As an engineering machinist I never ever used an adjustable spanner. I would have never considered it proper for a car mechanic to use an adjustable spanner. But why do all plumbers seem to use them? I was horrified when I had some work done on my C/H to see the plumber using an adjustable when he probably could have done most of the work with a suitable open ended spanner.
Ever heard of footprints?
Because there is no fixed standard for the hexagons on plumbing fittings?
Plumbers/pipefitters have some fiendish devices EG chain wrench. Slip pliers. Stilson wrench, mole wrench. All designed to grip on any surface even if totally smooth. And really mangle it in the process. Sometimes there's no alternative.
I do have 15mm and 22mm spanners - but they only fit about half the fittings.
So I have a very nice pair of slim quality adjustables. Quality as in they feel as good as a fixed spanner.
Nothing wrong with that.
OTOH slapping everything around with a monkey wrench would be a bit off...
Can I sing the praises of the Stanley Locking Adjustable Wrench?
- because it clamps onto it - it gives you a third hand.
'Kin brilliant piece of kit.
Mostly because there is too much variation in the sizes of things you need to grip.
Many service valves for example will have flats on the side to help you hold them, but a normal spanner will be of little use. There are also a variety of non standard sizes, and quite a number of different sizes of supposedly standard sizes!
You can get things like:
Then you have:
Things like proper footprint style spanners are very handy because you don't need to take them off the pipe as you turn and return - very useful when working in awkward corners by feel alone.
I find one of these adjustable spanner / mole grip love child very good:
I am always amazed when my brother (a mechanic) just looks at a nut and bolt and gets the right spanners/sockets from the toolbox first time every time. And that includes the plumbing work we have done at his house not just car work.
Yep. I have a Conex 15/22 spanner, and it only fits about half the fittings. I don't think even all theirs are the same size.
If you use an adjustable spanner, particularly for initial fitting of compression fittings, it needs to be a high quality one with negligable spreading of the jaws. Cheap ones which spread the jaws cause riding up over the corners which distorts the nut and hence prevents the compression gland from sealing.
Agreed - that is exactly what it seems like. But is it really true? Why would that not have been one of the fundamental measurements to standardise?
My hate is when you see 'experts' using the adjustable spanner facing the wrong way, so that the jaws are forced wider open.
I used to be able to do that with UNF/UNC sizes - but metric is a bit harder 'cos there are more to choose from with not much difference between adjacent sizes!
Every toolbox should have a speed wrench:
Easy enough on a car - not that many sizes used. Although I found it easier with unified threads as used up until about '80 - the ones where the spanner sizes were marked as across flats in inches.
I have 4 spanners which do most plumbing stuff - a mixture of BSW, AF and metric. I hate adjustables of any type.
In reality the wrong may be better as the pressure on the moveable jaw is closer to the base
a version where the jaws are at right angles to the handle, and then another right angle at the other end to push against for getting at bastard tap fittings inaccessibly lost behind a sink bowl.
Why is it taps seem to be designed on the assumption that you are going to rip out the entire sink unit to access the plumbing work?
...and monoblocks. Argh! Spawn of the devil.
JGH
I was brought up to use an adjustable the 'right' way then, when working on bi, tight nuts (ooer missus!) realised that the force on the moveable jaw was near the overhung end. Since then I've used the 'wrong' way for heavy work.
???
Which is the 'wrong' way? In this picture, would you push the handle down or up?
Probably because the car mechanic or machinist brings the work piece to his work bench, where he has sets of spanners and sockets to hand.
A plumber must bring the tools to the work, the nuts are generally much larger and lugging a set of big Snap-On spanners into a loft isn't practical.
Horses for courses, etc..
For what I would consider to be the 'right' way, I'd push it down. The reaction force will then tend to tighten the jaws rather than relax them.
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