What tool for pot nut? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: veedub565
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 03:26:01 pm
content: Hi, what tool do I need to undo this potentiometer nut (pic attached)I tried long nose pliers and they don't really fit too well, plus its very tight.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 03:28:50 pm
content: It’ll likely be a custom tool from the pot manufacturer. But it’s just a pipe with two areas milled off, should you happen to have access to a shop.

author: Tomorokoshi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 03:30:35 pm
content: Normally I would use a "circlip" tool. If you do, be careful about the torque, although the tips are usually hardened. There are couple different styles out there.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 03:38:18 pm
content: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CruzTools-GTJPT1-Jack-Pot-Tool/dp/B004RMCBCW/ref=asc_df_B004RMCBCW/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310810391039&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12725698364627171831&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9044937&hvtargid=pla-564184771629&psc=1&th=1&psc=1#

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 03:44:38 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on October 09, 2020, 03:38:18 pmMethinks you didn’t look at the picture of the nut, because that tool is for hex nuts, which aren’t what’s used here.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 03:59:26 pm
content: OK - was looking on phone. Shouldn't be hard to make a tool out of a flat plate for this ( pc slot cover?)

author: veedub565
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 03:59:46 pm
content: Thanks, no access to a machine shop so I'll give circlips a try.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 04:32:42 pm
content: you may be able to boged a tool out of fork

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 04:38:33 pm
content: Quote from: veedub565 on October 09, 2020, 03:59:46 pmI was thinking more along the lines of a hacksaw and a file..

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 05:19:59 pm
content: I would try with a screwdriver and a small (!) hammer, to be honest: Set screwdriver into one of the slots, angled such that it wants to push the nut counterclockwise, then lightly tap the driver's handle with the hammer. Try alternating between the two slots a couple of times if it does not come loose right away.Yes, that's botching it, but only mildly so...

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 05:29:17 pm
content: A tool for a pot nut would obviously be a roach clip...

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 05:39:32 pm
content: I have encountered this many times. I do recall at a camera repair class that the instructor suggested a Crescent 777 pliers with tips modified to have a gap when closed.One way is to find a pair of pliers that has tips closely matching the width of the slots. Another is to use a small screwdriver that you lay into one of the slots and tap with a light hammer in a direction so as to turn it counterclockwise.One of these schemes has always worked for me.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 05:53:49 pm
content: FYI, these things are also used on many panel-mount safety banana sockets. Depending on the diameter, one of their tools might work. I’d check out some banana manufacturers.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 06:02:32 pm
content: The search term is "round slotted nut" or "slotted round nut". Tools are available but hard to find.The best homebrew solution is a piece of steel tube with the same diameter as the nut, with the end filed/milled/ground down so that two tangs fitting the nut remain.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 07:22:52 pm
content: The classic quick workaround for this for this is to make yourself a tool out of a short length of steel pipe that's roughly the right diameter. Just file down the end straight across (i.e. on a chord) the whole width of the pipe on both sides to leave a couple of 'nibs' sticking up that are the right size to fit into the slots on the nut. Crossdrill a hole in the other end of the pipe that's the right size to slip a screwdriver through to use as a lever. Takes 10-15 minutes if you've got a sharp file and a suitable bit of scrap pipe handy. If you can find a box wrench roughly the right size you could file it out of that.The finished tool would look something like the tool top right here:

author: ChristofferB
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2020, 07:29:06 pm
content: I usually jam each jaw tip of some needle nose pliers in each slot and get it to turn that way.70% success rate30% chance it slips and pinches a fingie120% chance the nut will be unsalvageable, ugly or both.

author: veedub565
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2020, 06:21:16 pm
content: Many thanks for all the replies, I didn't even know what to search for to begin with but plenty to go at now

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 08:04:03 pm
content: My version of that tool ;-)With a outside tube, the tool won't slip out of the slot in the nut.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 09:33:01 pm
content: The difficult part is finding a metal tube of the appropriate dimensions.

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 09:47:04 pm
content: A lathe and a big metal scrap bin is very helpful in these cases ;-)

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 10:07:27 pm
content: That looks like the front of an R&S CMS5xI bought lens spanner’s for just this sort of challenge..... and for lens disassemblyThey are relatively inexpensive and very useful to have in the tool box. I have all of the types shown in the attached pictures. I paid around £6 each for mine.Fraser

author: notsob
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 10:28:14 pm
content: something like thishttps://www.buerklin.com/en/Slotted-nut-wrench-SS6/p/06L6414

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2020, 11:55:19 pm
content: I would use a pin spanner of the right size. A punch and a hammer may work too.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2020, 04:18:33 pm
content: Judging by the OP's photo, the nut sits too deep for a pin spanner.

author: tkamiya
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2020, 09:41:44 pm
content: Two flat-head screw drivers and a vice grip. Crude and prone to slip, so controlling force and being gentle is very important.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2020, 10:07:59 pm
content: I presume the OP knows that the whole front button panel may be removed from around that pot nut to provide better access ? There are the main corner screws and some tiny screws scattered around the label that hold it in place flat.Fraser

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2020, 11:03:39 pm
content: It is called a spanner socket, the small ones are commonly found with 4 pins instead of 2, so you might have to grind 2 off. They're around, but not easy to find generically since they are often sold specifically for a particular use, like axle bearing retainers (a bit big for your pot). A solid retaining ring pliers may work in a pinch.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2020, 11:41:04 pm
content: Are there any small machine shops in your area? That looks like the kind of thing where if you drop by on a slow afternoon they may be able to whip something up for a modest price. That looks like something that anyone with a little experience on a lathe and mill could make out of a scrap of round stock in a few minutes.

author: Quarlo Klobrigney
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2020, 01:16:58 am
content: I made my own after not finding any solution.It was a 32mm socket that I took a Dremel to and left only the 2 teeth to turn a lock ring on a Canon lens assembly.Just find a socket that you can modify that over fits the nut yet still grabs it.If I can locate it I'll post a photo.It just takes a little of your time.If you have a bench grinder, grind off the majority of the flat area and finish it off with a corrugated cutter wheel-steady hand.Don't use the thin wheels they hurt when they break.

author: ChuckDarwin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2020, 07:15:18 am
content: Search for an "X-Key Repair Tool" on your favourite auction site or supplier. Cheap (in all respects), multiple fitments, easy to mod.Small bent needle nose to work parallel with the nut rather than from above work well, too.

author: veedub565
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2020, 09:15:58 am
content: Quote from: Fraser on October 12, 2020, 10:07:59 pmI guessed it was possible to remove the front button panel, wasn't something I especially wanted to do though if I could help it. I wasn't sure if it might have been glued or stuck down in some way (as well as screwed) and then I'd have difficulty getting it to look right afterwards.Quote from: ChuckDarwin on October 13, 2020, 07:15:18 amThis worked in the end (X-Key tool)Many thanks for all the suggestions. I have now bought myself a dremel so I can at least have a go at making a tool for obscure things like this in future.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2020, 01:18:37 am
content: Too late, and not really helpful...This is a tool I made from scraps, for lens retaining rings and also slotted nuts like that.The working points are small hardened steel rods, that can be ground down to suit whatever.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2020, 01:27:27 am
content: Also too late, but a watch case opener tool (widely available for well under $10) will work in many cases. If the pot shaft is too long you will need custom pins, but these are easier to make than some other options for tool making.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 30, 2020, 06:54:27 am
content: I made one by cutting a slot in a stainless tube and gluing it into a dowel, excellent strength.You dip a little bit of ink (i recommend the marker pen sold in the electrical section of a hardware store) on the elevations and carefully touch the tube to transfer the ink. Then use a file or mill.If you buy 5 feet of thick dowel and a can of polyurathane spray you can make a shit load of good handles for anything you want save for hammers. About 10$ investment for 10 handles.