Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
. ..

snip
Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of the
unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to ship
them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured someone
might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense of
humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing they
could do about it now.

Jeff

I had sold three gross of wood handle wire brushes to a good customer, the
order called for "Handle Holes" to be drilled in the ends of the brushes for
hanging them up. Somehow we forgot to do the holes. The customer faxed us
stating the problem so I shipped them an empty box labeled: "432 ea. 5/16"
Handle Holes". They sent the box back stating on the packing list that they
were the wrong size holes.

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff



I did a repair job on a machine that snapped 12 bolts on the end of the
hydraulic chamber. They had gotten loose and snapped one at a time.
I replaced them with 16 new ones I think they were 12 mm metric bolts.
The bolts immediately snapped under the pressure. I went back and
checked the regulated pressure and it was normal. I put 12 more bolts
that were bought from a well known fasten supply company. The second
set of bolts snapped too. I had one of the other new bolts tested since
the break surface did not look right, it was irregular and very rough
rather than a relatively smooth surface that I was used to seeing on
broken bolts. The test came back that the bolt broke at 24 k lbs. The
spec on that size bolt should have been about 60 k lbs. Guess where
they came from. Imagine what would have happened if they were used to
hold a critical part of a birdge together.


John

On Sep 15, 9:36 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

I guess they are going to have to execute more safety inspectors.
Remember this guy?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...071000165.html

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

Would that be the 120pc mini blade type auto fuse set for $4.99
advertised on the back cover of the HF flyer that arrived today?

Tom Gardner said:
"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
. ..

snip
Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple
of the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained
that I assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they
expected to ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me,
but figured someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me
another box of fasteners. Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by
some ditzy woman with no
sense of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my
complaint exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there
was nothing they could do about it now.

Jeff

I had sold three gross of wood handle wire brushes to a good
customer, the order called for "Handle Holes" to be drilled in the
ends of the brushes for hanging them up. Somehow we forgot to do the
holes. The customer faxed us stating the problem so I shipped them
an empty box labeled: "432 ea. 5/16" Handle Holes". They sent the
box back stating on the packing list that they were the wrong size
holes.

Any hole is the right size hole for me!

--
Invisible Lurker
Really Not Here or There, Either

On Sep 15, 8:36 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

Sounds like my Chinese kitchen faucet that lasted all of 3 days.

I hear they are planning on importing a $9000 car to the US, the
Cheri, those fuses should work in those.

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 21:36:34 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

Perhaps you should have offered to pay the shipping on the replacement
threads.

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:41:58 -0400, "Invisible Lurker"
wrote:

Tom Gardner said:
"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
. ..

snip
Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple
of the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained
that I assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they
expected to ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me,
but figured someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me
another box of fasteners. Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by
some ditzy woman with no
sense of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my
complaint exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there
was nothing they could do about it now.

Jeff

I had sold three gross of wood handle wire brushes to a good
customer, the order called for "Handle Holes" to be drilled in the
ends of the brushes for hanging them up. Somehow we forgot to do the
holes. The customer faxed us stating the problem so I shipped them
an empty box labeled: "432 ea. 5/16" Handle Holes". They sent the
box back stating on the packing list that they were the wrong size
holes.

Any hole is the right size hole for me!

I'm not sure I'd cop to such a shortcoming.

I've got a set of those. You won't get a notice if you buy them in the
store. Gonna run some tests on them Monday, and report back.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff



--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth
If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes
Doubt yourself, and the real world will eat you alive
The world doesn't revolve around you, it revolves around me
No skeletons in the closet; just decomposing corpses
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dependence is Vulnerability:
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Open the Pod Bay Doors please, Hal"
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.."

On Sep 15, 7:26 pm, john wrote:
Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

I did a repair job on a machine that snapped 12 bolts on the end of the
hydraulic chamber. They had gotten loose and snapped one at a time.
I replaced them with 16 new ones I think they were 12 mm metric bolts.
The bolts immediately snapped under the pressure. I went back and
checked the regulated pressure and it was normal. I put 12 more bolts
that were bought from a well known fasten supply company. The second
set of bolts snapped too. I had one of the other new bolts tested since
the break surface did not look right, it was irregular and very rough
rather than a relatively smooth surface that I was used to seeing on
broken bolts. The test came back that the bolt broke at 24 k lbs. The
spec on that size bolt should have been about 60 k lbs. Guess where
they came from. Imagine what would have happened if they were used to
hold a critical part of a birdge together.

I got a cracked tailbone because of this kind of thing. We hung our
hammock chairs on our deck using fasteners that were supposed to be
rated at 350 lbs. and I was sitting in one reading one day when the
fastener let go. (I weigh less than half that.) We looked at it
later and it looked like pot metal.

The chairs were put away and I haven't been able to bring myself to
trust any kind of holder since then, alas.

Jeannie

Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying any QC, that costs extra.

Bull****... It's a well known risk to purchase items made in China.

I'm not saying that all companies in China make junk, but a lot do.

Consumers are finally getting just what they deserve. ALWAYS buy the
CHEAPEST, regardless of the quality and eventually the cheapest won't do the
job.

Doesn't matter anyhow. Most retailers are stocking only the cheap stuff
these days, trying to maximize profit. Consumers will keep on buying the
crap over the good stuff just because it's cheaper.

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Automotive fuses...


SNIP HAPPENS

Apparently parmaceuticals.....tainted anti leukemia drugs to be exact.

http://www.comcast.net/news/health/i...16/764608.html

"RickH" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 15, 8:36 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

Sounds like my Chinese kitchen faucet that lasted all of 3 days.

I hear they are planning on importing a $9000 car to the US, the
Cheri, those fuses should work in those.

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.



Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not specifying
any QC, that costs extra.

"Maxwell Lol" wrote in message
...
"Tom Gardner" writes:

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.



Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying
any QC, that costs extra.

So, Mattel forgot to spec "non-lead paint" on their toys?

A couple of anecdotal examples: our old friend Hamei, who manages (or did
manage) an aluminum-wheel plant in China, said that Chinese attitudes toward
quality were pretty poor, and that he had to stay on them all the time. In
another case, the manager of the Volkswagen plant in China said a few years
ago that Chinese quality was not good enough (yet) to make VWs in China for
the western market, but that it was getting better. Still another example,
an executive with Charmilles (a Swiss maker of machine tools) that builds
machines in China for the Asian market said their quality there was
"approaching" the quality of their production in Europe, but that it wasn't
good enough to supply the European or American markets.

On the other hand, there are some Chinese plants that are producing
world-class injection-molded parts, which means they're making world-class
injection molds. Those plants I've read about were managed by western or
Hong Kong-based management.

It appears to be a mixed bag, but the general level of quality is somewhat
less than we expect in the west.

--
Ed Huntress

"Jeannie" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 15, 7:26 pm, john wrote:
Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I
placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current
which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment,
only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading
operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that
I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

I did a repair job on a machine that snapped 12 bolts on the end of the
hydraulic chamber. They had gotten loose and snapped one at a time.
I replaced them with 16 new ones I think they were 12 mm metric bolts.
The bolts immediately snapped under the pressure. I went back and
checked the regulated pressure and it was normal. I put 12 more bolts
that were bought from a well known fasten supply company. The second
set of bolts snapped too. I had one of the other new bolts tested since
the break surface did not look right, it was irregular and very rough
rather than a relatively smooth surface that I was used to seeing on
broken bolts. The test came back that the bolt broke at 24 k lbs. The
spec on that size bolt should have been about 60 k lbs. Guess where
they came from. Imagine what would have happened if they were used to
hold a critical part of a birdge together.

I got a cracked tailbone because of this kind of thing. We hung our
hammock chairs on our deck using fasteners that were supposed to be
rated at 350 lbs. and I was sitting in one reading one day when the
fastener let go. (I weigh less than half that.) We looked at it
later and it looked like pot metal.

The chairs were put away and I haven't been able to bring myself to
trust any kind of holder since then, alas.

Jeannie



I don't know the geometry of your chairs, but, in the case of a simple
hammock, the tension on the supports greatly exceeds the weight of
the person in the hammock. How greatly depends on how much the
hammock is allowed to sag.

Jerry

Ed Huntress wrote:
"Maxwell Lol" wrote in message
...
"Tom Gardner" writes:

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.


Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying
any QC, that costs extra.
So, Mattel forgot to spec "non-lead paint" on their toys?

A couple of anecdotal examples: our old friend Hamei, who manages (or did
manage) an aluminum-wheel plant in China, said that Chinese attitudes toward
quality were pretty poor, and that he had to stay on them all the time. In
another case, the manager of the Volkswagen plant in China said a few years
ago that Chinese quality was not good enough (yet) to make VWs in China for
the western market, but that it was getting better. Still another example,
an executive with Charmilles (a Swiss maker of machine tools) that builds
machines in China for the Asian market said their quality there was
"approaching" the quality of their production in Europe, but that it wasn't
good enough to supply the European or American markets.

On the other hand, there are some Chinese plants that are producing
world-class injection-molded parts, which means they're making world-class
injection molds. Those plants I've read about were managed by western or
Hong Kong-based management.

It appears to be a mixed bag, but the general level of quality is somewhat
less than we expect in the west.

--
Ed Huntress


When I was a kid, "Made In Japan" meant "cheap junk".
An American professor developed the science of quality
control, American companies blew him off, the Japanese
listened. Give the Chinese time, they're learning.

[8~{} Uncle Monster

RickH wrote:

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.


Don't kid yourself. They are quite capable of making quality stuff. Its
the "Walmart mentality" buyers who keep on insisting on even cheaper
prices so then the quality falls as expected.

On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:23:44 GMT, "Jerry Foster"
wrote:




I don't know the geometry of your chairs, but, in the case of a simple
hammock, the tension on the supports greatly exceeds the weight of
the person in the hammock. How greatly depends on how much the
hammock is allowed to sag.

Jerry


that should be 'how little the hammock is allowed to sag'
more sag less force.

Noozer wrote:
Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying any QC, that costs extra.

Bull****... It's a well known risk to purchase items made in China.


Principally if you are a Walmart type buyer where price is the most
important thing and even lower prices the next time is required.


I'm not saying that all companies in China make junk, but a lot do.

Consumers are finally getting just what they deserve. ALWAYS buy the
CHEAPEST, regardless of the quality and eventually the cheapest won't do the
job.


Thats the "Walmart syndrome", price is all that matters no matter what
the consequence.


Doesn't matter anyhow. Most retailers are stocking only the cheap stuff
these days, trying to maximize profit. Consumers will keep on buying the
crap over the good stuff just because it's cheaper.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296949,00.html


China Recalls Tainted Leukemia Drugs




BEIJING — Chinese authorities ordered the recall of tainted leukemia
drugs blamed for leg pains and other problems, state media reported
Sunday, the latest crisis to strike the country's embattled food and
drug industries.

Most of the drugs involved — methotrexate and cytarabin hydrochloride
— have been recovered and authorities have traced the remainder, the
Xinhua News Agency said. The report did not say if any of the drugs
had been exported.

Authorities have banned the sale and distribution of the drugs,
produced by the Shanghai Hualian Pharmaceutical Co., it said.

China, a major global supplier, has been facing growing international
pressure to improve the quality of its exports after dangerous toxins
— from lead to an antifreeze ingredient — were found in goods
including toys and toothpaste.

China has been eager to cast itself as a victim, too, of unsafe
imports. Xinhua on Saturday announced that inspectors recently found
residue of the banned stimulant ractopamine in frozen pig kidneys
imported from the United States and frozen pork spareribs from Canada.
The names of the exporting companies were not identified. Ractopamine
is forbidden for use as veterinary medicine in China.

Xinhua said the 18.37 tons of frozen pork kidneys and 24 tons of
frozen pork had been returned to importers exporters, said the General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
(AQSIQ).

Ractopamine, a hormone that promotes the growth of lean meat in pigs
and cattle, is banned by China and most other countries as a health
hazard, although its use in stock animals is permitted in the U.S. and
Canada. China has also recently banned imports of U.S. meat
contaminated with salmonella, additives, and veterinary drugs.

Xinhua said the State Food and Drug Administration and Health Ministry
banned the two leukemia drugs after several child leukemia patients
who were taking them complained of leg pains and difficulty walking.
Xinhua said some patients also complained of urine retention.

It said the Health Ministry and drug administration had traced the
problems with the drugs to their being tainted with vincristine
sulfate, an anticancer drug. Xinhua said factories manufacturing the
drugs had been closed.

China has taken a series of steps to crackdown on tainted drugs and
other unsafe products, in part due to concern over the reputation of
its exports.

In the harshest action so far, the country's former top drug regulator
was executed in July for taking millions of dollars in bribes to
approve substandard medicines, including an antibiotic that killed at
least 10 people.

In article , "Ed Huntress"
wrote:

"Maxwell Lol" wrote in message
...
"Tom Gardner" writes:

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.



Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying
any QC, that costs extra.

So, Mattel forgot to spec "non-lead paint" on their toys?

A couple of anecdotal examples: our old friend Hamei, who manages (or did
manage) an aluminum-wheel plant in China, said that Chinese attitudes toward
quality were pretty poor, and that he had to stay on them all the time. In
another case, the manager of the Volkswagen plant in China said a few years
ago that Chinese quality was not good enough (yet) to make VWs in China for
the western market, but that it was getting better. Still another example,
an executive with Charmilles (a Swiss maker of machine tools) that builds
machines in China for the Asian market said their quality there was
"approaching" the quality of their production in Europe, but that it wasn't
good enough to supply the European or American markets.

On the other hand, there are some Chinese plants that are producing
world-class injection-molded parts, which means they're making world-class
injection molds. Those plants I've read about were managed by western or
Hong Kong-based management.

It appears to be a mixed bag, but the general level of quality is somewhat
less than we expect in the west.

And sometimes this level of quality is OK. I wouldn't use Harbor Freight
tools for work, but if there was a task at home I had to do once a year,
one of their tools might be ok.


--
charles

Testing fuses is sort of like testing firecrackers isn't it? The good
ones are rendered unusable if they "pass". G

Course I suppose if you have knowledge of the resistance versus current
characteristics of a "good" fuse of the same alloy and design, you could
put some current through them and see if what you've got matches
reasonably closely.

When I got the recall notice I thought for a moment about grabbing my
magnifying optical comparitor and looking to see if the links in those
fuses stepped up in size sort of appropriate to their amperage ratings,
but then thought better about that, said, "WTF", and went for a nice end
of summer walk with SWMBO.

Let's hear what your examination and tests show, my suspicion is that
someone probably mixed up the metal parts and they ended up in the wrong
fuses.

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.


JR North wrote:
I've got a set of those. You won't get a notice if you buy them in the
store. Gonna run some tests on them Monday, and report back.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I
placed with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99
seemed like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)


snipped

In alt.fan.cecil-adams Maxwell Lol wrote:
"Tom Gardner" writes:
China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe
in QA departments.
Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good
as anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying any QC, that costs extra.
So, Mattel forgot to spec "non-lead paint" on their toys?

No, that was probably there. They just forgot to spec "actually test
that products are within spec". That's why sometimes you'll go to the
Circuit City and buy a box that's supposed to have a router in it, and
get home and discover that it's an old phone book.

--
Huey

Bob Ward wrote:

On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:41:58 -0400, "Invisible Lurker"
wrote:


Tom Gardner said:

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
om...

snip

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple
of the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained
that I assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they
expected to ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me,
but figured someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me
another box of fasteners. Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by
some ditzy woman with no
sense of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my
complaint exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there
was nothing they could do about it now.

Jeff

I had sold three gross of wood handle wire brushes to a good
customer, the order called for "Handle Holes" to be drilled in the
ends of the brushes for hanging them up. Somehow we forgot to do the
holes. The customer faxed us stating the problem so I shipped them
an empty box labeled: "432 ea. 5/16" Handle Holes". They sent the
box back stating on the packing list that they were the wrong size
holes.

Any hole is the right size hole for me!


I'm not sure I'd cop to such a shortcoming.



OK, it's lim time again......

I heard that Confucius did say,
To a fellow whose pockets gave way.
He said, " Wait, don't knock it,
A hole in your pocket,
Will make you feel cocky all day."



Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

In article ,
wrote:

In alt.fan.cecil-adams Maxwell Lol wrote:
"Tom Gardner" writes:
China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe
in QA departments.
Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good
as anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not
specifying any QC, that costs extra.
So, Mattel forgot to spec "non-lead paint" on their toys?

No, that was probably there. They just forgot to spec "actually test
that products are within spec". That's why sometimes you'll go to the
Circuit City and buy a box that's supposed to have a router in it, and
get home and discover that it's an old phone book.

Circuit City sells routers? Whoda thunk? I bought mine from Rafael Lumber.
I do need to find a fence guide though and since the router is old, there
doesn't seem to be one.

charles, one word, two meanings, dependent on the trade, bishop

JR North wrote:
I've got a set of those. You won't get a notice if you buy them in the
store. Gonna run some tests on them Monday, and report back.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)


snipped

And I just got bit in the ass myself...

Bought a set of drill bits from Princess Auto (Canadian equivilent of Harbor
Freight, methinks) a while back. They seemed to do a good job... that is
until TODAY!

I'm mounting a couple 4 foot fluorescent fixtures in the garage. I needed to
drill a couple holes that would line up with the ceiling joists for some #8
screws. This is really flimsy sheet metal, the holes need aren't too small
or big... maybe 1/8". I even used a punch to mark where I wanted the holes
so the bit wouldn't "wander".

Loaded the bit into my power drill. I started to drill, using one hand on
the drill and one hand to hold the fixture in place. F*@K!$%&@!!!!! Hardly
a mark in the sheet metal and about a half dozen gouges around my left
thumb. The friggen bit *BENT* 90 degrees!!! No it did not break.

HOW in the hell does a hardened drill bit BEND 90 degrees!

Man I'm cheezed off.

Groups list noted.

On Sun, 16 Sep 2007, Uncle Monster wrote:

Ed Huntress wrote:

On the other hand, there are some Chinese plants that are producing
world-class injection-molded parts, which means they're making world-class
injection molds. Those plants I've read about were managed by western or
Hong Kong-based management.

It appears to be a mixed bag, but the general level of quality is somewhat
less than we expect in the west.

When I was a kid, "Made In Japan" meant "cheap junk".
An American professor developed the science of quality
control, American companies blew him off, the Japanese
listened. Give the Chinese time, they're learning.

The Version That I Heard held that Japan in the 1950s was filling an
available market niche: Cheaply made goods. It wasn't that Japan didn't
have the talent to engineer and build quality goods (witness their war
production, particularly their aircraft and optics). Rather, they were
making what the world would buy. Even while they were making trinklets
and easily broken junk, Nikon was getting favorable notices in the New
York Times.

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/port...te_history.htm





--
"We began to realize, as we plowed on with the destruction of New Jersey,
that the extent of our American lunatic fringe had been underestimated."
Orson Wells on the reaction to the _War Of The Worlds_ broadcast.

Noozer wrote:
HOW in the hell does a hardened drill bit BEND 90 degrees!

Next time, buy the metal drill bits.

--
If you really believe carbon dioxide causes global warming,
you should stop exhaling.

On Sep 15, 10:29 pm, RickH wrote:
On Sep 15, 8:36 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:





Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

Sounds like my Chinese kitchen faucet that lasted all of 3 days.

I hear they are planning on importing a $9000 car to the US, the
Cheri, those fuses should work in those.

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The consumer IS the QA department.

And the irony is that it is American companies that are selling the
stuff to us.

They are the ones who closed their eyes to this developing problem.

And they are as usual trying to pass the buck to the supplier instead
of taking responsiblity themselves.

TMT

Noozer wrote:

JR North wrote:
I've got a set of those. You won't get a notice if you buy them in the
store. Gonna run some tests on them Monday, and report back.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)


snipped

And I just got bit in the ass myself...

Bought a set of drill bits from Princess Auto (Canadian equivilent of Harbor
Freight, methinks) a while back. They seemed to do a good job... that is
until TODAY!

I'm mounting a couple 4 foot fluorescent fixtures in the garage. I needed to
drill a couple holes that would line up with the ceiling joists for some #8
screws. This is really flimsy sheet metal, the holes need aren't too small
or big... maybe 1/8". I even used a punch to mark where I wanted the holes
so the bit wouldn't "wander".

Loaded the bit into my power drill. I started to drill, using one hand on
the drill and one hand to hold the fixture in place. F*@K!$%&@!!!!! Hardly
a mark in the sheet metal and about a half dozen gouges around my left
thumb. The friggen bit *BENT* 90 degrees!!! No it did not break.

HOW in the hell does a hardened drill bit BEND 90 degrees!

Man I'm cheezed off.

Thanks for the warning, I bought some of their 10 pks of 1/16 &
1/8 bill drits for $1, I'll be careful...

Bill

On Sep 16, 4:16 am, "Tom Gardner" wrote:
"RickH" wrote in message

ups.com...





On Sep 15, 8:36 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

Sounds like my Chinese kitchen faucet that lasted all of 3 days.

I hear they are planning on importing a $9000 car to the US, the
Cheri, those fuses should work in those.

China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.

Don't believe it for a minute! The Chinese produce to spec. as good as
anybody, blame the spec. guys and the purchasing customer for not specifying
any QC, that costs extra.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Remember "buyer beware"?

It is the responsibility of the American companies selling you
anything to make sure that it is as represented....and they are not
doing that so they can pass the buck on to the CEO bonus.

Sit back and watch the toy companies...they are going to be used as a
lesson for the rest of Corporate America as to what happens when you
cut corners to make the CEO bonus larger.

TMT

On Sep 16, 8:24 am, George wrote:
RickH wrote:
China can make things real cheap and fast, but they dont believe in QA
departments.

Don't kid yourself. They are quite capable of making quality stuff. Its
the "Walmart mentality" buyers who keep on insisting on even cheaper
prices so then the quality falls as expected.

Correct...and the cheap stuff is sold because it maximizes the profit
for the seller.

What do you think the MBAs do all day? Maximizing profit does not
include maximizing quality.

Walmart is doing this for their good...not the good of the consumer.

TMT

On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:09:25 GMT, "Tom Gardner"
wrote:


"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...

snip
Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of the
unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to ship
them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured someone
might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense of
humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing they
could do about it now.

Jeff

I had sold three gross of wood handle wire brushes to a good customer, the
order called for "Handle Holes" to be drilled in the ends of the brushes for
hanging them up. Somehow we forgot to do the holes. The customer faxed us
stating the problem so I shipped them an empty box labeled: "432 ea. 5/16"
Handle Holes". They sent the box back stating on the packing list that they
were the wrong size holes.

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gunner

On Sep 15, 8:36 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)

They're paying the postage, will refund $4.99 and gave me a "$5.00 Off
coupon" good till next February.

The recall notice includes this explanation:

"Specifically, manufacturing inconsistencies max exiat with the
materials, connections or size of the fuse elements which could result
in the fuses failing to protect the circuit from exessive current which
could cause damage to a vehicle and possibly a fire."

What's next folks?

The fuse issue isn't as funny as the "Stove Bolt Assortment" I bought
from Harbor Freight several years ago and stuck on the shelf. When I
finally wanted to use eight matching fasteners rather than the onsies
and twosies I can get from my "hell box" I went to that assortment, only
to find that all the 10-24 nuts in it had missed the threading operation
and had smooth bore holes in them.

Just for ****s and grins I wrote a letter to HF and taped a couple of
the unthreaded nuts to it. I described the problem and explained that I
assumed the threads were on backorder and asked when they expected to
ship them to me. I wasn't sure what that would get me, but figured
someone might get a laugh out of it and maybe send me another box of
fasteners.

Unfortunatly, my letter was answered by some ditzy woman with no sense
of humor because I all I got was a letter from her saying my complaint
exceeded their allowable time limit for returns and there was nothing
they could do about it now.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.


What's next folks?


Try this....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070916/...dLNzeN Ks0NUE

China recalls tainted leukemia drugs By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated
Press Writer
Sun Sep 16, 7:49 AM ET

Chinese authorities ordered the recall of tainted leukemia drugs
blamed for leg pains and other problems, state media reported Sunday,
the latest crisis to strike the country's embattled food and drug
industries.

Most of the drugs involved - methotrexate and cytarabin hydrochloride
- have been recovered and authorities have traced the remainder, the
Xinhua News Agency said. The report did not say if any of the drugs
had been exported.

Authorities have banned the sale and distribution of the drugs,
produced by the Shanghai Hualian Pharmaceutical Co., it said.

China, a major global supplier, has been facing growing international
pressure to improve the quality of its exports after dangerous toxins
- from lead to an antifreeze ingredient - were found in goods
including toys and toothpaste.

China has been eager to cast itself as a victim, too, of unsafe
imports. Xinhua on Saturday announced that inspectors recently found
residue of the banned stimulant ractopamine in frozen pig kidneys
imported from the United States and frozen pork spareribs from Canada.
The names of the exporting companies were not identified. Ractopamine
is forbidden for use as veterinary medicine in China.

Xinhua said the 18.37 tons of frozen pork kidneys and 24 tons of
frozen pork had been returned to importers exporters, said the General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
(AQSIQ).

Ractopamine, a hormone that promotes the growth of lean meat in pigs
and cattle, is banned by China and most other countries as a health
hazard, although its use in stock animals is permitted in the U.S. and
Canada. China has also recently banned imports of U.S. meat
contaminated with salmonella, additives, and veterinary drugs.

Xinhua said the State Food and Drug Administration and Health Ministry
banned the two leukemia drugs after several child leukemia patients
who were taking them complained of leg pains and difficulty walking.
Xinhua said some patients also complained of urine retention.

It said the Health Ministry and drug administration had traced the
problems with the drugs to their being tainted with vincristine
sulfate, an anticancer drug. Xinhua said factories manufacturing the
drugs had been closed.

China has taken a series of steps to crackdown on tainted drugs and
other unsafe products, in part due to concern over the reputation of
its exports.

In the harshest action so far, the country's former top drug regulator
was executed in July for taking millions of dollars in bribes to
approve substandard medicines, including an antibiotic that killed at
least 10 people


Now one thing that might work here in the United States is this....

"In the harshest action so far, the country's former top drug
regulator was executed in July for taking millions of dollars in
bribes to approve substandard medicines, including an antibiotic that
killed at least 10 people"

If the American SOBs who let this stuff be sold were executed on prime
time, I bet the QA problem would straighten itself out.

TMT

On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 17:55:34 GMT, "Noozer" wrote:

JR North wrote:
I've got a set of those. You won't get a notice if you buy them in the
store. Gonna run some tests on them Monday, and report back.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)


snipped

And I just got bit in the ass myself...

Bought a set of drill bits from Princess Auto (Canadian equivilent of Harbor
Freight, methinks) a while back. They seemed to do a good job... that is
until TODAY!

I'm mounting a couple 4 foot fluorescent fixtures in the garage. I needed to
drill a couple holes that would line up with the ceiling joists for some #8
screws. This is really flimsy sheet metal, the holes need aren't too small
or big... maybe 1/8". I even used a punch to mark where I wanted the holes
so the bit wouldn't "wander".

Loaded the bit into my power drill. I started to drill, using one hand on
the drill and one hand to hold the fixture in place. F*@K!$%&@!!!!! Hardly
a mark in the sheet metal and about a half dozen gouges around my left
thumb. The friggen bit *BENT* 90 degrees!!! No it did not break.

HOW in the hell does a hardened drill bit BEND 90 degrees!

Man I'm cheezed off.


I did that some time back..but instead of the drill bit bending..it
simply unscrewed the flutes. They came out looking like reamers....

Gunner

On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 12:52:30 -0700, Too_Many_Tools
wrote:


If the American SOBs who let this stuff be sold were executed on prime
time, I bet the QA problem would straighten itself out.

TMT
What the American companies consistently fail to get is QA is a 24
hour a day, 365 day a year job. Thi is PARTICULARLY so when dealing
with companies like China.

The first batch excedes spec, by somewhere around the 3rd load they
meet spec. (generally - some MAY excede, and a small number fait)
As they try to maximize profit, the quality DROPS and by about the
fith load the spec MAY be totally lost. Importers need to pull random
samples from the "line" with no fore-warning, and test them
diligently. Not just to see if they look good, but if the materials
ALL meet spec. Is the plastic the plastic spec'd? Is the paint the
right formulation? Does the steel meet spec? Is the formula of the
cough syrup 100% correct?

Then they need to do the same as the stuff comes off the boat.

Beyond that, there should be SOME government inspection to see that
labeling is correct (example, off the boat from China comes toothpaste
marked as made in SOUTH AFRICA by a company that does not manufacture
goods there.Red Flags anyone??????

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Noozer wrote:

JR North wrote:
I've got a set of those. You won't get a notice if you buy them in the
store. Gonna run some tests on them Monday, and report back.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Automotive fuses...

Today's mail brought me a Safety Recall notice from Harbor Freight
telling me to stop using, remove any in use, and return the 120 piece
Mini-Blade Automotive Fuse Assortment I'd tacked onto an order I placed
with them a few months ago, because getting 120 fuses for $4.99 seemed
like a good deal. (TOO good a deal I guess...)


snipped

And I just got bit in the ass myself...

Bought a set of drill bits from Princess Auto (Canadian equivilent of Harbor
Freight, methinks) a while back. They seemed to do a good job... that is
until TODAY!

I'm mounting a couple 4 foot fluorescent fixtures in the garage. I needed to
drill a couple holes that would line up with the ceiling joists for some #8
screws. This is really flimsy sheet metal, the holes need aren't too small
or big... maybe 1/8". I even used a punch to mark where I wanted the holes
so the bit wouldn't "wander".

Loaded the bit into my power drill. I started to drill, using one hand on
the drill and one hand to hold the fixture in place. F*@K!$%&@!!!!! Hardly
a mark in the sheet metal and about a half dozen gouges around my left
thumb. The friggen bit *BENT* 90 degrees!!! No it did not break.

HOW in the hell does a hardened drill bit BEND 90 degrees!

Pretty simple actually, that particular bit fell off the cart on it's
way to heat treat. The janitor was kind enough to put it in the bin at
the end of the production line.

On Sep 15, 10:29 pm, RickH wrote:
Sounds like my Chinese kitchen faucet that lasted all of 3 days.

I hear they are planning on importing a $9000 car to the US, the
Cheri, those fuses should work in those.

They're trying to import it. Having trouble catching up on safety
though.

Good video of a crash test performed in Russia:
http://news.windingroad.com/countrie...in-crash-test/

On Sep 16, 10:54 am, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Testing fuses is sort of like testing firecrackers isn't it? The good
ones are rendered unusable if they "pass". G

There are probably plenty of tests you can perform, but with something
like that you would probably also want to implement a destructive test
sampling plan.

I don't have any of the charts to do a real example of a standard
Accept on Zero plan. But basically the sample size expands depending
on the lot size (parts produces all together). Sampled parts are
selected at random. If one fails the entire lot is rejected.