I had a bunch of pipe plugs to install, and after cranking home the first few, I started wondering what tool I could use other than a wrench to run them into their sockets. As shown in the drawing, these plugs have a 3/8-in. square driveshaft. That shaft is the same size as the “drive” end of a 3/8-in. socket.
I started looking for some sort of transitional fitting that would connect a socket wrench to the square drives on the plugs. I found the fitting in my toolbox. Used for installing disk brakes on a car, it has a 3/8-in. square socket on one end with a 3/8-in. Allen wrench on the other end.
I installed it backward in a 3/8-in. socket and used the square female end to drive the plugs. This setup really increased production.
Jeff Van Dine, Index, WA
