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Poll: Adel Clamp Induced Anger Management Issue

Have you ever thrown a tool across the hangar due to an adel clamp

  • Yes

    Votes: 33 37.5%
  • No

    Votes: 55 62.5%

  • Total voters
    88
  • Poll closed .

RV8R999

Well Known Member
Have you ever thrown a tool across the hangar because of an adel clamp?

If objects could be classified as evil I'd say adel clamps are the devil!
 
I must be doing it differently. Usually what happens to me is that the adel clamp is the one throwing things across the hangar... nuts and washers, mostly! :)

(although this tool and some safety wire usually get the job done)

mcb
 
well I discovered if you throw a philips head screw driver hard enough out the hangar door it will in fact stick into the side of a palm tree...wish I took a picture but was afraid I'd break my camera.
 
I saw these on Spruce. My next order, I will have a pair. They slip onto the bolt or screw to retain it while you thread the nut.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/lockheedclampkeeper.php



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adel is German for noblility...if I remember right?

Have you ever thrown a tool across the hangar because of ...?

...No, but I used to have a boss who acted like that, one day he hit someone. Both the object and the victim were completely innocent. (I do get frustrated too, but I find a brisk walk more helpful)
 
Nut Launchers

In my circle of friends, they are known as "nut launchers".

It was a happy day when I discovered the safety wire lasso trick.
 
I've installed thousands of these things in my career, and they are indeed evil.

I have only recently discovered the clamp keeper shown above and think they work fantastic. I wish we knew about them when I was in the service.
 
Throwing tools

I once told a guy I have a nice set of tools in the roll around and another set I keep handy just for throwing. By the look on his face I could see he thought I was serious.
 
Never because of an ADEL clamp, but I have thrown a pair of vise grips that pinched my fingers when trying to install an ADEL clamp. Maybe I should have directed my anger at the cause instead of the source....
 
add one more

snap ring,dammit clamp,jees ring or any other four letter word for the flying little ring
 
Hemostats

Curved eight inch hemostat.
OK, four words.

I was helping a buddy some years back. He carfully placed a screw in the hemostats, inserted right hand and hemo thru one hole in the panel and the left hand thru another hole. Shortly he starts yelling, screaming and carrying on. Turns out the hemo spit out the screw and locked onto the end of a finger on the opposite hand and it took him quite a while to sort the whole thing out.

I still can't think about it without laughing :D
 
The problem with the vice grip tool is if you use AN-3-4 bolts to secure it, it won't work because the vice grips take up too much width (if you are working on a clamp where you can even get the vice grips in place).

Like others, I found the thin stainless 8/10 tool to be one of the best tools I bought, though there was a bit of a learning curve when I was trying to get it onto a thread and slipped and went under my fingernail about halfway down toward the cuticle.

That was memorable.
 
The problem with the vice grip tool is if you use AN-3-4 bolts to secure it, it won't work because the vice grips take up too much width (if you are working on a clamp where you can even get the vice grips in place).

Absolutely right, Bob. My method with the vice grip tool is to squeeze down on the clamp with just an awl through the hole, not a bolt. Then lasso the clamp shut with safety wire and remove the awl... it usually stays together long enough to work the bolt through. Thread the nut onto the bolt just enough to keep it on there, cut and remove the safety wire, and tighten the nut. Using this technique it's fairly easy to do double or even triple stacks of adel clamps.

By the way, by main complaint about the vice grip tool is that the non-hardened jaws tend to get bent out of shape, so I periodically have to re-square them. I will probably check into the thin steel tool as well, since it looks handy to have around... and I'm a magpie for tools. :)

mcb
 
Learned this from a friend. Put a piece of safety wire around it after squeezing. Put in bolt, cut wire. Too easy.
 
You do not have to buy that tool from A. Spruce. It can easily be made. Use an old hack saw blade and grind off the teeth. Use a small die grinder to adjust thickness and make a notch in the end to accommodate the size of bolt you are going to use. The advantage of using hacksaw blade material is stiffness. You can get the material so thin it just grabs the thread...

The hacksaw blade doesn't end up in the trash can and you get to keep 15$ that can go towards something else...
 
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