When something goes wrong with their car, the first place the owner will check is their ankle. But if you are skilled or have a hobby that involves working in a workshop, you must have various workshop tools.
A key is one of the must-have tools. Of course, the key in question is not a door or lock key.
A unique workshop wrench is used to lock or tighten and loosen (remove) the bolts on the nuts in vehicle engines.
There are also different workshop wrenchs, each of which does something different. And here is a list of the workshop keys that are most common and used the most.
1. Spanner/Wrench
In a workshop, the wrench is the most important and most-used key. This wrench is shaped like a half-square with corners that look like nuts or bolts. Sizes of wrenches range from 6 mm to 36 mm.
The diameter of each wrench is also different. For example, the number 8 (8 mm diameter) is written on one side, and the number 9 is written on the other (9 mm diameter).
Most of the time, these keys are sold as a set with several wrenches of different sizes.
Machine nuts are often tightened or loosened with the help of a wrench. But a wrench is better because it can loosen the bolt from a side that a shock wrench or ring wrench can’t reach.
Wrenches are also very flexible, so they can be used to grab bolts in the middle of an iron or torsion bar.
2. Ring Wrenchs
Ring wrenchs are easy to tell apart because the ends are shaped like a hexagon. This key is like a wrench in that it can be used to turn things.
On the other hand, this key is usually used to tighten or loosen deep and narrow nuts.
Another benefit is that it can cover the whole outside of a bolt or nut when loosened or tightened. This will keep the bolt or nut from getting damaged as it is turned.
Not only that, but compared to a wrench, it has a stronger grip. This is because the ring wrench is made to look like the head of the bolt.
So, ring wrenches are often used to open or tighten bolts with the most force.
Like wrenches, these keys come in different sizes for the diameter. The ring wrench’s arm is also more extended so that more force is needed to use it than with a regular wrench.
3. Wrench Combination
As the name suggests, this key is a combination of a ring wrench and a wrench. This tool is called a “combination wrench” because each end does something different.
Even though the two ends are different, both have the same diameter. This means that if the diameter of the ring wrench is 10 mm, the diameter of the wrench on the other end is also 10 mm.
The ring wrench can be used for two things at once, making up for a job that can’t be done with just one tool.
Another benefit is tightening or loosening nuts and bolts from different angles. Because of these things, you don’t need any other tool to take off bolts or nuts.
4. Spark Plug
The following workshop key you must have is the key for the spark plug. Spark plug wrenches are made to make spark plugs easy to tighten and loosen.
Even the way it’s made makes it possible to get to hard-to-reach spots on the car’s engine.
This wrench is also made so that it doesn’t put too much force on the spark plug when it’s tightened. So that the head of the spark plug doesn’t get broken when it’s tightened.
The spark plug wrench is long, but it also has a magnet on the inside that makes it easier to take spark plugs apart and put them back together.
Spark plug wrenches come in different sizes that match the type of car that needs to be fixed. This key needs to be on hand as a safety measure if the engine, especially the spark plug, breaks down.
5. Shock Wrench
A key called a “shock wrench” or “socket wrench” is used to remove and install bolts or nuts on a vehicle, such as bolts on the axle, a “shock breaker,” or a “stirrup wrench.”
The shock wrench is made to reach bolts or nuts that are inside or in places where the wrench can’t reach. The shock wrench is usually a tube with a hole or holes in the middle.
At one end, there is either a six-sided hole or a twelve-sided hole, depending on the shape of the bolt head.
The benefit of the shock wrench is that the socket rod can grip the head of the bolt or nut well across its entire surface. This keeps the wrench from slipping and reduces damage.
Depending on what they do, there are different kinds of shock wrenchs, such as:
Based on Tube Short Length
There are three different kinds of long-tubed shock wrenchs: standard (short), semi-deep (medium), and deep (deep/long).
People often use this long tube to tighten or loosen bolts or nuts with moderate tightening moments.
The short-size tube is used to tighten or loosen bolts and nuts with a large tightening moment.
Based on the Number of Points in the Keyhole
Based on how many points it has, a shock wrench can be one of three types:
- 6 pt shock wrench: for large tightening moments.
- 12 pt shock wrench: used for small sliding angles.
- 8 pt shock wrench: this wrench is rarely used.
By Drive Hole Size
Depending on how big the drive hole is, the shock wrench can be broken into four parts:
- ¼ inch (0,06cm)
- 3/8 inch (0,9 cm)
- ½ inch(1,3 cm)
- ¾ inch (1,9 cm)
The size of this drive hole has a big effect on how tools that go with it can be used because different sizes can’t be switched out.
6. Wheel Wrench
The wheel wrench is easy to characterize, like a plus sign (+) with a socket of different sizes at each end. As the name implies, this wheel wrench removes and replaces wheel bolts on motorized vehicles.
Compared to a ring wrench, it does not require much force to remove or tighten the bolt when using a wheel wrench.
It is not surprising that the wheel wrench material is a steel bar with a hexagon-shaped socket head at the end.
7. Stopcock
The shape of the pipe wrench is made to fit the shape of the tube. As its name suggests, a pipe wrench is used to tighten pipes or round metal.
This wrench has jaws that can be moved to fit pipes or metal of different sizes.
A pipe wrench works almost the same way as a wrench, except it is only used for pipes or other tubular objects and not nuts.
8. Wrench
If no other wrench or ring key fits, the wrench is used as the workshop key.
Like wrenches and ring wrenches, wrenches are used to take off and put on bolts and nuts when the right wrench or ring wrench can’t be found.
It’s easy to use the wrench. First, turn the adjusting screw until the wrench is the right size for the nut head.
9. Ratchet Wrench
A ratchet wrench is a kind of key used to tighten or loosen nuts or bolts on the engine of a car. This key is part of the socket wrench and is used to hold the socket wrench or handle.
The ratchet can be attached to the socket head, changing in size to fit the nut.
The ratchet wrench has a special mechanism made up of a gear that can be turned in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
When nuts or bolts are still tight, you shouldn’t use a ratchet wrench—not also used on nuts and bolts that haven’t been put together yet.
This is because the ratchet wrench is meant to speed up the process of tightening or loosening.
10. L Key
As its name suggests, the L key looks like the letter L and comes in sizes from 2 mm to 22 mm. The L key comes in two different shapes: hexagonal and star-shaped.
With the head sticking out, the L key can be used to loosen or tighten the bolt. It works the same way as a ring wrench; just adjust it to the size of the hole in the bolt head.
11. Nepel Wrench
In English, this wrench is also called a “nipple wrench” or “flare nut spanner,” or ” flare nut spanner “.
At first glance, the nepel key looks like it fits perfectly, but when you look at it more closely, it looks more like a ring key, except it isn’t completely round and opens at the end.
Even on the inside, the shape of the key is not a perfect circle but a hexagon. This is changed to fit the hexagonal shape of the nut’s head.
The nipple wrench is used to loosen the hexagonal nut in the middle of the pipe. This wrench works especially well on nuts with low torque.
For example, take off the nut on the brake pipe and the injector line. Because of how it’s made, it’s much less likely to damage nuts and bolts than a ring wrench or wrench.
These are some common types of workshop keys used in workshop activities. Engine damage can be kept to a minimum by knowing the type and purpose of the workshop wrench.