S.K. Grimes - New Design Optical Spanner Wrench.

S.K. GRIMES
Services for the Large Format Photographer

New Design Adjustable Optical Spanner Wrench

Available in Flat or Pointed tip

I designed these wrenches for my own use and after employing them in my own shop for over a year have found them so practical and versatile that I'm offering them for sale

Here's some general info about how the tool is used. Below this series of pictures are more showing closeups of the Pointed tip and Flat Tipped versions.

An optical spanner is used to take apart and assemble lenses, shutter retainers and any number of other mechanisms using this type of threaded ring fastener.

There are many styles of fastener used in optical assembly. Here is a typical manufacturers name ring with slots for tool use.

Some rings use plain drilled holes instead of slots; the round tipped version is used for these.

Opened to its standard maximum the tips can span over 140mm. Greater length is easily acheived by using a longer trammel bar. Any 1/4" square stock can be used.

At the minimum the tips can be closed to no space at all so the tool is suitable for small rings.

Here the small span is shown on the strap lug retainer of a Mamiya RB-67.

The robust steel construction has large sized knobs to tighten securely on the trammel bar. They can be hand tightened or snugged down with a wrench.Although rigid and stiff in normal hand use, for stubborn cases the entire tool can be clamped into a vise so that maximum torque can be applied. Its amazing how tight some of these rings can be!


Although less frequently used in optical assembly the round tipped version is frequently asked for.
The round tips are pencil like in size and taper smoothly.
The tips can also be closed down for small rings. The round tips are about 1.5mm in diameter.
The flat tips are slightly thicker than 1mm.
The flat tips are about 3mm wide. They can be easily thinned, narrowed or sharpened with an ordinary file or grinder.
The legs slide along a square trammel bar and lock securely with knobbed screws.

Price, including first class postage in the U.S.A. is $38.00 for either flat or pointed version. Both together are $66.00 (Overseas via USPS Priority Service $48.00 or $80.00 for both)

This tool is complete and ready; a pleasure to use!

Click here for specific ways to order your spanner now.

(Actual tool shipped may vary slightly in appearance from these pictures which are from the prototype run. In particular, a stronger black finished steel trammel bar is used on the production version.

Flat Tip wrenches are currently in stock.

Round Tip wrenches are currently out of stock.

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

A word of caution: If traveling via air w/ your photographic equipment, it is best to store the spanner wrench in your checked luggage.

Click here to see e-mails from spanner wrench customers.

P 401-762-0857--Contact Us--Shipping address--Service Agreement-- :32 Mechanic Ave, Unit 222, PO Box 1724 Woonsocket RI 02895 USA--Fax: 401-762-0847 © S.K. Grimes

An optical spanner is used to take apart and assemble lenses, shutter retainers and any number of other mechanisms using this type of threaded ring fastener.
There are many styles of fastener used in optical assembly. Here is a typical manufacturers name ring with slots for tool use.
Some rings use plain drilled holes instead of slots; the round tipped version is used for these.
Opened to its standard maximum the tips can span over 140mm. Greater length is easily acheived by using a longer trammel bar. Any 1/4" square stock can be used.
At the minimum the tips can be closed to no space at all so the tool is suitable for small rings.
Here the small span is shown on the strap lug retainer of a Mamiya RB-67.
The robust steel construction has large sized knobs to tighten securely on the trammel bar. They can be hand tightened or snugged down with a wrench.Although rigid and stiff in normal hand use, for stubborn cases the entire tool can be clamped into a vise so that maximum torque can be applied. Its amazing how tight some of these rings can be!