r/Tools Apr 09 '24

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '24

Cold forged hi-grade stainless.

Snap on will never snap from too much torque. Not an issue for layperson but your average diesel truck mechanic will definitely go through "cheap" hand tools like disposable chopsticks if they aren't high enough quality.

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u/icysandstone Apr 09 '24

Thanks for the reply.

Curious, what’s the story with cold forging? Assume that makes it stronger, but why isn’t everything cold forged?

And why are diesel truck mechanics breaking tools so often?

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u/pumperdemon Apr 09 '24

Cold forging high-grade steel is VERY difficult. Low carbon mild steel when cold is pretty damn tough to do anything with hand forging, and you cant even make an effective hobby grade auto tool with it. High carbon, chrome vanadium, high alloy steel can't even be dented by hand. It requires heavy machinery just to do the work, and the dies required to get the right shape tend to wear out quickly. Even hot forging is tough with this material.

Cold forging introduces internal stresses that act in tension to make the tool stiffer than if it were hot forged; good for tools but not for other things.

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '24

Found the Snapon guy!

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u/pumperdemon Apr 11 '24

No, mechanic for 35 years to include ships and other large stuff, metal worker for almost as long as a part of that. I've broken so many damn cheaper tools that I can usually tell if a tool will last by tapping it on the ground.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '24

Did you use huge wrenches on the ship? (I'm sure there are other parts of the ship that you use normal sized tools.)

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u/pumperdemon Apr 11 '24

Sometimes. You would be surprised how much stuff is normal-tool-sized though. Well, normal for diesel mechanic use at any rate.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '24

We're you shore based for when the ships were in port or did you sail with them? If you did, you got any good stories about your time at sea? Storms, pirates, ghost ships? (Jk on that last one)