"bob prohaska" wrote in message
news
Jim Wilkins wrote:

Water pipe and malleable iron fittings are very handy to make
custom
tools but also quite soft. Music wire from hobby stores can be
ground
to the shape of wrench teeth and pressed into holes in the pipe.

Indeed, I just bought some scraps of iron pipe and am building a
tool now to remove the lift cylinder packing. It's easy, because
the rod is straight and does not overhang the packing nut.

The pump is a different kettle of fish:
http://www.zefox.net/~bp/pumpgland.jpg
(apologies, it's another obese image)
With the pump piston in place, the eye overhangs the
piston packing nut completely. The outer nut can be installed
separately, so a socket-style wrench has a chance, especially
if it's supported by a pilot.

I've had good results with hook and pin spanner wrenches made from
the

Does anybody know the correct name for wrenches to fit gland nuts
like
those shown in the photo? They're not hook, nor pin. "Claw spanner"
is
the best term I could think of, but it isn't fruitful in a web
search.

For now the plan is to make a socket-style wrench out of pipe, then
split
it with a saw and fit it around the piston as a pilot. A hose clamp
to
secure, and pliers to tighten. It's almost worthy of Rube Goldberg.

8-)

bob prohaska

I made wrenches for similar end-notched retaining rings on the
salvaged cylinders for my front end loader from flat steel the
thickness of the slots. Just cut a hole for the ID, cut across the
hole somewhat past the diameter and bend the ends down into lugs that
fit the slots. Bending is easier if you make the lugs long for better
grip and grind them to length afterwards.

-jsw