Adjustable spanner

**mklotz** · Sep 13, 2015, 03:30 PM

An adjustable spanner made which accepts pins on one end and blades on the other. Pins and blades are made to size as needed. Blade spanners are used with lens retaining rings, among other uses.

**Paul Jones** · Sep 13, 2015, 03:42 PM

Marv, what type of steel did you use and what are the diameters of the rods? Looks like a really handy tool for working on optics.

**mklotz** · Sep 13, 2015, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by Paul Jones

Marv, what type of steel did you use and what are the diameters of the rods? Looks like a really handy tool for working on optics.

The rods are 3/8" OD and are made of genuine scrapbinium. In my experience, instrument spanners are seldom used to apply a lot of torque so strength is not a big concern. For really small pins you might want to make them of drill rod and harden and temper them.

**Paul Jones** · Sep 13, 2015, 04:34 PM

Thanks. My favorite source for hardened small pins are the pins from old teletype tape punches. Regards, Paul Jones

**mklotz** · Sep 13, 2015, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by Paul Jones

Thanks. My favorite source for hardened small pins are the pins from old teletype tape punches. Regards, Paul Jones

Yeah, me too. The points in my slide hammer prick punches are made from them.

I guess we're showing our age by talking about teletypes. I think my entire supply of 6-40 nuts and bolts comes from one I cannabalized.

**Paul Jones** · Sep 13, 2015, 05:26 PM

Yes, I used my first computer in 1968 using punch cards for a CDC 6400 mainframe and then in grad school with 10 baud teletypes using search, replace and list line editors. When we upgraded to 30 baud teletypes we thought things we flying off the pages. By the time I finished my PhD in 1978, we were using full screen editors and the teletypes were being sold for scrap metal (and my lifetime supply of 6-40 hardware). Fast forward to today and we are doing everything in Java and moving to HTML5 and its looking more like back to the future for me.

**Mike Walton** · Sep 13, 2015, 05:40 PM

excellent work on the spanner!!!

**kbalch** · Sep 14, 2015, 04:26 PM

Thanks Marv! I've added your Adjustable Spanner to our Miscellaneous category, as well as to your builder page: mklotz's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Adjustable Spanner by mklotz

tags: spanner, adjustable