How do I choose a fastener?

How to choose your fastener: There are several ways to go about fastening your computer. These fasteners can be used alone or in combination. Be careful not to block air vents in such a way that you cause your computer to overheat. Care should be taken not to stack items too high. This will place a tremendous amount of strain on the bottom fastener. For real wood surfaces we recommend using the 3M adhesive (VersaBUCKLE).

For items that are moved most often we recommend the VersaBUCKLE. For items that will not be moved often we recommend the VersaBLOCK.

For greatest stability we recommend the Steel Brace. To obtain the greatest mobility we recommend using the VersaBUCKLE - Long Strap.

The difference between regular and industrial strength VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners The hook side of regular VELCRO is a series of thin nylon hooks. When disengaged from the loop, the hook bends and releases. After the hook has released from the loop, its "memory" returns it to its original shape.

Industrial strength VELCRO employs a rigid, injection-molded nylon hook shaped like a "T" with downward pointing barbs. Since it is rigid, it does not bend when disengaged from the loop.

Why do we use nylon straps for securing tall furniture items instead of steel brackets? When you secure a tall furniture item like a book case to a wall with a steel bracket, you make a solid contact between the wall and the book case. When the wall shakes, the shaking is transferred to the book case via the steel bracket. With a nylon strap this same transference does not take place. The nylon strap allows the book case to have its own independent movement, but not to the point of tipping over.



How to fasten two stacked pieces of furniture together and to the wall If you have a dresser, a desk with a hutch, or some other stacked furniture item, do the following: From the hardware store purchase two steel mending plates. They are about 4 inches long by about 3/4 inch wide with 4 holes. On the back of the two items, screw the mending plates onto the top of the bottom piece and to the bottom of the top piece. Next, use the Q-Furniture Straps on the top unit to secure it to the wall studs.

BoingBAR Spare Parts When installing BoingBARs, you may need spare parts to complete your job.

Part number (4832) contains the end caps and screws needed to make one BoingBAR, minus the shock cord.

The shock cord component comes separately in a 20 foot roll. This allows you to customize your own BoingBAR lengths.

What if I want to relocate the equipment? Relocation pads are available for both the industrial VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners and the 3M based adhesive fasteners. If you want to relocate a piece of equipment, you simply remove it and the fasteners from the desktop and bring it to the new location. Simply add the relocation pad to the fasteners that attach to the desktop and re-apply. The old pads can be removed from the old location and thrown away.

Can I use it to mount items on a wall? The adhesives used on the VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners and 3M fastening components are meant only for horizontal applications. They are not recommended to be used in vertical applications such as hanging an item on a wall where there is a constant load on the fastener and on furniture or equipment surfaces that may easily peel off in the event of an earthquake. A constant vertical load will affect the adhesive curing and cause it to slip off the pad.

Are there laws covering earthquake safety? There are very strict building codes that have been in place for decades as a result of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Laws regarding non-structural fastening were non existent until 1992 when provisions in California Senate Bill 198 hold managers personally responsible for the safety of their employees.

Are there any guarantees? The forces of mother nature can be great. There is no guarantee that securing your equipment against earthquake damage will keep it from being damaged in a violent earthquake.

Because the real forces of an earthquake cannot be precisely duplicated in a laboratory for product testing, it is up to the individual to determine what level of protection they are comfortable with.

It does stand to reason that doing something to secure items against earthquake damage is much better than doing nothing.

What is desktop fastening? Desktop fastening is the securing of equipment to the desktop to prevent injury to the operator and damage to the equipment in the event of an earthquake.

What kind of adhesives are used? We use two different adhesive tapes, one from VELCRO USA and the other from 3M Inc. Both adhesives are acrylic based. They do not harden or crystallize and can be removed by peeling them from the desktop and from the equipment.

Are the fasteners difficult to install? No! Both the VELCRO brand hook and loop fastener and the 3M VHB foam adhesive based fasteners have a release paper covering the adhesive. To mount the fastener, clean the surface, peel the release paper off, and stick the fastener down.

Will the adhesives damage my desktop? Neither adhesive has been proven to damage the high pressure Formica style surfaces that are present in offices, nor will they damage baked enamel or powder coated metal items such as file cabinets. Real wood furniture has shown some problems with the VELCRO adhesive residue, but not with the 3M VHB adhesive. The only exceptions would be where there are air bubbles under the paint or poor adhesion under the high pressure Formica style surfaces. (Only a handful of these cases have been encountered in the past six years.) Discoloration from lack of light may occur, but this occurs under a computer with or without the fastener if left in the same location long enough.

VersaBLOCKs

These blocks fasten equipment to the desktop from the bottom of the equipment. This system is ideal for items that are seldom removed for service. They are extremely stable and strong, as four blocks per application are used. The 2”x 2” block s using VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners have rated shear strength of 88 pounds each, the 1”x 2” blocks at 44 pounds each, and the 1”x 1” blocks at 22 pounds. The temperature range is 0° to 225° Fahrenheit.

Since the blocks are out of sight, they also act as a theft deterrent. To remove, you must know to pull only one corner of the equipment.

How strong are the fasteners? The hook and loop is rated by Velcro USA at 11 pounds per square inch holding power in the up and down (latching) mode. In the side to side (shear) mode, the rating is 22 pounds per square inch. The average fastener kit has 8 square inches in contact with the desktop and 8 square inches in contact with the equipment.

3M VHB adhesive is rated at 80 pounds per square inch holding power. The VersaBUCKLE fastening kit using 3M VHB has 2.5 square inches in contact with the desktop and 2.5 square inches in contact with the equipment. Only the user can determine the proper fastener or combination of fasteners to use.

How do I temporarily remove the equipment? When using the hook and loop, simply peel the fastener away and remove the equipment. For the Steel Brace use the Pry Bar tool. When replacing it, put it back into position and reapply the fastener. If you are using 3M adhesive fasteners, disengage the strap from the buckle to remove the equipment. To replace it, put the Quake Strap back through the VersaBUCKLE and lock it to secure it again.

Height-to-base area ratios It is important to consider the height-to-base area ratio of equipment to be fastened. The taller something is relative to the area of its base, the more likely it will topple in an earthquake. This is important when deciding how many and what size fasteners to use. This also pertains to the stacking of one piece of equipment upon another. VersaBUCKLE - Long Strap can be effectively used here by fastening them to the top of the equipment and to the desk top.

Hot water heaters: PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) or you local gas company should offer a free brochure that details how it recommends that you secure your hot water heater. It lists all of the tools and supplies needed.

VersaBUCKLE Spare Parts VersaBUCKLE spares can be purchased in pairs (Part #4939), and extra Quake Strap can be purchased in 48” lengths (Part number 4946).

Earthquake :Wax-Putty-gel All these are excellent products. On a cost per ounce basis, Quake Wax is the best bargain. When it comes to removing and cleaning, Quake Hold is the winner. Quake Hold removes with a twist of the item and leaves no residue on the item or table top. Quakehold Gel offers the user a clear hold for glass on glass or Crystal on glass applications Quake Wax, on the other hand, leaves a residue that needs to be cleaned with mineral spirits or paint thinner. all products are reusable and do not dry out over time. We have found that Quake Wax is the strongest of them all. If you like Quake Hold and are concerned about strength, just use more product.

How to secure tall items like statues and vases On the base use Quake Hold, Quake Wax, or the DON’T WALK Mat. At or near the top of the item, tie it with clear monofilament line (fishing line). Run an “eye” screw into the wall (stud if possible) and secure the monofilament line to the “eye” screw.

Why can't I just use Quake Tape on everything? Most electronic items have four feet for balance and air circulation under the item. The height of the Quake Tape is 1/8". Most feet are 1/4" to 1/2". It is important that the height of the fastener be greater than the height of the feet.

Mirrors and large pictures See our AMAZING HOOK to secure pitures and mirrors of various sizes and weights.

Child proof locks on cupboard doors Child proof locks were not designed as earthquake devices. They may have worked in some cases, but they can come off their catch latches with extreme lateral motion. see our earthquake latches.

StrapTRAC™ This product line was designed for heavy countertop equipment used in laboratories. It is not uncommon for such lab equipment to weigh up to 200 pounds. Equipment such as centrifuges have heavy spinning masses inside them that can go out of control during an earthquake, posing a potential physical and biological threat to personnel.

To meet the rigid standards for lab fastening on items weighing over 100 pounds, we do not use plastic components in the StrapTRAC line. The straps used for StrapTRAC are made of 100% nylon which has a break strength of 1,400 pounds. The steel fastening plates use 4.85 square inches of 3M VHB (very high bond) adhesive per plate. The 3M VHB is rated by 3M at 80 pounds per square inch (in shear) giving each plate a rating of 390 pounds. The manufacturer of the cast aluminum quick disconnect buckle, Ancra , rates its buckle at 500 pounds. This makes the adhesive plate the weakest link of the StrapTRAC component at 390 pounds.

StrapTRAC is designed to keep the equipment from falling off the counters during seismic shaking. If there is a wall or back splash behind the item to be fastened, we recommend the 4310 kit of 2 fasteners as shown in picture A. If there is no wall or back splash, then we recommend 4 fasteners (2 kits of 4310) installed in a crisscross pattern as shown in picture B. This will restrain the equipment in both forward and backward motion.

The fasteners are installed by first cleaning the sides of the equipment where the fasteners will be attached, and the back of the counter. Remove the release paper and press the fastener into place.

If you need to remove the equipment for service, simply release the Ancra buckle and pull out the strap. Reverse the process to refasten the equipment.

What the experts say about VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners and desktop fastening In an article that appeared on the front page of the New York Times on July 13, 1992, Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey at Cal Tech in Pasadena said "We have bolted down bookcases, [and] put Velcro on computer equipment...".

In the Los Angeles Times of December 31, 1992, this quote appeared: "Some earthquake experts at Cal Tech bolt their houses to the foundation, tether refrigerators, putty down crystal, nail bookcases to the wall, strap in water heaters, latch cabinet doors, cover windows with a plastic wrap type sheet and fasten televisions and computers with Velcro strips."

Your Computer Monitor: Friend or Foe Perhaps the most dangerous threat to employee safety in the office is the computer monitor, specifically pedestal­based monitors.

Monitors are usually positioned at eye level and are largely made of glass. The typical weight ratio of the monitor to the pedestal base is 20 to 1 (based on the IBM PS/2 mono monitor). This makes the monitor extremely top heavy. Worse yet, the monitor is attached to the pedestal base with 4 small plastic connecting tabs. This makes traditional fastening of the base alone inadequate. While the fastening component (whether industrial VELCRO brand hook and loop fastener or 3M VHB adhesive) attached to the monitor’s pedestal base may be strong enough to support the monitor’s initial weight, the actual security of the monitor is determined by the strength of the plastic tabs. Fastening the pedestal base alone creates a situation where the monitor can actually catapult off the base during severe seismic motion.

The second factor in securing pedestal-based monitors is maintaining intended ergonomic adjustablity. Buckle­style fasteners, due to their thickness, can reduce adjustability when they come into contact with the monitor when it is tilted or turned, if they are used to secure the pedestal base to the desktop. The tilt on an IBM 8503, for example, is reduced 28% when a buckle fastener (5/8" thick) is attached to the base.

With the State of California presently drafting an ergonomic bill, any interference with a monitor’s ergonomic adjustment would be unwise.

The best way to protect the employee during seismic movement is to secure both the pedestal base and the monitor itself.

The MonitorPULL was designed to hold (or pull) the monitor away from the operator during a violent earthquake while at the same time securing both the pedestal base and the monitor. Ergonomic adjustablity is not interfered with, and the monitor position on the desk can be adjusted both laterally and back and forth without the risk of disconnecting the earthquake fasteners.

Printer stand suggestions Dot matrix printers often sit on printer stands. These stands are usually made of plastic, metal, or steel wire. VersaBUCKLEs with long straps can be used to span the distance from the printer to the desk top. In the case of steel wire printer stands, the Quake Straps can be wound around the wire on its way to the desktop.