Skyler Hitz When I heard that, I said this vid is going to be good and "accurate"!!! 😂😂😂 But I hit the like button when he said store your t.w. at the lower settings to keep them nice and accurate. I like when pple know what the heeck they talking about!!
This is the BEST torque wrench calibration video ever! I just confirmed that my 1/2" Harbor Freight wrench was spot on with the rating and my 3/4" was 3-4lbs high. I adjusted the wrench and now it is spot on too. A few tips: 1. Might need a grip of some sort on the handle when undoing the large nut. I used a locking plier with a towel to avoid marring the handle. 2. If you dont have a place to test this, you can use your lug nuts. They are normally 80-90ft/lbs so testing at 30-40 on these you will never be able to overtorque. I used two scale to ensure accuracy.
You only need to do that if you orient the handle horizontally. If you orient it vertically you don't have to worry about the handle weight, as its contribution to the torque is zero. If you want to know how to calculate the torque contribution for a horizontally oriented wrench is let me know.@@waltp3373
I never had what I thought was a need for a torque wrench, but recently I've been adding tools to my supplies. I've also been trying to pay attention to the proper way of rebuilding or assembling things on my vehicles and equipment. I really appreciate how simple you explained how to properly use and calibrate a torque wrench. Thank You!🤠
I am a calibration technician first off you should be warming up the mechanism on the inside of the torque wrench 5 times at 100% then do your 20% 50% 100% for a linearity check. Because if you require adjustment lets say your top end high and your bottom end is low but your mid point is fine you have a span error which is what the adjustment screw is on torque wrenches its like a see saw raise the top and the bottom lowers. Lower the bottom raise the top. And let's say your entire range is out by the same amount. Then you do a scale adjustment buy either adding washer on the side on the wrench to apply more torque or if your device has a scale you move the scale to correct your error.
@@deseremere A torque wrench in the anus? That's a new one.... Makes me worry about the spatula at a restauant now and where it's been in the after hours of the day.
Kieran. I get calibrating precision instruments and electrical meters and so on. That is required for testing and continuity of standards and so on. But please answer me this. This is a DIY calibration on a HF torque wrench that sells for $10 or so. It's made in Taiwan and generally they make good tools and stuff comparable to Japan and over here. That's why not make it in China. It had a + - 4% accuracy that is OK for a home owner use in general. By not using the procedure you mention and perform for precision instruments how inaccurate would this be? Say on the 12" torque wrench it's out by 5 lb ft. And its corrected as shown. Would a ball park figure suffice for this scenario. Precision tool calibration is essential to confirming and keeping to standards as well as repairs and testing. But if it gets corrected to close to the 4% variance then for home owner DIY use should be acceptable. Thanx for explaining it. I have had to use the methodology you explain and its essential for AC Generator certification and testing. An out of date certified tool or meter or whatever can't be used for standards or testing due to it not being deemed accurate and over the 1 year calibration limit.
Where I work we are required to “break” the torque wrench we checkout of the tool crib using sockets welded to the wall. You set the torque wrench to its max setting and break it 3 times. Someone told me it lubricated the inside of the torque wrench, who knows. But if you are having a task evaluation by QA and forget this step it fails you from the start so I guess it’s pretty important.
@@EagleKeeper86 hey man when u break the torque wrench all you are doing is warming up the mechanism on the inside thats part of the calibration winding said wrench to 100% and cracking it five times because the first couple of times it breaks the reading can actually be to high and out of spec. Also never leave the torque wrench wound up anymore then 10% of its range you can damage the tension spring. Some times u can unwind let them rest for 24hrs and they will be fine.
And that's a darn good point. Which is more accurate? The $5 scale or the $40 torque wrench? Good video, but he didn't mention that he verified the operation of the scale with something of known weight, like an exercise weight or jug of water.
Great video! Ive never use a torque wrench when tighten my bolts but was advised to start. I started with this to understand the maintenance first. You broke it down and made calibrating easier and simple to understand. Thanks!
This was a great video. It gave me the EXACT information I was looking for with no questions. That’s why I liked this video. My Torque Wrench was set 50 foot pounds out of spec straight from factory. I mean would did the quality check. Thanks for the help. 👍👍👍
Very useful video, just did this today! Just one note: keep in mind that every time you adjust the torque, the wrench itself shortens or lengthens. This will affect your final readings. As in your videos, both my torque wrenches have that groove on the handle 0:45 and I always pulled from there BUT every time I adjusted the values, I measured the distance from the top to the groove. From high values of torque to lowest setting you could have 1cm difference or even more in length which is enough to off-put your readings . Other that this, the video is very informative! My big torque wrench of 210nm was off by more than 20% and with your help now it is within the spec of +-4%. The 25nm little wrench was within spec, it did not require calibration, but it is way less used compared to the big one. Also a big must, test the scale first. If the scale is not good, then everything will be wrong. I used my dumbbell weights and it was spot on. Considering it was an old 60kg spring loaded scale; was a bit hard to read but it did the job perfectly. As you said in the video, start with a medium setting; if it goes to 200nm, start with 100nm and go from there, and do at least 3 measurements low-med-high torque. Cheers!
A great video that combines a simple method with solid math and just enough depth into the subject to leave everyone walking away understanding rather than knowing.
Thorough explanation. You made it easy. I don't have my vise bolted down so I tried this using a lug nut on my car and that worked. It was a bit harder to read the numbers but I think that was because of the angle and the numbers weren't high contrast. Also, liked that you showed how to adjust the instrument if out of calibration.
Thanks for sharing this video. I would like to recommend to verify calibration at least at three different points of the scale: 25%, 50%, and 75%. I have a torque wrench that can be calibrated at one point, but the rest of the scale is out of calibration by more than 45%. This happens when the spring K value does not match the scale. It is a manufacturing problem that can not be detected by one point calibration.
I wouldn’t clamp the wrench, sockets are cheaper & it’s unlikely you don’t have a socket if you have a wrench. Tbh I don’t want to scuff up my sockets, so I just did it by screwing a bolt into a piece of wood, but you could also just tighten absolutely anything you don’t care about stripping the thread on. The vice isn’t really needed at all, but I guess it’s easier if you have one about
Brilliant, low cost, effective way to measure and calibrate a torque wrench! Kudos on a simple yet effective method of doing what would otherwise cost a significant amount more from a calibration house. The fact is that most people probably don't realize that a torque device can deviate over time and not provide the intended value. Most people buy a torque tool and never have it calibrated and over time this could lead to over-tightening or under-tightening of a fastener, either of which can be an issue depending on the application. I think the only thing I would do differently is measure from three areas of the tool's range, low/mid/high, to confirm that the torque value is consistent throughout the range of the tool. Now i'm gonna go buy a luggage scale haha!
use the luggage scale to measure a known weight: a bag of flower, or something heaver. Then that that known weight to a UPS or other store that ships things. Put on that scale and compare. Easy.
The FDA requires that food goods be reported with accurate weights on the package. Take a couple of products from different makers and weigh them. This stuff is pretty simple kids. LOL
Great Video Well explained - and the bit out the errors introduced when off square is very practical in that it says with a good line of sight right angle force applied, the %error is small. Also the valid point below regarding the luggage scale calibration can be easily checked by weighing a known volume of water. Thanks
That was a very ingenious way to check and calibrate my torque wrenches. I had mine checked by the calibration van when it came to my facility shortly after I purchased it at Harbor Freight. The tech was amazed that it was spot on, especially when I told him what I paid for it. :-) I use mine because I do all my own work on my motorcycles and cars and I am diligent about torque values. Since so many fasteners are into aluminum on today's motorcycles, it is easy to strip the treads if you are too bold when tightening things up, not to mention warping the covers and heads. Thanks again.
@@thefreedomguyuk It was checked over the entire range and as far as how long does it remain so....that I am sure is dependent upon how much it is used. For a diy home mechanic it probably remains so for as long as I will be using it. A professional shop may be a different story but unless that shop has a yearly or semi-yearly calibration interval how does he know his "name brand" wrench is holding up to spec?
Click wrenches are generally accurate to 4% of the scale. So 35 ft lbs *4% = 1.4 ft lbs. Okay. You need to calibrate. But, because it is a multi-point torque wrench, you need to calibrate multiple points. The standard is 10% to 100% of the range, with 3 equal points in between. That way you can know if the spring is warped in one section compared to others. Also, make sure the scale you're using is accurate before you measure something else with it.
This is awesome, I just given a new-old stock torque wrench and while I don't need super accuracy for my basic DIY car repairs, being able to see if it has deteriorated over time would be really useful.
Clear enough... useful and swift. Thanks a lot. For those who can't be sure about accuracy... nothing is able to avoid your fears. Try to send the tool to a calibrating workshop
Great video. Contrary to the complaints I see posted here, this torque wrench is not going to be used to tighten bolts on a nuclear reactor. The end result will be more than accurate enough for general auto applications. Those electronic luggage scales are surprisingly accurate.
Nice presentation. Have a couple of torque wrenches that I’ve inherited and knew nothing about how to use / maintain. Thanx for the help! Keep ‘em coming! 👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks for this video, I actually had everything already so it cost me $0. Always wondered how on/off my HF Torque Wrench was after having for 5+year and dropping it here and there. Surprisingly it was still within 2 to 3 ft.lbs +/-!!! I did a low end scaled of 30 ft/lbs and higher end 90 ft/lbs.
Love this video... I need a torque wrench, and this has given me the confidence to buy and calibrate second hand one, of quality. Rather than a new cheap nasty one
therealnightwriter, You'd be surprised. I suggested building a little rig that worked on the same principle to to verify torque settings of small hand-held torque wrenches at the Electronics assembler I worked for. It could be used to do a quick verification (or adjustment) after the torque wrenches were set to a new torque value before they were used on the production batch. When I suggested making something like this, our QA people shot the idea down pretty quick. They didn't like the idea of having a home-brewed piece of test equipment that would allow you to do a quick verification to make sure the tool was within a few percent of where it should be. Instead, our QA people (in their "infinite wisdom") decided to go buy a $10,000 torque calibrator and force our maintenance guys to adjust torque wrench settings to 0.5% accuracy at the mid-range value, once per week. The cheap torque wrenches we were using were not very linear. They had about 35% error at the extremes of their torque range, and they were being used near their extremes on some production builds. This baffled our QA people. They lived in a black and white world where stuff was either "In calibration" (good) or "Out of calibration" (bad). They couldn't get management approval to buy better quality torque wrenches, and they really didn't care about the actual accuracy of the tool, or the suitability of the calibration process; They just wanted something they could sign-off on, and tell customers, "yeah, we calibrate our torque wrenches". That place was a nightmare to work for; I'm glad that is behind me now.
That must have been a real pain. I'm sorry you had to deal with such a fiasco. The reality is that most serious companies are like this.. although the extreme of your tale is a bit much. I understand why the QA people wouldn't want a house-engineered contraption, but not because they wouldn't believe it wouldn't work, just that it would take away traceability (legal term all in its own. if you aren't sure, please research the term). Also, all standardized documents wouldn't match process. To revise all of the paperwork may have been a larger investment than to implement your genius idea. Sadly, these are one of the hurdles mankind has to stopping breakthroughs of great proportions. Best of luck to you and your ventures. Perhaps you will find a company that has less constraints on ingenuity.
Great video. At the current cost to have a torque wrench calibrated, this could save a multi torque wrench owner a ton of money. Even if it's accuratei 1 to 3% it's still okay for most applications. Thanks.
If it's done carefully, the result should be as accurate as the accuracy of the scale. If the scale has been calibrated with an accurately known reference weight then it should be dead on.
This is amazing! So simple I wish I'd have thought of it. You have just explained why I don't need to even buy a torque wrench for a single task I have. Thank you!
So, All I need is a breaker bar and a luggage scale and do some math of distances from fulcrum, like your excel sheet, Done. Super cheap, and super accurate torque wrench alternative
Generally, it is sufficient. Especially if you need a torque wrench a couple of times a year. But sometimes you need it for really nasty jobs like replacing diesel glow plugs, which are difficult to access. You simply don't have the space needed for a bar and a scale at 90 degrees.
This is brilliant! All I'd seen online previously was people getting out body building weights and hanging them from their torque wrenches and I was considering doing that but not anymore. This is a WAY better idea.
I like this guys approach but you have to be very careful. You are assuming that the luggage scale is perfectly accurate and transferring that to the torque wrench. It is always safer to go back to real physical weights as they will not be grossly off. In this case, use the luggage scale to lift 25 or 35 lbs of weights to make sure it was reading properly, then proceed with his method.
One gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds 6 ounces. So it's simple to use that to check your scale. Two plastic jugs with one gallon in each = 16 pounds 12 ounces, etc.
Great video - very well and clearly explained. I guess if you were worried about it, you could check the accuracy of the luggage scale by weighing something of known weight - like a sac of potatoes or sugar or something.
Cool, I didn't know of other folks who calibrate that way also. This works because torque is defined as a force applied perpendicularly to a lever arm. So when pulling on the wrench handle with the scale you have to be sure to pull at an angle as close to 90 degrees with the wrench as possible otherwise the force applied to the wrench will be less than what reads on the scale. Great video. Thanks!
If you're pulling at a distance of 50cm from the handle then a 5cm offset from 90 degrees will only be ~0.5% error in this example whereas being 0.5kg off in the 'weight' or 1cm off in the handle length will be ~3%.
Geek I worked as engineeeing in a shop that calibrated all kinds of stuff . On a 100# torque wrench we had to test at 20# intervals with accuracy of 1.5%. this will give you a bell curve with decreasing accuracy towards low and high readins. We loaded with steel and brass weights they were applied not by hand, we had a device that would apply the weight slowly and a load cell bolted to the bench. This would generate a load graph and table in a 286 computer This is offered as to the test protocol s used in a real DOD government calibration shop in the 1980's this is to give you a insight to calibration.
I watched several videos on calibrating a torque wrench and none was as simple as yours. Thank you. I need to replace the keeper set screw that holds the locking screw in the end of the wrench and not realizing that I was changing the calibration I took it apart. Dumb I know, but now I can recalibrate it. 👍🏻
wow lot of information but good information thank you very much for your video I appreciate it I never knew how to Seth torque wrench thank you for the knowledge
Make sure when you buy your Chinese luggage scale the dollar-store provides you with an NIST-traceable calibration certificate. Just kidding. This is a great video, and if you have any doubts about your luggage scale, just remember a litre of water weighs 1 kg @ 4 degrees C, and close enough at room temperature. You can figure it out from there.
And the reason for this was to exercise the spring and pivot block on the type 2 click type torque wrenches. Not sure which branch you were in but if you were in the navy, then you probably followed 17-20mu-07 which specified exercising 3 times at 100% scale which conforms to ASME B107. While airforce followed their 33k procedure which conforms to ISO 6789-1, which says to exercise 3 times at 60%. This guy doesn't do any of that in this video, nor does he check it at more than 1 torque setting. There could be so many problems (spring warped, pivot block maligned, cam assembly has rusted bearings) if this wrench is not checked throughout the span.
Awesome! Great advice all around. In particular the sketch attempt then the computer drawing. Thank you very much for shortening my time; I'm sure you did the math and were only being a Jokester. I shared it with my stepson, as that is one of the few things he respects of me. I got him the 3 Harbor Freight torque wrenches and we'll give this a shot this weekend.
I am a mechanical engineer and I can confirm your method is perfectly adequate for the home DIY user. If only technitians / motor mechanics ever used a torque wrench regardless of its accuracy in their professional work
I'm a long time chemical engineer with decades of experience in Silicon Valley. I agree with you. Perfectly adequate. Easy enough to reasonably calibrate that luggage scale. But if it were me, it would depend upon what I needed to torque down. For example if something needed to be torqued on the low end of that wrench, I'd use a wrench that measured in inch-pounds and calibrate that one. I prefer to be in midrange of the tool rather than at either the very low or very high end.
NoExperienceCar Guys as a certified calibration tech I disagree with the adjustment premise, but I do agree it's adequate enough to see if you're in the ball park and only for home projects. If you're a professional in a regulated industry, this is NOT good.
I am a drunk with over 2 decades of experience and I can confirm that if I needed a torque wrench I am not touching that nut without accurate testing equipment. Ever had to do a head gasket job or pay for one? That's right, if you can't afford calibration or a new wrench you can't afford a leaking head gasket cause of a stupid torque wrench out of specs. 🤷🏻♂️
I'm a four times torque wrench world champion 78,79,81,82 don't ask about 80. Bad year for me. But I'd just use a beam and never have to do any of this. Ever.
Believe it or not, when it comes to torque-to-yeild head bolts, you torque then do your degrees. The problem is that at the factory, the machine does it in all one swoop. Out in the real world, every other headbolt winds up being loose. And then you have to redo the job for free in three thousand miles. So after the yield, I crank them down by hand with my " Armstrong" torque wrench. Haven't had any head gasket jobs come back in almost 20 years now.
Looked at a few videos before landing on yours. Kept looking for something easy and eloquent and accurate and practically foolproof. Your video was all that and more - it was educational and fun. For my purposes I only have one setting that I am looking to accurately reproduce using my torque wrench. It is 14' ft lbs - the spec for tightening my new spark plugs into my aluminum engine block. I plan on using your technique to identify where on my torque wrench this value can be consistently replicated and just set it and forget for my DIY spark plug project. Perhaps if I have time I'll actually try to make the calibration adjustments on the wrench so it it accurate throughout its range but for now I am just so grateful that I can get a comfort level that the wrench will help me get the correct torque value for my plugs. I have a craftsman click wrench that is probably too intense for the range I want to be accurate in. It goes up to 90 ft lbs. so even if it was calibrated correctly, without using your test I'd still have big doubts about it delivering accurate reading at the low end of it's range. Over torquing an aluminum engine block could easily rip out the threadings and that would really ruin my day. Under torquing is not a good option either. Thank you again and keep up the good work. You are a natural teacher - maybe you are one already but if not, don't miss your calling.
Great information. Well explained and illustrated. Do you think you can put a link to this Excel file you made for the different length/distance to actual torque measurement or conversion? That would be helpful for those of us who are not Excel users. Thats a program that some get and some do not. Personally as a graphic artists and photographer I fall under the "not" classification. If you listed this information somewhere I must have missed it.
Thank you for this video. I just bought a two-foot torque wrench which i want to calibrate. Can you share your calibration conversion table excel file that you mentioned in your video? Thanks
Beautiful. I remember that at hard times I oce had to sell my torque wrench... And put an engine together by feel lol... Funny enough every other time I did with the torque wrench it went bang Now its been years and still running great
Great video. I found a .5" drive torque wrench a couple of years ago like the one you're calibrating, but have never used one like it. Now, attaching a trailer hitch to my truck, I need it, and had no idea how to even use it, much less check it for accuracy. Now, all is well on both counts. Thanks!
Clever method. Worth mentioning the disclaimer that it's only as accurate as the luggage scale, which will inevitably have error in its measurement as well. EDIT: I just did this method to calibrate my Tekton 1/2" 10-150 ft-lbs torque wrench. I started with 30lbs of barbell weights @ 16" to get it close for the 40 ft-lbs torque spec, then flipped the wrench in the vise and used a luggage scale to calibrate again at 40, 60, and 80 ft-lbs on the torque wrench (so aiming for readings of 30, 45, and 60 lbs on the scale at 16", respectively). I can attest that testing at multiple torque specs is important. When I was getting a slightly over bang-on reading at 40 ft-lbs, it was considerably over-spec at 80 ft-lbs. In the end I got it calibrated reading slight under at 40 ft-lbs (29.1 lbs or so instead of 30 lbs), bang-on at 60 ft-lbs, and slight over at 80 ft-lbs. The torque wrench was definitely reading considerably under-spec when I started, which makes sense. It's a few years old and been put through its paces, never professionally calibrated since purchase. Not sure I'd ever calibrate my 1/4" drive torque wrench this way just given the sheer amount of uncertainty in this method, but I think it's good enough for my daily-driver 1/2" torque wrench.
Question,on that smaller torque wrench he had first, it wasn't calibrated so he took that nut off and adjusted the spring,on that bigger wrench it was already calibrated properly but if he had to take it apart how does one go about that? just unscrew the handle until it comes apart? all my torque wrenches (CDI) are that way (without a locking nut), Thank you for your time and input.
To all those arguing about the calibration process and tools required shown here, do you trust more/better a HF torque wrench as it comes, or after it has been calibrated the way shown in this video?
Been twistin wrenches 46 or 47 years and always felt like tightening to torque specs was just like guessing to torque. How would you know what your wrench was actually pulling. Now it can be checked with some accuracy right there in your shop. Thank you very much for demysterifying;-) torque wrenches.
I guess my question is just how certain are you of the luggage scale you are using to calibrate the wrenches with? One of the most common mistakes in any calibration project is the failure to make certain that the instrument being used to calibrate from is itself accurate..and that is much harder to,do than you might think.
@@KrisH-bt5cm Actual accuracy often varies throughout a scale's total range. It might be 100% accurate at 50% of its capacity and then be off 25% at 70% of its capacity.
You've just kicked the car down the road to another place where the situation is arguably even worse. To do what you're saying you need to know how accurate your volumetric measure is, and how accurate you are at reading it correctly, and... since both the density of water and the volume contained by your measuring device (at a given indicated volume) vary with temperature, now you've got to know what the temperature was when you made your measurement (and worry about how accurate your thermometer is). Long story short, this is why you use calibrated weights to measure the calibration of weighing apparatus-es.
Jack Poage no. Joseph C was referring to fluid ounces. 16 fluid ounces of mercury weighs more than 13&1/2 pounds, and 16 fluid ounces of air weighs one ten thousandth as much. Household fluid measures are nowhere near as accurate as even a cheap digital scale. Typical ones I’ve grabbed from the cupboard and checked via an accurate digital scale vary by 5% or more from their claimed markings, and it’s very difficult to be consistent when measuring with them. TLDR, the point that Raevenswood raised is a valid one. To correctly calibrate a measurement device, your reference quantity and procedures need be at least as accurate as the thing you’re calibrating, and preferably very much more so. The scale and procedure that the guy is using in this video doesn’t meet those criteria. Also... hate to point out the obvious but, water is a fluid so, to use a quantity of water to calibrate a force measurement, you have to hold it in a container of some sort. To know how much the container weighs you need a scale. If you already have a scale, then messing around with volumes of water is utterly superfluous, and is just adding additional sources of uncertainty.
Usually they are, as most of its parts are electronic or electro-mechanics wich are very reliable. Besides, you can always use a well known mass to check their calibrations.
@@henryzr23 i had 25lb dumb bell laying around double checked on floor scale then tested on luggage scale. Shit its cheaper then paying for a new torque wrench or calibration. Bro tip - u can also use ur lug nuts on ur car instead of a vice, just make sure its less then would be to twist the lug nuts.
@@johnc8910 I will be honest worked on all my cars for 20+ years now never had that happen but I did have that happen when a car was taken to a proper shop for a alignment they galled the threads on 5 wheel studs next time I went to rotate tires..... some time feel is best than being a professional
Why complicate things? All you need to do is divide the inch measurement you marked on the handle by 12 inches and then multiply the answer you get by the lbs. reading you get on the scale.
@@jjenson2006 The concept of physical dimension is precisely the origin of the need to convert units. You keep track of what you're doing by getting the units right. If you are trying to convert from inches*pounds to newtons*meters, you know that you need to multiply by newtons and divide by pounds at some point, which is the exact opposite from what you would do to convert from inches/pounds to meters/newtons. You can't check your process if you are using units which are flat wrong.
Hi, I must say this was a very useful and informative video. This is why I just love UA-cam!!! Keep up the common sense ideas for many of us overlook the simple things which really matter when making repairs that are going to last. One only knows what goes on at the garage when the bill is all outdoors and one wonders if it is really repaired. That is why I perform all my own on whatever I can. It helps me sleep better at night.... Thank you.
If you aren't building space rocket or doing a high accuracy experiment/project with it, it's fine. Otherwise we can sue kitchen scale vendor for nutrient inaccuracy causing ailments like obesity etc
Try M what do most people use torque wrenches for? Yes that’s right AUTOMOTIVE use. things like wheel hubs, lug nuts, suspension parts, engine specs are IMPORTANT and dangerous if not torqued accurately. An automobile is not a blender.
As long as the device used for the calibration is more accurate than the thing being calibrated you are golden. You can take a test weight to a certified grocery store scale or postal scale and measure it.
"If you don't have a vise... well, I don't know, go buy a vise. Come on, you need a vise. Everybody needs a vise" - Classic. LMAO.
Skyler Hitz reminds you of Back to the Future 2
“Buy a safe”
Skyler Hitz it's also so true.... I off to buy a vice
Skyler Hitz When I heard that, I said this vid is going to be good and "accurate"!!! 😂😂😂 But I hit the like button when he said store your t.w. at the lower settings to keep them nice and accurate. I like when pple know what the heeck they talking about!!
Skyler Hitz how about a couple of vices?
lol came here to see if "safe" was mentioned. lol "got a safe? nah nah you don't have a safe. GET A SAFE! Keep it locked up!"
This is the BEST torque wrench calibration video ever! I just confirmed that my 1/2" Harbor Freight wrench was spot on with the rating and my 3/4" was 3-4lbs high. I adjusted the wrench and now it is spot on too. A few tips: 1. Might need a grip of some sort on the handle when undoing the large nut. I used a locking plier with a towel to avoid marring the handle. 2. If you dont have a place to test this, you can use your lug nuts. They are normally 80-90ft/lbs so testing at 30-40 on these you will never be able to overtorque. I used two scale to ensure accuracy.
I used lugs nuts but I didn't take into account the weight of the handle.
Best? Funny! It’s so flawed it’s comical!
@@BikerGirlTraveler How would you have made it better?
@@waltp3373 keep the handle vertical to avoid the effect of the weight.
You only need to do that if you orient the handle horizontally. If you orient it vertically you don't have to worry about the handle weight, as its contribution to the torque is zero. If you want to know how to calculate the torque contribution for a horizontally oriented wrench is let me know.@@waltp3373
I never had what I thought was a need for a torque wrench, but recently I've been adding tools to my supplies. I've also been trying to pay attention to the proper way of rebuilding or assembling things on my vehicles and equipment. I really appreciate how simple you explained how to properly use and calibrate a torque wrench. Thank You!🤠
As a DIY'er, I feel confident that a method such as this is sufficient for my needs. Thank you for the well thought-out demonstration and explanation!
I am a calibration technician first off you should be warming up the mechanism on the inside of the torque wrench 5 times at 100% then do your 20% 50% 100% for a linearity check. Because if you require adjustment lets say your top end high and your bottom end is low but your mid point is fine you have a span error which is what the adjustment screw is on torque wrenches its like a see saw raise the top and the bottom lowers. Lower the bottom raise the top. And let's say your entire range is out by the same amount. Then you do a scale adjustment buy either adding washer on the side on the wrench to apply more torque or if your device has a scale you move the scale to correct your error.
I'm also a calibration technician and you are spot on. I have to laugh when I see these videos. But dickheads like this keep me in a job.
@@deseremere A torque wrench in the anus? That's a new one.... Makes me worry about the spatula at a restauant now and where it's been in the after hours of the day.
Kieran. I get calibrating precision instruments and electrical meters and so on. That is required for testing and continuity of standards and so on. But please answer me this. This is a DIY calibration on a HF torque wrench that sells for $10 or so. It's made in Taiwan and generally they make good tools and stuff comparable to Japan and over here. That's why not make it in China. It had a + - 4% accuracy that is OK for a home owner use in general.
By not using the procedure you mention and perform for precision instruments how inaccurate would this be? Say on the 12" torque wrench it's out by 5 lb ft. And its corrected as shown. Would a ball park figure suffice for this scenario. Precision tool calibration is essential to confirming and keeping to standards as well as repairs and testing. But if it gets corrected to close to the 4% variance then for home owner DIY use should be acceptable.
Thanx for explaining it. I have had to use the methodology you explain and its essential for AC Generator certification and testing. An out of date certified tool or meter or whatever can't be used for standards or testing due to it not being deemed accurate and over the 1 year calibration limit.
Where I work we are required to “break” the torque wrench we checkout of the tool crib using sockets welded to the wall. You set the torque wrench to its max setting and break it 3 times. Someone told me it lubricated the inside of the torque wrench, who knows. But if you are having a task evaluation by QA and forget this step it fails you from the start so I guess it’s pretty important.
@@EagleKeeper86 hey man when u break the torque wrench all you are doing is warming up the mechanism on the inside thats part of the calibration winding said wrench to 100% and cracking it five times because the first couple of times it breaks the reading can actually be to high and out of spec. Also never leave the torque wrench wound up anymore then 10% of its range you can damage the tension spring. Some times u can unwind let them rest for 24hrs and they will be fine.
Up next how to calibrate a luggage scale using a torque wrench.
Thank you for posting!
EXCELLENT!
Use 4 milk/water jugs filled, should weight 33.36 pounds.
LOL - Awesome
It’s like calibrating a force gauge, you need at least Class F weights 😜
And that's a darn good point. Which is more accurate? The $5 scale or the $40 torque wrench? Good video, but he didn't mention that he verified the operation of the scale with something of known weight, like an exercise weight or jug of water.
Great video! Ive never use a torque wrench when tighten my bolts but was advised to start. I started with this to understand the maintenance first. You broke it down and made calibrating easier and simple to understand. Thanks!
This was a great video. It gave me the EXACT information I was looking for with no questions. That’s why I liked this video. My Torque Wrench was set 50 foot pounds out of spec straight from factory. I mean would did the quality check. Thanks for the help. 👍👍👍
Very useful video, just did this today! Just one note: keep in mind that every time you adjust the torque, the wrench itself shortens or lengthens. This will affect your final readings. As in your videos, both my torque wrenches have that groove on the handle 0:45 and I always pulled from there BUT every time I adjusted the values, I measured the distance from the top to the groove. From high values of torque to lowest setting you could have 1cm difference or even more in length which is enough to off-put your readings . Other that this, the video is very informative! My big torque wrench of 210nm was off by more than 20% and with your help now it is within the spec of +-4%. The 25nm little wrench was within spec, it did not require calibration, but it is way less used compared to the big one. Also a big must, test the scale first. If the scale is not good, then everything will be wrong. I used my dumbbell weights and it was spot on. Considering it was an old 60kg spring loaded scale; was a bit hard to read but it did the job perfectly. As you said in the video, start with a medium setting; if it goes to 200nm, start with 100nm and go from there, and do at least 3 measurements low-med-high torque. Cheers!
A great video that combines a simple method with solid math and just enough depth into the subject to leave everyone walking away understanding rather than knowing.
Awesome job! Super informative but not boring. Nice pace. Easy instructions. Good work!!
Outstanding instruction! Keep it going, it's pure moto. I appreciate your time and the humor. Semper Fi
Thorough explanation. You made it easy. I don't have my vise bolted down so I tried this using a lug nut on my car and that worked. It was a bit harder to read the numbers but I think that was because of the angle and the numbers weren't high contrast. Also, liked that you showed how to adjust the instrument if out of calibration.
Just curious, how do you use a vice that's not bolted down? Doesn't it move around/fall over when you try to use it?
TacticalBBQSauce its bolted down😞😞
tjzekes ....excellent idea
Awesome video brother
Totally Logical, Very well articulated, Very clear presentations!!! Well Done!!! Great work!
I watched several torque wrench calibration videos but I found this to be the most informative and easy to follow.
Thanks for sharing this video. I would like to recommend to verify calibration at least at three different points of the scale: 25%, 50%, and 75%. I have a torque wrench that can be calibrated at one point, but the rest of the scale is out of calibration by more than 45%. This happens when the spring K value does not match the scale. It is a manufacturing problem that can not be detected by one point calibration.
I no longer fear the torque wrench, or long for a digital torque wrench. That part is not true but thanks for lifting the fog.
thanks alot! more than enough for my hobby :) one thing, you can clamp the wrench directly in the vise, no need for a socket
Stephan Martin yeah but I don’t wanna damage my tools unnecessarily..Thad why you put the damn socket on
I wouldn’t clamp the wrench, sockets are cheaper & it’s unlikely you don’t have a socket if you have a wrench.
Tbh I don’t want to scuff up my sockets, so I just did it by screwing a bolt into a piece of wood, but you could also just tighten absolutely anything you don’t care about stripping the thread on. The vice isn’t really needed at all, but I guess it’s easier if you have one about
Awesome video. Concise clear and easy to understand. Thanks for this.
Best easy to understand video for simple torque wrench calibration! THANKS!!
Brilliant, low cost, effective way to measure and calibrate a torque wrench! Kudos on a simple yet effective method of doing what would otherwise cost a significant amount more from a calibration house. The fact is that most people probably don't realize that a torque device can deviate over time and not provide the intended value. Most people buy a torque tool and never have it calibrated and over time this could lead to over-tightening or under-tightening of a fastener, either of which can be an issue depending on the application.
I think the only thing I would do differently is measure from three areas of the tool's range, low/mid/high, to confirm that the torque value is consistent throughout the range of the tool. Now i'm gonna go buy a luggage scale haha!
How do we know the luggage scale is properly calibrated?
Yes, if your going to do this you'd better make sure that you have an accurate scale.
use the luggage scale to measure a known weight: a bag of flower, or something heaver. Then that that known weight to a UPS or other store that ships things. Put on that scale and compare. Easy.
Easy, weigh a known quantity on it. A weight, a product from the supermarket, etc...
The FDA requires that food goods be reported with accurate weights on the package. Take a couple of products from different makers and weigh them. This stuff is pretty simple kids. LOL
How do you know the tape measure is calibrated? maybe it says 23 inches but it's actually like 9 feet? i hate when that happens
Very good vid I will definitely use this knowledge in order to keep my torque wrenchs calibration correct when needed. Thanks for sharing
Great Video
Well explained - and the bit out the errors introduced when off square is very practical in that it says with a good line of sight right angle force applied, the %error is small.
Also the valid point below regarding the luggage scale calibration can be easily checked by weighing a known volume of water.
Thanks
That was a very ingenious way to check and calibrate my torque wrenches. I had mine checked by the calibration van when it came to my facility shortly after I purchased it at Harbor Freight. The tech was amazed that it was spot on, especially when I told him what I paid for it. :-) I use mine because I do all my own work on my motorcycles and cars and I am diligent about torque values. Since so many fasteners are into aluminum on today's motorcycles, it is easy to strip the treads if you are too bold when tightening things up, not to mention warping the covers and heads.
Thanks again.
Perhaps. But is the HF within calibration over the entire scale ? And how long time does it remain so ?
@@thefreedomguyuk It was checked over the entire range and as far as how long does it remain so....that I am sure is dependent upon how much it is used. For a diy home mechanic it probably remains so for as long as I will be using it. A professional shop may be a different story but unless that shop has a yearly or semi-yearly calibration interval how does he know his "name brand" wrench is holding up to spec?
00:31 You can use wheel lug nuts to hook up you wrench and you don't need a vice!
That's what I intend to do.
If the wheel is horizontal, yes. If it is not, you have to compensate for the action of gravity. Gooood luck.
Thank you very much Garage Geek. Incredibly simple, yet very good method for home calibrating torque wrenches.
Very informative. Quick, easy info. About to start wrenching on an old suv, this video was very helpful.
Click wrenches are generally accurate to 4% of the scale. So 35 ft lbs *4% = 1.4 ft lbs. Okay. You need to calibrate. But, because it is a multi-point torque wrench, you need to calibrate multiple points. The standard is 10% to 100% of the range, with 3 equal points in between. That way you can know if the spring is warped in one section compared to others.
Also, make sure the scale you're using is accurate before you measure something else with it.
Herbert Wingfield post made sense to me
This is awesome, I just given a new-old stock torque wrench and while I don't need super accuracy for my basic DIY car repairs, being able to see if it has deteriorated over time would be really useful.
Thank you for keeping things simple and very easy to understand!
Clear enough... useful and swift. Thanks a lot.
For those who can't be sure about accuracy... nothing is able to avoid your fears. Try to send the tool to a calibrating workshop
Great video. Contrary to the complaints I see posted here, this torque wrench is not going to be used to tighten bolts on a nuclear reactor. The end result will be more than accurate enough for general auto applications. Those electronic luggage scales are surprisingly accurate.
i liked this video because its informative yet entertaining to watch, good job dude
Nice presentation. Have a couple of torque wrenches that I’ve inherited and knew nothing about how to use / maintain. Thanx for the help! Keep ‘em coming! 👍🏼👍🏼
Awesome video. Great information and explanation. Please keep posting more vids!
Thanks for this video, I actually had everything already so it cost me $0. Always wondered how on/off my HF Torque Wrench was after having for 5+year and dropping it here and there. Surprisingly it was still within 2 to 3 ft.lbs +/-!!! I did a low end scaled of 30 ft/lbs and higher end 90 ft/lbs.
It's actually ft*lbs not ft/lbs, not really sure what ft/lbs is.
Love this video... I need a torque wrench, and this has given me the confidence to buy and calibrate second hand one, of quality. Rather than a new cheap nasty one
Crystal clear, brilliant presentation, thanks.
Really helpful video. Clearly a lot of effort was put into making this and it paid off. Thanks
What a great video! Very easy and creative, but I never would have thought of this. Thanks for the vid.
therealnightwriter,
You'd be surprised. I suggested building a little rig that worked on the same principle to to verify torque settings of small hand-held torque wrenches at the Electronics assembler I worked for. It could be used to do a quick verification (or adjustment) after the torque wrenches were set to a new torque value before they were used on the production batch.
When I suggested making something like this, our QA people shot the idea down pretty quick. They didn't like the idea of having a home-brewed piece of test equipment that would allow you to do a quick verification to make sure the tool was within a few percent of where it should be.
Instead, our QA people (in their "infinite wisdom") decided to go buy a $10,000 torque calibrator and force our maintenance guys to adjust torque wrench settings to 0.5% accuracy at the mid-range value, once per week. The cheap torque wrenches we were using were not very linear. They had about 35% error at the extremes of their torque range, and they were being used near their extremes on some production builds. This baffled our QA people. They lived in a black and white world where stuff was either "In calibration" (good) or "Out of calibration" (bad). They couldn't get management approval to buy better quality torque wrenches, and they really didn't care about the actual accuracy of the tool, or the suitability of the calibration process; They just wanted something they could sign-off on, and tell customers, "yeah, we calibrate our torque wrenches".
That place was a nightmare to work for; I'm glad that is behind me now.
That must have been a real pain. I'm sorry you had to deal with such a fiasco. The reality is that most serious companies are like this.. although the extreme of your tale is a bit much. I understand why the QA people wouldn't want a house-engineered contraption, but not because they wouldn't believe it wouldn't work, just that it would take away traceability (legal term all in its own. if you aren't sure, please research the term). Also, all standardized documents wouldn't match process. To revise all of the paperwork may have been a larger investment than to implement your genius idea. Sadly, these are one of the hurdles mankind has to stopping breakthroughs of great proportions. Best of luck to you and your ventures. Perhaps you will find a company that has less constraints on ingenuity.
I thought
@therealnightwriter You are here too, aren't you? If so obvious, why did you click the vid?
Thanks! I didn't know there was such a thing as a luggage scale. I need to get out more.
Great video. Clear detailed explanation that addressed all questions and issues for this weekend mechanic anyways!
Thank you for the clear explanation and all the necessary details.
Great video. At the current cost to have a torque wrench calibrated, this could save a multi torque wrench owner a ton of money. Even if it's accuratei 1 to 3% it's still okay for most applications. Thanks.
If it's done carefully, the result should be as accurate as the accuracy of the scale. If the scale has been calibrated with an accurately known reference weight then it should be dead on.
Still can't stop laughing. man you're hilarious. Good vid though.
I like the way you go into detail. You explained it very
well, just the way I prefer it.
This is amazing! So simple I wish I'd have thought of it. You have just explained why I don't need to even buy a torque wrench for a single task I have. Thank you!
So, All I need is a breaker bar and a luggage scale and do some math of distances from fulcrum, like your excel sheet, Done. Super cheap, and super accurate torque wrench alternative
Haha
Generally, it is sufficient. Especially if you need a torque wrench a couple of times a year. But sometimes you need it for really nasty jobs like replacing diesel glow plugs, which are difficult to access. You simply don't have the space needed for a bar and a scale at 90 degrees.
This is brilliant! All I'd seen online previously was people getting out body building weights and hanging them from their torque wrenches and I was considering doing that but not anymore. This is a WAY better idea.
I like this guys approach but you have to be very careful. You are assuming that the luggage scale is perfectly accurate and transferring that to the torque wrench. It is always safer to go back to real physical weights as they will not be grossly off. In this case, use the luggage scale to lift 25 or 35 lbs of weights to make sure it was reading properly, then proceed with his method.
Gets worse, I've heard that gym weights are also kind of variable in their weight, so you'd have to double check that as well.
Gym weights are horrible. My 35lb weight weighs 30lbs. It's a Gold's Gym weight.
One gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds 6 ounces. So it's simple to use that to check your scale. Two plastic jugs with one gallon in each = 16 pounds 12 ounces, etc.
Very good video. I like you made the estimation for the error introduced by the pull not being perfectly 90 degrees. That is excellent. Thanks 👍
Excellent demonstration!
Great video - very well and clearly explained. I guess if you were worried about it, you could check the accuracy of the luggage scale by weighing something of known weight - like a sac of potatoes or sugar or something.
Might want to mark the known length measurement after setting the torque as that measurement changes when the handle spins in or out.
RRMakeitlabs, excellent observation!
Liked this video because the info was accurate and went into detail while still easy to understand. Great video, thanks.
Thank you for publishing this video. You did a fine job at explaining.
Cool, I didn't know of other folks who calibrate that way also. This works because torque is defined as a force applied perpendicularly to a lever arm. So when pulling on the wrench handle with the scale you have to be sure to pull at an angle as close to 90 degrees with the wrench as possible otherwise the force applied to the wrench will be less than what reads on the scale. Great video. Thanks!
If you're pulling at a distance of 50cm from the handle then a 5cm offset from 90 degrees will only be ~0.5% error in this example whereas being 0.5kg off in the 'weight' or 1cm off in the handle length will be ~3%.
Geek I worked as engineeeing in a shop that calibrated all kinds of stuff . On a 100# torque wrench we had to test at 20# intervals with accuracy of 1.5%. this will give you a bell curve with decreasing accuracy towards low and high readins. We loaded with steel and brass weights they were applied not by hand, we had a device that would apply the weight slowly and a load cell bolted to the bench. This would generate a load graph and table in a 286 computer This is offered as to the test protocol s used in a real DOD government calibration shop in the 1980's this is to give you a insight to calibration.
What's the name of your employer? Make sure they don't read your post.
@@noexperiencecarguys5428 he talked about using a 286 computer. His method was used over 30 years ago. How would his current employer care today?
I watched several videos on calibrating a torque wrench and none was as simple as yours. Thank you. I need to replace the keeper set screw that holds the locking screw in the end of the wrench and not realizing that I was changing the calibration I took it apart. Dumb I know, but now I can recalibrate it. 👍🏻
wow lot of information but good information thank you very much for your video I appreciate it I never knew how to Seth torque wrench thank you for the knowledge
Make sure when you buy your Chinese luggage scale the dollar-store provides you with an NIST-traceable calibration certificate. Just kidding. This is a great video, and if you have any doubts about your luggage scale, just remember a litre of water weighs 1 kg @ 4 degrees C, and close enough at room temperature. You can figure it out from there.
And how do you measure 1 litre..( there always a instrument error either way)
Cheap scales may have non-linear error. I.e. it may show 1 litre of water as 1 kg, but 2 litres as 2,1 or 1,9 kg.
Easy, plastic milk container
I calibrate my $5 luggage scales to the nearest grain.
In the service, we had to set the wrench on a low setting, and cycle it or click it several times prior to each use.
And the reason for this was to exercise the spring and pivot block on the type 2 click type torque wrenches. Not sure which branch you were in but if you were in the navy, then you probably followed 17-20mu-07 which specified exercising 3 times at 100% scale which conforms to ASME B107. While airforce followed their 33k procedure which conforms to ISO 6789-1, which says to exercise 3 times at 60%. This guy doesn't do any of that in this video, nor does he check it at more than 1 torque setting. There could be so many problems (spring warped, pivot block maligned, cam assembly has rusted bearings) if this wrench is not checked throughout the span.
Awesome! Great advice all around. In particular the sketch attempt then the computer drawing. Thank you very much for shortening my time; I'm sure you did the math and were only being a Jokester.
I shared it with my stepson, as that is one of the few things he respects of me. I got him the 3 Harbor Freight torque wrenches and we'll give this a shot this weekend.
Awesome DIY video! Thank you!
This can work without needing to use a vice, just use a socket secured over a wheel lug nut.
modeld80 why not!
I am a mechanical engineer and I can confirm your method is perfectly adequate for the home DIY user. If only technitians / motor mechanics ever used a torque wrench regardless of its accuracy in their professional work
I'm a long time chemical engineer with decades of experience in Silicon Valley. I agree with you. Perfectly adequate. Easy enough to reasonably calibrate that luggage scale. But if it were me, it would depend upon what I needed to torque down. For example if something needed to be torqued on the low end of that wrench, I'd use a wrench that measured in inch-pounds and calibrate that one. I prefer to be in midrange of the tool rather than at either the very low or very high end.
NoExperienceCar Guys as a certified calibration tech I disagree with the adjustment premise, but I do agree it's adequate enough to see if you're in the ball park and only for home projects. If you're a professional in a regulated industry, this is NOT good.
I am a drunk with over 2 decades of experience and I can confirm that if I needed a torque wrench I am not touching that nut without accurate testing equipment. Ever had to do a head gasket job or pay for one? That's right, if you can't afford calibration or a new wrench you can't afford a leaking head gasket cause of a stupid torque wrench out of specs. 🤷🏻♂️
I'm a four times torque wrench world champion 78,79,81,82 don't ask about 80. Bad year for me. But I'd just use a beam and never have to do any of this. Ever.
Believe it or not, when it comes to torque-to-yeild head bolts, you torque then do your degrees. The problem is that at the factory, the machine does it in all one swoop. Out in the real world, every other headbolt winds up being loose. And then you have to redo the job for free in three thousand miles. So after the yield, I crank them down by hand with my " Armstrong" torque wrench. Haven't had any head gasket jobs come back in almost 20 years now.
Thank you so much! This was the perfect video!
Looked at a few videos before landing on yours. Kept looking for something easy and eloquent and accurate and practically foolproof. Your video was all that and more - it was educational and fun. For my purposes I only have one setting that I am looking to accurately reproduce using my torque wrench. It is 14' ft lbs - the spec for tightening my new spark plugs into my aluminum engine block. I plan on using your technique to identify where on my torque wrench this value can be consistently replicated and just set it and forget for my DIY spark plug project. Perhaps if I have time I'll actually try to make the calibration adjustments on the wrench so it it accurate throughout its range but for now I am just so grateful that I can get a comfort level that the wrench will help me get the correct torque value for my plugs. I have a craftsman click wrench that is probably too intense for the range I want to be accurate in. It goes up to 90 ft lbs. so even if it was calibrated correctly, without using your test I'd still have big doubts about it delivering accurate reading at the low end of it's range. Over torquing an aluminum engine block could easily rip out the threadings and that would really ruin my day. Under torquing is not a good option either. Thank you again and keep up the good work. You are a natural teacher - maybe you are one already but if not, don't miss your calling.
Eloquent: fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing.
Elegant: pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.
Calibrate the wrench on the low end of the scale.
Great information. Well explained and illustrated. Do you think you can put a link to this Excel file you made for the different length/distance to actual torque measurement or conversion? That would be helpful for those of us who are not Excel users. Thats a program that some get and some do not. Personally as a graphic artists and photographer I fall under the "not" classification. If you listed this information somewhere I must have missed it.
just remember "the angle of the dangle is directly proportionate to the heat of the meat"
".. and the mass of the ass."
As long as the mass of the ass and the spread of the leg remain the same...
Great info. I’ve been questioning my wrench’s accuracy and was going to buy a new one.
Thanks
Thank you! This helped me. A nice and clear explanation of how to calibrate a torque wrench.
Thank you for this video. I just bought a two-foot torque wrench which i want to calibrate. Can you share your calibration conversion table excel file that you mentioned in your video? Thanks
Beautiful. I remember that at hard times I oce had to sell my torque wrench... And put an engine together by feel lol... Funny enough every other time I did with the torque wrench it went bang
Now its been years and still running great
Nice video, one of the few that actually made sense and could be followed. Thank you!
Great video. I found a .5" drive torque wrench a couple of years ago like the one you're calibrating, but have never used one like it. Now, attaching a trailer hitch to my truck, I need it, and had no idea how to even use it, much less check it for accuracy. Now, all is well on both counts. Thanks!
Next video, "How to calibrate a digital luggage scale using a house brick"
How to calibrate a house brick with a toothbrush
Don't let the picky naysayers discourage you, good enough for the DIY'er.
Thank you for an easy to follow explanation
Thanks makes sense and was easy to follow. I appreciate your effort!
Clever method. Worth mentioning the disclaimer that it's only as accurate as the luggage scale, which will inevitably have error in its measurement as well.
EDIT: I just did this method to calibrate my Tekton 1/2" 10-150 ft-lbs torque wrench. I started with 30lbs of barbell weights @ 16" to get it close for the 40 ft-lbs torque spec, then flipped the wrench in the vise and used a luggage scale to calibrate again at 40, 60, and 80 ft-lbs on the torque wrench (so aiming for readings of 30, 45, and 60 lbs on the scale at 16", respectively).
I can attest that testing at multiple torque specs is important. When I was getting a slightly over bang-on reading at 40 ft-lbs, it was considerably over-spec at 80 ft-lbs. In the end I got it calibrated reading slight under at 40 ft-lbs (29.1 lbs or so instead of 30 lbs), bang-on at 60 ft-lbs, and slight over at 80 ft-lbs.
The torque wrench was definitely reading considerably under-spec when I started, which makes sense. It's a few years old and been put through its paces, never professionally calibrated since purchase. Not sure I'd ever calibrate my 1/4" drive torque wrench this way just given the sheer amount of uncertainty in this method, but I think it's good enough for my daily-driver 1/2" torque wrench.
Question,on that smaller torque wrench he had first, it wasn't calibrated so he took that nut off and adjusted the spring,on that bigger wrench it was already calibrated properly but if he had to take it apart how does one go about that? just unscrew the handle until it comes apart? all my torque wrenches (CDI) are that way (without a locking nut), Thank you for your time and input.
To all those arguing about the calibration process and tools required shown here, do you trust more/better a HF torque wrench as it comes, or after it has been calibrated the way shown in this video?
As it comes
Sean M. Bro if you bought a hf torque wrench, it’s not better than a fucking breaker bar lmao.
Thanks for making it so simple to understand on the calculations
Very, very good. Very clear.
Thank you so much !
Been twistin wrenches 46 or 47 years and always felt like tightening to torque specs was just like guessing to torque. How would you know what your wrench was actually pulling. Now it can be checked with some accuracy right there in your shop.
Thank you very much for demysterifying;-) torque wrenches.
I guess my question is just how certain are you of the luggage scale you are using to calibrate the wrenches with? One of the most common mistakes in any calibration project is the failure to make certain that the instrument being used to calibrate from is itself accurate..and that is much harder to,do than you might think.
Take a five-pound gym plate and pick it up with the scale. If it weighs 5lbs that luggage scale is accurate.
@@KrisH-bt5cm Actual accuracy often varies throughout a scale's total range. It might be 100% accurate at 50% of its capacity and then be off 25% at 70% of its capacity.
@@boatman222345 alright multiple weights it is!!!!
I really understood you clearly. Thanks for sharing
I greatly appreciate videos with useful info.
The accuracy of a scale can be checked by weighing a measured amount of water. 16 ounces of water weighs 1 lb.
You've just kicked the car down the road to another place where the situation is arguably even worse. To do what you're saying you need to know how accurate your volumetric measure is, and how accurate you are at reading it correctly, and... since both the density of water and the volume contained by your measuring device (at a given indicated volume) vary with temperature, now you've got to know what the temperature was when you made your measurement (and worry about how accurate your thermometer is).
Long story short, this is why you use calibrated weights to measure the calibration of weighing apparatus-es.
Jack Poage no. Joseph C was referring to fluid ounces. 16 fluid ounces of mercury weighs more than 13&1/2 pounds, and 16 fluid ounces of air weighs one ten thousandth as much. Household fluid measures are nowhere near as accurate as even a cheap digital scale. Typical ones I’ve grabbed from the cupboard and checked via an accurate digital scale vary by 5% or more from their claimed markings, and it’s very difficult to be consistent when measuring with them. TLDR, the point that Raevenswood raised is a valid one. To correctly calibrate a measurement device, your reference quantity and procedures need be at least as accurate as the thing you’re calibrating, and preferably very much more so. The scale and procedure that the guy is using in this video doesn’t meet those criteria. Also... hate to point out the obvious but, water is a fluid so, to use a quantity of water to calibrate a force measurement, you have to hold it in a container of some sort. To know how much the container weighs you need a scale. If you already have a scale, then messing around with volumes of water is utterly superfluous, and is just adding additional sources of uncertainty.
16oz of distilled water @62F= 1.04lb.@@jackpoage5419
Non-american laughing in SI measurements :D 1 litre of water = 1kg
Or 1 liter at 1 kilo
Metric for life
My question is why you're assuming that the $5 scale is better calibrated than the torque wrench.
Usually they are, as most of its parts are electronic or electro-mechanics wich are very reliable. Besides, you can always use a well known mass to check their calibrations.
@@henryzr23 i had 25lb dumb bell laying around double checked on floor scale then tested on luggage scale.
Shit its cheaper then paying for a new torque wrench or calibration.
Bro tip - u can also use ur lug nuts on ur car instead of a vice, just make sure its less then would be to twist the lug nuts.
Take a thin plastic bag and fill it with a liter of water. 1 liter of water = 1kg
@@thesisko4031 great idea thank you 🙏 🔧
Very straight forward and was easy to understand, thanks kindly.
0:19 intro was great, lol definitely liked your video.
My wrist is calibrated. Click.
Know what happens to people with calibrated wrists? They strip threads especially when you screw small steel screws into aluminum castings.
@@johnc8910 I will be honest worked on all my cars for 20+ years now never had that happen but I did have that happen when a car was taken to a proper shop for a alignment they galled the threads on 5 wheel studs next time I went to rotate tires..... some time feel is best than being a professional
Yeah but it only clicks once 🤔then what😂
Great video. One quibble, it's lb*ft not lb/ft. 42lb * 23" * 1 ft / 12" The inches cancel, leaving lb*ft.
Why complicate things? All you need to do is divide the inch measurement you marked on the handle by 12 inches and then multiply the answer you get by the lbs. reading you get on the scale.
jjenson2006 that's precisely what he did.
If you got the idea, it don't matter bud.
@Bob Sacamano Any unit in dimension of Torque is fine.
@@jjenson2006 The concept of physical dimension is precisely the origin of the need to convert units. You keep track of what you're doing by getting the units right. If you are trying to convert from inches*pounds to newtons*meters, you know that you need to multiply by newtons and divide by pounds at some point, which is the exact opposite from what you would do to convert from inches/pounds to meters/newtons. You can't check your process if you are using units which are flat wrong.
Hi, I must say this was a very useful and informative video. This is why I just love UA-cam!!! Keep up the common sense ideas for many of us overlook the simple things which really matter when making repairs that are going to last. One only knows what goes on at the garage when the bill is all outdoors and one wonders if it is really repaired. That is why I perform all my own on whatever I can. It helps me sleep better at night.... Thank you.
That's great! I have been using my torque wrench to check my luggage scale, now I can check them both at the same time, thanks!
I don't smoke, well only when I'm on fire but I do drink is that a good enough vise?
Pretty cool vid, good info.
Vice vs. vise, time for a bud wis er.
Calibrate one inaccurate device with another inaccurate device. Something doesn’t seem right about this.
If you aren't building space rocket or doing a high accuracy experiment/project with it, it's fine. Otherwise we can sue kitchen scale vendor for nutrient inaccuracy causing ailments like obesity etc
Try M what do most people use torque wrenches for? Yes that’s right AUTOMOTIVE use. things like wheel hubs, lug nuts, suspension parts, engine specs are IMPORTANT and dangerous if not torqued accurately. An automobile is not a blender.
So then don´t speak about calibrating
Go pay $100 for calibration, nobody is stopping you. Or offer a better way to calibrate $10 HF wrench
As long as the device used for the calibration is more accurate than the thing being calibrated you are golden. You can take a test weight to a certified grocery store scale or postal scale and measure it.
Awesome vid. Can't wait to start calibrating!
Fantastic video man. Thank you.