Like looking up the torque spec for a bolt and going by the head size instead of the shank size. It's especially humbling when you don't realize your mistake until you twist the head off...,
Like looking up the torque spec for a bolt and going by the head size instead of the shank size. It's especially humbling when you don't realize your mistake until you twist the head off...,
Seen that happen in aviation a lot.
wlkelley3 said:Seen that happen in aviation a lot.
You must be trying to scare me from ever flying again!
This was the second time in 61 years for me. The first time I was 15 years old, working on a Bultaco motorcycle and I think it may have been the last time my Dad ever saw me cry....,
I was given a torque spec when reassembling my Volks of 18'#s. They are 6mm screws so had I been thinking I would have double checked it. This resulted in me having to find another WHEEL to get the two replacement bolts I'd broken. I found a pair in Australia for a decent price then had to re-powder coat a dozen bolts to match mine. Argggh
Remove entire dash and stearing columb to get at heater core in my 94 mustang. Go to take hoses off the heater core in the engin bay and find that the bottom of one hose is split a little leaking in to the opening in the fire wall where the heater core outlets come through.
About ten ten hours work for what was a ten minute fix.
The sound of a snapping bolt gives me the shakes, because I know hours of my life will be spent trying to forget it.
Smashed throttle in 302 powered F-150. Mild acceleration, then "Snap, WSHHHHHH!" Thought, "Damn, blown exhaust manifold gasket." Buy manifold gaskets, remove right inner fender, break off manifold bolt, remove manifold, drop manifold bolt down Y-pipe into catalytic converter, cut pipe to extract bolt, put pipe together with band clamp, drill bolt out of head, heli-coil hole, install manifold gasket where there wasn't one to begin with. Start engine. Still leaks. What? Turns out that the one way valve for the air pump at the top of the back of the heads had rusted out. Replaced that. Manifold gasket leaked. Removed.
That's only one of many.
What's worked for me is to do stupid things with such frequency that I hardly even notice anymore!
I recently learned that the factory gasket used for a template to move four studs when swapping an E-locker into a Toyota 8" rear has a top and bottom. This of course was after the holes had been welded, drilled, and tapped. And while I was trying the muscle the heavy third member into the axle housing. Luckily we only had to reweld/drill/tap two of the four holes to fix the mistake.
djsilver said:wlkelley3 said:Seen that happen in aviation a lot.
You must be trying to scare me from ever flying again!
This was the second time in 61 years for me. The first time I was 15 years old, working on a Bultaco motorcycle and I think it may have been the last time my Dad ever saw me cry....,
Well then, let me rephrase it then. Seen it in military aviation, not so much in civil aviation. Military has newly trained mechs fresh out of training and some never saw a wrench before training. And every time I did see it, it was newly trained (?) mechs. Usually only did it once. Learn from mistakes. Hopefully.
Appleseed said:The sound of a snapping bolt gives me the shakes, because I know hours of my life will be spent trying to forget it.
Is that not the most sickening feeling in the world?
The spouse says something to the affect of me breathing as the same effect.... 
wae said:What's worked for me is to do stupid things with such frequency that I hardly even notice anymore!
Put them on YouTube and start making money!
djsilver said:wlkelley3 said:Seen that happen in aviation a lot.
You must be trying to scare me from ever flying again!
This was the second time in 61 years for me. The first time I was 15 years old, working on a Bultaco motorcycle and I think it may have been the last time my Dad ever saw me cry....,
Most airplane parts are made by unskilled labor in SE Asia.........how's that for not wanting to fly?
I use an iPhone app for run tracking. This AM, I'm finishing a 15-miler and pull the phone out of my pocket, it slips from my sweaty hand, I over-extend while making 3 valiant attempts to catch it, and fall on my right side in the street in front of my house. Because I was worried about 5 seconds berkeleying up my average pace on a 15-mile run.
When I'm brazing at work, I put a kink in the not-hot end of the filler rod so that I don't grab it by the wrong end.
Was TIG welding and working at a funny angle, bent the filler rod so I could get it in properly.
Picked up the TIG filler by the bent end because that's the safe end. 
Tig rod stupidity. You need to grip the filler today low enough for control, high enough to avoid the heat. When you grip it a bit too far up, don't push the hot end against your stomach to slide it in your hand...
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