The pipe wrench (US), Stillson wrench or Stillsons (UK) is an adjustable wrench used for

turning soft iron pipes and fittings with a rounded surface. The design of the adjustable jaw
allows it to lock in the frame, such that any forward pressure on the handle tends to pull the jaws
tighter together. Teeth angled in the direction of turn dig into the soft pipe. They are not intended
for use on hardened steel hex nuts or other fittings because they would ruin the head; however, if
a hex nut is soft enough that it becomes rounded beyond use with standard wrenches, a pipe
wrench is sometimes used to break the bolt or nut free. Pipe wrenches are usually sold in the
following sizes (by length of handle): 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 36, and 48 inches, although smaller and
larger sizes are available as well. They are usually made of cast steel. Today, aluminum is also
used to construct the body of the wrench, while the teeth and jaw remain steel. Teeth, and jaw
kits (which also contain adjustment rings and springs) can be bought to repair broken wrenches,
as this is cheaper than buying a new wrench.
The first pipe, or stillson, wrench was created by Daniel C. Stillson while working as a mechanic
at the Walworth Company, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[1] On October 12, 1869, U.S. patent
#95,744 was issued to Stillson.[2]
In Prince Edward Island, Canada there is some controversy over the true creator of the wrench.
In the island folklore, the wrench was developed by Owen "Iney" McCluskey[3] (or McCloskey[4]),
although no proof has ever been presented that would suggest that McCluskey and Stillson ever
met.
On 17 August 1888 the Swedish inventor Johan Petter Johansson took his first patent on
the adjustable pipe wrench.[5] The Swedish Patent Office issued the patent (SE 5636) again in
1894. The idea emerged after he established his company Enkpings Mekaniska Verkstad. Back
then there was no standard on nut dimensions so each time a trades man was out on a job, he
needed a trolley to take a whole set of fixed pipe wrenches with him. Johan Petter Johansson
invented a tool that could grip different nuts dimensions.[6]

Its been three years since the last post, but welcome back to our Toolmanship
series! The goal of this series is to teach the very basics of tool use to those men
who never got around to learning how to be handy when they were growing up.
In this edition, we turn our attention to wrenches (or spanners for our readers who
use British English). Theyre an essential tool to have in your toolbox and are used to
tighten and loosen nuts, bolts, screws, and pipes. Below well take a look at the most
common kinds of wrenches and how to use them.

General Wrench Use Guidelines

Select the right wrench size for the job. To avoid damaging your fastener or
yourself, always select a wrench jaw size that corresponds to the fastener youre
tightening or loosening. Also, make sure your wrenchs jaw is in complete contact
with the fastener before applying pressure. These two things will go a long way in
preventing your wrench from slipping and you swearing about a bruised knuckle.

When using a wrench, its best to pull (see left image). If you do need to push, use the heel of your hand. That way if
the wrench slips, you wont bark a knuckle.

Pull, dont push. When using a wrench, you typically want to position yourself so
that you pull it instead of push it. This ensures you dont bark a knuckle whenever
the wrench slips off the fastener. If you do need to push a wrench, use the heel of
your hand, that way if the wrench slips, you wont hurt yourself.

Dont use a cheater bar to gain more leverage. You risk damaging the tool or injuring yourself. If you need more
leverage, get a longer wrench.

Dont add more leverage with pipe. You may have seen your dad put a longer
piece of pipe over his wrench to gain more leverage when tightening a fastener. You
should avoid using cheater bars for several reasons. First, they can damage your
wrench by bending the handle or jacking up the head. Second, because of the added
torque you get with the extra leverage, you risk rounding your fastener if you dont
have the right wrench head for the job. Finally, theres a chance the cheater bar will
slip off the wrenchs handle while youre turning, causing harm to you or others. If
you need more leverage, use a longer wrench. If you have a particularly stubborn

fastener, apply some penetrating oil (like Liquid Wrench) to the thread, wait a few
minutes, and then try loosening.
Dont hit a wrench with a hammer. Unless you have a special strike face wrench
thats designed for being hit with an object, dont take a hammer to your wrench in
order to get more power to turn a stubborn fastener. You risk damaging your wrench.
Dont use a damaged wrench. If the handle is bent or the jaws look wider than
theyre supposed to be, dont use it.
Buy quality wrenches. Good wrenches last longer; cheap wrenches slip more
easily. Personally, Im a Craftsman fan. Theyve got a lifetime warranty on all their
hand tools. If a wrench ever bends or breaks, you can take into a Sears or Ace and
theyll replace it for free, no questions asked (some sales associates might give you
guff). I dont have any affiliation with Craftsman whatsoever its just what I use.

Types of Wrenches and How to Use Them

Adjustable Wrench aka Crescent Wrench

This should be your first wrench you buy if youre just starting your tool collection
one big and one small. An adjustable wrench has one fixed jaw and one adjustable
jaw which allows you to use it on a wide variety of fastener sizes. The jaws are
typically smooth and flat and designed for gripping square and hex nuts. The head of
a crescent wrench is usually angled at 22 1/2 degrees to the handle so that the
wrench can be flipped over to provide two different gripping positions in tight spaces.
How to Use a Crescent Wrench
While a crescent wrench is designed so that you can apply pressure on both the
fixed and movable jaws, ideally the bulk of your work should be done so that
pressure is only applied on the stronger, fixed jaw. Too much pressure on the
weaker, adjustable jaw can cause the wrench to break and you to bark a knuckle.
When placing the wrench on your nut, the adjustable jaw should be located on the
side towards which the rotation is to be performed. This puts the pressure on the
fixed jaw. Below is a nice little illustration showcasing this method:

Also, when you place your crescent on a bolt or nut, make sure the adjustable jaw is
snugly adjusted to the nut or bolt in order to prevent the wrench from slipping
and rounding the nut or bolt.
Open Wrench

An open wrench is a nonadjustable wrench that comes in a variety of sizes. You

usually buy them in sets (in both metric and standard SAE sizes), though you can
buy them individually if you want. There are a few advantages that open wrenches
offer over adjustable wrenches. First, because both jaws are fixed, you dont have to
worry about breaking an adjustable jaw. Second, theyre really handy to have when
youre tightening and loosening a bunch of nuts and bolts of the same size because
you dont have to readjust anything whenever you put wrench to bolt.
Makes tightening and loosening much faster than with an adjustable wrench.
How to Use an Open Wrench

Select the right size open wrench for the nut or bolt youre loosening or tightening.
Reposition the wrench on the fastener after each turn.
Box Wrench

A box wrench has an enclosed opening that looks like a ring. The enclosed opening
minimizes the risk of damaging your fastener. This kind of wench is typically used on
heavy-duty jobs. Box wrenches usually have a six-point or twelve-point recess and
are best used on hex-head fasteners. The twelve-point recess allows you to change
the position of the wrench on the nut with only a small handle movement. Some box
wrenches have an offset handle which allows for knuckle clearance over
obstructions on a flat surface. Youll also find box wrenches with a
ratcheting mechanism which allows for more efficient tightening and loosening.
How to Use a Box Wrench
Not much to it. Select the right size opening for the nut or bolt and start tightening or
loosening. Reposition the wrench on the fastener after each turn.
Combination Wrench

Youll typically find open and box wrenches on the same tool in the form of a
combination wrench. One end will be the open-end wrench; the other end is the box
wrench. Both ends generally fit the same size nut and bolt.

Socket Wrench

When youve got a lot of fastening to do, its time to put aside the crescent or openend wrench and reach for their more efficient brother, the socket wrench. A socket
wrench is a hand tool that has a ratcheting mechanism on the head which attaches
to various size sockets via a square nub. You can buy sets of sockets that fit every
conceivable fastener size (metric and SAE). If youre just starting your tool collection,
buy a socket wrench with a 3/8-inch-square driving mechanism and a socket set with
mostly six-point hex sockets the twelve-point variety can damage nuts and bolts if
you apply too much torque.
The biggest benefit of a socket wrench is the ratcheting device. The ratchet device
holds in place when you pull in one direction and releases when pulled in the
opposite direction. This allows you to quickly tighten a fastener without having to
remove and refit the wrench after each and every turn.
The long ratchet handle provides you some nice leverage so you can get plenty of
torque to loosen and tighten a bolt or nut. If you need less torque, use a nut driver
(see below).

How to Use a Socket Wrench

Make sure to get the right size socket for your fastener. Because a socket wrench
provides so much torque, its easy to round-off a nut or bolt if it isnt the right size.

Nut Driver

A nut driver looks sort of like a screwdriver, but has a socket wrench on the end.
Theyre typically used when less torque is needed when tightening or loosening a nut
or bolt.
Allen Wrench (aka Hex Key)

Youve probably gathered a nice collection of allen wrenches if youve bought

furniture from IKEA. Theyre those small little hockey stick looking things that come

with all the hardware for your bookcase. Allen wrenches are used on screws and
bolts with a hexagonal socket in the head. You can buy a set of allen wrenches in
a variety of sizes to match any job you may encounter. My set of allen wrenches has
come in handy more than I thought it would. Ive used them to change out rollerblade
wheels for Kate and on a bunch of projects for Gus.
Pipe Wrench

Pipe wrenches are used to tighten and loosen threaded pipes as well as for killing
unsuspecting socialites in a spooky mansions conservatory. A pipe wrench is an
adjustable wrench the top jaw moves up or down and has toothed jaws for
gripping onto pipe. The jaws on a pipe wrench are designed so that the top jaw (aka
the hook jaw) rocks a little bit in the frame of the wrench. Whenever you apply
forward pressure on the handle, the top and bottom jaws come closer together.
Pipe wrenches come in different sizes and are measured by the length of the handle.
A 14 pipe wrench will suffice for most household plumbing work. RIDGID is known
for their quality pipe wrenches.
How to Use a Pipe Wrench

Choose the appropriate size wrench for your job. When placing a pipe wrench on the
pipe, you want to maintain a small gap between the pipe and the back of the hook
jaw. Allowing the back of the hook jaw to come into contact with the pipe reduces the

gripping action of the wrench. A one-half-inch gap between the pipe and the back of
the hook jaw will do the trick.
Because of its teeth and strong grip, pipe wrenches can leave marks in whatever
youre tightening or loosening, so dont use a pipe wrench on your nice plumbing
fixtures. Save them for when youre working under the sink. Also, you shouldnt use
a pipe wrench on nuts and bolts. Youll damage the fastener.
A Wrench Set That Will Cover Pretty Much All Your Needs

If youre looking for a wrench set that will cover most of your needs, you cant go
wrong with the Craftsman 154-piece Mechanics Set. My in-laws got me this for
Christmas the year we bought our house. Its a giant, amazing box filled with
every conceivable socket youll ever need (in both metric and SAE sizes), ratchets in
1/4, 1/2, and 3/8-inch drive sizes, 12 combination wrenches, 21 nut driver bits, and
22 allen wrenches.
This is a great Christmas, groomsman, of housewarming gift for a young man.

A pipe wrench is a hardy tool, not given to easy breakage like a thin saw or a
drill bit. Heck, it's a weapon in the game of Clue. But if you forget to leave a
small space between the back of a wrench's hook jaw and the pipe you're
gripping, you could strip the teeth, bend the jaw, or damage the tightening nut.
A wrench's jaws aren't parallel, and their natural wedging action tightens
around the pipe as you turn.
"Leaving a space permits the jaws to tighten with just the right amount of give,"
says Chuck Stephens, director of service and training for Ridgid tools, who has
been using pipe wrenches professionally for thirty-seven years. If you forget the
space, you could turn your best wrench into a decorative piece of cast iron,
which is only a good thing if you're a blacksmith.

Most do-it-yourselfers are not familiar with an internal pipe wrench or a nipple
extractor, as it is sometimes called. However, this tool can be indispensible when
working in your home, especially on plumbing projects.

Imagine that you are trying to remove an old shower pipe. As you work to remove the
pipe, it breaks off at the wall. What do you do? You could try to pry the remaining

portion from the wall with a screwdriver or needle-nose pliers. However, these tools
arent made for this type of work and often dont get the job done and become
damaged in the process. An internal pipe wrench, however, can be inserted inside the

broken fitting and twisted to remove it. They are exceptionally inexpensive. Large ones
usually cost less than $10. They can be found at your local home improvement store.

Step 1Determine the Size of the Fitting

Before you head to your local home improvement store to purchase an internal pipe
wrench you want to make sure that you select the proper size. In order to do this, you

should examine the portion of the fitting that has broken off to determine the proper

size. This should be simple to determine if you measure the diameter of the pipe or
fitting. When you go to your home improvement center, you can purchase one internal
pipe wrench or a set.

Step 2Clamp the Internal Pipe Wrench

Once you have the internal pipe wrench, you are going to insert the non-moving end
into the mouth of an adjustable wrench. Depending on the size of the fitting, you may

have to purchase a new adjustable wrench. However, unless the fitting is very large, any
adjustable wrench should do the trick.

You should clamp the adjustable wrench onto the internal pipe wrench high enough so
that you can get a good grip and twist the wrench with ease.

Step 3Insert the Internal Pipe Wrench

Once the pipe wrench is securely inside the mouth of the adjustable wrench, you can

insert it into the broken fitting. You may have to maneuver it a little bit to get a good
bite, however. Once the wrench is inside the fitting and it is catching on the grooves
you can proceed to the next step.

Step 4Twist to the Left

Most pipe fitting will loosen when you turn to the left. However, you may encounter a
random fitting set the opposite way. Generally, however, once the internal pipe wrench
is inserted into the fitting, you can begin twisting to the left. You should work in a slow

and steady way so that the internal pipe wrench doesnt dislodge. Eventually, the

remaining portion of the fitting will release and you can remove the internal pipe
wrench from the wall.

There you have it. You can purchase an internal pipe wrench for under $10 and avoid a
pricey call to a plumber or even worse, cutting out a section of your wall.