The LNER Encyclopedia

While doing a recent loco repair for a fellow Guild Member, I found that I was constantly swapping the head of my Markits nut spinner between 8BA and 12BA with the result that quite a few times it was the head of the nut spinner that unscrewed not the nut as I hadn’t tightened it enough. I use the 8, 10 and 12BA heads most frequently and rarely use the 14BA and 16BA heads. Thinking about it, I don’t think that I have ever used the 6BA head so far although I do have some 6BA hardware so I probably will at some point.

For those unfamiliar with what I am talking about this is the ‘Markits’ version
I decided to make some spare handles so that I could have the 8, 10 and 12BA heads on individual handles and then fit the 14BA and 16BA to a double ended handle and second double handle for the 6BA and any other size that I might come up with at some point. In the meantime I will make a rounded end insert just to finish it off.
I suspect that Markits use 10mm hex bar to make theirs. I did mine the longer way using 10mm round and then milling flats on them. Of course I had no sooner cut them all and drilled for the thread when I found a length of 10mm brass hex but isn’t that always the way.

If anyone wishes to do something similar with theirs, the thread on the Markits heads is M5 x 0.8