Making a tension wrench

by **AmbiguousD** » 17 Feb 2005 20:18

I tried making a tension wrench tension weight or whatever thing out of a small screwdriver with the perfect size flat head by bending it to a 90 degree angle. It wouldnt bend so I tried heating it with a lighter for about 10 minutes. Still nothing and then it broke. Anyone have an easier way of making a tension wrench without using anything complex.

by **milligan** » 17 Feb 2005 20:21

Ground down hex wrench, wiper blade, or those thick hair pins (I forget what they're called exactly).

by **AmbiguousD** » 17 Feb 2005 20:27

thanks ill try them and see what i get..

what i meant in the first post was torque tool....

by **AmbiguousD** » 17 Feb 2005 20:28

I think I have an extra wiper blade to try...

by **digital_blue** » 17 Feb 2005 23:58

Junior hacksaw blades are cheap and work well. I've never tried heating them with a lighter, but it would probably work because it doesn't take very much heat. The thing I've found is that you need to effect the bend as soon as the metal becomes pliable, then quench immediately (and I do mean immediately). If you let it get too hot (glowing bright red) the tool become brittle.

Hope this helps.

db

by **xodishox** » 18 Feb 2005 0:39

street sweeper bristle is great material for tension/torque tools, just bend to the desired shape at a 45 degree angle, then bend it to about 85 - 88 degree angle if you havnt heated it, if you want a 90 degree angle, you can use those $30 soldering tools that use gas

by **AmbiguousD** » 18 Feb 2005 20:52

thanks for the tips...I am making a "simple" diamond pick as we speak out of a thin metal ruler. I mean really thin and its a little flimsy so it flexes but doesnt bend... Is that a bad thing to use...

by **omelet** » 19 Feb 2005 12:24

its hard to know how well a metal ruler would do, since they come in all varieties. I take it that by "flexing but not bending" means that it can bend easily without plastically deforming. This is definitely a more desireable quality in a pick than being brittle; at least if it is about to break, you'll know before it snaps off in some lock suddenly (it will yield first).
Just try it out, see how it works, and let us all know.

by **scrub** » 19 Feb 2005 18:49

Bend a 16 penny nail either file flat or heat it and pound it with a hammer.

by **xodishox** » 19 Feb 2005 23:51

call your local council and ask them if street sweepers go by your street/streets nearby and ask them how often do they come by.

by **xmetallicaxguitaristx** » 20 Feb 2005 0:26

no no no...i have a perfect tension wrench that is THE easiest to make and has good results. you know those screwdriver type keys for cheap locks (with small round hole) that go on rooms in houses? well take that, stick it into a keyway and simply just bend the screw part at 90 degrees. what i use for a pick is a simple rake pick i made. what i also found works very good, is a safety pin bent towards the end. (see pics)

heres the tension wrench:
http://s8.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12G66 ... W74NL3H6UD

heres the safety pin:
http://s8.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0UCG4 ... RW00EQQNUS[/img]

by **jessopher** » 5 Mar 2005 0:25

ive made a few out of metal skewers, If you have a vice, a pair of pliers, and some sort of grinding tool, anything thats wide enough and you cant bend with your fingers will do.

On a side note, i was eyballing some peterson gear at their site the other day, and saw 'serrated tension tools', and decided to make some myself. Basically, once youve formed the blade of the tension tool, you take a pair of wire cutters and smash little groves in the sides of it. I just got into tensioning the top of the keyway, and the serration really does help keep the tension tool from sproinging out 5 minutes into a picking session.

by **Guesss** » 14 Mar 2005 22:35

one thought on the lighter thing would be to go out and get one of those cigar lighters ot the ones that are wind proof.. anyway the ones that shoot out a flame. that will heat a lot better then a normal lighter and they are refillable and also aren't really that expensive. but careful how hot you heat too hot is bad

watch pyro's video talks about temps and heating and quenching

by **stick** » 15 Mar 2005 0:32

Do you mean butane lighters? They are affected by the wind, but not nearly as much, and some have a little ball of a random chemical that turns the flame green/blue/etc.

by **Guesss** » 15 Mar 2005 0:37

no there are some that are like posket torches and i know what you are talking about but these shoot out fast and hard like a cutting torch or heating torch. you can get them at gass stations.

Making a tension wrench

Making a tension wrench

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