Technical Torque Wrench care and storage

I have a pair of Craftsman beam types, one a 3/8 drive and the other a 1/2. I've checked them a couple of times over the last 20 years against a freshly calibrated clicker and they have always been real close. I'll stick with them, and let the guys who can hear use the clickers.

 

I retired from aviation after 60 years of wrenching. We had a calibration company in "Vegas, where I worked. Our headquarters was in MSP, we had stations in Ord, Dfw ,Mia, Las,etc. Cost wise it was less expensive to route all or tools needing calibration to LAS on one our airplanes and one of extra duties was to make sure the cal guy picked them up/ returned them. We got quick turn around, I had 3 wrenches of my own ( Yes, the company allowed that and paid for their calibration) He told me the beam type rarely needed "Tweaking" but Sears was another story. Also HF were seldom off.

 

Back when I bought my vintage Craftsman torque wrench I couldn't afford a clicker type so I bought a 9 dollar beam torque wrench, it was surprisingly accurate when I borrowed a clicker and com paired the specs. HRP

 

Three that I use when I want to do work and a "show off dial" CDI that I never use. Bought the beams in 1962.

 

The only issue I have with the beam style is the odd time you get into a position underhood where you cant read the numbers easily. Intake manifold not a problem but head bolts at 140 lbs. your really reefing on them.

 

We had torque wrenches 6 ft long that read up to 600 lb ft . Used them on pipeline compressors . 4 in hex connecting rod nuts . That is what I thing of when we talk about the good old days . That work would kill a young man fast .

 

The only bar type torque wrench I have, is the really small one I bought exclusively for adjusting the aluminum Powerglide low bands in my Bracket Car transmissions; an inch pound torque wrench. In total, I have 7 torque wrenches, six of them the clicker style. I tell my friends I use the little inch pound one for adjusting the spring tension in my wind up watches, and some of them actually believe me (???); they're not really car guys. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

...and they're not really watch guys!

 

I have an old P. A. Sturtevant beam type that I got when I was a teenager. I've got a clicker too but the beam type just seems more natural to me. I've got a Craftsman beam type that I picked up at a yard sale for practically nothing a few years back.