Torque wrench storage

[Fyrme]

How are you guys storing your torque wrenches that don't have a factory molded case? I've got 4, that have always just rolled around loose in my tool box. I'm about to calibrate all of them, and figured it's about time to treat them right.
The first thing that came to mind was a padded PVC pipe with caps, but that would still roll around.

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[polizei1]

Kaizen would be a great solution. I just throw them in the drawer though...

 

[Justind97]

what about trying to find factory molded cases?

I leave mine in a dedicated drawer for them, so they rarely see movement.

 

[Falcon67]

Drawer. The 600 ft/lb one in in the bottom of my closet. I should hang that one on the wall.

 

[TylerRNEMT]

Probably shows my ignorance....How are you guys storing them as far as settings go? Are you completely unloading them or leaving a few pounds of tension on them when putting them away?

-Tyler

 

[cjcocn]

Probably shows my ignorance....How are you guys storing them as far as settings go? Are you completely unloading them or leaving a few pounds of tension on them when putting them away?

-Tyler

Mine state that they should be set to zero when in storage.

 

[cjcocn]

Most of mine have molded cases.

The one that does not is stored in a rarely used drawer (of my small tool box) so that it does not get subjected to much movement.

My thought has always been to find or even make (out of wood?) a storage case for it and fill it with foam so that I could cut out enough to store the torque wrench.

 

[Fyrme]

what about trying to find factory molded cases?

I leave mine in a dedicated drawer for them, so they rarely see movement.

That was the first thing I did, but no dice unfortunately. I've got a older 1/2" drive Craftsman, and a couple high dollar "non popular" brands that I can barely find any info on as it is.

Most of mine have molded cases.

The one that does not is stored in a rarely used drawer (of my small tool box) so that it does not get subjected to much movement.

My thought has always been to find or even make (out of wood?) a storage case for it and fill it with foam so that I could cut out enough to store the torque wrench.

I wish I had a drawer that sees little use, but I don't. I did have a thought of making a nice walnut box with a slide top lid. Which I may someday have time to make. Ya know after I build.... and...., and then....Oh, and that....[emoji23]

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[Fyrme]

Probably shows my ignorance....How are you guys storing them as far as settings go? Are you completely unloading them or leaving a few pounds of tension on them when putting them away?

-Tyler

Mine state that they should be set to zero when in storage.

I don't have any manuals for my torque wrenches, but I've heard it's best to store them at the lowest setting. I've never seen a zero setting on a torque wrench though. My lowest are 10ft-lbs and 50in-lbs

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[cjcocn]

I don't have any manuals for my torque wrenches, but I've heard it's best to store them at the lowest setting. I've never seen a zero setting on a torque wrench though. My lowest are 10ft-lbs and 50in-lbs

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Thanks for catching that.

Mine do not have a zero setting, but instead have a "stop" so that guys like me know where to stop when finding the lowest setting.

Lowest setting seems to be a more accurate indication so I will go with that.

 

[Falcon67]

Same - always run down to lowest setting when done.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Run "click type" wrenches down as low as possible when not in use. They use a ball detent and a spring that fatigues if you don't. If you don't drop it, don't worry about it. If you want a torque wrench that almost never needs calibration, get an old fashioned beam style wrench. That's what the aviation industry spec'd for a zillion years before dial and digital wrenches came around. I have my Dad's old Craftsman beam type he got when he worked for Curtiss Wright in the 60's, he built lots of engines with it and it just spec'd out fine when I sent it out for calibration.

Tommy

 

[1slow62]

Backed off and stored in the socket drawer between the drawer side and a set off sockets. Never rolls around....

 

[tym]

I don't have any manuals for my torque wrenches, but I've heard it's best to store them at the lowest setting. I've never seen a zero setting on a torque wrench though. My lowest are 10ft-lbs and 50in-lbs

Same here. That's what I've heard and that's what the manuals say for the wrenches I've bought new.

 

[CJDave]

Slide them inside a length of a swimming pool noodle float? Or does that foam water pipe insulation come in a big enough I.D.? CJDave.

 

[fasteddie]

1/2" Craftsman I bought 35-40 years ago, still in the original box.

 

[4xdog]

My torque wrenches, blow-molded case or not, live in a "precision" drawer in one of my tool chests. They don't get banged around, and they get put away carefully.

The manual from my circa 1981 Craftsman DigiTork clicker-style wrench states to store the wrench with the spring set to a maximum of 25% of full scale, and to avoid going below zero.

They further note that if the wrench has been put down with torque value greater than 50% of full scale for a few hours, to back off the spring tension and let the spring relax for four hours before re-setting and reusing the wrench.

Here are the relevant pages from that manual:

 

[Stuart in MN]

Slide them inside a length of a swimming pool noodle float? Or does that foam water pipe insulation come in a big enough I.D.? CJDave.

Those seem like pretty good ideas to me. You could use a knife and square off the outside of the foam so it won't roll around as much in the drawer.

 

[Tonyuk]

I keep mine in their box, on the lowest setting.

Work supplies OEM tools including torque wrenches, and they get calibrated every year. You can have the company calibrate your own ones too for a good price since they make a fair bit off our place at once.

 

[mjeff87]

My clicker ones get wiped off and set to 0, then go into a separate drawer in the rolling tool chest. They sit lovingly on a cut piece of foam egg crate material.

 

[texasprd]

Like others said, store with them at minimum setting. I put them in my "precision" drawer. They don't move around much - certainly not enough to be a problem. If you really want to keep them from moving, make up a rack from a couple of 1x2s ground down with indentations for each wrench, or a couple strips of trim with something added on for dividers

 

[Rod N]

What's the problem with putting them in a drawer with other tools?

 

[Mechtech]

I just toss them in the socket drawer at the low setting and not worry about it.

Of course I used to calibrate them in the USAF and am quite familiar with them. For personal use unless you're using it as a spare hammer a little knocking here and there isn't going to hurt it. The biggest impact in torque wrench accuracy during use is the user. How you hold it, was it exercised and how much, adapters, extenders all affect the end result. I could set a click wrench to 100ft/lbs and make it read anywhere from 60ft/lbs to 150 ft/lbs just by changing how I held it. (was a useful demonstration for new guys)

 

[Falcon67]

The manual from my circa 1981 Craftsman DigiTork clicker-style wrench states to store the wrench with the spring set to a maximum of 25% of full scale, and to avoid going below zero.

Have same 1/2 wrench in the tool box. It is still close to cal than two Snap On 1/2 wrenches I was given.

 

[Fyrme]

I like the idea of using the black plumbing insulation. It's soft enough that it will settle a flat spot on the bottom side. I have mine stored in a wide drawer that I keep all of my "cased" tools in. My biggest wrench won't fit in my precision drawer, as it is over 2' long. It just bothers me when I open and shut that drawer and the wrenches do the ole roll around. Maybe I can just throw together some dividers to keep them still. Just figured I'd ask, in case there was a quick easy option I was overlooking. Obviously I'd prefer the blow molded cases, but I can't find any OEM cases, so I'd have to trial and error to find something.

 

[Qualitytools]

Fortunately mine all have cases and as far as settings during storage, the factory recommends the lowest setting but not to go below that. However my SnapOn is a dual beam and does not require setting it to lowest setting after use. I also keep mine in a cabinet not a drawer this way there is less chance of being knocked around as the drawer is opened and closed

 

[fasteddie]

I use my Craftsman click wrench once in a blue moon, never had it recalibrated. What do you guys think about the electronic torque adapters? I see them for $30-$50.

 

[PFSard]

Mine are in cases. If not, I might just use cardboard open containers with thin foam wrapped around them as a quick fix. Nothing fancy.

Here'a a nice link on ....

How to Choose and Maintain Your Next Torque Wrench
https://shopgraytools.com/blogs/news/117127236-how-to-choose-and-maintain-your-next-torque-wrench

 

[rick carpenter]

The first thing that came to mind was a padded PVC pipe with caps, but that would still roll around.

Glue a tee on one end?

 

[928'er]

I picked up a 3/8" Proto and 1/4" SO on ebay w/o cases, so I bought a couple of expendable HF torque wrenches and thieved the blow molded cases for the good wrenches. Don't really care about the HF wrenches - keep one in my storage unit for lugnuts and such noncritical uses

 

[Fly YX]

Continental testing calibrate ours every year in October. He was saying the best way to store them this to put it on the lowest setting. We have Snap-on click Style for work but the
Company will let you use your own as long as they are calibrated the only once that failed this year or a set of digital snap-on's I don't know the model number because I was talking to the Continental guy but he was saying he could not calibrate them because it had to be calibrated by Snap-on.

 

[Slinger646]

I made a case for my proto out of 1.5" scrap PVC and caps. Foam on both ends.

 

[wafrederick]

I set them to the lowest setting back in the case.

 

[dan360]

Backed off to the lowest setting and put away. Box or no box, they won't go out of calibration that easily. Just use care, as with any tool.

 

[anndel]

My old Craftsmans are stored backed off to 0 ft-lbf and in a drawer with desiccants.

 

[Fyrme]

I got the backed off tension on the torque wrenches, (even though I've never seen one with a "0" setting), I'm looking for containment ideas, since a factory case is not available for any of my wrenches for some reason.

 

[4xdog]

...I've never seen one with a "0" setting...

My old 3/8" Craftsman goes from 5 ft-lb as the lowest marked value to "STOP" right after that.

 

[BoostAddiction]

I don't like blow-molded boxes in general, but didn't like my torque wrenches to be rolling around in a drawer.

So I 3D-printed up some custom holders for them. The regular wrenches are obvious, but the 600 ft-lb wrench is stored in three pieces that are assembled into one 4-foot long unit. I use it to torque my centerlock wheel nuts.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

I bought my Torqometers when I was in high school without cases. Finally bought cases from Percesion Instruments who makes them for SO's. I like have them in their own cases as the are much safer and they only take up a little more room.

 

[Fyrme]

I don't like blow-molded boxes in general, but didn't like my torque wrenches to be rolling around in a drawer.

So I 3D-printed up some custom holders for them. The regular wrenches are obvious, but the 600 ft-lb wrench is stored in three pieces that are assembled into one 4-foot long unit. I use it to torque my centerlock wheel nuts.

I like that. I could do something similar, but out of wood.