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Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Field/Inspection Kit Contents

(OP)
Trying to put together a nice field/inspection kit for site visits and investigations (analysis).  Here's what I have so far... suggestions would be appreciated.

Pelican Case
Level
Plumb Bob
Geologists Pick/Hammer
Multi-Screwdriver
Knife
30'Tape Measure
100'-200' Cloth Tape
Fillet Weld Gauges
Flashlight/Headlight
Calipers
Scraper/Wire Brush
Digital Camera
Crack Gauge
Grease Pencils
Locking Pliers

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

small pry bar

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Safety Glasses. Bandaids.
Simple Calculator.
Paper, pencils.
Business cards.
Gloves.
Large Print scale/ruler to give scale to pictures.
Cell phone.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

I checked my bag. Here are a few other items come in handy:

6 foot folding rule (I can't be with this!)
extra batteries for your camera
awl
duct tape
lumber crayon
ear plugs

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

I always keep some boots and a set of old clothes in my bag in case I have an emergency site visit that I wasn't dressed for.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Binoculars, magnifying glass, camera tripod.  You'll always need what you don't have with you.

Does "calipers" mean a dial caliper?  Or the divider-looking-thingies?  Anyway, consider a micrometer or dial/ digital caliper.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

I always have a
magnetic particle test kit
dye penetrant kit
100 ft electrical cord
GFCI adapter
multimeter
750Watt power inverter
fold-up ladder
claw hammer
engineer's mallet
marking paint
transparent packing tape (for paint adhesive testing)
Range of pencils from 2B to 6H for paint hardness testing
extra batteries
compass

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

(OP)
Wow, thanks folks.... alot more responses than I had expected.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

1. Digital Camera
2. 35' steel tape  (If you can find it, the 35' tape is
   great because it seems to extend farther without folding
   than 30' or shorter tapes.  I think they use a heavier
   gauge steel for it.
3. 100' cloth tape
4. Dial caliper (by General, 6")
5. Binoculars
6. Small magnet (for checking out stainless steel)
7. Wood handled awl
8. Cold chisel
9. Mason's hammer
10. Heavy cloth work gloves and also latex gloves
11. Mag lites, small and large, with extra batteries. Also a
    mag lite belt loop, very handy if you are going to be on  
    a ladder or scaffold.  Keeps a hand free.
12. Mica pencil and grease pencil
13. Screwdriver with changeable tips
14. Two-cartridge respirator.  (Usually store it a plastic  
    ziplock bag- the filters last longer that way)
15. Fluorescent spray paint
16. Ziploc bags for samples
17. folding make-up mirror (For looking sideways in tight   
    spaces!!)
18. 100' of mason's twine
19. Lock level (Topcon makes a decent one)
20. Earplugs
21. Duct Tape
22. Retractable utility knife
23. Prybar
24. CTL crack comparator gauge

Thats the basic load.  It fits in a Contractor's satchel.  Depending on where I'm going I may also carry other things such as a tyvek suit, hardhat, stud finder, digital thermometer or psychrometer, crack gauges, battery powered drill, etc. etc.  I probably should also carry eye protection but the glasses always seem to get scratched and gummed up and thus useless.

Somebody should start a post about the worst place they ever had to go with this stuff ("Crawlspaces I have known and loved").
  

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

hand held tape recorder for note taking.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

has anybody mentioned a dusk mask? sometimes were not 100% sure of what we are digging into, also have index cards with me so i can write a note and place it in the picture at times.  in addition to a digital camera i always have a small 35mm camera (with date record) in case i feel a picture maybe required for legal reasons.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Depending on the application, you might also need:

undercut gauge
electronic DFT gauge (e.g., Elcometer)

Hg

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

I always carry  a small squeeze bottle with water- good for soil id or cleanig off surfaces. Also if you get a 6foot rule, get the one with the brass slide on the front piece. Somebody already mentioned binoculars - they are great. Also don't forget a couple of good old screw drivers (std & Philips) - good for lots of stuff- not just screws

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Depending on the project
- Psychometer
- IR temperature meter
- several clean small vials for samples
- small bottle of nitric acid to ID materials

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

I would add

target card found in most surveyor supply shops,

paint sticks (once dry won't come off and great for setting lines or tbm's) and the paint will fill rough surfaces like concrete to produce a nice smooth area to write on.

magnetic thermometer


Regards,
Qshake

Eng-Tips Forums:Real Solutions for Real Problems Really Quick.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Lunch - some of the sites are in the middle of the boonies.
Bottle of two of water
Roll of surveying tape
"Lead-chek" kit about 3USD at the hardware store.
Any PPE that you have been trained to use, fall protection harness, respirator et cetera.
Reference books, code standards ...

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

dental picks - for identifying cracks in steel. You can get them in Sears,
string level,
spark plug feeler gage (to measure cracks)
large pipe wrench and adjustable wrench,
section of pipe for added leverage,
36" bolt cutters,
"C" clamps (sometimes you don't have any one to hold the dummy end of the tape), vise grips,
hand cleaner and paper towels,

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

I pack in a few empty 35 mm plastic film containers for storing small samples.  They have nice snap lock tops and I like the clear plastic ones, you can write on them with black markers.

Someone above mentioned zip-lock bags, they make great sample containers and the freezer bags have a place to write on them.

I also carry business card size lables for field samples and photo ID.  You can leave them in place for future location of where samples were taken in the field.

And, yes I do still use a 35 mm camera, but I get a set of prints made at the one hour place and also have the pictures put on a CD.  The 35 mm film to CD has about 3 times the number of pixels that the best digital cameras have, so you can magnify them in the computer much larger with out losing clarity.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

I've found a laser range finder to be very useful, particularly where access is restricted (traffic, height, etc).

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Holy cow, 3 foot bolt cutters, at that stage we're hiring a contractor to do the work, like the idea of having some lunch in my bag though.  Yes the fall protection harness is a good suggestion we always have it in the trunk.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

Sun block! I got burned really bad in Miami on a tilt up site visit.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

A good solid pair of leather gloves and a 3 pound fiberglass handle hammer.  A must for smashing through drywall, tile, etc. to find that column or beam.  Dont forget eye protection.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

did anyone mention rubber boots or tick/insect repellent?

If you're doing bridge inspection, shovel, pick, and large ice scapper could come in handy for cleaning bridge seats, pier caps, etc.

If you're going to be exposed to bird s--t, a Tyvek suit, respirator, and disposable gloves are a must.


connect2: My 3 foot bolt cutters have come in handy on several occasions since they open most locks.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

BridgeBuster,
I'm absolutely sure the bolt cutters have come in handy, today though i showed up at a site where we are removing several chillers and cooling towers from a highrise mechanical penthouse and when i opened the trunk, the only thing i found was one of my boys hockey equipment, should have put his helemt on though because now i have a nasty cut on my head.  I'm sure by now someone has mentioned a hard hat as part of the inspection 'kit'.  I've always found, after years of inspection, that no matter what I'm 2 inches two short, any suggestions for that, as well these progressive lenses i have in my glasses distort everything.  Its relly difficult as you walk through a building to line anything up visually, constantly bobing my head around because everything looks out of plumb.  Hahaha fun post for a friday night.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

connect2: I have progressive lenses also but they don't distort my vision. My problem is they don't very well for distancen; they don't work very well for close-up reading either. Perhaps I should use those 3-foot bolt cutters on the idiot optometrist.

RE: Field/Inspection Kit Contents

A couple other "must-haves":

An otoscope (even a cheap one thru Edmund's Scientific catalog, for under $20.) allows looking into a crack a short distance to see debris, etc.

A 7X magnifying comparator also from Edmund's(nothing better for measuring cracks)

A 4' long digital level (reads in "/', % and degrees)available from Lowes and Home Depot (I don't get everything from Edmund's).

Miner's type head lamp for hands free note taking

Hand cleaner or wipes, old towels, and an extra pair of shoes for driving (for when you return to the vehicle)after you have gotten muddier than you expected.

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