Buying and Using an Impact Gun

An impact gun is a pneumatic or air powered tool used to quickly remove bolts and nuts. They are portable and can be used just as easily in a home garage as they are in professional auto repair shops.

An impact socket, whether ¼, ½ or ¾ inch, is normally going to be flat black in color. If you have a socket that you think might be from an impact socket set, look at the walls. The side walls will be noticeably thicker than a standard, hand driven socket. This is because an impact socket is meant to be driven by an impact gun, which has both a hammering force as well as a torsional force. A standard socket will be likely to shatter under this hammering force.

Types of Impact Sockets
Impact sockets come in four different varieties, metric and SAE (inch increments) and shallow and deep. A shallow impact socket set will typically have between five and fifteen sockets ranging in size from ¼ inch up to 1 inch or 1¼ inch, for SAE. The metric socket set will normally start at 9 millimeters and go up to 33 millimeters, skipping some sizes in between. 9 millimeters through 19 millimeters will be inclusive. A deep socket set will be between 2½ inches deep to almost 4 inches deep, while shallow sockets will normally be about 1¼ inches deep.

When to Use an Impact Gun
You should always use an impact socket when using an impact gun or removing nuts or bolts that are either rusted or installed using high torque. Most store bought standard sockets won't hold up to the torque requirements of this type of application.

Mac, Snap-On and Craftsman are recognized leaders in the tool industry. You can buy Craftsman brand tools at a store (Kmart and Sears), whereas you will need to find a distributor in the phone book for the other two brands. They all carry full lifetime warranties.

How to Maintain an Impact Gun

An expensive impact gun will last a lot longer if it is properly maintained. Here are some suggestions on how to properly maintain an air impact gun.

Use a Hose Reel
Dirt, grease and grime are killers for any impact air tool. You can easily avoid many problems with a dirty air impact gun by simply using a hose reel, and not dragging your air hose on the floor through dirt, grease and grime. Dirt and grease that gets inside your air impact gun is hard to get out, and shorten the life of your expensive air tool.

Keep It Lubricated
A dry motor is one of the biggest causes of failure in all types of air tools, including air impact guns. Spend a few dollars and install an in-line lubricator directly between your air hose and your air tool. This will help to keep your air impact gun properly lubricated, which will help it last for many years. Make sure to keep the grease fittings properly lubricated as well.

Keep It Dry
Water contamination is the biggest killer of all air impact guns. Don't think that simply draining the water collection tank in your air compressor is enough. Invest in an in-line water filter for your air hose. This will help keep water out of your air impact gun, and avoid rust or water contamination.