Re-sizing a wrench, anyone done it ?

[Hephaestus29]

I was thinking about older wrenches and how i've
seen some that seemed to have been worn/stretched
from use over the years because they seem sloppy.

I was wondering why a man couldn't
Machine or grind one up to the next size
Without too much trouble ? I know they are
Hard and it would probably make it weaker
But i dont see why it wouldnt work if you needed to.

 

[geojag]

I have a whole drawer of cheap/abused/no good wrenches. I use them when none of my good wrenches work. Now I am not talking "machining" unless a vice and angle grinder, torch, or welder count, but old or bad wrenches are a great start to your new custom tool.

 

[90zcar]

That just seems like too much work to me for the end result. It's gonna have the wrong size stamped on it for one.
I see no pros out of this only cons. Sorry


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[Ign]

I've sectioned plenty of regular wrenches into stubbies, and machined flat bar into fan clutch wrenches, but not exactly what you're suggesting.

If you have machining capability just take off the existing size marking and re-stamp, I don't see the problem

 

[smiffy]

Only on big unused imerial spanners where a similar size metric is needed but this is on big spanners that run into thousands to purchase so re puprposing an old one thats mwarly decoration for the workshop saves alot

 

[e30bradley]

what 90zcar said. Grinding will make heat and make it much weaker. Don't bother trying, just use em for cabinet handles or something else if they are worn out.

 

[greasemonkey44]

I've re ground several wrenches for various off sizes; like plumbing cut off valves and such. They look pretty funky when done so I don't worry about the marks on them.


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[bubinga]

I did it once to about a 1 1/4 wrench, opened it up about an 1/8" more to use for a fan clutch. Worked quite well, and l used the side of a grinding wheel, (not supposed to l know) but you couldn't even tell It was opened up.

 

[nelstomlinson]

I've taken a grinder to chinese wrenches to resize them for things like the flats on an FAL flash hider. It works, but it isn't optimal.

 

[Two Door]

Years ago I got a set of Craftsman combo wrenches in which the open end of the 3/8" measured just a hair over 5/16". A few minutes of filing brought it to spec.

 

[Kev442]

I did it once to about a 1 1/4 wrench, opened it up about an 1/8" more to use for a fan clutch. Worked quite well, and l used the side of a grinding wheel, (not supposed to l know) but you couldn't even tell It was opened up.

Are you me? Did the same thing, it's now labelled GM fan on the open end. Took about ten minutes to do vs going out and buying one at over an hour round trip and $$$$.

 

[justme-]

Never be afraid to modify a tool or make a tool if you need one - anyone who says otherwise without a good reason is closed minded. My ol man used to modify tools without regard for brand back in the day - he has several modified sockets and wrenches in his box from Snap on, Proto, Plumb, Mac...and over the years we've made tools as needed. If you need it for a single job modifying to destruction (losing the temper) versus spending a fortune on a 1 time use tool is a small price.

I do have cheaper tools that I would feel better about modifying versus a quality tool in perfectly good shape, but if it came down to getting something I say do it.

Friday I made a hole punch with approx 3/4 ID - needed to make a rubber gasket and we don't have hole punches at work. Is my black iron pipe tool going to work for 30 gaskets? not likely, but it did the 3 I needed easily and kept me working.

 

[Airframer]

Are you me? Did the same thing, it's now labelled GM fan on the open end. Took about ten minutes to do vs going out and buying one at over an hour round trip and $$$$.

Same here, but with a crow's foot at about midnight.

 

[90zcar]

Never be afraid to modify a tool or make a tool if you need one - anyone who says otherwise without a good reason is closed minded. My ol man used to modify tools without regard for brand back in the day - he has several modified sockets and wrenches in his box from Snap on, Proto, Plumb, Mac...and over the years we've made tools as needed. If you need it for a single job modifying to destruction (losing the temper) versus spending a fortune on a 1 time use tool is a small price.

I completely agree. For the spur of the moment to get you by or for a single type of tool I concur.
But the OP is making it sound like he's going to do it to a whole set just about. If the wrenches fit loose or they spread a little already....they are obviously cheaper metal and taking more material off the wrench itself is by no means going to make the wrench any stronger...just weaker

I'm all about chopping a wrench handle down or welding 2 or 3 together to get ya that weird size conglomeration shape to get you around a bunch of obsticles. But to take a whole set that and reconfigure them to a larger size by removing material and then have to restamp or engrave with the new size seems like a waste of time.
Just go buy another cheap set because I'm not trying to sound like an *** here but it sounds like it was a cheap set to begin with


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[Davefr]

I've had to modify wrenches.

If you start with a HF wrench it's real easy. They're easy to cut with an ordinary hacksaw and grind down to size.

 

[bubinga]

Are you me? Did the same thing, it's now labelled GM fan on the open end. Took about ten minutes to do vs going out and buying one at over an hour round trip and $$$$.

Are you me? Yeah, maybe, lol But if I remember right, you are a machinist,
or sound like a pretty good HSM, or I might have you mixed up.

worse part is, I don't know where that wrench is right now.
Starting to bug me, I might have to look for it.

l ground another one, one time, might have been a thinner cast steel, or cut out from steel wrench, for my wood lathe chuck.
It was not a real thin one though. It worked out well.
I think if one takes it slow, and cools the tool often, it would not change the metal very much.

 

[bonneyman]

I've accumulated a set of Williams obstruction wrenches, and just love 'em for certain applications. But they were only made in SAE, being so far back. I thought it would be really nice to have a set in metric.
A handful were mushroomed on an end, and I had enough duplicates, so, I took some and filed out the bad ends to the next larger metric size. Made a set from 10mm thru 19mm. Then painted them orange so they'd be instantly recognizable in the pouch. They are peachy!

 

[montanafordman]

I have not, but i was trying to buy a specific vintage proto wrench on ebay recently and for a while all i could find was one that had the open end ground to a wider size. My only thought was..."why?!?!?"

That is what Pittsburg and no name india or asian made wrenches are for!

 

[2mJps]

I havent resized any but i have modifid several. I am looking for a CM 1 1/6=1 1/8 double open end and i found one that some one had cut one end off and rewelded it at a diffrent angle then welded metal to one jaw on both ends to make them smaller. They tig welded them and done a very good job.

 

[2mJps]

I have not, but i was trying to buy a specific vintage proto wrench on ebay recently and for a while all i could find was one that had the open end ground to a wider size. My only thought was..."why?!?!?"

That is what Pittsburg and no name india or asian made wrenches are for!

I think this about alot of thinks like guys takeing good runing complet old antique cars and trucks and totally modifing them. Their is a guy on here that bought a big truck that looked to be in good shape and did this. I wanted to say something about what he did but its his money/dream.

 

[tbaggz]

I have resized the open end of hf a 2-1/2 inch to 2-7/8 to fit #32 hydraulic hoses.

 

[wild cowboy]

I have not resized any, but I have ground the sides of open end wrenches down before, to get into narrow areas, where total width was the problem, and strength was not an issue.

 

[espyking83]

I've never had the balls to actually change the size of the wrench, but I have several wrenches where I ground them to change and reduce head shape for a smaller profile.

 

[Kev442]

Are you me? Yeah, maybe, lol But if I remember right, you are a machinist,
or sound like a pretty good HSM, or I might have you mixed up.

That must be Kev441. I'm just a DIY hack-a-putz!

 

[metalhead212121]

I was thinking about older wrenches and how i've
seen some that seemed to have been worn/stretched
from use over the years because they seem sloppy.

I agree with a couple other members here.... Sounds like a lot of work for not much gain.

Also when I think of a wrench that's "worn/stretched" I think that the quality of the metal isn't all that great to begin with. If you do machine it to the next biggest size don't you think its going to end up "worn/stretched" in the near future and be more or less right where you started?

One could say that ANY wrench (even the tool truck ones) will end up "worn/stretched" sooner or later. In theory the tool truck ones will be the LAST ones to wear out. Those wrenches also have the easiest warranties too IMO.

Just my .02

 

[expfcwintergreen]

My Dad, an exceptionally frugal man, filed the open ends of SAE wrenches when we first started working on a foreign car (I believe it was a 1960 Simca that my sister paid $60 for). He was filing good wrenches; I never understood it. Of course, when ever we tore down something that was nailed together, we had to save and straighten the old nails. He also never threw away a part we took off a car. I always attributed it to his having grown up poor even though he made a good living as an adult as a union pipe fitter. I have at least 10 times more mechanic's tools than he ever had and can do 1/10 as much with them. He had at least twice as many brains as I do, but I still think there are more constructive things to do with one's time than straighten nails.

 

[justme-]

I think you guys are starting with a faulty assumption - that it's a low quality wrench. Every well used wrench will wear. We have an Easco 15/16 that is one of the most needed sizes in our shop and it's worn on the open sned side enough not to securely turn a nut. I keep painting it red so others know, and we use the box end. It's not a low quality wrench (agreed it's not a Snapon... but it's good Us steel) it's just quite old and very well used.

If I could exchange it I would, but I can't. It's already almost worn to 7/8, and I'll likely make it so over the winter with no hesitation about strength. If you start with cheap weak steel, yes it would be a concern for a long time use, and no I wouldn't do a whole set, but I still use several modified tools from my ol man's shop including several sensor sockets (deep sockets he ground notches and cut outs in) before they were commonly available.