Why Americans can blame pirates for not using the metric system

http://www.nola.com/ ^ | 9/19/17

[BBell]

The proposal, conceived by a bunch of pointy-headed Parisian philosophes, sounded brilliant: A universal system of measurement, derived from decimal-based units and identified by a shared set of prefixes. It would end the era of merchants buying goods according to one unit, selling in another, and pocketing the ill-gotten profit. It would simplify scientific calculations and enable the free exchange of ideas around the world. It was an enlightened system for an enlightened time. If only the French scientists could persuade other countries to adopt it.

But pirates have a way of ruining even the best-laid plans.

In 1793, botanist and aristocrat Joseph Dombey set sail from Paris with two standards for the new "metric system": a rod that measured exactly a meter, and a copper cylinder called a "grave" that weighed precisely one kilogram. He was journeying all the way across the Atlantic to meet Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson - a fellow fan of base-ten systems who, Dombey hoped, would help persuade Congress to go metric.

Then a storm rolled in, knocking Dombey's ship off course. The unlucky academic was washed into the Caribbean - and straight into the clutches of British pirates. Technically, they were "privateers" because they were tacitly sanctioned by His Majesty's government so long as they only raided foreign ships. But it amounted to the same thing. The brigands took Dombey hostage and looted his equipment. The luckless scientist died in prison shortly after his capture; his belongings were auctioned off to the highest bidders.

France sent a second emissary to promote the metric system. But by the time the replacement arrived, America had a new secretary of state, Edmund Randolph, who apparently didn't care much for measurement. As the rest of the world adopted the metric system, the U.S. continued to bumble around with

[Paladin2]

My biggest pet peeve today is the use of ball bearing cartridges ilo “loose” tapered roller bearings.

Properly set up, the tapered bearings (properly lubed and relubed) would last the life of the vehicle no matter how many mountain roads your ran.

Now I have two fwd vehicles where I’m on the fourth set on each front corner at ~150,000 mi. Piss poor design combined with lots of high load, high speed cornering.

[ameribbean expat]

I got introduced to the metric system through the army. Maps were in kilometers, and I still do the 1 klick equals 6\10 of a mile when I’m up in Canada.

That said, the British go out for a pint, and I like the old school measures. Part of American distinctiveness.

[tumblindice]

Are you using a Chinese product? You might try a German brand. The Germans know bearings. This is why we kept bombing their ball bearing factories. Just kidding.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a20837/german-chinese-bearings-test/
A few years ago I packed some CV joints with grease and they froze up not too long after. But I saved money buying cheap parts, yeah. Maybe I didn’t do it right. But a big fail.

[BobL]

Damn - close call.

[tumblindice]

Split-boot kits.

[Paladin2]

Well, they have been failing at a fairly regular rate, no shorter than the bearings that were installed at the factory, in Germany. I’ve tried to find known good brands, even checking the mfg markings on the bearing ( not always the same as the brand on the box.)

I think they are just undersized and not the more modern tapered rollers of 45 yr. ago.

[az_gila]

News flash.
Man Walks On The Moon 1969. We used the good old English /American measurement system.

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A real funny story about that and standards. I worked for Bendix Aerospace in the early 70’s and they made the ALSEP experiments left behind on the moon by the Apollo missions.

They hired engineers from Germany and the UK, and one designer forgot his local standards and specified a BSW (British Standard Whitworth) thread bolt and nut on the base plate hardware.

Since they couldn't get a NASA space qualified Whitworth bolt they simply made up a special drawing and had one machined from scratch. So, still sitting on the moon, there is a space-certified BSW bolt amongst all of the UNF and UNC American hardware....:^)

[DaxtonBrown]

It’s actually easier to use 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 progression in the shop.

[az_gila]

ton (water) = 1.01832416000 cubic meter...

I remember learning that 45 years ago in grade school , but his post reminded me of that little factoid...

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Now you have to ask “which ton?”

US ton = 2,000 pounds (907 kg) = “short ton”

UK ton = 2,240 pounds (1,016 kg) = “long ton”

UK (screwed up version) = 1000 kg (2,204.6 lbs) = “metric ton or tonne”

[BBell]

We still called them rods and chains, I guess it was a throwback to an earlier time.

[CodeToad]

Just because that conversion exists doesn’t mean that is why 1 meter is the length it is.

[Vaquero]

In the late seventies, I worked as a motorcycle mechanic primarily on Japanese bikes. I owned SAE and Metric tools. Ever so often I got a triumph or BSA put in front of me. Then came the mad dash to find whitworth tools (or whatever fit) to do the job. I had a few......but not enough to do a big job, correctly. My SAE / Metric tools were quality name brand tools(snap-on etc). The shop had a lender set of Whitwort with lots of crap and a few (tool kit) sets that came with British bikes.

Interesting that the crash of the Mars Climate orbiter in ‘99 was caused by a confusion between NASA contractors and ESA contractors on what system of measurement was in use. Ultimately NASA switched to metric.

I wouldn’t have.

[daniel1212]

Well, at least as re socket sets, I was able to get this set (10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm) for 11.49 at Walmart a few months ago for 11.46, thanks be to God, but now are out of stock.

They are not SK ot similar, but do the job for the larger bike axle nuts. However, notice that the metric sockets are SAE 3/8-Inch Drive.

I also see a 1/2 drive metric 1/2 Drive Metric Socket Set (not deep though), : 12 Point, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19 & 22MM for $19.00. They are a dollar more at Amazon.

But you should be able to us e a 5/8 socket for 16mm, while 19mm is about 3/4 .

Hope this helps.

[T-Bone Texan]

I learned that a kilo is 2.2 lbs from watching Miami Vice.

[DiogenesLamp]

Well, at least as re socket sets, I was able to get this set (10mm, 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm) for 11.49 at Walmart a few months ago for 11.46, thanks be to God, but now are out of stock.

I generally bought Craftsman when I bought tools. They are almost as good as SK or Snapon, and so far as my usage goes, they are good enough. Invariably you could not get the 16mm or 18mm sockets or wrenches in any tool set you bought from Craftsman unless it was the super deluxe set.

They are not SK ot similar, but do the job for the larger bike axle nuts. However, notice that the metric sockets are SAE 3/8-Inch Drive.

That is true so far as I have found buying tools here in America. Metric tools here come with drive sizes of 1/4, 3/8,1/2 and 3/4. (and I suppose you can get 1" drive for them too.)

I wonder what ratchet drive sizes they use in Europe?

But you should be able to us e a 5/8 socket for 16mm, while 19mm is about 3/4 .

That has never worked for me. They often just round off the bolt or nut i'm trying to remove. Oddly enough, even though 16 and 18 mm are usually absent in various tool sets i've bought over the years, they are invariably used in many vehicles I have worked on.

[DiogenesLamp]

Multiples of 12 work well if you are used to them. They’d work even better if we used a base-12 numbering system.

I can do decimal, binary and hex, but i've never gotten accustomed to using a base 12 system. In hex, they use ABCDEF as placekeepers for digits beyond 9. What do you do in a base 12 system for numbers beyond 9?

We went awry when people forgot that elegant system and could only count on their fingers instead of doing real maths.

I'm aware it has some advantages, and I think that's one of the reasons why it was adopted by the English, especially when it comes to pouring drinks. :)

[Buckeye McFrog]

And two centuries later we would fire Jimmy Carter, just dodging that bullet again.

[DiogenesLamp]

Or to thousands of an inch, called “mils”.

That was the term of which I was trying to think. Yes, "mils.", as in Thousandth's of an inch. My uncle used to use the term "thous", and I think i've seen others use it as well.

But in electronics, and anything precisely machined for it, “mil” is “milli-inch”, not “millimeter”.

Yes, it's important to remember that if you have to work with someone else that might not be aware of it.

[N. Theknow]

The weight of gold is measured in troy ounces since the Middle Ages.

Interesting...gold is measured in ounces and dope is measured in kilos.

[daniel1212]

I generally bought Craftsman when I bought tools. They are almost as good as SK or Snapon, and so far as my usage goes, they are good enough. Invariably you could not get the 16mm or 18mm sockets or wrenches in any tool set you bought from Craftsman unless it was the super deluxe set.

Must have changed, as I do see a Craftsman 3/8" Drive 11 Piece 12 Pt Metric Deep Socket ( 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 mm) on Ebay for 20.79 (23.00 at Amazon

I wonder what ratchet drive sizes they use in Europe?

wikipedia informs that the ratcheting socket wrench, with interchangeable (indexable) sockets, was invented by an American, J.J. Richardson, of Woodstock, Vermont, USA. The tool was patented (Pat. No. 38,914) through the Scientific American Patent Agency on June 16, 1863 Standard sizes of square drives around the world include 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1-1/2", 2-1/2" and 3-1/2" square drive sizes (a de facto international standard with no metric equivalents[citation needed]) along with some lesser used drivers such as 5/8" square drive, and both #4 and #5 spline drives specified in ANSI B107 specifications.

drive fittings come in four common sizes: 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, and 3/4 inch (referred to as "drives", as in "3/8 drive"). Despite being denominated in inches, these are trade names (common product name), and manufacturers construct them to 6.3 mm, 9.5 mm, 12.5 mm and 19 mm, having been rounded to a reasonable, if haphazard, metric value. Larger drive sizes such as 1 inch and above are usually only encountered on fasteners of larger industrial equipment, such as tractor-trailers (articulated lorries), large cargo aircraft and passenger airliners, and marine work (merchant fleets, navies, shipyards). The sockets themselves come in a full range of inch and metric sizes. ("SAE" is often used as a blanket term for the nonmetric sizes, despite the technical inaccuracy of that usage.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_wrench

For bikes I prefer the breaker bar

That has never worked for me. They often just round off the bolt or nut i'm trying to remove. Oddly enough, even though 16 and 18 mm are usually absent in various tool sets i've bought over the years, they are invariably used in many vehicles I have worked on.

Well, at least you know how to work with your God-given hands (not surer if they are imperial or metric)!