That old-timer told me to ditch my torque wrench and go by feel on那几个 connector screws

Honestly, I thought that guy was crazy. He was probably 65, been doing this since the 80s, and he said my torque wrench was wasting time on those little D-sub connector jackscrews. I ignored him for weeks, kept using the click wrench on every single one. Then last month I had a big batch of 50 connectors to do on a Saturday night, and my wrench battery died. I had no choice but to go by feel like he said. Turned out he was totally right. I finished in half the time and not a single one loosened up later. Has anyone else had some old-timer give you advice that you fought at first but then it worked out?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_anderson1mo ago

Did you read that old NASA guide about torquing fasteners? I remember seeing something where they said experienced techs could match a torque wrench just by feel if they had enough practice. Sounds like that guy was one of those people who learned the hard way back when torque wrenches weren't as common. I still use my click wrench on critical stuff like engine bolts, but for connector jackscrews I've been going by feel for years now.

the_diana1mo ago

That NASA guide is the real deal from what I've seen. I had a mentor back in the 90s who could hit a torque spec within maybe two or three pound-feet just by feel on his ratchet from years of rebuilding transmissions. For jackscrews and small hardware I'm the same way as you - once you've tightened a thousand of them, the wrist just knows when it's snug enough. Still, I always break out the click wrench for anything that touches oil or coolant, that's where I learned my lesson the hard way with a stripped pan bolt once.

karen3611mo ago

You ever notice how the same thing happens with cooking? Like, my grandma could tell a pan was hot enough just by holding her hand over it, and I used to think she was just guessing until I burned enough stuff to figure it out myself. There's a kind of knowledge that only comes from doing something a thousand times, and the old folks have that muscle memory locked in. We all get told to trust the tool over the touch, but sometimes the person who's been at it longer just knows when something feels right.