cute torque wrench

 A little more on that cute little torque wrench I picked up this morning. One of the things which was different to my eyes is that the torque-sensing bar is two bars, one above the other in the vertical plane. I've been pondering this, and I can't really figure that this represents any great advantage over a single bar with the same stiffness. Perhaps it is more linear.

 This one is a Model 34830 from Blackhawk Tools.  Judging from the construction style and a bit of searching, it appears that Blackhawk last made this style of wrench in the 1950s.

 Like any good torque wrench, the handle has a pivot point upon which your elbow-grease is supposed to bear. Making the handle a round knob is smart, as it improves the odds that a naive user will use the thing correctly, even if it's by accident.

 The thing is in fantastic shape for its apparent age.  There was a lot of grime on the photo-etched (raised lettering!) plates on the handle end, but a few swipes with some penetrating oil and some light brushing made it look as above.  The plate under the pointer states "2% Permanently Accurate" which should be true unless one manages to somehow bend the main bars, or put dents or nicks in them - you sorta have to abuse the hell out of these things to ruin them.  If the pointer doesn't point to zero when you pick it up, you bend the pointer - which is soft for a reason - until it does.  Don't worry about bending the main torque bar(s); they are hardened and tempered - if you can bend them, something is very wrong. So, even though I don't have a torque calibrator / meter to check it with, I am 99% confident that it will be close enough for my not-going-to-the-moon work.

 I shelled out a whopping $15 for this item, and it took me less than five minutes to clean it up to my satisfaction.  I am content.