What to Use if You Don’t Have a Wrench
We have all experienced moments where a table or chair leg is loose and wobbly, there is a leaking pipe or furniture has to be dismantled in preparation for a house move.
We try to use our fingers but only end up with sore fingers, as the old adage goes: you should use the right tool for the job. In these cases the right tool is a spanner (or wrench, for our American readers), but what do you do when you don’t have a spanner?
Don’t worry, we have gathered a list of common household objects you can use instead of a spanner.
What is a Wrench/Spanner Used for?
Spanners come in many types and sizes for a variety of different tasks and are an indispensable part of any toolbox. Used to loosen or tighten nuts, bolts, pipes and pipes fittings they prove their usefulness many times over.
Two coins
Who would think that money can be used as a makeshift tool? Take two large coins (2 pence coins work perfectly for this) and place them on either side of the nut.
Grip the coins between the knuckles of your index and middle fingers for extra grip and twist in the direction needed to loosen the nut.
Zip-tie
These wonderful little toolbox accessories aren’t just used to tidy up cables and attach hubcaps, they can also be used in place of a spanner.
Place the zip-tie around the nut as tightly as possible and using the tail of the zip-tie pull in the direction necessary to loosen or tighten the nut.
Duck tape
Duct tape is useful in almost any situation but you may be surprised to learn that you can use it to loosen bolts. First tear off a section roughly 12 inches in length, after this tear it down the middle so you are left with two 12 inch strips.
Make a strong tape strip by sticking one strip to the back (the non-sticky side), next wrap part of the strip around the nut leaving a ‘tail’ 6-8 inches long and press firmly to ensure it has adhered to the metal nut. Pull the duct tape tail in the direction required to loosen the nut to easily remove it.
Another nut and bolt
If you don’t have any of the aforementioned items but have lots of nuts and bolts around, you can still make a makeshift wrench out of two nuts and two bolts.
First, attach one of the nuts to one of the bolts and place it on top of the nut you wish to loosen or tighten (so that the thread of the bolt is on top of the nut). Adjust until the nut is tightly sandwiched between the bolt head and the nut.
Now take the second nut and attach it so you can attach the two bolts, make sure everything is attached tightly, and turn your piece in the direction it needs to go.
So here we have it, you can loosen or tighten the nut with four options without the need for a wrench. With this guide, you have no more excuses for why you haven’t done anything you said you couldn’t do because you don’t have the tools!
Of course, it’s best to have a toolbox with the basic tools needed for general DIY, but with these quick fixes, you won’t be stuck again.
A relevant point worth mentioning
what to use instead of wrench?
If you don’t have a wrench, you can try using an adjustable spanner, pliers, or even a pair of vice grips to help loosen or tighten nuts and bolts. In a pinch, you could also try using a sturdy coin or a flathead screwdriver as makeshift tools.