Useless information!

[wristpin]

Being an old geezer I still tend to refer to self tapping screws as PK screws. Recently asked by a mere whippersnapper of 50 why ? Apparently when he first heard me say it he Googled it with no joy so asked me to explain and was surprised at the answer.
Any one know?

 

[rtbcomp]

Parker-Kalon

 

[wristpin]

Yes, did you know or is it out there somewhere?

 

[rtbcomp]

I'll own up - it's Out There somewhere.

 

[the snooper]

never heard of it, by the looks of rtb's post people just referred to them by their brand name, not what they actually were may be just local to the op

 

[rtbcomp]

I think I recall the term being used in K.R. (See My Cat for This and That) Whiston's catalogue, about 30 years ago.

 

[Wallace]

Being an old geezer I still tend to refer to self tapping screws as PK screws. Recently asked by a mere whippersnapper of 50 why ? Apparently when he first heard me say it he Googled it with no joy so asked me to explain and was surprised at the answer.
Any one know?

Hand beaten alloy inspection panels to access the rear brakes on my Fathers 1964 Rover 2000 were held in with an array of PK screws. That's what they have been called forever and always will be and I'm only 49!

 

[wristpin]

I long time ago there was a prog on TV about the American aircraft industry during WW2 with a story about an established aircraft manufacturer increasing production by getting a car maker to build for them (Packard built Merlins for RR) . As part of the training for this an aircraft was assembled with self tappers instead of rivets so that it could be easily dismantled for demonstration purposes. Can't remember the name of the aircraft but apparently this demo model was known as the PK xyz! Trust that no one tried to fly it!

 

[rtbcomp]

 

[Wallace]

Square windows, apparently they went out of fashion in the 50's.

 

[the snooper]

Square windows, apparently they went out of fashion in the 50's.

thought you'd lost the plot there, then I realised you were on about the plane

 

[Wallace]

thought you'd lost the plot there, then I realised you were on about the plane

I have a plot somewhere in a safe place. OK, might be time to admit it's lost!

 

[hotrodder]

Square windows, apparently they went out of fashion in the 50's.

Wasn't that something to do with the Comet? The square corners made great stress risers and the fuselages would crack IIRC

ETA, while i've no idea about the screws didn't 'pop' rivets began life as a brand of blind rivets and now nearly everyone calls all blind rivets pop rivets...

 

[Wedg1e]

Square windows, apparently they went out of fashion in the 50's.

Aye. right about the time Comets started falling out of the sky...

 

[Wallace]

Wasn't that something to do with the Comet? The square corners made great stress risers and the fuselages would crack IIRC

ETA, while i've no idea about the screws didn't 'pop' rivets began life as a brand of blind rivets and now nearly everyone calls all blind rivets pop rivets...

Yes it was the Comet I, and the windows were square but the failure was traced to the aerial windows in the roof and the use of punched rivet holes.

I think you're right about the "Pop" Rivets, I'll have a look in my rivet gun drawer as I think there's an original Tucker still in the box!

Two separate subjects both involving rivets!

 

[rtbcomp]

......... didn't 'pop' rivets began life as a brand of blind rivets and now nearly everyone calls all blind rivets pop rivets...

According to Wikipedia "Blind rivets, commonly referred to as "pop" rivets (POP is the brand name of the original manufacturer, now owned by Stanley Engineered Fastening, a division of Stanley Black and Decker)"