Homemade spanners using Cap screws

[michael mott]

Earlier while working on my Air loco I came up with an idea to use a cap screw to make an open ended wrench, I was delighted and pleased to see that I was not the only one to think of this idea, there is a great article in the winter issue of the Gauge one newsletter issue 272 on page 43 by Ralph Bagnall-Wild about how to make these miniature wrenches with some nice photos of the results, with a table showing equivalences for the BA screw sizes.
So I hope that this is useful for the folk working in the larger scale 1/32 and G3

Michael

 

[oldravendale]

Thank you Michael. I've been following this thread with a mixture of amazement and enjoyment. Your lateral thinking is amazing to those of us who don't share that ability.

However, what's a cap screw? I'm having difficulty in imagining it and therefore how to convert it in to a wrench.

Brian

 

[michael mott]

Hello Brian a socket head cap screw can be manufactured in many sizes and shapes this image will hopefully help because these can be called different names in different countries. Allen head cap screw - Google Search

and the way I did it back in October






In the article I referenced Ralph did a much more elegant version of this same principle.

Michael

 

[Rob Pulham]

For those of us working in 7mm Markits do a nice set of BA nut Spinners

NUTSPINNER: BA Nut Spinners (set of 6) - Wizard Models Limited

The link is to Wizard models which was the first that I found in a quick search but I am sure that I bought my set from Eileens at a show - Mike's method is much cheaper of course...

 

[Dog Star]

Rob, what is the fit to actual nuts or hex head bolts?

 

[oldravendale]

Hello Brian a socket head cap screw can be manufactured in many sizes and shapes this image will hopefully help because these can be called different names in different countries. Allen head cap screw - Google Search

Thank you Michael.

Now you've shown this again I remember the original. So sorry to ask you to repeat a previous post but it is, nonetheless, useful as a reminder. Many thanks!

Brian

 

[Rob Pulham]

Rob, what is the fit to actual nuts or hex head bolts?

Sorry Graham,

I am not sure what you are asking. Do you mean how close to a 12ba nut/hex head does the 12 ba size fit (for example)? If so then a close sliding fit.

I use them quite a bit and each of the sizes fits the nut that it's supposed to assuming that the heads are regular (I have had some odd sized nuts with an 8ba thread in one kit, it really threw me until I worked it out.) I only have 12 and 14 ba Hex headed bolts so can't say for the other sizes but the relevant nuts seem to fit fine.