Found a torque wrench from 1987 in a hangar closet, still within spec

I was cleaning out an old storage closet at the regional airport I contract at, and stuffed behind a bunch of rags was a torque wrench from 1987. The calibration sticker said it was last certified in 1992. I figured I'd test it for laughs on a known fastener, and it clicked right at 100 inch-pounds, dead on. The guy who left it probably retired and forgot about it. I see new guys all the time arguing torque specs by feel instead of using a proper wrench. How many of you have found random tools that still work perfectly?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sean25d ago

Wait, you're telling me a torque wrench from 1987 still clicks dead on after 32 years sitting in a closet? That's wild man. I've seen guys drop a brand new Harbor Freight torque wrench once and it's never the same again. The fact that the calibration sticker was from 1992 and it's still accurate is honestly kind of scary. Makes you wonder what they were putting in those tools back then, because stuff today sure doesn't last like that. I bet that guy who left it probably still kicks himself for forgetting it somewhere.

wright.taylor25d ago

Gotta ask though, did you check if that closet was climate controlled at all? Even a good wrench will drift after thirty years if it's sitting in a shed that hits 120 degrees in summer and freezes in winter. That thing might just be a lucky survivor, or maybe that hangar's got some weird stable air that tricked the calibration. Makes you wonder how many other forgotten tools are hiding in airport closets right now, still dead nuts accurate.