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About
Ask the Expert is a collection of frequently received questions at Portland Bolt and Manufacturing. We provide this resource in the hopes of increasing knowledge of the fastener industry for customers and information seekers alike. Questions about ASTM specifications, state requirements, and specific fastener configurations, are all addressed here.
We welcome you to add additional questions and comments regarding any specific article to the comments section. If you do not see an answer to your question on any of the pages so far, feel free to add your question to the list of future topics that we can address. After nearly one hundred years in business, you can trust Portland Bolt to be the source for the information you need.
How to use the features on Ask the Expert
Navigating Ask the Expert is done by simply using the menu located on the right side of each page. The basic structure and functionality of this side menu is as follows:
- Search – By entering a word or phrase into the search box and clicking “Search,” you can find articles related to your query within Ask the Expert. If you would like to search the rest of the site, you will need to use the main Search Page, located above the top banner of the site.
- Pages – These are static pages on the site like the one you are viewing now. “Pages” differ from “Posts,” in that they are permanent parts of the site and will not move down as new posts are added.
- Categories – Categories are simply a way to organize the content of Ask the Expert into manageable groups. All posts that show up on the Main Page will also show up under their specific category when it is clicked on. This is to help the reader quickly and easily browse within their area of interest.
- Question? Ask it here! -You may have noticed that there is a large, attractive button located below the side bar. This button will take you to the Questions page where you will find a form that allows you to ask the Expert about anything fastener related, as well as view questions asked by your fellow knowledge seekers.
Please note: If your question requires an immediate response, we encourage you to use another method to contact us. Typically, responses to questions on Ask the Expert are addressed as we are able to get to them. More time sensitive, or specific questions can be directed to: 1-800-547-6758, sales@portlandbolt.com, or our Quick Quote page.
If you have a question that you don’t see an answer for already, we would love to hear it. It is quick and easy to post your question by visiting the Ask a Question page. On this page, you will find a list of other readers’ questions along with a form at the bottom of the page that allows you to post your question.
You may find that a question similar to yours has already been asked when you visit this page. As we answer questions on the site, we will be updating the related question with a link to the answer. Simply follow this link to the answer to your question.
If a similar question has been asked, but there is no response or link to an answer, we invite you to submit your own questions. There is a lot of variation in terminology within the fastener industry and sometimes slightly different wording will give us the information we need to get you an answer.
At the bottom of each post, we have given you the opportunity to publicly respond to individual posts. We welcome additional questions relating to the post, comments on the accuracy or clarity of each post, and discussion between readers.
At the bottom of the page is a notification of the number of responses to the article. If there are no comments on the article, it will read “Be the first to comment on (name of article here).” Otherwise, the number in red will indicate the current number of responses to the article. Clicking on the “Click to Add/View Comments” link will reveal comments to the post and a form at the bottom of the page that allows you to post your comment.
Although the form asks for an email address, it is simply to verify that you are a legitimate sender. Your email will not be published on the site or used for any purpose other than to allow us to contact you if it is necessary in order to address your question.
If you do not have an approved comment already in the system, your comment will be held for a brief period while we review it and ensure that it is not spam. Once you have successfully posted a comment, you will be allowed to post without a delay and see your responses immediately.
We reserve the right to modify or remove posts if we deem the content to be inappropriate or unrelated to the discussion. All the same, a variety of posts and viewpoints are encouraged and we hope to hear from everyone who reads any of the Ask the Expert content.
We at Portland Bolt strive to make your experience on our site as useful and informative. We are constantly adding and updating the site to provide you with a meaningful experience each and every time you visit the site. Below are the latest additions to Ask the Expert.
- RSS Feeds – At the bottom of the page, you can find a place to subscribe to our RSS (aka Really Simple Syndication) feeds. RSS is a method for distributing and publishing information to the web. As we add posts to Ask the Expert, the RSS feed gets updated with the newest information. This allows for readers to see when we post new content, and quickly access it without having to regularly visit our page and check for updates. RSS feeds may be bookmarked like normal pages, or accessed using a variety of services such as Google Reader, MyYahoo, Bloglines, and many others.
- Share Button – Directly after each post, you will find this button. It allows you to quickly and easily post our content to your favorite social bookmarking or social networking site. This is a great way for people to share content that they feel is important or interesting, and allows people to find new content, based on what others are looking at. There are a huge number of sites that supply this service, including Digg, Del.ico.us, Facebook, Furl, Stumbleupon, and many others. To view a larger list of available services, click on the Share button.
