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GrahamHO · 08-10-2015, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongo

On a 700' containership I was finishing up a rebuild on the Salt Water Service pump that exhibited irregular vibration characteristics, (this pump provides cooling water to engine room machinery), and having a problem aligning the pump to the motor driving it. I climbed down into the bilges to get another angle, and found that the pedestal the pump was mounted on had three legs welded, and one leg held together with vice-grips. The ship was 25 years old, and the vice-grips had been painted many times!

Nothing much you can't fix using vice grips and a big hammer. And maybe CRC and gaffer tape.

Stu Jackson · 08-10-2015, 15:41

I had a wonderful crew/friend. The minute he came on board, he remembered, and put things back where they are supposed to be just as well as I do. Tools, lines, sails, everything...

We sailed together for five or more years, every week, every Friday if between cruises or races, come hell or high water, and sometimes there were!

Great times. He retired and used his electrical boating system knowledge on his RV!

Reefmagnet · 08-10-2015, 15:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I have found tools inside of the wings of 40 yr old aircraft that were obviously lost during manufacture.

I have a "aerol gland nut wrench" for a YP-59A that I found in an aircraft, I kept it as I think it's probably very rare.
I can't figure out what it's made of, it's heavy and rusted, but a magnet has no attraction to it?

Anything made substantially of iron would be magnetic unless it is of an austenitic type.

Perhaps it's made of berylium copper or austenitic cast iron maybe. The former is used to make "non sparking" tools and no idea what the latter would be used for in relation to tools.

Reefmagnet · 08-10-2015, 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Howdy!

I like that kind of tool too. Have used them many times.

FYI: The proper name and spelling is "VISE" grip, not "vice" grip.

Here is a link to a website that tells you something about the history of that tool. Pretty interesting.

The Vise Grip Company of Nebraska

This tool was developed in Nebraska (I used to live there). Another example of a proud small company making practical "iconic" and quality stuff in the USA.

Unfortunately....

"In 2008, the original Vise-Grip manufacturing plant in Dewitt, Nebraska, closed when the parent company moved production to China. Over 330 people from Dewitt (population 600) and surrounding communities were out of work. "
___________

In the UK there is a similar product, and they are known by another brand, "Mole wrench."

That's a shame. Just the other day I picked up a roll up kit of various Vice Grip branded products on clearance at my local hardware chain store. First thing I noticed was the quality was not a patch on the 30 year old Vice Grips I own. This lead me to look at the country of manufacture on the box and I wasn't surprised at all to see "Made in China"

As an aside, Taiwan has a reputation these days for making quality tools. Hand tools "Made in Taiwan" are usually of very good quality.

Nicholson58 · 08-10-2015, 17:24

My Vice grips and a few other tools. Vice grips on a leaky siphon breaker. The others holding the strainer together after the tie rods parted.

There is a really nice waterproof solar LED flashlight somewhere in the boat. - dang it.

I apparently buried the garden trowel last month while excavating under the pool pump slab for pipe repairs. NOT DIGGING IT UP AGAIN!

There is one of Dad's favorite hammers inside the foundation wall in the basement crawl in the house where I lived 45 years ago.

triciarob · 08-10-2015, 17:36

My mum gave me a really nice white gold and ruby enternity ring which went missing for about a year. One day Rob was going through his box of nuts, bolts, screws and washers and said "Hey! Look at this really weird washer I just found".

Yep, you guessed, there was my ring.

Tricia

Yeti · 08-10-2015, 18:20

I lost my cell phone during my repower last year. Had to buy another that day. Found the lost phone 3 months later and charged it up, still good to go! Ended up needing a week or so later.

Luckily I learned long ago to buy/use cheaper cell phones. I seem to go through them...or things seem to go through the screens.....

Mikado · 08-10-2015, 21:33

Not a boat lost and found but a vice grip one

I worked for a company that builds locomotives. We were doing the preliminary run tests on a new commuter locomotive and the 4200 amp $290k AR10 alternator had a catastrophic failure.

We shipped it back to EMD and sent an engineer to witness the teardown. It was pretty easy to figure out the cause of failure when they started digging out pieces of metal and one of them had the word "vice-grip" stamped in it

EMD was at a loss how this could have happened since no where in the manufacturing process were vice grips required.

GrahamHO · 08-10-2015, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikado

Not a boat lost and found but a vice grip one

I worked for a company that builds locomotives. We were doing the preliminary run tests on a new commuter locomotive and the 4200 amp $290k AR10 alternator had a catastrophic failure.

We shipped it back to EMD and sent an engineer to witness the teardown. It was pretty easy to figure out the cause of failure when they started digging out pieces of metal and one of them had the word "vice-grip" stamped in it

EMD was at a loss how this could have happened since no where in the manufacturing process were vice grips required.

When I was just starting as an aircraft engineering apprentice, a Pratt Whitney DC6 engine blew up in the test house. It was carefully pulled apart with inspectors watching. Somewhere inside the supercharger they found the hinge portion of a pair of pliers. On the hinge was engraved the (qualified engineer) owners initials. He was gone in 5 minutes. It was also a lesson to never leave tools lying around on the job.

GILow · 08-10-2015, 23:37

I did an engine changeover on my much loved 1992 Range Rover. Drove it around for a couple of weeks. Went to check the tyre pressure and found a half inch socket hanging from an engine mount bolt inside the wheel arch. Speaks volumes for how smooth the ride was that the socket could hang on for two whole weeks.

Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

jamhass · 10-10-2015, 09:37

You never lose things on a boat, the boat hides them. It's the boat's way of playing with you.

Steadman Uhlich · 10-10-2015, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

That's a shame. Just the other day I picked up a roll up kit of various Vice Grip branded products on clearance at my local hardware chain store. First thing I noticed was the quality was not a patch on the 30 year old Vice Grips I own. This lead me to look at the country of manufacture on the box and I wasn't surprised at all to see "Made in China"

As an aside, Taiwan has a reputation these days for making quality tools. Hand tools "Made in Taiwan" are usually of very good quality.

Yes, this short story about the closing of the Vise Grip plant brought to mind the many millions of American manufacturing jobs that have gone to China in the last 20 years.

While economies change, and locations of businesses change, it does seem sad to me to see what was once a classic example of a very good product that was "made here" has gone to offshore manufacturing. Those small plants in small towns and cities in the USA are often a major employer. Losing 300 manufacturing jobs in one small Nebraska area can hurt a lot of people.