Cheap 'n cheerful?

JumbleDuck said:
That's hot forging, and does just what you say. Traditionally, however, cheapo manufacturers - the Amtechs of this world - have described their stamped cheese as "drop forged" because it sounds better.

Try an Amazon search for "drop forged spanners" and you'll see what I mean. Eleven spanners for £4.60 ...
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they are great for making one off special tools from, and you dont need to heat them to bend them, just a hammer and vice :encouragement: I bent a cheapo 19mm through 90 degrees the other day to get to an awkward bolt inside the final drive of a mini digger at the boatyard. Horrible job. Cheap spanner saved the day.
Also, I do have two adjustable spanners on the boat, not for nuts and bolts so much as for using for bending and forming/gripping things.
Big adjustable in the welding bay too for changing gas bottles :encouragement:
 
It's been mocked up for a bit of fun, the welds are far too good.

Mind you I have a great belief and trust in the value of adjustable spanners. I might just form the adjustable spanner protection league.
 
RichardS said:
Indeed .... 9.5mm does look like 3/8 AF but this is the exact part: https://www.motoelectrical.co.uk/ty...oid-spl6008-clarke-case-ford-delco-equipment/ and I have two of these fitted to my boat when it was built in 2008. Would a South African boat builder use an Imperial part in 2008? I don't know but I guess that it's possible. :confused:

Richard
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I would think that builders, including those in South Africa, would use whatever was freely available in their location. So yes, I guess that, as you say, it's possible. I do agree that it can be frustrating if you're caught out.
I keep promising myself that, one day, I should go patiently round the boat taking note of all the sizes that are on my boat so that I can cut down on the tools that I have accumulated on board. My late father used to tell me that "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"... :ambivalence:
 
JumbleDuck said:
That's hot forging, and does just what you say. Traditionally, however, cheapo manufacturers - the Amtechs of this world - have described their stamped cheese as "drop forged" because it sounds better.

Try an Amazon search for "drop forged spanners" and you'll see what I mean. Eleven spanners for £4.60 ...
Click to expand...

The abuse of the term does not make the process itself wrong. I still have drop-forged tools that started to acquire when I was an apprentice in the late sixties and thereafter... including a large Bahco adjustable that has been a constant companion since then and which has seen some serious use (and abuse) without any problems. The same with Elora and Hazet tools.
OTOH, I have also seen some Indian and Chinese 'spanners' that were marked 'Drop Forged' when it was very evident that they were cheap castings. However, this cannot lead to the conclusion that all 'Indian' or 'Chinese' tools and all spanners that are marked ' Drop Forged' are made of cheese. In fact, quite a lot of my recent tooling for machining comes from China from sources that I have found to be reliable and that sell for 30-50% of what the identical ones (apart from the brand mark) are sold in Europe. Here is an example; the quality is faultless.

BE8wDmh.jpg


Common sense tells me that when I see a full set of sockets for sale at less than 5% of what I paid for a small set from Beta (with a lifetime guarantee) I should just keep on walking.
 
PuffTheMagicDragon said:
The abuse of the term does not make the process itself wrong. I still have drop-forged tools that started to acquire when I was an apprentice in the late sixties and thereafter... including a large Bahco adjustable that has been a constant companion since then and which has seen some serious use (and abuse) without any problems. The same with Elora and Hazet tools.
OTOH, I have also seen some Indian and Chinese 'spanners' that were marked 'Drop Forged' when it was very evident that they were cheap castings.
Click to expand...

Shall we agree, then, the "drop forged" has to be read in context?

I once bought a Blackspur junior hackshaw from a post office when sorely pressed for time and tools. Each blade lasted precisely one cutting stroke, after which it was equally smooth along both edges. Nothing to do with drop forging, of course, but an indication of what's out there ...
 
RichardS said:
Indeed .... 9.5mm does look like 3/8 AF but this is the exact part: https://www.motoelectrical.co.uk/ty...oid-spl6008-clarke-case-ford-delco-equipment/ and I have two of these fitted to my boat when it was built in 2008. Would a South African boat builder use an Imperial part in 2008? I don't know but I guess that it's possible. :confused:

Richard
Click to expand...

The most used fittings are standard metric but in boat building in South Africa a lot of imported items as used so who knows.

Any locally manufactured equipment us metric but imperial is also available due to imported equipment.

Just to note I have some imported rigging screws where the thread is M8 but the nuts are 12 mm A/F not the normal 13 mm. I can only conclude the smaller size is to save material used to make the nuts.

Who in RSA built your boat.
 
Aside from the sound engineering principles and agreement that adjustable spanners, drop forged or not, are straight from Satan's bottom, I can only see how much cheaper this is than a Yanmar Genuine Part...
 
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langstonelayabout said:
Aside from the sound engineering principles and agreement that adjustable spanners, drop forget or not, are straight from Satan's bottom, I can only see how much cheaper this is than a Yanmar Genuine Part...
Click to expand...

:) Satan has all the best tunes - and a few useful tools, IMO. Not to keep a couple of adjustables amongst my (decent) collection of fixed spanners on the boat would, I think, be unwise.
 
When I were a sprog engineer in the Merchant Navy, 2 things you took on watch were a wheel key and an adjustabubble in yer ovaries.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Shall we agree, then, the "drop forged" has to be read in context?

I once bought a Blackspur junior hackshaw from a post office when sorely pressed for time and tools. Each blade lasted precisely one cutting stroke, after which it was equally smooth along both edges. Nothing to do with drop forging, of course, but an indication of what's out there ...
Click to expand...

Like everything else one cannot expect Lamborghini quality from Lada parts; we do well to be sceptical when judging quality and reading the blurb. Think of the parts that are marked 'marine'...

Re Blackspur blades, I do believe that a typical wooden toothpick is made of harder stuff. I have actually managed to tie a knot in one, they are so soft! The best blades that I have found for Junior hacksaws are made in Germany and I have even shortened stainless bolts with them; very useful to have on a boat.
 
PuffTheMagicDragon said:
Re Blackspur blades, I do believe that a typical wooden toothpick is made of harder stuff. I have actually managed to tie a knot in one, they are so soft! The best blades that I have found for Junior hacksaws are made in Germany and I have even shortened stainless bolts with them; very useful to have on a boat.
Click to expand...

I have some nice Bahco ones which will also deal with stainless bolts.
 
zoidberg said:
Ah, but will they deal with failed rigging? Serious question......


Please be specific, 'cos I'll go and get some.
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Serious answer: the only thing that will cut effectively through stainless rigging on a heaving deck is either an angle grinder or an explosive chopper.* Anything else that requires two free hands to hold the tool, like the (in)famous bolt croppers, works only in books or, sometimes, if tied up to a pontoon. If you doubt this, try for yourself on wire that is 6mm or more. In most cases it is easier to remove the clevis pin than to cut the rigging, IMHO.

* I cannot recall the proper name of this gadget. Basically it is a cutting device where the blade is moved by an explosive cartridge, rather like the things that are used to shoot steel nails into concrete.

p.s. there are also similar devices that are operated hydraulically. Here again, make sure that you will still be able to operate the lever while hanging on with one hand so as not to go for a swim when least expected. Once again, IMHO.
 
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I've never had to do it in anger, and hope I never will, but I reckon that, if I had to cut away a fallen mast, I'd cut the thread that goes into the turnbuckle more easily than the rigging wire. Even the turnbuckle itself, as that's bronze and not stainless steel
 
Stemar said:
I've never had to do it in anger, and hope I never will, but I reckon that, if I had to cut away a fallen mast, I'd cut the thread that goes into the turnbuckle more easily than the rigging wire. Even the turnbuckle itself, as that's bronze and not stainless steel
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I've 'been there, done that', and recovered the mast onboard. But, never again. Perhaps there's a growing case for Colligo Marines' 'Dux' and innovative solutions....
http://www.colligomarine.com/colligo-dux-lifelines/
 
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