Guy and Dave (Plowman),
When you both said the best way to loosen a bleed nipple was by using a t-bar and socket; why.
Is it because you push on one side and pull on the other and this allows you to impart more torque, or is it because you're more likely to keep the socket square than if you were pulling with a ratchet.
The torque applied is only controlled by the length of the lever, and the force applied. A 'T' bar the same length as a ratchet, but held in the centre will only apply half the torque. You will need to apply twice the force to apply the same torque to the nut.
However, even using a 'T' bar is down to the skill of the user. Personally I have always used a good combination spanner and a shart tap from the palm of my hand, and had few problems undoing bleed nipples. Generally, if they're siezed too badly, then they're going to break whatever you do. It can help if you spray some anti-seize oil on them before you go off an do something, then come back to the brakes later. PlusGas is my favourite.
Of course whatever tool you use can also depend on the access to the bleed nipple in the first place. Not usually an issue on front brakes, but can be on rear ones.
The message from snipped-for-privacy@paul.plus.com(Paul) contains these words:
It's 'cos you can balance the push on each side so there's no net sideways force on the nipple. They're not terribly strong and there's no need to add to the poor thing's woes by twisting it /and/ pulling it sideways.
It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember snipped-for-privacy@paul.plus.com(Paul) saying something like:
The latter. Unequal forces on a widgy hollow thing will snap it off.
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