How to Tell The Size of Nut or Bolt Before You Have Tool to Remove It

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By randymo1965
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (4 Ratings)

Have you ever been working on a project and didn't have the right socket for the nut, or bolt, you're removing? What do you do? Besides buying an entire set of metric, or standard wrenches, or sockets, when you might just need one.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Lipstick/dark color preferred
Grease will work especially if your fingers are already dirty from auto work

Step 1

Get yourself small piece of paper about 3"x3" and some lipstick or some grease if some is handy or if your hands are already greasy.
Step 2

Shows how to get impression on a nut with bolt shaft sticking through

Put grease or lipstick around the edges of the offending nut or bolt. Push piece of paper against the bolt firmly and it will transfer an impression of the bolt head onto the paper. If it is a nut you are trying to size, make a hole in center of paper so it slides down the bolt section, to the nut, and make impression. Also if it is a nut you're trying to remove refer to photo. In the photo think about it as, on most nuts, you can't push a piece of paper flat against it, so you have to make a hole in the paper so it lays flush against the nut.
Step 3

This shows bolt and the impression made

Take the paper with the impression to hardware store and find a nut or bolt that fits into impression on paper precisely. Once you find the size of the right bolt or nut you'll have the right information to size the socket or wrench you'll need to remove it.