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Knife-thin 9mm open-end wrench

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Old 12-10-18, 10:49 AM
  #1  
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Knife-thin 9mm open-end wrench

Is there a 9mm open-end wrench that's only ~2mm thick? I have a set of wrenches that are 3mm thick but they're too thick. You might be able to slip a butter-knife into the slot that gives me access to the wrench flats.
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Old 12-10-18, 11:00 AM
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Break out a belt sander and take one down to what you need. Be careful and don't go too fast and ruin the temper and don't shoot the thing into a wall or worse - yourself - ask me how I know. I don't know of any wrenches that thin. If you don't have a belt sander a piece of 150 grit sandpaper on a board and rub a millimeter off one of your wrenches. Take your time and do both sides to keep it equal. If you want to keep it nice looking polish it out with 220 then 400. You can put a nice finish on most tool steels and it can even look "factory" if you take a little time and do it right. If you use wet/dry emery paper a little oil won't hurt and I bet the entire job wouldn't take more than 20 minutes.
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Old 12-10-18, 11:30 AM
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My Park and Campy cone wrenches measure 2 mm (0.082") thick but I've never seen one with an open end smaller than 13 mm.
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Old 12-10-18, 12:06 PM
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it would be cut out of sheet steel , (or sacrifice a butter knife)
you can go DIY on some 1/16th thick steel sheet ,
with a sharp file, that has a toothed edge,
(or stack a few hacksaw blades in the saw, for a wider cut)
and bench vise, to hold it.

... if no one does a web search for you, and finds something.







/...

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Old 12-10-18, 03:42 PM
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My Park brake caliper wrenches (BCW-n; 8mm/10mm, 9mm/11mm) are 3mm thick, which apparently is too thick. I do have an old, long out-of-production 8mm/9mm Artisan Tool & Die brake caliper wrench that is only 2.5mm thick. Might be tough finding one, though. Grinding down a thicker open end wrench is probably your best bet.
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Old 12-10-18, 04:03 PM
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on grinding..

Have a pot of water handy , (old school) as grinding heat
can soften tempered steels ,
so dunk the work in the water frequently and that won/t happen
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Old 12-10-18, 04:53 PM
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Originally Posted by timo888
Is there a 9mm open-end wrench that's only ~2mm thick? I have a set of wrenches that are 3mm thick but they're too thick. You might be able to slip a butter-knife into the slot that gives me access to the wrench flats.
Park CBW-4 or Park OBW-4 should do the trick.
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Old 12-10-18, 05:37 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
Park CBW-4 or Park OBW-4 should do the trick.
Park's web site says the CBW-4 is 1/8" or 3.2 mm thick so that's too thick for the OP's needs. They don't give a thickness for the OBW-4 but the smallest end opening is 10 mm. I have an OBW-1 which is indeed 2 mm thick but the small end is also 10 mm.
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Old 12-10-18, 06:20 PM
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Ignition wrenches come in 9mm and are slim profile like that.
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Old 12-10-18, 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
One thing to consider is to step back and think...why would a designer make something that requires so thin a tool when servicing? When such a rare tool is almost non existence.

One thing is that it is quite possible that you are doing something wrong in your assemly/disassembly of somehting.

I had similar situation working on a internal gear hub. At first, I thought I needed a wierd shaped thin wrench. But working on it and wrecking my brain for a while, I realized I didn't need such a wrench. It's not designed to be needed for remove. I was not doing the proper way of assembling it. Once, I figure out the proper way...the special wrench was not needed.
I don't know if this is the answer to the OP's problem but this is a well thought out piece of advice. Thanks for posting this.
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Old 12-10-18, 08:25 PM
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X2 on the ignition wrenches. I use them all the time and a set of them can be had from a car parts store for less than $20.
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Old 12-11-18, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by HillRider
Park's web site says the CBW-4 is 1/8" or 3.2 mm thick so that's too thick for the OP's needs. They don't give a thickness for the OBW-4 but the smallest end opening is 10 mm. I have an OBW-1 which is indeed 2 mm thick but the small end is also 10 mm.
timo888 said about 2mm. The difference between 3.2mm (1/8" or 8/64") and 2mm is 3/64" (5/64"). It depends on the application but that should fit into the "about" category. A millimeter is pretty tiny.
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Old 12-11-18, 05:00 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
A millimeter is pretty tiny.
I dunno. Ever try to fit a 28.2 mm seat post into a 27.2 mm seat tube?
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Old 12-11-18, 06:17 PM
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Cone wrench?
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Old 12-11-18, 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Leebo
Cone wrench?
Thin enough, certainly. But does anyone make a cone wrench in the 9mm size the OP needs?
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Old 12-11-18, 07:56 PM
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Capri Tools makes an 8x9 combo open-end wrench that is 2.6mm thick. Pretty much every other "thin" wrench I found is 1/8" (3.2mm) thick. I think if you're looking for 2mm, might have to make it.
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Old 12-12-18, 10:02 AM
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Originally Posted by HillRider
I dunno. Ever try to fit a 28.2 mm seat post into a 27.2 mm seat tube?
Again, timo888 said “about”. No one would ever say that a seatpost is “about 28.2mm”...well, they shouldn’t. The seatpost is a precise measurement.
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Old 12-12-18, 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
One thing to consider is to step back and think...why would a designer make something that requires so thin a tool when servicing? When such a rare tool is almost non existence.

One thing is that it is quite possible that you are doing something wrong in your assemly/disassembly of somehting.

I had similar situation working on a internal gear hub. At first, I thought I needed a wierd shaped thin wrench. But working on it and wrecking my brain for a while, I realized I didn't need such a wrench. It's not designed to be needed for remove. I was not doing the proper way of assembling it. Once, I figure out the proper way...the special wrench was not needed.
Another like for mtb_addict's thoughtful post. If the OP posts a picture, maybe someone can advise an easy workaround.
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Old 12-12-18, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by timo888
Is there a 9mm open-end wrench that's only ~2mm thick?
for what? readers want to know? ;-)
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Old 12-13-18, 08:41 AM
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I measured my vintage Mafac tool kit wrenches as 2mm thick. Trouble is the 9mm is closed but I suppose one could cut it open? There are several sets up on Ebay most any time.
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Old 12-13-18, 11:40 AM
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I would source a piece of thin strap metal and cut a nine mm wrench out of one end, unless the application requires something harder.
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Old 12-13-18, 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute


Again, timo888 said “about”. No one would ever say that a seatpost is “about 28.2mm”...well, they shouldn’t. The seatpost is a precise measurement.

You must've missed this part..."I have a set of wrenches that are 3mm thick but they're too thick"
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