Tool in Focus: The Spanner

Spanners are a tool-bag stalwart. The basic design has remained unchanged since they were used to tighten the bolts on a suit of armour.

In this Article:

• Different types of spanner
• Top quality spanners
• History of spanners
• Spanner design

The spanner, known to our American readers (Hey there, Brad) as a wrench, is in layman’s terms a tool used to provide grip and apply torque to turn nuts and bolts. The better-quality spanners are typically made from tool steel – a mixture of tungsten, chromium, vanadium and molybdenum – and are generally drop-forged and chrome-plated to resist rusting. Common types of spanners include open-end (generally double ended), ring, socket, tube or box, Allen (hex) key and adjustable. Every tradie has a general spanner or socket set from five to 40 pieces for basic tasks and maintenance jobs. 

History of the spanner

Spanners are noted by historians as far back as the 15th century but it wasn’t until the mid-19th century and the advent of adjustable spanners that patents came into play. In some countries the adjustable spanner is known informally as the ‘English key’, credited to British engineer Richard Clyburn. In others it’s called the ‘Swedish key’ after Swedish inventor Johan Petter Johansson who, in 1892, got a patent on an improved design of the adjustable spanner that is still used today.

“The better-quality spanners are typically made from tool steel – a mixture of tungsten, chromium, vanadium and molybdenum.”

Let’s look at some other spanners of the world.

Meet the Spanner Man

Artist John Piccoli lives in the small farming community of Boort, three hours northwest of Melbourne. He welds giant sculptures out of spanners and his garden is filled with more than 100 sculptures of mermaids, horses and bulls. The tallest sculpture, The Marlin, is over seven metres tall, weighs 1200 kgs, and is made from 3500 spanners. So far, he’s used about 100,000 spanners in his artworks that attract 10,000 visitors a year.

Spanner crab 

Also known as ranina ranina, most of these bright-orange coloured crabs with distinctive spanner-shaped front claws inhabit the coastal waters along the east coast of Australia, from Yeppoon in Queensland to the North coast of New South Wales. But not for long. As soon as they get to 100mm, it’s goodbye sandy sanctuary and hello risotto.

What is spanner water?

Ever stood at the shoreline summoning up the courage to enter the freezing cold ocean? That’s ‘spanner water’, so called because it’s cold enough to tighten your nuts.

Spanners the movie

Based on the award-winning book by Jon Maas, this 2013 sci-fi film noir stars a group of rare beings (Spanners) who have different lifespans and are ranked accordingly, with immortals at the top of the heap. Until someone works out how to murder them, that is. If you can find a copy, you win a prize.