So I gather that there are specific torque recommendations for how to tighten bolts. I think most of those recommendations come from the inverter/battery charger manuals...and indeed my Samlex EVO seems to want between 10 and 60 inch pounds of force depending on the particular terminal.
I've had a hard time finding a torque wrench that can measure 10 inch pounds (20 seems to be the lower limit in the "not-super-expensive" range that I'm looking at) but I'm not concerned about that, I can just be really careful with the three or so terminals that require very little torque.
What I am concerned with is insulation. Specifically: if I'm using the torque wrench to tighten battery terminals then it seems particularly important that the torque wrench be insulated, so that if I drop it it doesn't cause a short/sparks/fire. However for the most part the insulated torque wrenches I saw were in the $300+ range...a bit more than I want to spend for a tool I'll use very infrequently. I'm wondering, instead, about wrapping parts of the handle of a low-end torque wrench with electrical tape. Due to how they're designed, this generally means that there would be an exposed metal part on the head of the wrench (because of course there is) and another portion near the middle (because that's generally where you adjust the torque). Is this a problem? Thoughts?
I've had a hard time finding a torque wrench that can measure 10 inch pounds (20 seems to be the lower limit in the "not-super-expensive" range that I'm looking at) but I'm not concerned about that, I can just be really careful with the three or so terminals that require very little torque.
What I am concerned with is insulation. Specifically: if I'm using the torque wrench to tighten battery terminals then it seems particularly important that the torque wrench be insulated, so that if I drop it it doesn't cause a short/sparks/fire. However for the most part the insulated torque wrenches I saw were in the $300+ range...a bit more than I want to spend for a tool I'll use very infrequently. I'm wondering, instead, about wrapping parts of the handle of a low-end torque wrench with electrical tape. Due to how they're designed, this generally means that there would be an exposed metal part on the head of the wrench (because of course there is) and another portion near the middle (because that's generally where you adjust the torque). Is this a problem? Thoughts?
