What are the parts of a spanner?

Different types of Spanners are available today. Before coming to the article topic, let’s know a bit of the manufacturing process of Spanners. The drop-forging process is the widely used method of manufacturing this useful tool. The billets go through an induction heating coil and get heated up to about 1000 Celsius. The heated billets then placed in three moulds. The first mould gives a rough Spanner shape. The second one finishes the shape. And the final one gets rid of the excess metal from the formed Spanner. The manufacturer’s name and other details are stamped by a hydraulic press. Well, it depends on the Spanner type. For example, drop forging process is not the process used for Box and spark plug spanners manufacturing. Electroplating is a common method used for getting the surface finish.

Parts of a Spanner: As mentioned, many types of Spanners are there, but the parts are almost the same.

* Head: Depending on the type, it can have one or two heads at both the ends. One end can have an open-head and the other end a ring-type head. Some Spanners have only one head, and the other end is just the handle. The two heads at both the ends can be of different sizes. The head is the part that fits over the fastener.

* Profile: The shape and size of the head determine the profile. It’s the part that makes contact with the fastener head. Sometimes, the profile can be changed (Adjustable Spanners.) The size of the profile determines the size of the tool (distance between the two flat sides

* Shaft: Well, it’s the handle of the tool. It acts as a lever to produce a greater force. The longer the handle, the more torque. Anyway, there’s a limit to the handle length. I mean, even though more length means more force; you can’t make the handle a meter long. Well, the handle length depends on the profile size, actually. As you already know, larger fasteners need greater forces for rotating clockwise or anticlockwise

You can extend the shaft length up to some extent with a pipe or another spanner, but overdoing it can damage both the Spanner and fastener.

Undoing a stuck fastener: It’s a common situation we often come across. While many reasons are there for a fastener to get stuck, some actions are there to loosen it. Don’t get panic. Don’t get angry either. Take a deep breath and a step back. Figure out the cause. Is the fastener corroded? Is the fastener damaged? When you figure out the cause, you can work on it. You can try using a longer spanner with a good profile grip. If you are using a ring Spanner, make sure the number of points is the right number for the fastener head. 6 is better than 12, most of the time. Use WD-40 for corroded fasteners. Still, if it’s not working; try to extend the shaft with a pipe or another spanner. Using a blow torch is a good idea to expand the fastener to get rid of rust.

OK, now you removed the tight fastener, hopefully. There’s a solution for every issue, don’t worry so.