Loading…
4
3 months back a tender handed me a bent wrench and it saved my dive
Working a pipeline job off Morgan City 3 months back when my primary wrench slipped off a flange nut at 60 feet and went straight into the mud. My tender tossed down a backup that had a slight bend in the handle, and I thought it was junk at first. Turns out that bend let me get real torque on an angle I could not reach straight on, and I finished the bolt in 2 minutes instead of fighting it. Now I keep one bent wrench in my kit on purpose. Anybody else bend their own tools on purpose or am I the only one?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
jamesblack8d ago
Bending a wrench on purpose is how you end up with a tool that snaps when you need it most. That bend puts stress on metal that was never made to take it, and down at 60 feet you are not gonna notice a hairline crack until the thing gives out on a stubborn nut. A wrench that slips because it is shaped wrong is way more dangerous than one that just does not fit, cause now you are torquing at an angle and your knuckles are the first thing that meets the flange. You got lucky that time, plain and simple, and one good day does not make a habit. If the angle is that bad, that is what offset wrenches and crowfoot attachments are for, and they are built to take that load. Keep the bent one in your kit if it makes you feel better, but do not go teaching the greenhorns to start torching and bending good steel.
-1