Tools you never knew you needed until you got one

[fausto99]

https://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&page=art_detail&isMobile=&parentID=1368&groupID=1500&artID=34171
On tour.

I don't see any prices on this site. Do they not sell to the public direct?

[Brucey]

.......BTW torx heads exist for one reason only; they allow a higher torque between the tool and the fastener (than allen keys) when space is at a premium.

cheers

Why on earth are they used on sixbolt disc rotor set screws and evenmore puzzling on BB7 static pad adjusters

Size for size, torx fittings allow about twice the torque to be applied vs allen key fittings.

In standard (ish) fasteners there are few choices for rotor fastening; the fastener heads need to be shallow (so that hexagon heads need to be machined thinner than usual (which I usually do BTW)) otherwise they gouge lumps out of the fork. If a standard allen key screw is used, the socket is shallower and/or smaller than is required; a 3mm hex won't cut it and a 4mm one is marginal too; even torx fittings occasionally round out (in the LBS about one in four replacement discs is only able to be fitted by use of the angle grinder on one or more of the old bolt heads) but with allen key fittings it would be almost inevitable that this would happen on a regular basis.

The BB5/BB7 fixed pad adjuster is made of aluminium. If the FPA starts to bind, it rounds out easily enough even though it has a torx fitting. If it had an allen key fitting it would be almost useless.

The selection of torx screws for brake blocks is entirely pragmatic too; most multitools have a torx bit of the correct size these days (for disc bolts) so why not use torx fittings in place of other potentially troublesome small allen key fittings?

cheers

[reohn2]

I reckon on disc rotor bolts with torx heads,round out far easier than button head allen bolts whether 3mm or 4mm.
These bolts aren't torqued up much,6 Nm max isnt a lot.
IMO it's the thread lock that kills the torx heads when the bolts need removing,which leads to a need for more aggressive means to remove them.
Perhaps less thread lock on the first couple of threads may work better or shock horror,no thread lock at all and regular checking the bolts could also work.

[Brucey]

I reckon on disc rotor bolts with torx heads,round out far easier than button head allen bolts whether 3mm or 4mm...

what can I say, legions of trained engineers would vehemently disagree with you, and with good reason.

Disc bolts need to be done up pretty tight to work properly and (in the real world) often seize up badly enough that they fail anyway. Using cheesy little allen key bolts (which might be OK on a bottle cage but little else) instead of torx is just a recipe for trouble.

If you are going to bother to change to a different fastener, the best bet is non-standard bolts with hexagon heads anyway.

cheers

[elPedro666]

I've only one word to add to this, and that is 'Centrelock' [emoji6]

DOUBLE the torque of an equivalent alan though, that amazes me! Although thinking about the points of contact (presumably for the first time) I can kinda see how that could be the case...

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[Neil C]

Those Knipex pliers wrenches look like wonderful tools, but I was having trouble justifying the price. However having just saved £70 by querying my car insurance renewal I decided to reward myself!

A 125mm example has just been ordered from Westfalia for £31.99 (Free delivery today). An early Christmas present to myself.

https://www.westfalia.net/shops/tools/h ... 400-mm.htm

[fastpedaller]

BTW with a well-seized nut, it is good to know when the nut is about to round off and to stop before then. A good trick to have up your sleeve is to be able to 'massage' the nut a little if necessary; in this a heavy bolster is placed behind the nut and it is struck on the opposite face. This is repeated on all three opposed pairs of faces, and often is enough to break the bonds of corrosion. If a strong set of grips or a bench vice can be applied, the nut can simply be squeezed instead. The reason this works is that there is always some radial clearance in the screw thread, which is filled with rust etc. Massaging the nut helps to break this rust up.
Similarly giving a smart tap on the end of a fastener can help it break free; the shock waves can help to break up the corrosion.


cheers

I've found it can also be helpful to TIGHTEN the nut to assist in the process - although that may seem counter-productive to most.

[gloomyandy]

I'm sure I'd read somewhere that one of the reasons for the increased use of torx was that they are easier/better to use with automated tools as the tool will "self centre" when inserted.

[reohn2]

I'm sure I'd read somewhere that one of the reasons for the increased use of torx was that they are easier/better to use with automated tools as the tool will "self centre" when inserted.

Sounds more like it .

[akc1]

Those Knipex pliers wrenches look like wonderful tools, but I was having trouble justifying the price. However having just saved £70 by querying my car insurance renewal I decided to reward myself!

A 125mm example has just been ordered from Westfalia for £31.99 (Free delivery today). An early Christmas present to myself.

https://www.westfalia.net/shops/tools/h ... 400-mm.htm

Back to £4.99 delivery charge

[Neil C]

Go to the homepage and scroll across the large banner to find "Free Shipping Week". Or just trust me and use "FreeShipWeek" as a voucher code.

I only found it by accident and it runs out today. That's what tipped me into buying.

[akc1]

Go to the homepage and scroll across the large banner to find "Free Shipping Week". Or just trust me and use "FreeShipWeek" as a voucher code.

I only found it by accident and it runs out today. That's what tipped me into buying.

Thank you - good trick, seems to have worked.

[Gattonero]

I never understood the need for torx head bolts especially on bicycles Allen head bolts work just as well and were already an industry standard,other than the silly imperial and metric differences,and don't get me on about phillips and pozidrive headed screws ,
Slotted headed screw heads should be consigned to history,an accident waiting to happen IMO.

Where you must have a low profile bolt, the Torx wins hands down as you only need a very limited depth to have a reliable purchase and the bolt won't round off.
Try to service (the ones that can be serviced!) an electronic component that does use small screws, the mini-torx ones are very easy to do, you certainly don't want to deal with a 1.5mm allen or a mini-philips screw, or imagine a 2mm flanged nut!

Imagine if you had a T50 in the inner face of the pedals, I bet there would be no chance for "seized" pedals anymore, unless you had such bad corrosion that the crank thread would be compromised as well.
Torx bolts are great, they hold so much torque that a seized bolt is unlikely to become a problem. Hopefully in the future will be used more!

[Gattonero]

There are sockets, open-ended and ring spanners which are shaped so they work on the flat (rather than the corners) of the hex head of the nut/bolt. These have got me out of many a 'rounded off nut' situation.

Yes but when you have a soft material like plastic, it won't stand a chance: the corner get rounded off. Better grip from the square sides, is the only chance you have.
My friend was chuffed that we could get the air compressor back to work!

[niggle]

Old topic but I recently bought a JIS screwdriver https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vessel-Megador ... 8938&psc=1 and now finally I can turn mech screws and brake adjustment screws without the tool slipping off and/or chewing them up, the perfect engagement is a revelation.