Testing Bolts - NOT!

Heard from a little birdie, someone was out there testing bolts by either tapping them with a hammer or giving them a good tug with a sling, pin removal style. Bad bad juju.

Either of these methods does only bad things, and can ruin otherwise good bolts. Please do NOT do any of these things.

Bolts are not easy to test. In fact, it's largely a matter of scratch and sniff, and trust in the bolt placer. You can load it with body weight or a bit more and watch the bolt for deflection, etc, but in general it is impossible to "test" bolts, and you can only judge it's age, type and quality of placement; back it up, or use a nearby natural anchor.

One problem with bolts, one good thing with natural anchors.

Tom