Tool Crib

Clean Those Pesky Rivet Holes

When refurbishing parts containing metal rivets that have been removed, there may be rust or other residue on the metal surface surrounding the hole. The area around that hole may be difficult to clean and prepare prior to re-riveting. Standard Abrasives has created the P.A.R.T. Kit, which includes abrasive discs and mandrels to clean and prep painted or corroded surfaces around those holes. The discs are available in two strengths, surface conditioning and buff-and-blend, and have metal-to-metal locking systems. The discs are attached to mandrels with pointed tips to guide the small discs into the rivet hole. Standard Abrasives, 805-520-5800, www.standardabrasives.com

Timberland Provides Footwear Comfort

More than a year ago, Timberland PRO introduced the Titan line of durable work boots, featuring a wider-than-normal toe cap made of ballistic-grade aluminum/titanium alloy, which is 40 percent lighter than steel. The new toe cap is also available in a hiking-style boot, the Titan Hiker High (right), which is more appealing to "younger customers who don't want a traditional work boot," said Chris Heffernan, director of product development. Titan boots are made with a polyurethane midsole that is lighter and more comfortable than rubber, he added, and an oil-resistant outsole with "amazing slip resistance."

Timberland PRO recently launched a new leather called Ever-Guard, made in Germany, which is abrasion-resistant, waterproof, and can withstand heating up to 240 degrees Fahrenheit. "It's for shoes with high wear-through areas," said Heffernan, such as boots with reinforced toe caps like the Hiker High. "The toe cap puts leather under a lot of stress," he said. Timberland PRO, www.timberland.com.

WASP System Blasts Wheels Clean

Vapormatt has developed a wet-blast cleaning process called water-assisted stripping process (WASP) for degreasing and cleaning aircraft wheels. WASP is a solvent-free, dust-free process that projects a cleaning solution made of water, detergent, and soft plastic media at the wheel through a blast nozzle. The wheel is placed on a turntable and is contained in a single sealed enclosure. Operating pressure can be adjusted for either cleaning/degreasing or paint removal. A filtration system separates the solid waste for proper disposal. Vapormatt, 610 837 7277, www.vapormatt.com.

TwinBin Controls Small Parts

The TwinBin, made by Hurst Green Plastics, is a simple idea that has found widespread acceptance in the aerospace industry. Each TwinBin consists of a top and bottom half separated by a slide-out floor. The top and bottom half are accessible through a drop-down front. When the parts in the bottom half are depleted, the user simply pulls the sliding floor out, which allows the reserve stock in the upper half to drop down into the lower half. Then the stocking system, either via a visual check or bar-code reading of the empty upper half, notes that this particular item needs replenishment.

Typical aviation hardware setups involve the storing of thousands of small hardware parts like rivets, nuts, bolts, and washers in stockrooms and distribution to technicians from the parts stockroom or in buckets next to the work area. The problem with this system is that batches of similar parts get mixed together, making traceability difficult, and loss of parts is high because it is so difficult to keep track of so many small hardware items, especially once they leave the stockroom.

Hurst Green Plastics managing director Stephen Clarke came up with the idea for the TwinBin after inventing a hygienic hands-free dispenser for supermarket bulk foods. An executive at British Aerospace started using one of the supermarket bins to dispense rivets and small fasteners on one of the company's assembly lines. Clarke worked with BAe to refine a rivet dispenser for the Hawker jet assembly line and he then worked closely with the shop-floor personnel to make the system even more useful. The result was the TwinBin with the sliding floor, now a patented feature.

Clarke is now developing a next-generation TwinBin system that will use wireless communication technology to record stock movement and generate automatic reordering and invoicing.

Hurst Green Plastics, phone: +44 (0)1254 825588, www.hurstgreenplastics.co.uk.