What are Wing Nuts?
Even if you’re unfamiliar with common nuts and bolts, chances are that you’ve come across a few wing nuts in your workplace. Wing nuts are named after their appearance, a small nut with two “winged” protrusions coming from the head. The wings provide a grip that makes it easier for you to screw or unscrew the nut by hand. These types of nuts are designed to be used without spanners or any other fastening tool. For more information on wing nuts and wing nut parts, read on below to learn about their application and durability.
The need for wing nuts stemmed from a demand for a nut that can be screwed on and removed with little effort and time. Thus was born the wing nut and their use in maritime equipment. These types of nuts are often applied in boats, marine vessels, and other similar types of machinery. Being aboard a vessel on open (and sometimes choppy) water makes it very difficult to carry and use heavy tools, which is another reason why you’ll often see wing nuts being used in marine applications. They should not be used in the instances where you need an actual fastener. A good example of this is when the product being tightened is subject to a lot of vibration. Because the wing nut can be so easily removed, the vibration can cause it to loosen and fall off. You should also avoid using wing nuts if you intend to secure something so tightly that you want it to be leak proof. A wingnut will not achieve this, so don’t try it.
In terms of durability, wing nuts can vary. High quality wing nuts, such as those with zinc plated steel, are very robust and can withstand corrosion in maritime conditions. Stainless steel 18-8 is another type that is popular among boats because it is made with a high quality metal. Other types of wing nuts are not quite as durable. Because of the protrusions, there is potential for these wings to break off. Unless they are of the strongest steel, they can also vary in vulnerability to corrosion, the chances of which are tripled in maritime conditions. In case the wing does break off, however, the nut is designed with a hex head (like other normal nuts) and can be removed with a wrench if need be.
AOG Unlimited provides high quality wing nut parts, as well as other aircraft standard parts. If you are interested in obtaining wing nuts or other types of fasteners or ship board components, reach out to our team. We have a large inventory of aircraft bearings, aircraft fasteners parts, NSN parts, aviation parts, electrical connectors parts, military GSE parts, nut screw parts, nuts and bolts parts, and more for various military and civilian applications. With over 6 billion parts in our inventory list, we can provide just about any item to our customers in a timely manner. Whether you’re in need of a complex flight control system devices or simple nuts and bolts parts, the team at AOG Unlimited can source that for you. We offer some of the quickest lead-times in the industry and with several supply-chain locations across the US, Canada, and the UK, we can promise expedited and convenient shipping to your door.
