"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
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"Ernest Scribbler" wrote in message
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"Clams Canino" wrote
I wanna know how you broke *three*.
I mean - after you broke one... didn't a clue rake at least try to hit
you
over the head about the rest of them?

Not to jump on the jump-on-Jay bandwagon (he's got enough trouble with
his broken bolts already), but wasn't he the guy who asked what the
difference is between foot pounds and inch pounds a while back?


Yes. Excellent question. However, I also agree with Frogwatch. You just
have to develop a feel for how much force things are able to take, and
where the gotchas are hiding. Try telling a 17 year old "With some screws,
you want to gently turn them in backwards until you feel or hear a click,
or you'll strip the threads". Mine said "Well, how do you know which
screws?" I really couldn't tell him, except to say that the higher the
price of the thing you're trying to fix, the more likely it is that you'll
have a problem. :-)


True story. In high school autoshop, yes we used to have those, the grounds
keepers for the sports field had their tractor in and were replacing a
muffler. The gardener asked how tight to make the nuts. Someone in the
class yelled out, "run it down until you hear a crack and then back of a 1/2
turn.". Everybody in the shop heard the crack as the U clamp broke. Class
went in to hysterics.