Recalibrating a click Torque Wrench

[Wild one]

IIRC, most torque wrenches we calibrated were specified for +/- 4% full scale.




From my experience, those weren't as accurate. Even though some were stamped "Permanently 4% accurate" a lot of them barely were within 10%. Possibly the metal fatigues after awhile? I don't know.

Or you guys weren't using them properly,that'd be more my guess.
There's a right and wrong way to use them especially the better quality versions with the pivoting handle

 

[Sherman Bird]

IIRC, most torque wrenches we calibrated were specified for +/- 4% full scale.




From my experience, those weren't as accurate. Even though some were stamped "Permanently 4% accurate" a lot of them barely were within 10%. Possibly the metal fatigues after awhile? I don't know.

If my oldie torque wrenches have as much metal fatigue as my old body, then I'm in real trouble!

 

[Sherman Bird]

To bad he didn't also test the old school beam torque wrench,as i still use my old one i inherited from my Dad and find it to to be as accurate as any of my clic wrenches are,and it doesn't need recalibrating.I'm not sure when Dad bought it,but i don't ever remember it not hanging on the shop wall,so i'm guessing it's probably at least 60 years old.The only thing is you have to pay attention to how you hang onto the handle,as it has the pivoting handle,and you have to make sure you keep it level to the wrench

Old Beam Torque Wrench VS New Tools! WINNER WILL SHOCK YOU!

Is a 60 year old torque wrench better than new professional ones?! In this video I'll compare this beam style torque wrench to modern click torque wrenches....

www.youtube.com

I still have the beam torque wrench I got when I was 16 (I'm 71).

 

[TradesmanGuy]

I still have the beam torque wrench I got when I was 16 (I'm 71).

I had one too. Tossed it a long time ago. Cannot imagine how it can be accurate, as anything less then a slow smooth pull with a careful eye will be wildly inaccurate.

Regarding loosening the setting to zero else harm the wrench is a folks tale. The spring steel in there is very very stout. I've 1911 mags that get shot maybe once a year, yet the magazines are always full. Not a problem. Don't understand that? How about your valve spring in your Ram truck? Think they are getting weak while under pressure? If you do, how often to you change those valve springs?

 

[Sherman Bird]

I had one too. Tossed it a long time ago. Cannot imagine how it can be accurate, as anything less then a slow smooth pull with a careful eye will be wildly inaccurate.

Regarding loosening the setting to zero else harm the wrench is a folks tale. The spring steel in there is very very stout. I've 1911 mags that get shot maybe once a year, yet the magazines are always full. Not a problem. Don't understand that? How about your valve spring in your Ram truck? Think they are getting weak while under pressure? If you do, how often to you change those valve springs?

Boing! Boing!

 

[Sherman Bird]

I had one too. Tossed it a long time ago. Cannot imagine how it can be accurate, as anything less then a slow smooth pull with a careful eye will be wildly inaccurate.

Regarding loosening the setting to zero else harm the wrench is a folks tale. The spring steel in there is very very stout. I've 1911 mags that get shot maybe once a year, yet the magazines are always full. Not a problem. Don't understand that? How about your valve spring in your Ram truck? Think they are getting weak while under pressure? If you do, how often to you change those valve springs?

I not only still have that one beam wrench, but upgraded to a Craftsman along about 1980 or so... and have THAT one, too. The Craftsman has a better dial with better contrast, making reading it much easier. I used them both for all my needs to torque things back, 46+ years ago. Parallax de damned. I never experienced any problems with work I did back then, either.

In today's world with TTY bolts, and torque specs for ridiculous plastic intake manifolds, etc, I've upgraded across the board, especially with a $600.00 electronic Snap-On 1/2 drive one with all kinds of settings, including progressive angle readouts, so that one can torque those difficult TTY headbolts on a Jeep Commander with a 4.7L, in chassis!

 

[RamDiver]

I had one too. Tossed it a long time ago. Cannot imagine how it can be accurate, as anything less then a slow smooth pull with a careful eye will be wildly inaccurate.

You must have skipped the video in post #16.

Regarding loosening the setting to zero else harm the wrench is a folks tale. The spring steel in there is very very stout.

Check out the myth buster video in post #5.

.

 

[Dean2]

I still have the beam torque wrench I got when I was 16 (I'm 71).

Me too, but I am only 70.

 

[TradesmanGuy]

You must have skipped the video in post #16.




Check out the myth buster video in post #5.

.

I saw the highly watch sections. If I missed something outside that range direct me to it. Again, I use to own one, so I know. Specifically, if you have to put some ass into it, you cannot be front facing. Putting some ass into it requires being above the wrench, locking your wrists and putting your body weight into it.

If the beam were so great the click would not have been the successor. Of course, now we have the digital with the beep sound. I'm not going there, cause I don't need to.

 

[mikeru]

I saw the highly watch sections. If I missed something outside that range direct me to it. Again, I use to own one, so I know. Specifically, if you have to put some ass into it, you cannot be front facing. Putting some ass into it requires being above the wrench, locking your wrists and putting your body weight into it.

If the beam were so great the click would not have been the successor. Of course, now we have the digital with the beep sound. I'm not going there, cause I don't need to.

My Craftsman beam style torque wrench is about 30 years old. It’s 3/8” drive and I use it for bolts requiring lower torque values. It maxes out at 75 ft/lbs so there’s no need to “put some ass into it”. I trust it on low torque bolts more than any of the click style torque wrenches I have. I’ve never stripped or broken any bolts I’ve used it on.

 

[TradesmanGuy]

My Craftsman beam style torque wrench is about 30 years old. It’s 3/8” drive and I use it for bolts requiring lower torque values. It maxes out at 75 ft/lbs so there’s no need to “put some ass into it”. I trust it on low torque bolts more than any of the click style torque wrenches I have. I’ve never stripped or broken any bolts I’ve used it on.

I do need to get an inch lbs torque wrench. Depending on price or maybe a garage sale i should consider a beam type.

 

[Hanover Fiste]

Or you guys weren't using them properly,that'd be more my guess.
There's a right and wrong way to use them especially the better quality versions with the pivoting handle

They were being calibrated using USAF standards and procedures. I can't say what others experience was, but a high percentage of them were out of tolerance.

 

[Wild one]

They were being calibrated using USAF standards and procedures. I can't say what others experience was, but a high percentage of them were out of tolerance.

Can't really see the old beam styles going out of calibration,there had to be some extenuating circumstances to cause them to be out of calibration.Curious on where you guys got them from for testing purposes,as maybe they were badly mishandled before you guys got your hands on them.

 

[EdGs]

One thing I don't understand fully is the torque + angle.

Wouldn't the + 90° turn be the same as torque to ××× value?

Or are the bolts just at that start to stretch point?

 

[RamDiver]

One thing I don't understand fully is the torque + angle.

Wouldn't the + 90° turn be the same as torque to ××× value?

Or are the bolts just at that start to stretch point?

There is a large amount of information in this thread, but I don't recall a discussion on torque angle. It was demonstrated in a video that using an adapter extension that was set to anything other than 90° would change the forces on the fastener.

Is that what you're asking about?

By adding a torque adapter set to anything other than 90°, the effective length of the lever changes, altering the forces at the fastener. See 8:23 of the video in post #5 for a detailed explanation.


I found another Torque Angle spec used in engine building.

How to Install Torque Angle Bolts -- Engine Building 101

Torque angle bolts require a unique tightening process.The torque angle method is a more precise way of torquing a standard fastener to a predetermined tensi...

www.youtube.com

.

 

[Marshall]

I worked in a calibration laboratory for >30 years; one of the sections calibrated torque wrenches.

The method presented in the video may get you in the ballpark, but that's about it. The video doesn't mention soaking, or exercising the wrench prior to calibration.

But then again, the wrenches we maintained were used on jets...

Quite a few yrs ago I had a good snap on 250lbs T wrench that I wanted the snap on guy to send back to check the calibration on it, I would pay for the service.
He told me no he would not bother as it was too old. Just buy a new one. B.S.
it was the click type.
I also had a nice little snap-on 1/4 drive one, the son really likes that one these days.

That was the last time I was in a snap on truck.
the Mac guy was better and your $ went a lot farther. I haven't seen either for yrs, but I have not looked for them anymore. Milwa. cordless tools are my downfall now.
She says I don't need more tools, we never get that old, I can't hear her anyway.