Scott:

I've always taken your comments to heart as you seem to have a firm grasp on
"things we ought to know and things that help". Unfortunately, this time I
disagree with your advice to use the German torque method (Gut und tite -
also know to the average auto wrench as the armstrong method) when cranking
up on a bolt. In my humble opinion (and backed up by any number of Advisory
documents that advise on such things) one should never torque a bolt to more
than the value specified for it's size and material.

If the torque on a bolt thru a composite material relaxes over time, it's
more than likely that the material has compressed (it doesn't take much at
all for the set torque to decrease drastically) and the bolt should be
re-torqued to the originally specified value.

It is truly surprising how little excess torque it takes, using the
armstrong method, to break or seriously damage a smaller diameter AN bolt
(perhaps up to and including 1/4 or 5/16 inch - depending on how strong you
arm is).

Respectfully,

Dan Schaefer