Modifying tools

[Capbyrd]

A friend asked me to install his new DD M4 RIS II FSP.   But the rail didn't come with the wrench it was supposed to.  Rather than wait for a wrench to arrive, I found a cheap castle nut wrench in my tool drawer that I don't use because I can't put it on torque wrench.  It wouldn't fit but I figured it would be easy enough to file it down to fit.  That took just a few seconds with the file and it fit good enough.
 

 

 

 

Now I set myself to creating a hole in it for the torque wrench.  I started by drilling out a hole with a 7/16" drill bit.  Then I used a triangle file to make it square and then work it out to size.  I should have taken pictures at each step but I didn't so here are some pictures after I'd been filing for a while. 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, my square is crooked but it doesn't really matter.  The point was to be able to get it on to the torque wrench.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Worked perfectly for getting this barrel nut torqued down.  And now I have a wrench for that rail if I ever need it again. 
 

 

 

[papa61]

thank you! see, we are smarter than we think!

[Capbyrd]

44 minutes ago, papa61 said:

thank you! see, we are smarter than we think!

Oh I am definitely dumber.  But thanks! 

[aknifemaker]

When I was a kid in shop class we were given rough cut pieces of steel 1 inch oversize.  With a file and a square we had to make a 1" cube all sides being square to each other, that was our finals test. Its amazing what you can do by hand with a little ingenuity.

[papa61]

22 minutes ago, aknifemaker said:

When I was a kid in shop class we were given rough cut pieces of steel 1 inch oversize.  With a file and a square we had to make a 1" cube all sides being square to each other, that was our finals test. Its amazing what you can do by hand with a little ingenuity.

wow. that had to be difficult. but what a SKILL to learn!

[Grunt67]

As they say, necessity is the Mother of invention. Good job, Cap.

[Grayfox54]

In my career of turning wrenches, I have some really odd looking homemade tools in my box. Ugly as sin, but they get the job done. 

Yep, as Grunt said, necessity is a mother. 

[Capbyrd]

8 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

In my career of turning wrenches, I have some really odd looking homemade tools in my box. Ugly as sin, but they get the job done. 

Yep, as Grunt said, necessity is a mother. 

I go to a lot of estate sales and I collect craftsman tools, and if they are cheap enough, other made in US brands.  

One of the things I love finding is modified or homemade tools.  I always wonder what job the owner was doing that he needed whatever I'm looking at. 

 

[Erich]

Nice!

Much better result than most of my escapades that start with have dremel...will travel

[Capbyrd]

18 hours ago, Erich said:

Nice!

Much better result than most of my escapades that start with have dremel...will travel

I try not to use the dremel if I can avoid it.