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Specialist (automotive?) spanners - good suppliers? |
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| message from usenet on 11 May 2004 |
I'm after some rather specialsed spanners. First I need to know what to
ask for and then I need to find someone who has what I want.
What I'm after is a set of spanners to turn nuts down deep recesses
(or other similar inaccessibility) where you can't use a socket
spanner. They don't need to be completely 'open-ended', they only
need a gap big enough to get over the bolt, or in some cases pipe,
that the nut is on. I've come across 'brake pipe' spanners which wrap
almost completely around the nut but which have a gap to go over the
pipe but these are otherwise straight spanners. What I'm after is a
set of spanners like this but with the jaws at right angles to the
'handle' and some means of holding it to turn it at the other end of
the 'handle' (a socket?).
Does anyone know what I'm on about? Are such things made and, if so,
where am I likely to be able to buy them?
While I'm about it can one get sets of 'pipe spanners' for plumbing,
i.e. ordinary straight open ended spanners in sizes for compression
fittings, unions, etc.
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| Dave Plowman replied to usenet on 11 May 2004 |
I wish I knew this too. I've got Metric, AF, and Whitworth of all the
standard sizes you'll find in a car etc, that look like they're about the
right size for plumbing, but rarely find one that fits properly. Nor will
different fittings of the same pipe size have the same size nuts, flat
wise.
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| CRB replied to Dave Plowman on 12 May 2004 |
Monument make a 15mm/22mm plumbing spanner - available at Toolbank
Express for £2.04 incl VAT.
CRB
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| Dave Plowman replied to CRB on 12 May 2004 |
Don't see how one spanner would help - as I said there doesn't appear to
be a standard 'across flats' size for either 15 or 22mm fittings.
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| usenet replied to usenet on 11 May 2004 |
I think I may have found it myself after a bit of Googling, at least
one solution for what I want are 'crowfoot' spanners. Not too
horribly expensive either, e.g.:-
http://tinyurl.com/2z6e5
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| mrcheerful replied to usenet on 11 May 2004 |
You ideally want flare nut crows foot sockets (these go round, but have an
opening, so grip on more than just two flats), however getting them in the
right sizes for plumbing will be expensive. Personally, if I need something
like this for a one off job, I use an old oddsized spanner (boot sales) and
cut the head off and reweld it at the angle etc. needed and if necessary
grind it to the right opening.
I do have crows foot open and flare nut sockets, but they are rarely useful
plumbing wise. Some came from snap on, some from a car shop.
mrcheerful
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| usenet replied to mrcheerful on 11 May 2004 |
Sorry, I wasn't clear maybe, there are two separate questions above.
I'm not looking for crowfoot spanners for plumbing nut sizes.
So, yes, flare nut crows foot spanners are exactly what I'm looking
for to answer the first question. now I know what they're called
there are quite a few places on the 'net that stock them.
Then, an entirely separate question, where can I get 'plumbing'
spanners?
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| Stuart replied to usenet on 11 May 2004 |
snipped >>>
I have a couple of adjustable spanners and a some open enders that I used
for car etc and the combination usually fits the bill. Its not as if you
are tightening them up extremely tight .
Stuart
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| John Stumbles replied to usenet on 11 May 2004 |
Yes, saw one somewhere (BES?), but after having experimented with fixed
open-ended spanners for compression nuts I found that no one size fits all
nuts (I think 15mm comptression requires about 24-25mm AF). Now I use a
Bahco adjustable which has a particularly wide opening (35mm or so) in a
fairly short (about 200mm) spanner. This handles 15mm and 22mm easily and
can just about do 28mm, but one could do with a longer spanner for that.
Unfortunately they don't do a bigger size (they do longer handled spanners,
but not with the proportionately larger jaw openings one needs for
plumbing).
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| Andy Dingley replied to usenet on 12 May 2004 |
Depends on your budget.
Try somewhere like Partco, or most small independent engineering
toolshops, and look at the Sealey range. They do some good obstructed
/ crowfoot wrenches.
Up the scale, Facom is easily ordered from Halfords (yes, really) and
are superb. Slightly lower quality is Snap-on, with their "Stop me and
buy one" vans. They'll happily sell one-offs for cash.
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| Dave Plowman replied to usenet on 12 May 2004 |
Do you have a large motor factor nearby? My local one has a superb tool
department with a choice of perhaps 5 or so brands for near everything.
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| usenet replied to Dave Plowman on 12 May 2004 |
Yes, that's where I've tracked some down, our local Bennetts has two
brands of crowfoot spanners, Franklin (cheap) and Sealey (more
expensive but not exorbitant).
Thanks for all the help everyone, it was the name 'crowfoot spanner'
that really allowed me to find what I wanted.
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