Industrial Finish Tools

[Moose-LandTran]

I was hoping some of you enlighten me as to the reason some tools have an industrial finish to them? i understand the reason with impact sockets, to differenciate them from chrome sockets, that are chrome-vanadium steel and not chrome-molybdenum (although some impacts are made of vanadium steels) although that may not be the reason behind it.

i've heard that military tools use the industrial finish, and thought perhaps this was to identify military tools from "civilian" ones. but that doesn't make a great deal of sense.

any ideas?

 

[MAD]

There are many industrial situations where the risk of contamination from chipping chrome makes the industrial finish a better choice.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Ahh, that makes sense.

Thank you,
Moose.

 

[Mike83]

I think aircraft technicians are required to use industrial finish tools so that chrome can't chip off. Not sure, but I think so.

 

[Kevin54]

i've heard that military tools use the industrial finish, and thought perhaps this was to identify military tools from "civilian" ones. but that doesn't make a great deal of sense

That's so they can differentiate the difference in spending from $28.00 per socket to up it to $280.00 per socket. If they all looked like civilian sockets then how would they know what they spent the taxpayers dollars on? And yea...it may also have something to do with chrome chipping. LOL!!!

 

[ba614]

Cost and use of the tools is also a factor. Why pay for a polished finish and chrome on tools that will be abused and subjected to harsh chemicals. Another reason could be that fancy chrome tools might be walking off the job site.

 

[JHunter]

I've been in the Army for 13 years now and can say that all the tools I've come in contact with in the motor pools have been just like the ones in your garage. There may be some specialty tools that I haven't come in contact with that have a special / non chrome (or chrome like) finish.

 

[wrenchr]

Nasa would be a good example. Clean rooms.

 

[89MustangGX]

Most of my sockets here for aircraft work are polished finish Snap-Ons. Some others thrown in, but all polished.

 

[Rickster]

We had a lot of the industrial finish tools when I worked in the test lab many years ago and the tools were supplied for the techs by the company. So I'm guessing its a cost thing.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

i quite like the look of some of them. might buy a 3/8" ratchet, universal joint and a couple of extensions to match my small selection of low-profile oil filter sockets.

or a Hy-lok ratchet instead of just a normal 3/8" with industrial finish.

anyone got a HY-LOK ratchet? looks pretty handy. even if you rarely use it. i don't/won't work in aviation so it'd seldom get used.

 

[garfunkle24]

A good example of where people use industrial finish tools would be a millwright who works on the production lines of food and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Also chrome is highly reactive with more chemicals than you might think, particularly acids.

In my opinion, industrial finish tools function just as well, but they are a PITA to clean and once worn/scratched can rust quite quickly. When buying tool that are so expensive to begin with, it is worth the $ difference to me to get the 'real deal'

 

[eschoendorff]

anyone got a HY-LOK ratchet? looks pretty handy. even if you rarely use it. i don't/won't work in aviation so it'd seldom get used.

Maybe I am missing something here... when exactly would a HY-LOK ratchet come in handy?

 

[nissan_crawler]

i quite like the look of some of them. might buy a 3/8" ratchet, universal joint and a couple of extensions to match my small selection of low-profile oil filter sockets.

or a Hy-lok ratchet instead of just a normal 3/8" with industrial finish.

anyone got a HY-LOK ratchet? looks pretty handy. even if you rarely use it. i don't/won't work in aviation so it'd seldom get used.

Yep, use them at work for their intended purpose, and at home for their unintended purpose.

*They aren't made for high torque, so be smart. They do however, offer an infinite swing on them. If you get the ones with a cylindrical head, you can get 2, pull the snap ring off one and flip it so you have one forward and one reverse. If you get the ones with a spherical head, they have an o-ring on the drive that lets you clip it back and forth on one ratchet.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Maybe I am missing something here... when exactly would a HY-LOK ratchet come in handy?

Any time a regular ratchet won't click. They dont' have teeth, it's a clutch design. If you can twitch the handle, you can move the socket.

 

[mike944]

Aerospace industry uses industrial finish tools on many things. Titanium metals which are common in aerospace are contaminated by even microscopic particles of chrome. Contaminated titanium has a tremendously lower fatigue resistance, particularly in elevated temperature applications. Therefore, using industrial finish tools is one of those "better safe than sorry" kind of things. You wouldn't want the mechanic to have to identify the type of metal he's working on, and select the proper tools.

Titanium can be contaminated by a lot of things. We even have special formulations for magic markers........

 

[chad s]

Any time a regular ratchet won't click. They dont' have teeth, it's a clutch design. If you can twitch the handle, you can move the socket.

I always thought they just had a hole through the drive so you could insert a hext key into the head, for hyloc fastenet (which I really am not framiliar with). The snap on one has teeth according to their specs.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...7&group_ID=108&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[Spookrider]

Don't chrome cause some acid to form on the meatal and cause rust or some thing close to that word. Then weaken the metal.
I got this off some Auto tv show I think??

 

[Theo]

Chrysler Assembly has a policy were they call for the use of Industrial Finish tools. It's not a performance issue, but an environmental one. Apparently the chrome plating (either the process, or the disposal) is hard on the environment.

 

[mike944]

Don't chrome cause some acid to form on the meatal and cause rust or some thing close to that word. Then weaken the metal.
I got this off some Auto tv show I think??

Hot Salt Stress Corrosion.

H.S.S.C. is a phenomenon that occurs on titanium (and some other metals) when exposed to heat, contaminants, and stress in some combination over a critical level. Salt is the usual contaminant, but chrome is an excellent contaminant too, as well as several others. It usually leads to relatively un-controlled cracking, originating from the contamination site.

To elaborate on Theo's comment, yes, it's bad for the environment. Chrome is plated in a liquid bath of some kind of sodium cyanide compound. I'm sure everybody has heard of that stuff......

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Maybe I am missing something here... when exactly would a HY-LOK ratchet come in handy?

Valve adjustment among a couple things. use the ratchet and a socket to loosen the lock nut, with a screwdrive/similar through the head for the valve adjuster, and then to hold it still while you use the ratchet to tighten the lock nut again.

that's one thing i thought of. i'm sure i could find other uses.

 

[Grigg]

.. might be an old thread now

Not exactly sure why manufacturers offer the choice of chrome or "industrial finish" tools, but I suspect it's to offer just as good a tool for a cheaper price.

My first 3/8" ratchet, extension, and socket set are Snap-on industrial finish. Not sure why I choose it, but that's what I asked for for Christmas one year. My Dad was probably glad to get me out of his tool set and happy the industrial was cheaper than chrome.

I've had no problems with rust, if you use them they don't rust.. That first black ratchet I got looks about like a worn chrome one now, all "hand" polished.

In a high school vo-tech competition I won a set of Snap-On chrome metric flank drive plus wrenches, and the next week on the truck traded them in for close to twice the number of black SAE Snap-on wrenches. I didn't need the metric then, and was very happy to get even more wrenches in trade. Now complete up to 1.25" one wrench at a time..

It's also helpful as somehow I've ended up with black SAE wrenches and 6 point sockets, and chrome metric wrenches and 12 point sockets, so easy to distinguish tools.

Only downside I can see to black tools is finding them if dropped in the gravel or grass.

Grigg

 

[Griff93]

I'm kinda surprised we don't see many parkarized tools like they do to handguns. It seems to be pretty durable but it doesn't flake off like chrome if it gets worn from what I've seen.

 

[rayzor32]

They are made for aircraft or military use because of FOD (foreign object debris) they can't risk the chrome chipping off into some vital component. They are also better when you have oily hands, are sometimes cheaper and usually don't grow legs like the shiny chrome ones.

 

[arkangel06]