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Gone are the days when every child learned to use tools at Grandpa’s knee, so what’s a guy or gal to do when something needs fixed but there’s no money to call an expert?

Do it yourself.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, so when it doubt, turn to the Internet, specifically The Art of Manliness and this article on everything you need to know about how to use a wrench right and which wrench is the right one to use.

Go ahead and laugh if you like, but isn’t it better to just suck it up and read the article for future reference than fix whatever you break when hurling said wrench across the room and breaking something?

We thought so.

General Wrench Use Guidelines

Select the right wrench size for the job. To avoid damaging your fastener or yourself, always select a wrench jaw size that corresponds to the fastener you’re tightening or loosening. Also, make sure your wrench’s jaw is in complete contact with the fastener before applying pressure. These two things will go a long way in preventing your wrench from slipping and you swearing about a bruised knuckle.

Pull, don’t push. When using a wrench, you typically want to position yourself so that you pull it instead of push it. This ensures you don’t bark a knuckle whenever the wrench slips off the fastener. If you do need to push a wrench, use the heel of your hand, that way if the wrench slips, you won’t hurt yourself.

Don’t add more leverage with pipe. You may have seen your dad put a longer piece of pipe over his wrench to gain more leverage when tightening a fastener. You should avoid using “cheater bars” for several reasons. First, they can damage your wrench by bending the handle or jacking up the head. Second, because of the added torque you get with the extra leverage, you risk rounding your fastener if you don’t have the right wrench head for the job. Finally, there’s a chance the cheater bar will slip off the wrench’s handle while you’re turning, causing harm to you or others. If you need more leverage, use a longer wrench. If you have a particularly stubborn fastener, apply some penetrating oil (like Liquid Wrench) to the thread, wait a few minutes, and then try loosening.

Full story at The Art of Manliness.

How to use tools without looking like one.

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