Astro 1045 internal hex extractors - how did these work?

[Hakeem]

These have been out of production but I’m still curious. Looks like the last millimeter or so of the hex portion is able to rotate but I’m not clear on how that would help them turn a rounded out internal-hex screw.


Here’s the promotional video but it doesn’t really give any additional insight:

Can anyone explain how these would work?

 

[garilla]

The rotating hex piece on the end has the hole in it off center from the true center, so when you rotate the handle the end piece rotates independent of the long shaft and wedges into an interference fit as you turn the main shaft (essentially the tip end gets larger). look on the video at 1:18 and you can see the thickness difference between the top and bottom of the hex rotating piece (the eccentric). However I'd be a bit skeptical if this design would be able to handle much torque before that tiny piece broke off as the stress would be on the pin which is maybe at best half the size of the wrench. maybe why they aren't around anymore? also before use you would need to ensure that the end piece is aligned before insertion as it could potentionally be in the offset position, overall seems a bit fiddly.

 

[LXCam]

@garilla nailed how it works. But his concerns aren’t a concern. They work and I’ve yet to break or damage one. Hell I was so impressed I bought two sets.

Here’s the ****. Lining up the tip and the drive shank when you fail to seat it properly, twist and get your flats out of alignment. The tip is very thin and aligning it isn’t as easy as you’d think.

Despite that little nuance these were the **** before the rgqrstxyz tips (whatever they’re called) came out. One of these days I’ll have to get a set of them to see which works better.

 

[signcrafter]

The rotating hex piece on the end has the hole in it off center from the true center, so when you rotate the handle the end piece rotates independent of the long shaft and wedges into an interference fit as you turn the main shaft (essentially the tip end gets larger). look on the video at 1:18 and you can see the thickness difference between the top and bottom of the hex rotating piece (the eccentric). However I'd be a bit skeptical if this design would be able to handle much torque before that tiny piece broke off as the stress would be on the pin which is maybe at best half the size of the wrench. maybe why they aren't around anymore? also before use you would need to ensure that the end piece is aligned before insertion as it could potentionally be in the offset position, overall seems a bit fiddly.

They are "fiddly" but they are something you won't use often at all. I have the T handle set and to be honest I can't remember the last time I needed to use it, it's been years. I got it probably 10 years ago because astro did some sort of sale on them. I've used them a handful of times over the years and they saved me some headaches. They are like any other extractor or specialty tool you only use after something goes wrong.

 

[Beerhippie]

Do they work on those damned button-head screws and bolts that have hexes that are

A) Undersized for the bolt size

II: Too damned shallow to get full engagement?

Hate those things. My new front bumper came with those and I was walking on eggshells trying not to strip them when I had to remove some the other day.

 

[LXCam]

Do they work on those damned button-head screws and bolts that have hexes that are

A) Undersized for the bolt size

II: Too damned shallow to get full engagement?

Hate those things. My new front bumper came with those and I was walking on eggshells trying not to strip them when I had to remove some the other day.

They kill it on those. The reason I bought my first set was I used a ton of stainless button heads on show engine builds and got sick n tired of dealing with damaged heads after the owner worked on it.