Adjustable wrench: 125 years in everyday life

Any landlord has at home a set of necessary and necessary tools to help him cope with the breakdown, if suddenly a "nose-plucked" mixer, "zakaprunichala" water pipe or some nut introduces discord into the cozy atmosphere of the home. Such a set always includes a wrench. It is this tool - compact, easy to use and convenient - allows you to twist a nut of absolutely any size, without resorting to a tool change. At the present stage of life there are many varieties of this device, differing in form, material and kinematic properties.

The adjustable wrench has a long history - it totals one hundred and twenty five years. The prototype for creating this tool was, however strange it may sound, a human hand. Yes, it was this part of the body that served as the impetus for the creation in 1888 of the first such weapon. And afterwards, according to his prototype, all the other keys were made-flush, plumbing, self-clamping, wedge-type spanners.

The idea of creating this tool came to Yu. P. Johansson, a Swiss by birth. Proceeding from the fact that a person uses only his hand, wishing to take an object of any size, he suggested that it is possible to create a tool similar to her, which will be suitable for nuts of all diameters. Thanks to this idea, a wrench appeared, called "iron hand".

Having undergone a huge number of modifications and improvements, this tool has survived to this day, remaining as indispensable in everyday life and enjoying the great respect of all masters.

This device, as a rule, is made of two kinds of steel: carbonaceous, containing no additives such as chromium, manganese, vanadium, and alloying (with the addition of chromium, titanium, silicon, nickel, etc.).

"Iron hands" differ not only in chemical composition, but also in the way of processing: it can be mechanical or thermal.

In order to protect the adjustable wrench from corrosion, it is coated with special compounds: chrome, oxide or phosphoric. Modern tools have a huge number of modifications and options that are more convenient than their previous counterparts.

Due to rubberized coatings and plastic inserts, they can be used even at sub-zero temperatures. However, the most durable is still the usual metal keys.

The adjustable wrench consists of three parts: a handle with an I-section, a worm gear and sponges. A stationary sponge on almost all instruments has a ruler that allows you to set the required amount of "throat". It should be borne in mind that the length of the handle directly depends on the maximum size of the nut, the work with which the key can "take".

The main rule of storage of this tool is to clean it from dirt. Such unpretentiousness in care, durability, versatility and ease of use make this device an excellent friend of any plumber, mechanic and ordinary man who considers himself the master of the house.