From: Mark A on
"Bruce L. Bergman" <blnospambergman(a)earthlink.invalid> wrote in message
> The only people who recalibrate tools like that are doing things
> like Aircraft 'Airframe & Powerplant' repair, where all test equipment
> and tools have to carry traceable metrology tags to prove they work.
>
> And they start off with the more expensive wrenches that come with a
> factory metrology certificate to cover the first inspection period.
> They aren't buying the $20 wrenches at Harbor Freight.
>
> This explains one of the reasons why it costs so much more to get an
> aircraft engine fixed, they have to figure that $75 fee per torque
> wrench (and they will have 4 or 5 of them for different torque values)
> every two or three years (as needed) into their overhead.
>
> And better yet, they have to have at least one extra set of torque
> wrenches to keep working with while one set is being sent out...
>
> --<< Bruce >>--

Another reason for the expense of getting an airplane fixed is that almost
every part on a commercial airplane must have a serial number or lot number,
and it must be tracked from the part manufacturer to the plane it is used
on. This includes replacement parts. This also includes all the parts in
subsystems such as radio's, and other electronic equipment used in an
airplane.


From: Built_Well on

Ray O wrote:

> ....I think Cobalt is Lowe's house brand. Some seem to be decent, I wouldn't
> be surprised if they are the same supplier as Craftsman tools.
========

The Kobalt torque wrench at Lowe's for $90 is made
in the U.S.A., though there are other Kobalt products
made in China. Danaher (a U.S. company) currently makes the Kobalt
torquer you can get at Lowe's. I can't say who makes
the faulty Sears Craftsman 44595 that so many of us have.
From: B A R R Y on
Built_Well wrote:
>
> Today, I saw the best "lower price" floor jack yet.

The horse is not only dead, it's rotting and covered with maggots. =8^0
From: B A R R Y on
Bruce L. Bergman wrote:
>
> This explains one of the reasons why it costs so much more to get an
> aircraft engine fixed, they have to figure that $75 fee per torque
> wrench (and they will have 4 or 5 of them for different torque values)
> every two or three years (as needed) into their overhead.

I agree with most of your points, but the shops that maintain my
Beechcraft, as well as the Lycoming out front, charge less per hour than
the auto shops I use for major work. The difference is a good 25%.
All of the auto mechanics I know have a much better standard of living
than the non-airline employed A&P's.

The extra expense on the bottom line is more related to required
inspections and tests at annual than shop charges, and the added IA
sign-off charges.

I do my own minor auto work, as well as what the FAA allows me to do on
the aircraft.
From: Scott Dorsey on
Built_Well <built_well_toyota(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
>Forget answering the question about recalibrating torque wrenches.
>I just read Tegger's informative FAQ on torquers. $75 to re-calibrate
>one! Like Tegger, I'll just buy a new one.

Don't do it, check your own. All you need is a lever arm and a calibrated
weight (and you can use a jug of water for the weight). If you neglect
the weight of the arm, you just multiply the length of the arm by the
mass of the weight and you get torque. A couple pieces of wood, some string,
and a water jug will do the job within a couple percent.

Check your calibration once a year.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."