Core77
e
- Topics
- Features
- Awards
- Careers
-
Firms
- Firms
- Search Firms;
- Firm Projects
- Forums
-
More...
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Advertise
- About
- Terms of Use
The Kirk Wrench, Designed For Getting Into Hard-to-Reach Places
This tool is the antidote for manufacturers who ignore "design for disassembly"
By Rain Noe - August 3, 2017
In my Auto Shop class in high school, we learned to perform basic automotive maintenance on a 1982 'Vette. (Sadly it was a Chevette, not a Corvette.) The benefit of the old clunker was that you could easily reach everything in the uncramped engine compartment and undercarriage. The crowded innards of today's cars, in contrast, seem designed to make it impossible to reach every last fastener.
Enter the revolutionary Kirk Wrench. Originally designed for plumbers to get at shut-off valves behind toilets, this wrench is actually less of a tool and more of a system of interconnecting parts, allowing plumbers and automotive mechanics to get into some tricky-to-reach areas. Check it out:
The unknown inventor (Mr. or Ms. Kirk?) has patented the design, but as far as we can tell it isn't in production.
Rain Noe
Rain Noe is a writer and industrial designer based in New York City.
2 Comments
-
I like this for the applications where having two arms trying to occupy a tight space means working blind / by feel.
!Report as spam -
Wait! There's more! Order the 168 piece Ginzu knife set now, and we'll throw in the revolutionary Kirk Wrench!
!Report as spam
Related Reading
-
Suso Caamanho's Workshop in a Box
A homemade work station with a table saw, router, and scroll saw
By David Frane - August 2, 2017
-
Makita XDS01Z Cordless Cutout Saw
An ingenious device for dust-free cutting in drywall and other wall and ceiling coverings.
By David Frane - August 1, 2017
2 Comments -
The Unlikely Tools Used to Manufacture Jeans: A Dremel, Sandpaper, Rocks, Shotgun Pellets
Increasing labor costs to help destroy the product seems ridiculous
By Rain Noe - July 24, 2017
2 Comments -
Continued Reading
-
"Trump Administration's Effort" to Allow Downloadable Plans for 3D-Printed Guns Blocked by Federal Judge
The many twists and turns of the Defense Distributed case, plus a sordid sidebar
By Rain Noe - November 20 New
-
Reagan Ray's Visual Database of Vintage Logos
Record labels, car brands, video game consoles, '80s action figures and more
By Rain Noe - November 20 New
1 Comment -
What if Our Clothes Were Alive? One Designer's Biotextiles Help Remove Harmful Toxins from the Air
by Roya Aghighi for Emily Carr University of Art and Design
By Core77 Design Awards - November 20 New
-
Start Your Career as a Design Assistant at Apparatus in New York, NY
Work in the studio where they design lighting, furniture and objects
By Coroflot Jobs - November 20 New
-
Check Out This Cool Auto-Fitting Emergency Oxygen Mask Provided to Commercial Pilots
They don't get the cheap yellow cups that we do
By Rain Noe - November 20 New
-
An Extreme 1970s Mobile Home Resto-Mod
The GMC Motorhome hasn't seen these kinds of mods since the movie "Stripes"
By Rain Noe - November 20 New
1 Comment -
-
Researchers Discover Another 143 Trippy, 2,000-Year-Old Geoglyph Earth Drawings in Peru
Here's our suggestions for what they should be named
By Rain Noe - November 20 New
-
As Cars Get Safer, Why are Crashes Increasing?
Car crash fatalities are down, but car crashes themselves are on the rise
By Rain Noe - November 19
4 Comments -
Portable Laser Engraver is a Smash Hit on Kickstarter
The diminutive LaserPecker Pro can be folded up and stored on a bookshelf
By Rain Noe - November 19
-
You Definitely Have Time to Watch This Video of a 1.82-Second Pit Stop
Red Bull Racing's team breaks (brakes?) the record
By Rain Noe - November 19
-
Israeli Company Figures Out How to Turn Household Garbage Into Injection-Moldable Thermoplastic
UBQ Materials' new "raw" material can also be recycled
By Rain Noe - November 19
3 Comments -
Advocate for Progressive Campaigns as the VP, Digital Creative at BerlinRosen in New York, NY
Help build momentum and drive action when you lead the creative direction of large, impactful campaigns
By Coroflot Jobs - November 19
-
How to Cast Clear Resin Parts
In this case, to replace the VU meter windows in a vintage piece of audio equipment
By Rain Noe - November 18
-
Clever Package Design Trickery: Bike Company Prints Flatscreen TVs on Shipping Cartons, Reduces Damage by 70%-80%
Turns out delivery people are much gentler with a TV than with a bicycle
By Rain Noe - November 18
1 Comment
Core77's Design Directory
Petru Buba
Paulo Buchinho
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.