Alternative tension wrenches.

[Mad Mick]

Here are a few alternatives to the Falle torque variable tension wrenches, which can be made from wiper blade inserts:

Wrenches - L & R rotation + 90 degree versions:


Wrench head close ups:


Std wrench in lock:


+90 degree wrench in lock:


Please use these images/designs in any way you wish. There are no restrictions whatsoever.

[WhiteHat]

That's very cool..

just out of intrest, what width have you made the prong that goes into the bottom of the keyway?

[CitySpider]

Very well done.

How well do they work?

[PYRO1234321]

Beautiful...
Even has an artistic/functional diamond bend at the end, brings a tear to my eye.

I know what i'm do'n tonight.

ever thought about tapering/thinning off the pin-side 'spoke' to allow a little more pin access (especially if its high set)

[i_want_to_pick]

Thats a nice looking set of tension tools, good job. i'll have to try that myself.
Matt

[salzi684]

Those are some nice looking tools you got there.

[technik]

ive heard ppl heating and ppl not reccomending heating the metal before bending. Do you heat the metal, if so what temp (just discolouration or glowing?) or do you just whack it in a vise and bend it? Heating is much more of a hassle and less accurate bending than bending in a vise or with pliers.

Great lookin tools Mad Mick

Technik

[joecool2727]

Wow thats pretty cool. But it doesnt get in the way when your picking does it?

[Mad Mick]

In reply to all of your questions:

Whitehat:
Thanks. The width of the lower prong is not altered from the original dimensions of the wiper blade spine. There are 2 widths of spine that I know of and, as Pyro pointed out. My stock is all of the same width, which is a touch over 2mm on a normal wooden rule, but without my calipers/micrometer, I can't give an accurate figure. I think they are made from the slimmest spines though.

CitySpider:
Thanks. I haven't really had chance to try them out yet, as I'm spending more time here than picking, but with Good Friday free for picking practice, I'll let you know soon.

Pyro1234321:
Thanks. The diamond at the end is to avoid over-stressing the material. This material will break if bent 180 degrees without using heat. I didn't fancy taking longer to make them by using heat, and the diamond at the end serves to allow you to keep them on a keyring, if you wish.

i_want_to_pick:
Thanks. Try making some, if you find an improvement on them, please post it.

Salzi684:
Thanks. They're not hard to make, just need a pair of pliers and a tiny bit of patience.

Technik:
Thanks. I didn't heat the metal before bending, not much point really and I didn't want to spend a great deal of time. This material will stand a cold bend to 90 degrees without any problems. Bending cold to 180 degrees will result in snapping the material though. As stated to Pyro, the 90 degree diamond shape will allow you to put these wrenches on a keyring.
To make these, and most other tension wrenches from this material, you can just use your hands, a pair of pliers and a little patience. Heat shrink also makes for a comfortable handle, but does lessen the feedback slightly.

Joecool2727:
Thanks. I haven't really tried them yet, but if it works for John Falle, I'm sure going to give it a try. CitySpider answered someone else's query on this with a statement that sometimes feedback is better than space. I'm a strict believer in this - the better fit you can make a tool which is inserted into the keyway, the more this tool becomes an extension of the plug. If you have a sloppy-fitting tool, you lose some of the feeling which is returned to you (sorry, this sounds dirty when I reread it ) via small movements between the plug and the tension wrench. If you can eliminate this, you will gain a more precise gauge upon what is happening inside the lock.

[Chucklz]

If you are concerned about the space, I guess you could take a bit out of the width of the top prong.

[Mad Mick]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that one, someone asked about space in the 'other' post and with trying to reply to all concerned in this post, I omitted to suggest reducing the upper prong size. (careful consideration, of which direction the twist is made, can also alleviate a small amount of the obstruction)....sorry.

[Mad Mick]

After using the previously posted wrenches two problems were encountered, one as a result of the other. The secondary problem (listed as problem area 1 in the pic) is that the tang which fits in the lower part of the keyway is allowed to rotate slightly. This rotation causes the tang to bind against the shell, resulting in inaccurate torque on the plug, and feedback which is returned.

The primary problem (listed as problem area 2 in the pic) is that the shanks of the tension wrench are allowed to separate/move, as tension is applied. This is what causes the lower tang to rotate in the keyway. If the shanks can be secured to each-other, I think this would solve the problem.



On how to solve this problem, some thoughts have occurred but then been discounted:

Heat-shrink - small diameter heat-shrink would be very difficult to pass over the diamond at the end of the wrench. The correct sized heat-shrink would not give a secure enough fit when shrunk down (typically, heat-shrink will shrink down to 50% of it's original size).

Soldering - does not stick to stainless steel.

Brazing - does not stick to stainless steel (AFAIK).

TIG welding - would do the job, but how many people have access to a TIG?

Two part epoxy - (this has not been entirely discounted) some preparation would be involved in getting the epoxy to stick, i.e. roughing up the material, but I don't know enough about the longevity of this joining process. Maybe one of the scientists out there could offer some input?

I hope this is food for thought for the others out there who like to experiment too. If you can come up with a working solution, please post your results.


P.S. The inspiration behind this idea came from the adjustable tension wrenches made by John Falle. I wanted to use a material which is available to anyone. I change wiper blades regularly as part of my job, and as a result, I have a plentiful supply of these stainless steel strips. If anyone has an idea, but no material, please post instructions on how to make your idea and I will try it, then post the result with pics of the finished product.


After trying these tension wrenches and comparing them to standard ones, I used the other ones I prefer (as another comparison). These are basically a standard twist-flex wrench, but with a slight bend in the tang which is inserted into the keyway. This slight bend allows a tighter fit into differently sized keyways, and give better feedback, as the wrench can now be considered an extension of the plug.

See here:

[CitySpider]

I don't have a prototype in front of me to play with, but if I did, I'd try to just tie them together. Get some decent thread and use a constrictor hitch. If possible, file a notch in each shank to keep them from sliding around.

Just a thought. Might be wrong, since I'm thinking abstract.

[CitySpider]

Sure could use an edit button.

I'm not suggesting that as a permanent solution, although it'd probably work just fine -- I'm just suggesting it as a way of seeing if securing the shanks would work.

[Absinthe]

If you have a drill small enough, perhaps a lettered drill, or a small dremel point, perhaps you could peen a small nail as a rivet. On the other comment, I don't see why a little JB weld wouldn't stick to it, or if it was placed all the way around it would "hitch" it anyway.

Just a thought. On another note, they are darn pretty!