Classic Bike Guide - Real rides, real riders

Impact drivers and useless tool

February issue – page 15 – regarding the removal of tight screws. Could I suggest you don’t forget the humble impact driver. It doesn't require heat, just penetrating oil and it forces the screwdriver bit deeply into the crosscut/hexagon/phillips arrangement and delivers with a twist, enough torque to free the aforementioned thread without wrenching the bit out of the head of the screw, which can happen with increased leverage but no increased download.

I am mindful of the fact that most people under 45 haven't got a clue that the length of the spanner, ie Britool, is engineered to deliver so many pounds/feet torque without discomfort or thread damage. Tools I have bought made in Taiwan, Korea and India are not designed in this way and consequently can cause a lot of damage or discomfort.

P.E Ruewell
Billingshurst
Kent

Ed Note – I think you’re being a bit harsh on the under 45s, I know a few lads well under that age who can teach me a thing or two. Likewise I know of one or two, even older than me who purport to know what’s what but don’t really know one end of a spanner from the other.