without even using a special wrench. By the way, if you need to use a large number of nuts, it is more expedient to take lightweight ones, since they will save a lot of weight. When it can be seen that the shank of the bolt is underloaded in tension, it is best to use low nuts. To protect the thread from wear, as well as crushing during frequent unscrewing and heavy loads, use extra high or high nuts (photo 2).

The size of the nut should be understood as the distance that is formed between the parallel faces. Dimensions are regulated by GOST. So, nuts of accuracy class A, hexagonal low, increased accuracy have the dimensions specified in GOST 5929-70. The size of hex nuts of accuracy class A is specified in GOST 5916-70. In other state standards - GOST 5916-70, 5915-70, the dimensions of nuts of accuracy class B, hexagonal low and hexagonal are given. All dimensions can be viewed in the tables given in GOST (photo 3).

The most popular nut, as already mentioned, is a hex nut. Such nuts differ in size: M 6, M 8, M 10, M 12, M 16, M 24, M20, M30, M27, M 36, M 52, M 48, M 42. keys. Today there are fifteen types of such keys. There are on sale gas, end, cap, open-end, adjustable, balloon, combined, hexagonal and candle, designed for spark plugs (photo 4).

Wrench sizes also vary. The size of the thread will play a role for the nut, so they can be M1.6 - M110. The distance between the jaws of wrenches ranges from 3.2 millimeters to 155 millimeters. The length of the handle can be from one hundred and fifty millimeters to five hundred millimeters. Combination wrenches are popular - on one side are caps, and on the other are open-ended. It is also worth noting that special nuts are used in industry today. These are hex nuts that are used to seal joints, fasten wheels on vehicles (photo 5).

It often happens that it is necessary to use fasteners of non-standard sizes. In this case, there is no other solution than to order nuts according to GOST, OST or order according to the drawings. The production and commercial enterprise "Molot" can help. From personal experience we note that sometimes it will be cheaper to order the manufacture of the necessary fasteners than to customize existing ones for the project.

In engineering wrench called a specialized tool that is designed to assemble or disassemble threaded connections. To do this, they unscrew bolts or nuts from other parts, or screw them to them.

Everything spanners in technology are divided into two main varieties: covered and covering. Holes into which nuts or bolt heads are inserted are called gaps, and their dimensions are standardized. In the metric system they are measured in millimeters, and in the inch system they are measured in fractions of an inch.

Despite the fact that the design of the wrench is very simple and unpretentious, it finds extremely wide application: almost no assembly production can do without this tool, it is necessary for the repair of a wide variety of equipment. There are wrenches in space too, such as on the International Space Station.

If we talk about which of the many varieties wrenches more common than others, then these are, of course, carob. As for the material used for their manufacture, the most common is high-quality tool steel, in which chromium and vanadium are present as the main alloying additives.

GOST 6424 - 73

Keyholes and key sizes
Dimensions S; S1; S2; S3	Limit deviations of key sizes			Limit deviations of turnkey dimensions
	S		S1	S2			S3
	Keys of normal precision	Coarse Precision Keys		High precision products	Products of normal accuracy	Coarse precision products
2.5*	-	-	−0.040	-	-	-	+0.09 +0.03
3.0*	-	-	−0.040	-	-	-	+0.09 +0.03
3.2	+0.08 +0.02	-	−0.048	−0.16	-	-	+0.12 +0.04
4.0	+0.12 +0.02	-	−0.048	−0.16	-	-	+0.12 +0.04
5.0	+0.12 +0.02	-	−0.048	−0.16	-	-	+0.12 +0.04
5.5	+0.12 +0.02	-	−0.048	−0.16	-	-	+0.12 +0.04
6.0*	+0.15 +0.03	-	−0.048	−0.16	-	-	+0.12 +0.04
7.0	+0.15 +0.03	-	−0.058	−0.20	-	-	+0.15 +0.05
8.0	+0.15 +0.03	+0.18 +0.03	−0.058	−0.20	−0.36	-	+0.15 +0.05
(9.0)	+0.15 +0.03	+0.18 +0.03	−0.058	−0.20	−0.36	-	+0.15 +0.05
10.0	+0.19 +0.04	+0.24 +0.04	−0.058	−0.20	−0.36	-	+0.15 +0.05
(11.0)	+0.19 +0.04	+0.24 +0.04	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
12.0	+0.24 +0.04	+0.30 +0.04	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
13.0	+0.24 +0.04	+0.30 +0.04	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
14.0	+0.27 +0.05	+0.35 +0.05	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
(15.0)	+0.27 +0.05	+0.35 +0.05	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
16.0	+0.27 +0.05	+0.35 +0.05	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
17.0	+0.30 +0.05	+0.40 +0.05	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
18.0	+0.30 +0.05	+0.40 +0.05	−0.120	−0.24	−0.43	-	+0.18 +0.06
19.0	+0.36 +0.06	+0.46 +0.06	−0.140	−0.28	−0.52	-	+0.21 +0.07
21.0	+0.36 +0.06	+0.46 +0.06	−0.140	−0.28	−0.52	-	+0.21 +0.07
22.0	+0.36 +0.06	+0.46 +0.06	−0.140	−0.28	−0.52	-	+0.21 +0.07
24.0	+0.36 +0.06	+0.46 +0.06	−0.140	−0.28	−0.52	-	+0.21 +0.07
27.0	+0.48 +0.08	+0.58 +0.08	−0.140	−0.28	−0.52	−0.84	+0.21 +0.07
30.0	+0.48 +0.08	+0.58 +0.08	−0.140	−0.28	−0.52	−0.84	+0.21 +0.07
32.0	+0.48 +0.08	+0.58 +0.08	−0.170	−0.34	−1.00	−1.00	+0.25 +0.05
34.0	+0.60 +0.10	+0.70 +0.10	−0.170	−0.34	−1.00	−1.00	+0.25 +0.05
36.0	+0.60 +0.10	+0.70 +0.10	−0.170	−0.34	−1.00	−1.00	+0.25 +0.05
41.0	+0.60 +0.10	+0.70 +0.10	−0.170	−0.34	−1.00	−1.00	+0.25 +0.05
46.0	+0.60 +0.10	+0.70 +0.10	−0.170	−0.34	−1.00	−1.00	+0.25 +0.05
50.0	+0.60 +0.10	+0.70 +0.10	−0.170	−0.34	−1.00	−1.00	+0.25 +0.05
55.0	+0.72 +0.12	+0.92 +0.12	−0.200	−0.40	−1.20	−1.20	+0.30 +0.10
60.0	+0.72 +0.12	+0.92 +0.12	−0.200	−0.40	−1.20	−1.20	+0.30 +0.10
65.0	+0.72 +0.12	+0.92 +0.12	−0.200	−0.40	−1.20	−1.20	+0.30 +0.10
70.0	+0.72 +0.12	+0.92 +0.12	−0.200	−0.40	−1.20	−1.20	+0.30 +0.10
75.0	+0.85 +0.15	+1.15 +0.15	−0.200	−0.40	−1.20	−1.20	+0.30 +0.10
80.0	+0.85 +0.15	+1.15 +0.15	−0.200	−0.40	−1.20	−1.20	+0.30 +0.10
85.0	+0.85 +0.15	+1.15 +0.15	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
90.0	+0.85 +0.15	+1.15 +0.15	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
95.0	+0.85 +0.15	+1.15 +0.15	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
100.0	+0.85 +0.15	+1.15 +0.15	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
105.0	+1.00 +0.20	+1.40 +0.20	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
110.0	+1.00 +0.20	+1.40 +0.20	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
115.0	+1.00 +0.20	+1.40 +0.20	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
120.0	+1.00 +0.20	+1.40 +0.20	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
130.0	+1.25 +0.25	+1.40 +0.20	-	−0.87	−1.40	−1.40	-
135.0	+1.00 +0.20	+1.40 +0.20	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
145.0	+1.25 +0.25	+1.40 +0.20	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
150.0	+1.25 +0.25	+1.40 +0.20	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
155.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
165.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
170.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
175.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
180.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.00	−1.60	−1.60	-
185.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.15	−1.90	−1.90	-
200.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.15	−1.90	−1.90	-
210.0	+1.25 +0.25	-	-	−1.15	−1.90	−1.90	-
225.0	+1.50 +0.30	-	-	−1.15	−1.90	−1.90	-

Key hole making

In most cases response elements on a turnkey basis have hexagonal or square holes dimensions which are specified by the standard. Unlike round holes, technological process their manufacture is much more complex and highly labor-intensive. These holes are most often the result of processes such as milling and broaching. In addition, equipment such as slotting machines is used to obtain them, specialized firmware is used. Recently, among other things, such advanced methods as EDM and laser cutting.

To obtain square hole, you can use such a non-standard method as drilling using a specialized tool. This method is based on the trajectory of the cutting tool, called the "Reuleaux triangle". So it is named after its inventor, the French mechanical engineer Franz Relo, who at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries taught at the Berlin Royal Academy of Technology, and eventually became its president. The essence of the "Reuleaux triangle" is that the cutting tool does not move in straight lines, but in arcs that have the same radius and size. If this movement of the drill is used during the drilling process, then a square hole can be obtained, in which the corners are very slightly rounded.

drilling

In engineering, drilling refers to a technological process for which either spiral or other types of drills are used. The result of using this cutting tool is the formation of holes in parts, blanks or semi-finished products that have a given diameter and a strictly defined depth.

In cases where they are made key holes, drilling is used as an auxiliary technological operation. It is necessary in order to pre-treat the hole.

Erosion processing

Electroerosion machining is a directed impact on the material of pulsed discharges, resulting in the destruction of a certain layer of the material being processed. It is placed under a special electrode.

With the help of electroerosive technology, it is possible to process materials of almost any degree of hardness, and to make holes in them of any configuration, including key holes.

Stretching

This technological process is one of the varieties of metal cutting. It is used for both outdoor and outdoor operations. internal surfaces, applies to both metallic and non-metallic materials. Stretching can be used to make key holes of the highest quality.

laser cutting

This method is by far considered the most advanced and most effective in all respects. In the process of processing a metal with a laser beam, a part of it evaporates, and as a result, either blanks or finished parts are obtained.

Wrenches are used to work with bolted connections. They come in several varieties, each of which is used for specific purposes. The choice of instrument configuration depends on the complexity of access to threaded connection. If it is on open space, then any wrench will do, but if you need to dodge, then you need a special form of the tool.

Varieties of wrenches

First of all, the tool differs in size. Each one is designed for a specific hex nut. The key size is indicated by numbers that correspond to the diameter of the landing throat in millimeters. Foreign tools may have an inch designation, but they are practically not used in the CIS.

There are more than 10 types of wrenches, which are divided into the following groups:

• Monolithic.
• Adjustable.
• Composite.
• with a special profile.

It can also be noted special keys, but they are used very rarely and only in special designs. Most of these tools are almost never used, so they can be ignored.

Monolithic wrench

The monolithic wrench is a solid metal construction. This tool is the most common. It is mainly made of special steel, which includes chromium and vanadium. The monolithic type is divided into several subtypes:

• Rozhkovy.
• Union.
• End.
• Combined.

Rozhkovy

The open end tool is used for nuts and bolts from 3.6mm to 95mm. This is the most common key that is used in all areas, including car maintenance. Its design is a flat profile, at the end of which there are two axes for covering the heads of threaded connections. The horn instrument is single-sided and double-sided.

One-sided has horns on only one side, while the second is a cut profile. Often, to work with a tightly clamped connection, a tube can be put on the second end of the wrench to increase the leverage of force, and to facilitate untwisting. The double-ended wrench has horns at all ends. Usually they are designed for nuts of different diameters.

Thanks to their flat design, open-end wrenches are quite compact. The direction of their jaws has a deviation of 15 degrees. This reduces the risk of slipping and adds extra maneuverability. The disadvantage of the horn design is the fragility of fixing the joints. When untwisting with strong force, metal is abraded on the edges of the bolts. In addition, breaking off or expanding the horns is possible.

Union

The ring wrench has a size from 6 to 55 mm. His working part is a ring with edges, which ensures complete crimping of nuts and bolts. When working with such a tool, the risk of licking the edges is eliminated. The cap design can also be one-sided and two-sided. The one-sided variation includes a tool in sizes from 30 to 55 mm. The disadvantage of the cap type is the need for open access to the threaded connection. If the nut is only a few millimeters from the obstacle, then it will not be possible to fix the key on it.

End

The working part of such a tool is a tube with an internal notch for fixing the edges. The wrench is used to loosen deep seated bolts and nuts. Reliability of fixation corresponds to the cap. Depending on the shape, there are tubular, "T" and "G" shaped. The former are a straight tube, with ends fitted to the edges and a small through hole in the center, which are used to thread the pin to facilitate turning. Such wrenches are called candle wrenches because they are used to change spark plugs in internal combustion engines. "T" and "G" shaped keys have 6 or 12 faces. Their curved shape is adapted to certain working conditions.

Combined

Such a double-sided tool has an open-end and ring spanner at each end. Available in sizes from 5 to 32 mm. It is possible to have the same or different sizes open-end and box wrench. Such a tool is often included in standard kits for servicing motorcycles and other small equipment.

adjustable type

The adjustable wrench is more advanced, but not as robust design like a monolith. It can change the size of the girth of the working part, therefore it is suitable for a wide range of nuts and bolts. There are several subtypes of adjustable tools:

• Adjustable.
• Pipe.
• Adjustable.
• French.

Adjustable

Adjustable resembles a carob, but is more massive. Its feature lies in the sliding jaws. Such a tool is universal. It allows you to work with non-standard sizes nuts. Changing the working width is done with a simple worm-type adjuster. Such a tool fixes only two faces, so it can lick nuts. It must not be hit with a hammer, as the worm adjuster may jam and bend, making further attempts to adjust the width impossible.

Trubny

The pipe wrench belongs to the universal tool. It comes in 5 sizes with a coverage range of 0 to 120mm. Adjustment is carried out using a clamping nut on one of the handles. The capture of faces is carried out by two sponges like a lever. The tighter it is clamped, the more reliable the fixation will be. There are several options for the shape of the lips. They are flat and rounded. The first one works with regular nuts, while the latter can capture rounded connections.

Adjustable

The adjustable wrench also provides a grip on the lever system. To work with it, you need to apply a strong force, since its design is more primitive than pipe. The surface of the adjustable mechanism is serrated, which provides a tighter contact between the two handles. There is also a notch on the lips. It increases the reliability of the fit of the horns to the surface of the faces.

French

The French wrench is a very old design. Despite this, it can be found in the tool kit of many motorists and mechanics. The French design was invented back in the 18th century. Since that time, the principle of tool adjustment has changed slightly. It should be noted that such keys suffer from the presence of backlash, which complicates the reliable fixation of the jaws. They do not tolerate shock, so if the nut does not give in, then it is best to use a tube to increase the leverage.

Composite type

Composite type is a socket head. On the one hand, they have 6 or 12 faces for fixing the nuts, and on the other, 4 faces for holding the knob. When assembled, the composite key repeats the design of the conventional end type. The advantage of the heads is that they fit under one collar. Thus, a whole set of end caps and one handle can fit in a small box. At the same time, it will present all the popular sizes that are required for work.

Handles of several designs can be used for heads:

• Hinged.
• With ratchet.
• L-shaped.
• With screwdriver handle.

The disadvantage of heads is that they do not fit everywhere. For hard-to-reach places they are often unsuitable. This is due to the thick walls of the nest. In addition, when working with dirty and rusty joints, there are times when the head fits tightly on a nut or bolt, after which it is difficult to remove it. With force, the crank simply pops out of the mounting hole, while the nozzle remains in place.

Keys with a special profile

Special profile wrenches are male tools that fit into special holes on the bolts, rather than capturing their heads. There are hex and star wrenches. They have a small diameter and are mainly used to secure furniture joints. They are also used for assembly and disassembly of household appliances.

The hex key is an ordinary L-shaped rod, machined into 6 faces. It is he who is used for conformation in the assembly and repair of furniture. Wrenches with a diameter of 1.5 to 24 mm are available. You can often find an even variation of the key in the form of bits for .

A star-shaped wrench is an L-shaped rod with a curly sharpening at the end, resembling the shape of a screwdriver. It is used to work with small bolts in household appliances and elements of the car interior. Small wrenches are used for disassembly mobile phones and tablets. Often, a special screwdriver is used instead of a torx type.

All about wrenches - types and classification

Wrench - it would seem that such a simple tool, which can not be said much. However, as it turned out, this is surprising a simple tool a lot can be said. In this article we will try to tell everything related to wrenches - their types, purpose, what keys are made of, and so on, where they can somehow appear.

The main types of wrenches

So, let's start with the most important thing - the types of wrenches that exist today. So, until recently there were only 3-4 types of keys, but by today, their number has slightly increased due to a slight “modernization”. Well, wrenches have the following types:

open end wrenches;

Ring wrenches;

Combination wrenches;

Adjustable wrenches.

Well, let's look at all types of wrenches, in order. As you can see, the topic for discussion is very, very large.

open end wrenches

Perhaps the most common type of wrench, which has become a kind of symbol of this tool. So, open-end wrenches have existed, perhaps, since the time when the first nuts and bolts appeared. The difference between these keys is that the axes of the heads of such keys are usually deviated by 15°. Previously, the shape of the horns had a familiar shape and was made according to a certain GOST. However, recently, adjustments have been made to open-end wrenches - in particular, special recesses have appeared on the horns, which allow you to fix the nut more rigidly, and therefore it is practically impossible to break the edges of the nut or bolt head. In addition, the second adjustment was the shortening of one horn, which allows you to quickly rearrange the key from one nut to another.

Also, it is worth noting that open-end wrenches can be double-horned and one-sided. Actually, they can be distinguished quite simply - on a one-sided one, the horns are present only on one side, on a double-horned one, on both sides.

Ring wrenches

Immediately make a reservation that the ring wrench, as well as the open-end wrench, can be one-sided and two-sided. The difference of this key lies in something else - namely, in the form of the key head itself. If in the previous case the wrench had horns, between which nuts and bolts are fixed, then in this case, instead of the horns, we have some “rings” inside which the shape of a hexagon is notched, which completely repeats the shape of the nut or bolt head. According to the size of the product to be unscrewed or screwed in, the appropriate key is selected. The advantage of this type of key is that in this case the possibility of tearing off the edges of the part is completely excluded, since the head is clamped even more tightly than in the situation with a conventional open-end wrench.

The disadvantage of a box wrench is one detail that should be considered when working with nuts. So, you can use a spanner wrench only if there is free access to the nut or bolt. That is, in some situations, the nut can be closed with a sleeve, or any other object. Then, it will be possible to use either the open-end wrench above, or the adjustable wrench, which we will describe below.

socket wrenches

No, you can not unscrew the nuts without free access using this wrench. In fact, it will also be impossible to unscrew the nut with a socket wrench, which does not have free access. In general, a socket wrench is designed to loosen nuts and bolts, and it completely covers the nut during operation. Thus, adhesion occurs on all its faces. At the socket wrench, the head can have both 6 and 12 faces, and in general, this tool has several varieties - for example, they are “T” or “L” shaped, and at the same time, the head and handle will form a single structure . In another case, the heads can be removable.

Another type of socket wrench is a tubular wrench. It is made in the form of a tube, at the end of which there is a head in the form of a hexagon, and at its other end there are 2 holes where the pin is inserted. The pin that is inserted into the key acts as a handle. Also, such a key may not have a head, but simply a hexagonal hole.

adjustable wrench

It is the key with which you can unscrew the nut or bolt without having free access to it. So, an adjustable wrench is a kind of wrench in which the gap between the horns, or “sponges”, can smoothly change depending on the size of the nut you are working with. The size of the gap between the horns is changed by rotating the wheel, which works like a worm.

Such a wrench is very good in that it can be used to completely adjust the size for tightening or unwinding the nut, so it has a certain “universality” property. However, it has significant drawbacks - so, under no circumstances should you hit this key with a hammer. Also, this wrench comes into contact with the nut or bolt only on two of its faces, so the risk of stripping the thread increases. And the last drawback is that if used incorrectly or with great effort, the “worm” of the key can disperse, slip off the nut, and also strip the thread. Therefore, when working with a wrench, you need to be extremely careful and careful.

Wrench material and dimensions

There is not much to say about the size of wrenches - they are measured in millimeters, and range in size from 4 m to 12 mm. This applies to small keys. Then, there are medium-sized keys - their size is from 12 to 22 mm. And, keys of large sizes - from 22 mm and above.

Much more interesting is the section on the key material. So, almost all keys are made of high-strength carbon alloys, or, as they are also called, tool steel. The highest quality keys are made of tool steel, which were made on milling machine, and then blued (such keys are black). Also, on modern wrenches, you can see the inscription "chrome vanadium", that is, it is clear that such a wrench is made of chrome vanadium. This alloy is very durable, does not deform, and is of high quality. Therefore, such keys are by no means cheap.

In the manufacture of wrenches, the process of making the horns themselves is very important, because you need to make a very accurate distance between them in order to get the right wrench size. Moreover, wrench horns, as a rule, are reinforced with even more high-strength alloys, so it can sometimes happen that the wrench horns can be intact, and the handle can be somewhat deformed.

Well, now you know almost everything about such a tool as a wrench - about its types and materials from which it is made. This store of knowledge will be quite enough to choose high-quality keys in a tool store without resorting to the tips of a consultant who is often interested in selling them the necessary tool.