Weird tool

[bigpoppa]

Anyone know if these actually work? Out of boredom I was looking at weird/interesting tools and came up on these:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[TwistedKestrel]

They sure do work. Just make sure you have them set to the right direction - can be hard to tell and you may be one hammer whack away from making your day worse

 

[crankcall]

They are outstanding when you have a REALLY frozen fastener, the combination of impact down/turn , helps stop the socket from stripping corners off the nut and it provides a huge amount of torque.

But it is a brut force and ignorance tool , you can also snap off bolts, deform the part your trying to get apart and cause some other challenges. If you use one its good to have a plan B already thought out. And you need room to swing a hammer.

 

[sburns]

For a moment I thought this was another Justin Trudeau thread... moving a long...

 

[Trials]

Impact driver, bought mine in 1966 because I needed it, sure they work! Still works after decades of use and abuse.
Push and turn it in the direction you want the screw to turn, now it will be operating in the correct direction, hit it with a hefty hammer, JIS screw turns, replace POS JIS screw with allen socket machine screw and never need the impact driver for that part again.

 

[Michael0124]

Works great if using heat isn't an option. I remember using one back in the day to loosen and tighten brake rotor set screws. But as mentioned, if you don't get it right you'll do more damage than good.

 

[oioioi]

These are also available for screw driver bits.
The bits are somewhat oversize, not the typical 1/4" hex. But still give you a #2 or #3 phil. I feel like these would be more likely to strip a screw head.

I think my impact rated socket set from CT has one in it.

 

[Trials]

These are also available for screw driver bits.
The bits are somewhat oversize, not the typical 1/4" hex. But still give you a #2 or #3 phil. I feel like these would be more likely to strip a screw head.

I think my impact rated socket set from CT has one in it.

The driver has either a 3/8" or 1/2" square socket drive head, that's why you can use it for screws or socket wrenches.

 

[Mad Mike]

They do work however I prefer my air tools and electric "nut buster" impact. For small stuff I use an 18v impact driver.

Like most specialty tools they are useful in very specific conditions. I wouldn't classify these as "nice to haves", not essential if you already have impact guns.

 

[Trials]

They do work however I prefer my air tools and electric "nut buster" impact. For small stuff I use an 18v impact driver.

Like most specialty tools they are useful in very specific conditions. I wouldn't classify these as "nice to haves", not essential if you already have impact guns.

In 1966 to an 11 year old kid fixing cheap Japanese motorcycles in the deep woods it was an essential tool. Cost me nearly 8 dollars!

 

[crankcall]

Mine is left over from the farm, before really good cordless tools, gas powered compressors and generators were really expensive and almost always over at the other farm, in the other truck , generally not where you need it. But when you needed to take apart a machine in the middle of the field, a hammer is almost never out of reach or power.

I have boxes of stanley 'push' drivers, the original cordless screwdriver, braces/bits, and eggbeater drills. Batteries are never dead on those things.

 

[GreyGhost]

They can work. I have a bunch kicking around and almost never use them. For some situations(like leaving in a vehicle toolbox) they are great.

If you have access to air I prefer ones like below. The air hammer takes care of the tapa-tapa-tapa and you can easily control the armstrong torque.

 

[kruzuki]

It's not a weird tool, it's a standard piece of equipment If you work on older bikes.

I've had mine for decades. Use a rubber mallet. Practice first!

 

[Mad Mike]

They can work. I have a bunch kicking around and almost never use them. For some situations(like leaving in a vehicle toolbox) they are great.

If you have access to air I prefer ones like below. The air hammer takes care of the tapa-tapa-tapa and you can easily control the armstrong torque.

I have one of these, it only worked for me on giant screws -- keeping the tip in the screw is nearly impossible once you hit the chisel trigger.

 

[bitzz]

These aren't "weird" tools. If you're going to work on motorcycles, these are necessary tools. No tool box should be without at least one of these.
Once you get the hang of using them... and a good collection of bits, these tools are irreplaceable.
While it is VERY easy to round off, or break a fastener with an impact gun, I very seldomly break or round off fasteners with this. These thing will loosen fasteners that an impact won't touch. An impact or zip gun doesn't have the control or 'preciseness" that you get with these. Try to remove a 6 or 8mm with a 1/2" impact and get back to us.
What these are particularity good at is loosening a steel fastener that goes into aluminum (or any dis-alike metals. You know... like 99% of fasteners on a motorcycle). The downward "shock" breaks the corrosion and the twist loosens it, where an impact or normal wrench just sheers it off.
These are NOT a substitute for an impact gun or a "honkin" big bar, just like an impact isn't a substitute for one of these.
I have a Snapon impact driver that is older than most of you.

 

[bigpoppa]

Works great if using heat isn't an option.

Propane torch or heat gun?


Also speaking of odd tools, do THESE actually work?:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[PrivatePilot]

They do work however I prefer my air tools and electric "nut buster" impact. For small stuff I use an 18v impact driver.

Like most specialty tools they are useful in very specific conditions. I wouldn't classify these as "nice to haves", not essential if you already have impact guns.

Disagree. These tools are useful for after someone has rounded off a nut using an impact because they didn't set the socket properly on the nut due to dirt, rust, whatever..

They are absolutely useful but I keep mine next to the tap and die set - one of those tools you really hope you never need, but when you do need, it's indispensable.

The one I have belonged to my old man. It's probably 50 years old but still works fine. And boy has it seen it's share of use - the end is knurled over pretty good.

 

[GreyGhost]

Propane torch or heat gun?


Also speaking of odd tools, do THESE actually work?:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

A heat gun is not hot enough to fix a metal to metal issue. I use it for plastic modification.

As for the cable extension, they work sort of. Only use them as a last resort, it is very easy to wrap them up/unwind them/generally destroy them with much torque. I have used them once something is loose but you cant get a normal tool in to spin it out.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Propane torch or heat gun?


Also speaking of odd tools, do THESE actually work?:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

Yes but it's difficult to get a ton of torque on them.

...but

 

[r3r3r3]

they are a lifesaver if you've ever had to do a brake job on a Honda. You've got one good attempt at getting the retaining screw out (Why they continue to use a JIS screw is beyond me).

When I worked in a bicycle shop we used to use it on rounded out allen bolts as well. File a slot for a flathead bit and a good tap would get it backing out.