Which socket set?

Thinking of my last boat, there were very few hex fasteners, if any, that couldn't have been tightened/untightened just as well, albeit a little more slowly, with a ring spanner or open-ended spanner.

Maybe the engine injectors, and anything else that neccessitated using a torque wrench.
 
Whilst people have their mind on sockets. Is there such a thing as a square socket which would fit the (1/4"???) spigot on the blanking plug to the cooling water system on my Beta 13. Access is very limited and an open ended spanner just feels like it's going to slip.
Yes, it’s not easy especially if access awkward and hidden. On mine I pressed a tight fitting metric nut over the square drive and a touch of weld to lock the two together. Any spanner or socket of your choice then makes removal easy. Of course you have to get the original one out first ! The much condemned adjustable spanner, a good quality small one, may help with the removal of the original plug.
 
Yes, it’s not easy especially if access awkward and hidden. On mine I pressed a tight fitting metric nut over the square drive and a touch of weld to lock the two together. Any spanner or socket of your choice then makes removal easy. Of course you have to get the original one out first !
Excellent idea if I can get it out.
I removed it several years ago but I obviously put it back in too well.
 
I used to buy cheap Spanish sets back in the 70s, so I didn't care about cutting and welding them. Daily use were Snap-On. That was on a/craft, where things were often tight.
Still make a lot of tools.
As for accessability, working on the rudder links for a friends classic 36 cold moulded wooden sloop. Had to creep/slide down a quarter berth, remove a panel and work by feel. Claustrophobic, you betcha, He hauled me out by the ankles when it was sorted.
What the builder was thinking of....
He was thinking it wouldn't be his problem once it was sold.

He was also probably thinking that the first buyer wouldn't be thinking about maintenance needs on his shiny new thing, and he was probably right.
 
Excellent idea if I can get it out.
I removed it several years ago but I obviously put it back in too well.
My last resort before drilling is a Stilson. Brutal but they shift, though one needs room to use it and perhaps a pipe lever extension. Chewing up the spiggot non-terminally wont matter much if you are going to weld a nut on it.

Maybe PTFE thread tape before reinstalling.
 
My last resort before drilling is a Stilson. Brutal but they shift, though one needs room to use it and perhaps a pipe lever extension. Chewing up the spiggot non-terminally wont matter much if you are going to weld a nut on it.

Maybe PTFE thread tape before reinstalling.
I had to look that up !....I call them monkey wrenches or pipe wrenches
 
Unfortunately there is no possibility of a Stillson fitting into the space.
I may try and hammer on a star socket as a last resort but I suspect there's no room to swing a hammer...
An eight point (double square) socket is your friend
 
Thanks...I didn't know such things existed. I'll have to see if I can get an accurate measure of the spigot and then if there's a socket to fit.

You can get 1/4 drive sets on E-bay for less than £10 that include two or three double-square sockets. Main use is brake adjustment but they obviously fit anything square.

You'll also find brake adjusting spanners by the dozen at your local car boot sale, for about 50p

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You can get 1/4 drive sets on E-bay for less than £10 that include two or three double-square sockets. Main use is brake adjustment but they obviously fit anything square.

You'll also find brake adjusting spanners by the dozen at your local car boot sale, for about 50p

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How often have you seen a water drain plug in the side of a block where one can rotate a spanner around the plug?
 
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