[Boatanchors] Harbor Freight blind nuts

[Kim Herron]

Your experience, Chuck, with tools from Harbor Freight is exactly why I
don't buy anything from them.
Marson makes the exact same kind of kit to do the same thing and it's well
worth the money.  If you need only one or two sizes, then you buy the exact
tool and inserts from MSC or McMaster-Carr.  You just need to be sure that
you buy the proper inserts for the tool.  My guess, from your description,
is that Harbor Freight has supplied the wrong nut inserts for the
installation tool.  I had an electrician friend tell me one time that if I
had one of Harbor Freight's tools, I should take the tool, put a quarter
with it and throw them both in the trash.  If the quarter was there, then I
could at least say that I lost something of value.

Kim Herron W8ZV 
www.goldenradioservice.com
kim.herron at sbcglobal.net
1-616-677-3706

-----Original Message-----
From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Chuck McGregor
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2008 3:04 PM
To: rbethman
Cc: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Harbor Freight blind nuts


All-
I got my blind nut kit from Harbor Freight some time ago. It has been a 
great disappointment, because the force required to install the 6-32 
blind nuts is roughly equal to the force required to strip the mandrel 
threads through the blind nut, ruining it.  I have had some success, 
backing up the blind nut with a steel nut spun onto the mandrel, but 
that prevents installation in a blind  hole (and doesn't always work). There
seems to be a great variation in the required force, between nuts 
of the same size.

YMMV.

73,
Chuck N7RHU

rbethman wrote:
> I got my "kit" from Harbor Freight.
> 
> Bob - N0DGN
> 
>
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