Strangest Calibrations You've Ever Done

Hawaii596 · 07-07-2011 -- 08:47:29

We had a potential customer (didn't ever pan out) who makes beef jerky and wanted us to provide advice on good hygrometer transmitters to put in the smokehouse. The person said they had trouble finding a good sensor that lasted more than three months in the smoke. That may still pan out. Another one still that may one day pan out is for a professional hockey team (can't name them) that one day I want to calibrate their instruments used to maintain ice rink temperature. We're thinking of doing that one for free as a promotional thing.

USMCPMEL · 07-07-2011 -- 09:09:18

I was once handed a black box with a bunch of wires sticking out.. They asked me if I could calibrated it? I told them maybe if I had any idea what it did what to hook up to or what to expect as an output. They took it back and are still using it to this day uncalibrated. So I guess like your 2 items I did not actually calibrate it.

Winterfire2008 · 07-07-2011 -- 10:01:13

Hey I saw this question on Facebook!!!!!!

PMEL · 07-07-2011 -- 10:17:51

I did a machine that had a spiked mace hanging off it. Turned out all they wanted to know is how many times it hit an item in a length of time.

azsimps · 07-07-2011 -- 17:08:40

Wheel chair spoke tension meter for a wheel chair manufactuer in CA.

HalAC · 07-07-2011 -- 22:34:10

When I worked for a small cal lab in Florida, we did some calibration for Pepperidge Farms bakery plant.

One was a bread loaf height gage. The other was kinda related to the gage. Had to make sure a photo sensor was set to a correct height to kick off loaves of bread that were too tall. System used a blast of air to remove out of spec loaves off the conveyor belt.

Hawaii596 · 07-08-2011 -- 07:52:12

That's funny. I just remembered years back we did some work for Underwriters Labs (I guess I can name names as long as I am not demeaning). They had these fixtures shaped like I think, a finger or a hand that were used for testing fan safety. They would try and stick the finger into a fan to be sure the fan had adequate physical shields. We had to calibrate the size of the fingers. That always seemed a little overkill (although I do understand that there needed to be standardization).

USMCPMEL · 07-08-2011 -- 11:41:23

Wonder what they did with all thos loaves of non standard bread?

CalLabSolutions · 07-08-2011 -- 15:42:26

Well I did not calibrate it.. But when I was in Bomholder Germany, a base called The Rock by most people, my boss got this idea to have a Rock calibrated and placed in the front door of the Calibration Lab. Not only was in calibrated but it was 1 rock, the standard to which all rocks where to be compared.

The rock was selected for all the rock in the yard, because it was the largest one he could carry. I hear the rock is still there, only it was tossed back in the yard do to budget cuts. Or more than likey the next lab manager did not want to be to rock that got a rock re-calibrated.

Mike

PMEL · 07-08-2011 -- 16:13:24

Did you get certifed to calibrate that rock?

CalLabSolutions · 07-08-2011 -- 17:12:57

Yes.. I am guessing.. We had the only 17025 certified rock, with a NIST tracable calibration and a DA Label 80..

HalAC · 07-10-2011 -- 22:22:08

Quote from: USMCPMEL on 07-08-2011 -- 11:41:23
Wonder what they did with all thos loaves of non standard bread?

Some went to homeless shelters, some was made into croûtons and stuffing. They didn't waste a thing there.

USMCPMEL · 07-11-2011 -- 09:17:49

That is good to know because we waste far too much in this country. I heard there is a place in Pennsylvania where they feed tons and tons of bread to carp. From what I hear there are so many carp there the ducks can and sometimes do walk across them.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/1115

Hawaii596 · 07-11-2011 -- 09:47:22

I went to that place (I didn't look at the link to see if it was the same place). I actually have OLD 8mm movie film (not Super

that I shot in the late 60's when I was there. It was Lake Pymatuming, PA along the PA/OH border, north of Pittsburgh. Y'know, I think I have that clip digitized into DVD format. If I can figure out how to extract it to AVI or WMV, or FLV or something, maybe I'll stick it on Youtube and link it here.

USMCPMEL · 07-12-2011 -- 08:20:43

I was looking yesterday on youtube there are a TON of clips for there. There is also a fish hatchery right next door to that place. I remember going when I was a kid and buying the old bread to feed the fish. AHHH good times good times...