bent/angled Allen key?? (not guitar related)

[tkmclaughlin]

First I apologize that this is not guitar-related. But the folks on this forum are smart and tool savvy and I don’t know who/where else I could ask this question. I am hoping someone might take pity and respond with some wisdom.

I’ve got a some office chair wheels that are connected to the mounting post with a central Allen bolt. Over time, that bolt loosens. When loose, the wheel doesn’t operate properly (it gets stuck in the wrong direction and won’t swivel to the right position and, as a result, the chair won’t roll properly across the floor. It gets stuck.

The solution is easy - just tighten the Allen bolt until it is REALLY tight and won’t loosen.

The problem is that the wheel gets in the way of the Allen key and you can only get it jammed in on an angle. See photo. You cannot get any torque to really tighten it. So it just loosens again. And again. And again. And again. And again. I’ve tried squeezing crazy glue onto the threads. Loctite. Nothing works. It just loosens after 5-10 days.

Do any of the engineering-minded folks here have any ideas or suggestions (other than just buying a new set of wheels). Could I jus chuck the Allen key into a vice and start hammering the bastard until the 90 degree angle is more like 45????

 

[WingedWords]

Ball-end Allen keys are available. They'd probably sort this out.

Bahco Metric Long Ball-End Hex Key Set 9 Pcs - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Long arm, ball-end hex key set supplied in a plastic holder. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

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[tkmclaughlin]

Ball-end Allen keys are available. They'd probably sort this out.

Bahco Metric Long Ball-End Hex Key Set 9 Pcs - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Long arm, ball-end hex key set supplied in a plastic holder. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

Thank you!!!

 

[schmee]

Yeah the ball end are nice.
Or... hacksaw!

 

[old wrench]

Yes, the ball-end allens are made for those sort of applications

Or - you could cut down the short end of the allen wrench in your picture until it's just a long enough stub to still engage the head of the fastener, but short enough to clear the radius of the wheel


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[PhoenixBill]

Allen wrench should be too hard for a hacksaw to cut it. A Dremel with a cutoff wheel would handle it though.

 

[Boreas]

Doesn't your picture show you USING a ball-end wrench?? If so, it seems to be coupling the head properly and should be applying more than enough torque. Or has the head stripped out - in which case you are scrod?

 

[Boreas]

Bending the key may break it. I persobally would try filing off a flat spot on the wheel itself. I doubt it will be bothersome until you get up to highway speeds! But if the wrench is engaged well into the head (looks like it is), that mild angle the handle is making is negligible. That's how ball-ends are designed to work.

I would also remove the bolt and see if shortening it a bit with a file or grinder may help it seat tighter - sometimes they can be too long. Make sure the bearing for the caster is well lubricated. Make sure that caster is not missing a washer/spacer that allows the caster to spin without putting enough torque on the screw to back it out.

Don't tip over.

 

[Lost_N_Austin]

Goggle - "Garbage Disposal Allen Key" for an image of the possible answer. You may even have one under your sink.
Ace hardware has them.
Now is it the right "size" that is the question.

Lost_N_Austin

 

[Frodebro]

Is there a nut on the other side of that wheel that we can’t see in the picture? If the wheel is removable, I would pop it off for complete access to the swivel mounting bolt.

Then I would remove the bolt completely and thoroughly clean the threads (on both the nut and inside the swivel) with naphtha or denatured alcohol, then apply red loctite and reinstall the bolt.

If not, I would clamp the hex wrench in a vise and cut down the short side with a cutoff wheel, then use a mill file to de-burr the cut end.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

 

[tkmclaughlin]

Doesn't your picture show you USING a ball-end wrench?? If so, it seems to be coupling the head properly and should be applying more than enough torque. Or has the head stripped out - in which case you are scrod?

No it’s just a regular Allan key. The ball end is definitely the way to go. I’m feeling a bit daft for not thinking about that!!

 

[dsutton24]

Ball ends are handy things, but they will snap if you try to tighten things until it is REALLY tight. They don't seat as well as a regular Allen wrench and you can also damage fasteners.

Reasonable torque with a ball end and a couple of drops of blue Loktite is the sensible solution.

 

[Frodebro]

Ball ends are handy things, but they will snap if you try to tighten things until it is REALLY tight. They don't seat as well as a regular Allen wrench and you can also damage fasteners.

Reasonable torque with a ball end and a couple of drops of blue Loktite is the sensible solution.

My vote is for red loctite. One and done.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I snapped many a ball end off a HF set. Maybe a quality tool would be OK, but I'm not going to find out. I might try cutting that Allen wrench down myself.

 

[Silent Otto]

if possible, remove wheel. tighten bolt, reinstall wheel.

 

[BigPapa-53]

I’d buy a set of these with a lifetime warranty before messing with all that….

Amazon product ASIN B01CTIG4GE

 

[guitar_paul1]

In the machine shop/lab where I used to work, about half the Allen wrenches had been chopped down with a grinder or cutoff wheel.

 

[eallen]

If you prefer not to puchase a ball end, use a grinder or cut of well to cut the Allen wrench down to just the height of the hex recess. I also heat Allen wrenches with a torch on occasion when need to create custom bends.

If I got royalties for the Allen wrench patent I would tell you to buy as many as you can.

Eric

 

[old wrench]

Allen wrench should be too hard for a hacksaw to cut it. A Dremel with a cutoff wheel would handle it though.

No - they are pretty hard - but not quite that hard

I've cut them with a hacksaw

If the allen wrench was so hard that it couldn't be cut with a hacksaw, they would be brittle enough to snap in two - even with just reasonable torque applied


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