Ep2 of You're Using a Torque Wrench Wrong: Mythbusting

Babying torque wrenches with folk lore to death for a % point here and there sometimes feels like arguing over procedure & brand of shovel to perform surgery. The best shovel is still gunna be a shovel :D Torque wrenches are sloppy but effective tools. We're for sure making some sweeping generalizations here on topics that could probably use 10's or 100's more test cases, but if a few % points bother you then you might be using the wrong tool. Measuring how much grunt you used to turn a bolt from a certain lever length is going to get you in a ROUGH wheelhouse of bolt clamping tension on the best of days, engineers know this and have to factor it in. Take bolt stretch measurements or ultrasonic readings off of bolt heads if precision very much matters for your application.

I don’t need a torque wrench, my arm is calibrated to +/- 75% 😂

Man, the accuracy of that $40 digital torque adapter is wild!

The threadlocker rabbit hole is definitely something I'd love to see explored more on the channel. Loctite alone has multiple flavors of blue medium strength with different cure times, strengths, recommended thread coarseness, and oil & heat resistances.

So the expiration date on thread lock is not just marketing gimmick. That is interesting!

We absolutely want to see a "how they fake it" video. In fact, what would be really fun is a video where you guys attempt to produce the rated torque figures from various impacts using varied materials and bolt construction. Maybe coarse vs fine threads as well? The theory being more threads creating more surface area to affect the friction.

I used to calibrate torque wrenches for Ford Motor Company on BLM calibration benches. I know from experience, that dropping sometimes does mess with the calibration. Double hitting it does over-torque the bolt or nut. You can use a torque wrench for loosening BUT its not advised. All in all torque wrenches are much more sturdy and stronger than most would think, I mean the guys on the assembly line absolutely RAPED them, and they still torqued within spec. Awesome video.

My Grandfather was a machines and his reason for "go smooth" for torque wrenches was so your body can react to stop when it reaches the number (at that time, most all split-beam) or clicks so you don't keep pulling past the number. Less about smoothness and more about body reaction time slowing down as you approach the max. You can go as fast as you want up to near the threshold.

The most surprising part of this video was the Loctite......and how accurate the cheap digital torque adapter is. Think i'm gonna pick one up for my mobile kit.

In the mid-90's I was Ingersoll-Rand's tech support guy for all tools (in Canada), and then later moved to one of their largest distributors as a technical specialist in 2002-2005. At the distributor was the time when Computer-Controlled Electric Torque tools were starting to be adopted by large Automotive OEMs along with some Aerospace manufacturers, who were starting to adopt the CCET tools for their accuracy and also data logging capabilities (we carried IR but also Cooper Tools digital boxes along with Bosch Production tools), so I have a decent amount of understanding of torque/tension applications, and also was the guy that did the calibration of these torque tools. I have some really interesting stories on the topic, best not shared here in the interest of brevity (Cooper Tools stole my ideas for their second-gen box for instance) So your channel is fascinating for me. First off, it amazes me just how far torque measurement has come in the last 20 years, and just how cheap it has become for your average Joe to acquire serious and accurate torque measurement devices, and how interesting it has become (ref: your channel) to MANY people.. Very cool, keep up the interesting work.

I had no idea digital torque adapters were a thing. Gonna get one to see if my old click type is accurate

I've always felt the smooth travel idea was more to address the human element, rather than the torque wrench itself

Honestly, the end of this video blew me away. I’m only buying small bottles of loctite now.

"full lube tech on his first day" such a great description.😂

that tekton wrench is one of my all time favorite $30 purchases

Thanks for covering something almost everyone that ever owned a torque wrench has asked.

Just the LocTite expiring info was worth the watch! Bravo!

The problem with playing with stiction numbers is that there's no formula that covers even most applications. When you're dealing with oil pipelines in north america there's a rotational speed specified on the wrenches that you're to follow and there are even some bolts with over-under based on number of threads engaged (tho generally if you're using nuts on the bolts that's immaterial) and your stiction can vary "wildly" with temperature, humidity, altitude, diameter and the given quality of a batch of bolts or nuts based on how fresh the tool that made them was. So given that nearly 100% of the torques you're told to apply are around 110% of necessary, arguing over which mouse farted in the outhouse is kinda pointless. When it becomes important you get instructions to "torque to x, back off to y, then torque to z" and by god follow those instructions.

You can actually freeze loctite off too, I've seen blue melt at 27°F after being hard frozen at -80°F and the older the loctite is the more sensitive to moisture, electricity and other effects it will be. Loctite is also not meant to be exposed (open to air) as this can cause it to wick-in things that destroy it more readily.

New video idea: It would be really interesting if you guys could make some sort of dyno setup for shop vacs