# what's the proper name for a flat skinny wrench



## diy888 (Jan 18, 2009)

I am trying to adjust a retaining nut that has a jam nut next to it. Their combined width is that of standard hex nut. I need a thin flat wrench. Is there a proper name for that kind of wrench?


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Thin wrench open ended got lots of info----Thin Wrenches from Sears.com
Thinwrench | Custom Thin Wrenches 

For a one time special use----consider simply grinding an old wrench until it fits----

If you have a grinder---and a junk wrench----that would save you a search and get the job done ---


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## diy888 (Jan 18, 2009)

oh'mike said:


> Thin wrench open ended got lots of info----Thin Wrenches from Sears.com
> Thinwrench | Custom Thin Wrenches
> 
> For a one time special use----consider simply grinding an old wrench until it fits----
> ...


Thanks for the links and suggestions. Could be "tappet wrench" is what I want to search for --a lot of "flat" wrenches look pretty thick to me. They seem to be for suited more for narrow places than for half-thickness jam nuts.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Finding thin wrenches has always been a problem for me----I lost a colet wrench for one of my routers

Big thing---I never have replaced it----for smaller wrenches I just grind down a junk wrench---If you don't have a bench grinder--you will need to search out a set of thin wrenches.


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

diy888 said:


> I am trying to adjust a retaining nut that has a jam nut next to it.


Cup and cone hub on a bicycle, or something similar? Park Tools, or Pedro's for thin cone wrenches 13mm and up. If you need SAE, the only ones I know of these days are the Zog's Mike linked.

If you have a scroll saw, it's not hard to make your own from 2mm flat stock.


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## Davejss (May 14, 2012)

Shelly Duvall. Oh, you said WRENCH. My bad...


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## diy888 (Jan 18, 2009)

Davejss said:


> Shelly Duvall. Oh, you said WRENCH. My bad...


:tongue_smilie:


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## diy888 (Jan 18, 2009)

ratherbefishin' said:


> Cup and cone hub on a bicycle, or something similar? Park Tools, or Pedro's for thin cone wrenches 13mm and up. If you need SAE, the only ones I know of these days are the Zog's Mike linked.
> 
> If you have a scroll saw, it's not hard to make your own from 2mm flat stock.


SAE.

It's an old drill press from the 1930s -- the quill spring housing is held to the head casting with the two half-height nuts: retaining nut and jam nut.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

When in a jamb with jamb nuts, consider drilling a shallow hole in two flats 180° apart and then use a hammer and punch in the holes to set the nut working alternate sides.


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## mae-ling (Dec 9, 2011)

cut/grind your own out of 1/4" metal plate.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

I vote for Shelly


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

diy888 said:


> I am trying to adjust a retaining nut that has a jam nut next to it. Their combined width is that of standard hex nut. I need a thin flat wrench. Is there a proper name for that kind of wrench?


Unless space is an issue, replace the jam nut with a full sized nut.:yes: And I vote for "slim wrench"


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## Chokingdogs (Oct 27, 2012)

They are called tappet wrenches, for automobile/general use. Cone wrenches when designed specifically for bicycle work. Some cone wrenches have very large heads, like for bottom bracket or headset use.

Like said above though, no need to seek them out, just get a sacrificial "regular" wrench in the proper size and grind that bad boy down to the needed thickness.


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