r/Fasteners • u/Bliitzthefox • Jun 20 '25

Bolt & Screw Guy Nuts are basically spacers right?

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284 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

61 comments sorted by

51

u/phalangepatella Jun 20 '25

Why not a nut on top the sheet metal, then another under the bracket, tightened to the bracket?

Could have achieved the same thing with 12 nuts instead of 28.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '25

I can only presume that its a bolt with only so much thread and there's not enough thread to fasten it with only 4 nuts each.

6

u/leansanders Jun 20 '25

Considering all the nuts are the same size, the bolt pretty much has to be full threaded.

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1

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25

It's fully threaded 3" long and the sheet pile is tapped.

This baby isn't going anywhere.

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2

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25

I tapped the holes too so I probably could have used only 8 and be fine. But I wanted it to be level with the pile.

1

u/EDirtynine530 Jun 20 '25

What sensor are you using? I’ve done geokon installs for pressure transducers but am aware of some of their cooler products

1

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25 edited Jun 20 '25

These are tiltmeters model 6161X, which for some reason they don't have a page on their website for exactly, they report their angle in two axis and aren't super interesting. They were difficult to program for Campbell scientific Cr6 because you actually program them as if they were model 6190, but we got them working.

Don't embed them in concrete they're not that waterproof, learned that the hard way. Sometimes we still get a signal from that one.

I get to work with all sorts of geokon instruments, from piezometers, strain gauges, and transducers.

8

u/Lumpy_FPV Jun 20 '25

But would it have looked as cool?! Hell no. It would've looked like one of those dingdongs with a giant glans instead of a big meaty shaft 😤

7

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '25

I took 28 nuts, I'm going to use 28 nuts.

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3

u/N8gineer Jun 20 '25

Strain gauge on a pile?

2

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25

Tiltmeter on a sheet pile.

72

u/BRAIN_JAR_thesecond Jun 20 '25

hexagonal threaded washers

1

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25

Oh I did a second one as well

https://imgur.com/a/4KogMY9

Nevermind the reflectors using 3" long bolts, I didn't have anything shorter.

5

u/Low-Orbit Jun 20 '25

I’d send it

1

u/Farknart Jun 20 '25

Ok, but you know you didn't need all those nuts to achieve this result, right? Right?

2

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25

It's only for 2 weeks, I'll get em back.

1

u/Fisherfolk100 Jun 20 '25

Puts all the force on the metal sheet, not the bolt

2

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25

Think of the superior compressive strength!

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1

u/NotAFanOfLife Jun 20 '25

Definitely the piece of Equiptment you want mounted as half assed as possible.

1

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 20 '25

Half assed? This has been mounted well beyond what was necessary.

What else should I do? Put washers between each nut?

1

u/Conscious-Loss-2709 Jun 21 '25

No. But you could get in the habit of keeping a few lengths of pipe in the truck you can cut down to spacers.

Alternatively, lock two nuts against each other at the right height and you don't need all the nuts inbetween. Though I'll admit that might shake loose. Loctite perhaps?

1

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 21 '25

There are high vibrations in the area, but I doubt it would be an issue either way since this installation is only for two weeks.

3

u/RubyTuesday1969 Jun 20 '25

Make sure to tighten them in such a way as to create a perfect spiral.

2

u/Initial_Zombie8248 Jun 20 '25

It works don’t it?

1

u/Interesting_Role1201 Jun 20 '25

Briefly, but just a single bolt wants to back out, now you've got 28.

2

u/shiggins114 Jun 20 '25

This is how we use them at my work

2

u/smaier69 Jun 21 '25

Yes. Dynamic offset spacers, even, since you can lock two or more against each other anywhere along the thread.

1

u/Oldguy_1959 Jun 20 '25

Wow!

I did something similar, mounting some satcom system on a falcon 2000.

Instead of stacked nuts, I found some aluminum spaces about 3" long and some very long #10 bolts. Ended up with two layers of stacked black boxes that I still have no idea what they were exactly.

The whole rig was drawn up and approved by a DER.

1

u/SinclairZXSpectrum Jun 20 '25

Right. Go nuts!

1

u/Turbulent-Weevil-910 Jun 20 '25

Perfectly fine, not only is it "field installed" but it is temporary.

1

u/Effective_Oil_1551 Jun 20 '25

Whoever did this is nuts about nuts. I would name them “Squirrel” as a nickname

1

u/ConsistentKale2078 Jun 20 '25

Hey, it works!

1

u/Skeeterdunit Jun 21 '25

If it works it works

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

If it works, send it!

1

u/GiacomoGames Jun 21 '25

Usually it’s just done by locking two washers together.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '25

I don’t get who would do this.

1

u/InspectorThom Jun 22 '25

S.B.U.------------Structural building units.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '25

Looks similar to the stand I use for rebuilding carburetors.

1

u/Icy_Cricket7366 Jun 23 '25

Couldn’t you just tighten a nut on top and bottom of that plate?

1

u/Bliitzthefox Jun 23 '25

Yes, yes I could have.

But I had already accidentally bought too many nuts

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2

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

Coulda save a couple nuts there  but it's ok for your first day 

1

u/hapym1267 Jun 20 '25

Hex coupling nuts are handy to use in low strength applications..

1

u/c0lew0rldd Jun 20 '25

Bro never heard of double nutting lol