Wolfcraft Ratchet Clamps

[Stytooner]

Not sure if any have seen or used these before, but I thought I would share.
I picked up one of these to see what they were from McMaster Carr. Generally tools and like items from them are on the high side price wise, but this was $4.96.
This clamp has a nice feel to it. Nice long reach as well. They have many other styles on the web site, but here is a link just to this particular long nose model.


Here is the link for McMaster.


I'll be picking up a few more of these in both style from McMaster.
You can never have enough clamps, especially good quality ones.

[cabinetman]

Looks pretty cool. They are probably light and the clamping angle looks easy to manipulate. Thanks for posting. Keep us up to date on how they work for you.

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[sweensdv]

Their prices may seem a little on the high side but most of their stuff is a "you get what you pay for". Over the years, I've owned a number of their products and with the exception of a POC router table all have been very high in quality. Thanks for sharing.

[LCHIEN]

plastic or metal? Looks like plastic.

[cabinetman]

plastic or metal? Looks like plastic.

Description says "glass reinforced high performance plastic".

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[Stytooner]

Their prices may seem a little on the high side but most of their stuff is a "you get what you pay for". Over the years, I've owned a number of their products and with the exception of a POC router table all have been very high in quality. Thanks for sharing.

I was referring to Mcmaster Carr being a bit on the high side. You can usually source the same items they sell a bit cheaper elsewhere, but it is hard to beat their shipping prices and speed.

These are Reinforced or glass filled plastic as mention, but the ratcheting mechanism is metal. They feel nice and are well made. Better than the Quick Grip types or at least that quality, and perhaps a bit better. I was impressed with them initially and have no doubt they will perform well.

[LCHIEN]

Description says "glass reinforced high performance plastic".

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plastic, is still just plastic, no matter how good they try to make it sound, eh?

[cabinetman]

plastic, is still just plastic, no matter how good they try to make it sound, eh?

You're right, but 'plastic' is a general term. There are some differences. From Wiki:

Composition

Almost invariably, organic polymers mainly comprise plastics. The vast majority of these polymers are based on chains of carbon atoms alone or with oxygen, sulfur, or nitrogen as well. The backbone is that part of the chain on the main "path" linking a large number of repeat units together. To customize the properties of a plastic, different molecular groups "hang" from the backbone (usually they are "hung" as part of the monomers before linking monomers together to form the polymer chain). The structure of these "side chains" influence the properties of the polymer. This fine tuning of the properties of the polymer by repeating unit's molecular structure has allowed plastics to become an indispensable part of the twenty-first century world.
Additives

Most plastics contain other organic or inorganic compounds blended in. The amount of additives ranges from zero percentage for polymers used to wrap foods to more than 50% for certain electronic applications. The average content of additives is 20% by weight of the polymer. Fillers improve performance and/or reduce production costs. Stabilizing additives include fire retardants to lower the flammability of the material. Many plastics contain fillers, relatively inert and inexpensive materials that make the product cheaper by weight. Typically fillers are mineral in origin, e.g., chalk. Some fillers are more chemically active and are called reinforcing agents. Since many organic polymers are too rigid for particular applications, they are blended with plasticizers, oily compounds that confer improved rheology. Colourants are of course common additives, although their weight contribution is small. Many of the controversies associated with plastics are associated with the additives.[2]
Classification

Plastics are usually classified by their chemical structure of the polymer's backbone and side chains. Some important groups in these classifications are the acrylics, polyesters, silicones, polyurethanes, and halogenated plastics. Plastics can also be classified by the chemical process used in their synthesis, such as condensation, polyaddition, and cross-linking.[3]
Thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers

There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics are the plastics that do not undergo chemical change in their composition when heated and can be moulded again and again. Examples include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).[4] Common thermoplastics range from 20,000 to 500,000 amu, while thermosets are assumed to have infinite molecular weight. These chains are made up of many repeating molecular units, known as repeat units, derived from monomers; each polymer chain will have several thousand repeating units.

Thermosets can melt and take shape once; after they have solidified, they stay solid. In the thermosetting process, a chemical reaction occurs that is irreversible. The vulcanization of rubber is a thermosetting process. Before heating with sulfur, the polyisoprene is a tacky, slightly runny material, but after vulcanization the product is rigid and non-tacky.
Other classifications

Other classifications are based on qualities that are relevant for manufacturing or product design. Examples of such classes are the thermoplastic and thermoset, elastomer, structural, biodegradable, and electrically conductive. Plastics can also be classified by various physical properties, such as density, tensile strength, glass transition temperature, and resistance to various chemical products.
Biodegradability
Main article: Biodegradable plastic

Biodegradable plastics break down (degrade) upon exposure to sunlight (e.g., ultra-violet radiation), water or dampness, bacteria, enzymes, wind abrasion, and in some instances rodent pest or insect attack are also included as forms of biodegradation or environmental degradation. Some modes of degradation require that the plastic be exposed at the surface, whereas other modes will only be effective if certain conditions exist in landfill or composting systems. Starch powder has been mixed with plastic as a filler to allow it to degrade more easily, but it still does not lead to complete breakdown of the plastic. Some researchers have actually genetically engineered bacteria that synthesize a completely biodegradable plastic, but this material, such as Biopol, is expensive at present.[5] The German chemical company BASF makes Ecoflex, a fully biodegradable polyester for food packaging applications.
Natural vs synthetic
Main article: Bioplastic

Most plastics are produced from petrochemicals. Motivated by the finiteness of petrochemical reserves and possibility of global warming, bioplastics are being developed. Bioplastics are made substantially from renewable plant materials such as cellulose and starch.[6]

In comparison to the global consumption of all flexible packaging, estimated at 12.3 million tonnes, estimates put global production capacity at 327,000 tonnes for related bio-derived materials.[7][8]
Crystalline vs amorphous

Some plastics are partially crystalline and partially amorphous in molecular structure, giving them both a melting point (the temperature at which the attractive intermolecular forces are overcome) and one or more glass transitions (temperatures above which the extent of localized molecular flexibility is substantially increased). The so-called semi-crystalline plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, poly (vinyl chloride), polyamides (nylons), polyesters and some polyurethanes. Many plastics are completely amorphous, such as polystyrene and its copolymers, poly (methyl methacrylate), and all thermosets.

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[LCHIEN]

did you say polygamy is a plastic?

[cabinetman]

did you say polygamy is a plastic?

Not even if there are multiple polymers.


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[Stytooner]

plastic, is still just plastic, no matter how good they try to make it sound, eh?

An Engineer, is still just an Engineer, no mater how good they try to make it sound, eh?

There are many different types of either of those and putting them all in the same category doesn't do them any justice.

I was an Engineer in the Army, but needed no college degree to be called that. (Power Generator Operator and Mechanic)

Today's plastics are.....um....engineered. They ain't your Grand Father's plastics.

[LCHIEN]

apparently Boeing is building airplanes out of plastic...

[cabinetman]

apparently Boeing is building airplanes out of plastic...

Their scale models are.

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[scmhogg]

I was an Engineer in the Army, but needed no college degree to be called that. (Power Generator Operator and Mechanic)

1961-1964 My job description in the Army was "Computer". In the field, I computed triangulation surveys, using a pencil, paper and seven place log tables. This was all to let the big guns know where they were, so they can shoot accurately. Scary!!

Steve

[Stytooner]

1961-1964 My job description in the Army was "Computer". In the field, I computed triangulation surveys, using a pencil, paper and seven place log tables. This was all to let the big guns know where they were, so they can shoot accurately. Scary!!

Steve

Thats what I did when I joined the USANG. But it was for MLRS and I used computers with a non human CPU, though nothing like what is available to them today.