A wrench or spanner is a
tool used to provide grip and
mechanical advantage in applying
torque to turn objects—usually rotary
fasteners, such as
nuts
Nut often refers to:
* Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds
* Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt
Nut or Nuts may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
and
bolts—or keep them from turning.
In the
UK,
Ireland,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, and
New Zealand ''spanner'' is the standard term. The most common shapes are called ''open-ended spanner'' and ''ring spanner''. The term ''wrench'' is generally used for tools that turn non-fastening devices (e.g. tap wrench and pipe wrench), or may be used for a
monkey wrench—an adjustable
pipe wrench.
In
North American English, ''wrench'' is the standard term. The most common shapes are called ''open-end wrench'' and ''box-end wrench''. In
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
, ''spanner'' refers to a specialized wrench with a series of pins or tabs around the circumference. (These pins or tabs fit into the holes or notches cut into the object to be turned.) In American commerce, such a wrench may be called a ''spanner wrench'' to distinguish it from the British sense of ''spanner''.
Higher quality wrenches are typically made from
chromium
Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...
-
vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer ( pas ...
alloy
tool steels and are often
drop-forged. They are frequently
chrome-plated
Chrome plating (less commonly chromium plating) is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. A chrome-plated item is called ''chrome''. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease o ...
to resist
corrosion and for ease of cleaning.
Hinged tools, such as
pliers or
tongs, are not generally considered wrenches in English, but exceptions are the
plumber wrench (pipe wrench in
British English) and
Mole wrench
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpi ...
(sometimes Mole grips in British English).
The word can also be used in slang to describe an unexpected obstacle, for example, "He threw a spanner in the works" (in U.S. English, "monkey wrench").
Etymology
gun of Sigismund III Vasa">Wheel-lock gun of Sigismund III Vasa: The original spanner had a square hole for turning the shaft (r.) of the wheel, which tensioned the mainspring. ''See also
§ External links''">#External links">§ External links''
'Wrench' is derived from
Middle English ''wrench'', from
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''wrenċ'', from
Proto-Germanic ''*wrankiz'' ("a turning, twisting"). First used in 1790.
["wrench"]
. ''Online Etymology Dictionary.''
'Spanner' came into use in the 1630s, referring to the tool for winding the spring of a
wheel-lock firearm. From
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
''Spanner'' (n.), from ''spannen'' (v.) ("to join, fasten, extend, connect"), from
Proto-Germanic ''*spannan'', from
PIE
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), brown sugar ( sugar pie), swe ...
root ''*(s)pen-'' ("to draw, stretch, spin").
Nuremberg hunting wheel-lock pistol with matching powder flask and built-in key / spanner(half-way down page) -->
History
Wrenches and applications using wrenches or devices that needed wrenches, such as pipe clamps and suits of armor, have been noted by historians as far back as the 15th century. Adjustable coach wrenches for the odd-sized nuts of wagon wheels were manufactured in England and exported to North America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The mid 19th century began to see patented wrenches that used a screw for narrowing and widening the jaws, including patented
monkey wrenches.
Most box end wrenches are sold as 12-point because 12-point wrenches fit over both 12-point and 6-point bolts. 12-point wrenches also offer a higher number of engagement points over 6-point. However, 12-point wrenches have been known to round off 6-point bolts as they provide less contact space.
Types
Other types of keys
These types of keys are not
emically classified as wrenches by English speakers, but they are etically similar in function to wrenches.
Size designations
Size is usually designated by dimensions such as across-flats distance (inscribed-hexagon size). In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it had been common to define the nominal size of the wrench according to the nominal size of the ''screw thread'' that it was meant to be used with. Modern practice uses a size designation based on across-flats distance, whether measured in metric or in inch units.
See also
*
List of screw drives
References
External links
*
*
Spanner for Nuremberg hunting wheel-lock pistol c1610 with matching powder flask and built-in key(half-way down page)
Additional background information and spanner jaw size table.
*
ttps://toolsmach.com/en/content/41-er-type-hook-wrenches ER Type Hook Wrenches
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Metalworking hand tools
Woodworking hand tools
Metallic objects