Decent Budget-Priced Spanner Wrench

[Old-N-Feeble]

I was getting my annual checkup at the doctor's office. The nurse led me to a room and said that I need to put my sample into one of the bottles on the shelf.

I answered, "I am a good shot, but not from here."

LOL

 

[ciniframe]

Last month I took a chance and ordered a cheap spanner from one of those HK vendors. All of $12 shipped and took two weeks from order to arrival, I live in Washington state. So far I've only used them on a lens retaining ring on an Agfa Isola 4X4, the center element was fogged around the edges. It worked fine but the ring was not overly tight. This one came with the really pointy tips on one end also but a file knocked them down a bit, The metal was surprisingly hard to file. These are the ones that lock with an allen head screw so you have a little wrench to not lose. I also have an ancient pair I bought in Chicago at Altmans about 1972 but the flat screwdriver blades on it are too thick for many applications but generally good for the large format retaining rings that secure the lens to the board so I keep it handy too.

 

[Sirius Glass]

NASA decided to send astronauts to explore a black hole. When their spacecraft got near the black hole it got pulled in.

So NASA sent a rescue mission to find it first team. After much searching the rescue team found only a wrench that had been distorted by the heat as it moved away from the doomed spacecraft. This wrench was the only item that did not get pulled into the black hole.

The rescue mission returned to Earth with the heat distorted wrench. NASA while disappointed that the first team could not be rescued was happy with the wrench and proudly announced that the rescue time had found the found the star mangled spanner!

 

[benjiboy]

I was getting my annual checkup at the doctor's office. The nurse led me to a room and said that I need to put my sample into one of the bottles on the shelf.

I answered, "I am a good shot, but not from here."

It reminds me of when I went for my medical to join the Royal Marines Steve many years ago the doctor said "I want you to urinate in one of those bottles on the shelf" I said "what from here"

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

NASA decided to send astronauts to explore a black hole. When their spacecraft got near the black hole it got pulled in.

So NASA sent a rescue mission to find it first team. After much searching the rescue team found only a wrench that had been distorted by the heat as it moved away from the doomed spacecraft. This wrench was the only item that did not get pulled into the black hole.

The rescue mission returned to Earth with the heat distorted wrench. NASA while disappointed that the first team could not be rescued was happy with the wrench and proudly announced that the rescue time had found the found the star mangled spanner!

* groan... *

Not spanner wrench related but since you started punning... I think I'll open a restaurant with a wide assortment of world cuisine as adjusted for USA palates with recipes from falilies of immigrants from all over the world. This is to introduce new flavors and a bit of varied cultural experience to all who eat there. I'll called it, "The Untied Tastes of America".

 

[Wayne]

Like David, I use a pair of needle nose pliers that have long, slender "arms", for lack of a better word. I filed each to a point.

Me too.

 

[M Carter]

I recently got the $15-ish stainless-with-2-sets-of-tips wrench that's all over eBay. Most of the sellers are Asian but did find a USA seller for under $20 as I recall.

I'm not a repair guy, just wanted to turn three busted HiMatics into one working camera. Wrench worked perfectly. Sub $30 wrenches on amazon are very poorly reviewed, so I skipped those.

By the way, "snap ring pliers" are super handy for spans under 3/4" or so.

I rebuilt an RB lens last year. I took 2 flat blade screwdrivers, two matthews grip heads, and a piece of 5/8 baby rod and built a spanner. It worked, but wasn't pretty. Actually a little terrifying to use:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Okay... so I bought the S.K. Grimes pointed spanner wrench for $38 delivered. One tip broke off the first fifteen seconds of use.

What now... other than return for exchange?

 

[cowanw]

Stop asking the internet for advice?

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Stop asking the internet for advice?

I'm not asking the "internet" for advice. I'm asking my friends and neighbors "on" the internet, with more experience than I, for advice. That's far better than guessing... and guessing... and guessing again.

 

[Nodda Duma]

I work as a lens designer and constantly run into this problem on prototype lenses.

In a pinch I've used cheap 90 degree needle nose pliers from Harbor freight, grinding the points down as needed. For gap adjustment I use a suitable dowel rod in between the jaws with a rubber band holding the dowel in place. Cheesy, simple, but effective.


Or I just get our mechanical engineer to design and fabricate a custom spanner tool (just an aluminum tube with steel pins to fit the slots) when he designs the barrel.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Okay... so I bought the S.K. Grimes pointed spanner wrench for $38 delivered. One tip broke off the first fifteen seconds of use.

What now... other than return for exchange?

Call them and ask them what can be done. I have found them reasonable in the past.

 

[cowanw]

I'm not asking the "internet" for advice. I'm asking my friends and neighbors "on" the internet, with more experience than I, for advice. That's far better than guessing... and guessing... and guessing again.

While I was just funning, in truth, so far, the evidence suggests that any other choice (than SKGrimes) might have been better and wouldn't be worse.
At the end of the day, we are all so different that one person's experience is just that, an n of one study.
I am sure SKGrimes will replace your tool and the next one won't break. Although for real torque force, Nodda duma's idea sounds good for a one off tool and the dowel adds needed safety.