Tools… you gotta love them. They come in just about all shapes and sizes and provide for many potential uses. As for me, I have a toolbox full of tools which I hardly ever use. I have wrenches of all sizes, screwdrivers with just about every head imaginable, and even various hammers for hammering different nails. Honestly, I wish there was one tool that could do it all. Surely I’m not the only one that thinks this way either.
For one graphic designer named Franc Falco, whom we have reported on in the past, designing objects to 3D print is nothing new. Whether it be his oversized diver’s watch or his 3D printed teeth, the man obviously has a lot of talent when it comes to 3D modeling.
His latest creation, however, will certainly appease those people like me who only wish that they could greatly reduce the size of their toolboxes. Falco recently came across a device on Pinterest, which he refers to as a “finger wrench,” but unfortunately the manufacturer was no longer selling the product, and Falco just needed to have one.
“I couldn’t find anywhere to purchase existing stock,” Falco tells 3DPrint.com. “However, I thought it was such a great product I had to have one, so I modeled and 3D printed this little beauty myself and it works a treat!”
To model the design, he only had a single image to use as a reference–but this was enough for Falco, who says that the design process was “fairly straightforward.” Using MAXON C4D software, it only took him about an hour or so to create his first iteration, which, when 3D printed on his office’s MakerBot Replicator 2, worked like a charm. The 3D printing process only takes approximately 30 minutes, and once complete, Falco’s Finger Wrench is ready to use.
The wrench, which slips onto a user’s index finger, can tighten and loosen any bolt under 1/2 inch in size. It works on both metric and imperial bolts and really is quite universal.
“There is a gap all down the back side, thereby allowing one size to fit a wide range of fingers,” Falco tells us. “Slip a nut or bolt into the wrench as shown in the images. Finger pressure keeps the nut or bolt in place. The tapered slot inside the wrench prevents the nut or bolt from turning. When you are in an awkward position trying to attach a nut to a bolt, a finger wrench may be just what you need.”
Falco has made the design for this little tool available for anyone to download and print themselves from Thingiverse. What do you think this wrench? Is it something that will make your life easier? Discuss in the 3D Printed Finger Wrench forum thread on 3DPB.com.
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