Wing nuts are a staple within fasteners, with their ease of use and multitude of applications, wing nuts are a simple and easy solution. Made up of a standard, centrally threaded ring with two ear-style tabs or 'wings' on the sides, wing nuts are easy to tighten and loosen by hand without the need of a tool.
The ability to tighten and loosen wing nuts without the need for a spanner or socket set enables you to work with a part with ease on the fly. Wing nuts can often be found in regularly adjusted parts or mounts. Wing nuts can also often be found in applications where tools may not fit. Hard-to-reach places where limited access means a user cannot reach with a tool or a tool does not fit are conquered with a wing nuts simple functionality.
Wing nuts are typically made of mild steel but can often be found in various grades of Stainless steel. Alternatively, nylon is also a common material for wingnuts though cannot withstand the same level of torque as that of a steel wingnut.
Besides the main steel and nylon options, wing nuts can also be made from a variety of more specialist materials, while found to be less common, their applications are typically far more specific such as brass, aluminium and general iron alloys.
Similar to any type of nut, wing nuts are found in standardised sizes in both metric and imperial measurements. Ensure you always check the thread size on both the bolt and wing nut before use to avoid damaging the thread on both parts.