We also made large, 30,000-gallon water tanks for small communities in our nearby mountains. And we made a variety of portable buildings for use down inside the mines. These stored dynamite and also were used to provide cooled air space for the relief of miners working in 100 degree humid conditions.
Anything that goes down in the mines must go down the same elevators used to carry workers, so there are size restrictions. Nested sections of flanged ventilation pipe (ducting) were taken down in the elevator and assembled on site. Common nuts, bolts and washers were used by mine crews ankle deep in water and in near darkness. Matching up pre-drilled holes and inserting bolts and nuts in that environment was a darned nuisance.
What was needed was a simple fastener that could be banged on quickly with just a hammer. And the act of hammering on such a fastener should automatically align the flanges to ensure a good fit. Much the same was need for the flanged panel shelters assembled in the various drifts within the mine (horizontal drifts at various mine levels are connected by vertical shafts).
So I created the Hammer-On fastener and it quickly proved to be
far superior to the old fashioned nuts, bolts and washers ...
especially in that difficult dark wet environment. Mine worked
are not known for precision assembly skills. A simple
brute-force system was preferred.
My Hammer-On fasteners were made of steel, heat treated to become springs and plated for corrosion resistance. They were made in quantities by progressive die stamping tools at a California supplier's facility. Two sizes were made, a six inch wide and a two inch wide size. Both accomodated 3/16" thicknesses of joined materials ( two 3/16" flanges for a total thickness of 3/8").
One day two fellows came into our plant inquiring about making sections of large pipe for a water slide. They wanted to be able to use straight and elbow sections to configure a water slide of varying length and shapes. The slide would be placed upon a man-made hill to preclude the danget of scaffolding, upright towers and the like. And .. they wanted to be able to re-configure the slide, or one portion of it, each season to keep it interesting for the youngsters.
Those requirements made it essential that Hammer-On fasteners be used, for one would never be able to match up pre-drilled flange holes, for original erection or any future re-configuration.
Well, I made a little money with this invention, getting thousands of the fasteners made and sold for specific projects. I even designed a couple fastener removal tools so that the heavy duty clips could be removed and/or re-positioned without damaging flanges.
When the uranium mines closed ( the price of yellow cake uranium
oxide plummeted and mines everywhere shut down), our fiberglass
business dropped significantly. Water and septic tanks just
didn't pay the bills or show profits. The business was
eventually sold.
Of the several things I have invented, Hammer-On fasteners were the only very successful ones. And even they disappeared when the market for fiberglass did. Ah well.