A lead inspector's comment about my torque readings stuck with me for months

Back in March at the hangar in Phoenix, a lead inspector watched me torque a row of firewall fasteners and said, "You're reading the click before it clicks." I thought he was being picky, but he was right. I was stopping at the first hint of resistance instead of letting the wrench fully break over, which meant my values were running about 8 to 10 percent low. After I started holding steady for that extra second and listening for the full click, my re-torque checks dropped from maybe one in ten needing adjustment to one in thirty. Has anyone else had a similar criticism about their tool technique that took a while to actually sink in?

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claire_hart5329d ago

See, Im gonna push back on this one. Ive torqued stuff for 20 years and Ive always gone by the feel of the joint, not just the click. If the fastener stops moving and the wrench resistance builds smooth, thats my number. Stopping at that first hint isnt being sloppy, its reading the hardware. The click can be a split second late on a worn wrench or a dirty thread, and if you wait for it you can actually overshoot on a tight fitting hole. Your inspector was right for your setup maybe, but that extra second of hold can also egg out softer aluminum holes if youre not careful. Ive seen guys torque by sound alone and strip more than they fix.