I've bought a fair amount of stuff at auction too. But I
don't see how to put a box end wrench on a packing gland...
a big tubing wrench, maybe.


Dave wrote:
Only thing I've ever found that works is a couple of pipe wrenches.
Those stuffing box wrenches they sell just don't cut the mustard.

The cheap ones are almost impossible... the jaws are not
square nor parallel, and they don't lock worth a durn.

BTW the packing gland shouldn't really take that much
muscle, you use antisieze on the threads right?

I would not like to see somebody working around a packing
gland with pipe wrenches (a Stillson might be better)
because it would be too easy to bang up the shaft.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Cheap wrenches have no place on a boat. Measure your gland nuts and get two
decent wrenches that fit. Pipe wrenches and Stillsons will surely wreck the
nuts and then you will have to pull the shaft to fit new ones.
Edgar

"DSK" wrote in message
...
I've bought a fair amount of stuff at auction too. But I
don't see how to put a box end wrench on a packing gland...
a big tubing wrench, maybe.


Dave wrote:
Only thing I've ever found that works is a couple of pipe wrenches.
Those stuffing box wrenches they sell just don't cut the mustard.

The cheap ones are almost impossible... the jaws are not
square nor parallel, and they don't lock worth a durn.

BTW the packing gland shouldn't really take that much
muscle, you use antisieze on the threads right?

I would not like to see somebody working around a packing
gland with pipe wrenches (a Stillson might be better)
because it would be too easy to bang up the shaft.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

"Edgar" wrote:
Cheap wrenches have no place on a boat.


Cheap tools... in the sense of ones that will not perform
their function... have no place anywhere people are trying
to get things done.

If you like to cut your knuckles & waste time, then they're
fine.

... Measure your gland nuts and get two
decent wrenches that fit. Pipe wrenches and Stillsons will surely wreck the
nuts

Pipe wrenches are more likely to, Stillsons less so IMHO.
But you can get a tighter grip & more leverage in tight
places with a sawed-off Stillson than almost anything else.

... and then you will have to pull the shaft to fit new ones.


Depends on where the chewed-up spot is. The worst that is
likely to happen IMHO is that you'll knock it somewhat out
of balance, cause a hot spot, and raise a large burr that
will make it harder to repack (the burr will catch & tear at
the packing material... ask me how I know).


Dave wrote:
What utter nonsense. If I were a professional mechanic it would be one
thing. But to buy premium tools for something I do once a year at most
would be just plain nuts.


I'm not sure that's what Edgar was saying... now if Bobsprit
went in for doing any sort of mechanical or electrical work,
of course he would buy only the most expensive designer
yuppie tools, the ones with the best advertising.

OTOH anybody with the skill to *use* a particular tool in
the first place can probably chose one that is very good
from a low-cost source... flea markets, for example.

DSK

Pipe wrenches are more likely to, Stillsons less so IMHO.


Dave wrote:
Not sure I follow why this would be the case. Can you explicate?

The adjustable jaw on a Stillson is flat to match the flats
of the nut; and is also more rigid to the handle but it
pivots to tighten on the nut. A pipe wrench's adjustable jaw
is almost free-floating and is rounded to grab a pipe, if
you don't get it set just so, or pull it at a slight angle,
it will jump off and bang the crap out of everything in the
neighborhood.

Of course, when you want to work on pipes... or something
that's really stuck bad... and don't care about leaving a
smooth surface behind you, a big-ass pipe wrench is the real
deal.

DSK

Dave wrote:
Hmm. IIRC the ones I used had a flat (but toothed) adjustable jaw.

I've seen ones with a small pattern tooth, and some old ones
that had a grip pattern like knurling. But never seen a
Stillson with big teeth like a pipe wrench.


... The
adjusting mechanism is like a regular pipe wrench, however.

It's somewhat different, the Stillson jaw is captive on two
bars with the adjustment screw between them.

If you turn it over, a Stillson makes a better hammer too



DSK

I said 'decent ones that fit'
You do not need premium tools because it is doubtful if any other nuts on
your boat are as big as those gland nuts so the wrench will not be used
often. Suitable ones for that are cheap enough.
If a prospective purchaser of your boat saw gland nuts vandalised by use of
pipe wrenches he would ask himself what else you might have cut corners on
to save the odd dollar and walk away from your boat.
Edgar


"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 21:29:52 +0200, "Edgar"
wrote:

Cheap wrenches have no place on a boat. Measure your gland nuts and get
two
decent wrenches that fit. Pipe wrenches and Stillsons will surely wreck
the
nuts and then you will have to pull the shaft to fit new ones.

What utter nonsense. If I were a professional mechanic it would be one
thing. But to buy premium tools for something I do once a year at most
would be just plain nuts.

Ya wanna feel self-satisfied and important about what you use, be my
guest. Huff and puff a little.

Edgar wrote:
If a prospective purchaser of your boat saw gland nuts vandalised by use of
pipe wrenches he would ask himself what else you might have cut corners on
to save the odd dollar and walk away from your boat.

Maybe so. I'm rather critical myself of machinery that looks
chewed around the edges by improper use of tools.


That's why, when I use a pipe wrench or vise grips on some
piece of fine precision machinery, I take a small mill file
& emory cloth to the flats when I'm done. Dresses them up
better than new. I also carry small cans of spray primer.



I only wish somebody would invent a vise grip to get hold of
the inside of an Allen head bolt.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

My favorite bit is an easyout. :-)

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"DSK" wrote in message
.. .
Edgar wrote:
If a prospective purchaser of your boat saw gland nuts vandalised by use
of
pipe wrenches he would ask himself what else you might have cut corners
on
to save the odd dollar and walk away from your boat.

Maybe so. I'm rather critical myself of machinery that looks chewed around
the edges by improper use of tools.


That's why, when I use a pipe wrench or vise grips on some piece of fine
precision machinery, I take a small mill file & emory cloth to the flats
when I'm done. Dresses them up better than new. I also carry small cans of
spray primer.



I only wish somebody would invent a vise grip to get hold of the inside of
an Allen head bolt.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

"Capt. JG" wrote:

My favorite bit is an easyout. :-)

Of course you would, gay boy...did you learn that in the gay "hot tubs?"

LP