Ohio bolts, eh?

Post #373,082 by hnick 3/28/13 7:10:47 PM Reply	Ohio bolts, eh? I work in an office in a converted World War building. After the wars, they built a car there, the Templar. The building is now dubbed the Templar Industrial center, officially. Most of the place is empty or taken over by artist galleries. The artist galleries are advertized as being in the Screw Factory. There is a place called RadCon which makes precision bolts and screws. They have a horrible machine over my office that thuds at 100 hz basis stamping out high precision bolts. Hence the artists alternative name for the joint. I wonder how many places there are that make military spec bolts.
Post #373,088 by Andrew Grygus 3/28/13 9:11:53 PM Reply	Military Spec? The military specs aren't very harsh, and the government inspectors aren't very good - they got the job due to civil service points from military service. Specs from aircraft manufacturers, on the other hand, are exacting and harsh - and most of their inspectors are very good. There are exceptions, of course. There was a landing gear company in Burbank named Menasco that was known in the industry as internally corrupt. I had Menasco's top source inspector try to reject some large hollow landing gear pins because, "They don't look like the pins made by the other manufacturers". Yeah, they didn't. None of the other manufacturers followed the specification. They all ground to size after shot peening - an unacceptabel violation of spec and practice. I had them ground just a hair undersized and sent them to a shot peen company that really knew what they were doing. They came back right on size - then they went out for hard chrome to bring them to finish size - but yeah, they looked "different". Menasco: "These parts are no good". Ray Carol: "No, I checked with our production planner, who has read all the specs, and they are good". Menasco: "Hey, I'm Menasco's chief source inspector, and I say these parts are unacceptable". Ray Carol: "Chief source inspector?" Menasco: "Yes, and you're just a vendor inspector." Ray Carol: "Just a vendor inspector (opening a drawer in one of his Kenedy chests, and starting to unfold papers). Ok, here are my Government Certifications:" "Electrical Inspection: Class C, Class B, and . . . Class A" "Optical Inspection: Class C, Class B, and . . . Class A" "Mechanical Inspection: Class C, Class B, and . . . Class A" "AND . . . best of all, this one - I'm a California State Certified and licensed Hairdresser". "And I say these parts are good. Now, lets see your certifications." The parts got bought - but by this guy's boss, who was a little pissed.
Post #373,092 by rcareaga 3/28/13 10:35:17 PM Reply	We have a laboratory division ...still. I'm surprised we haven't outsourced them. They're competent to verify steel samples, to make certain that petroleum shipments passing through our hands have not in fact been transshipped from forbidden sources (an issue back during the era of Iraq sanctions) and to ascertain sundry other gauges and measurements in such a way as to yield customs-compliant numbers. Back in the early eighties my lab contact got them to analyze a sample of so-called "smooth rebar" from Brazil that was actually "wire rod," and hence subject to hugely punitive antidumping duties. But for the metallurgical boffins we would have been on the hook had these consignments actually passed through our hands. I might have got in trouble, although I wrote a CYA memo or two early on. Anyway, all praise to the guys who can still read a mill sheet! Odd: I haven't touched an invoice, manifest, purchase agrement or mill sheet in anger in 25 years, but I still feel a certain nostalgia for the brief period in my career in which I did, or at least routinely touched upon, actual productive work. Since 1987 I've done graphics, which are rather by way of a luxury, and which I'm surprised that BDS continues to countenance... ironically,
Post #373,112 by crazy 3/29/13 12:38:32 PM Reply	Sometimes gov specs are way off from the norm though Story, not mine, someone close to me for many years: Buddy calls: Help!. What? Buddy: I was watching the bid list on a bunch of projects on a gov site and I just got the contract to supply a bunch of signs. Um, ok, what's the problem? Buddy: I realized they weren't really signs, they are targets, and the printed dimensions don't match any of the equipment that exists. Every piece is a one-off and will cost me 10 times to make them over what I bid! And if I don't fulfill they will sue the hell out of me. Oh well. I wonder how many contractors went through that type of process before before realizing they were supposed to all bid very high.
Post #373,117 by Andrew Grygus 3/29/13 1:20:22 PM Reply	The solution is simple. Read the published specs. Unfortunately, a lot of enthusiastic bidders make presumptions - once. Of course, being the low bidder can get you disqualified too. I remember a rocket part I bid (I think I have one in my collection). I bid $125 each. I was told I didn't know what I was doing and my bid was rejected in favor of the next lowest bid at about $800 each, for around 1000 pieces. I picked up the follow-up batches for $99 each and made a very comfortable profit on them. They just weren't that difficult, if you knew how to make them.

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