With wing nuts everything is clear and understandable: they are needed where it is necessary to frequently unscrew and tighten them, and quite tightly, without using keys. These could be electrical terminals, container lids, inspection hatches, etc.
But sometimes there is a need to use not a wing nut, but a wing bolt. For example, when operating a quick-release coupling consisting of massive parts. Wing bolts, unlike wing nuts, are rarely found on sale. Fortunately, you can make them yourself.
Required
To make a wing bolt you will need a regular hex head bolt and any plastic bottle.
From tools and devices it is enough to have:
- vice;
- hacksaw for metal;
- construction hair dryer;
- pliers or pliers;
- mini drill.
Sequence of manufacturing a wing bolt
Almost any adult can implement the step-by-step instructions below.
1. Using a hacksaw for metal, cut off a part of the neck with a thread from a plastic bottle, which should be slightly higher in height than the height of the bolt head.
2. We fix the bolt in a vice by the rod, so that its head rises slightly above the upper edges of the clamping jaws of the vice.
3. From above we put the cut off part of the bottle neck with a thread on the bolt head.
4. Using a hair dryer, heat a cut fragment of a PET bottle from a certain distance until it softens. Depending on the temperature of the air flow, this should take 5-10 seconds or so.
5. We take two pliers and squeeze the annular plastic fragment from two opposite sides so that it tightly clasps the bolt head and at the same time stretches in opposite directions and, at the same time, its strips should weld (glue) together.
6. If during the formation of the bends the temperature of the plastic has decreased and it has lost its fluidity, then you can carefully warm them up again with warm air and complete the work.
7. Using a mini drill, knife and scissors, while the plastic is warm, remove the sagging, trim the ends and cut off the lower part of the wings of the lamb so that they do not interfere with tightening the bolt to the end.
As a result, we get a wing bolt with a plastic wing sitting quite securely on its head. The strength of the resulting combined part is such that it will not be easy to break it by hand.
In addition to making a wing bolt or nut, this method can be used to unscrew nuts and bolts in unexpected situations when, for example, you do not have a suitable wrench at hand.
It holds very securely and cannot be easily unscrewed or broken by hand.
