"Glenn Jones" wrote in message ...
In article ,
Michael Horowitz wrote:

Couple of months's ago I bought a used strut from an indivudual.
My A&P sandblasted it, inspected it, declared it OK.

That's the same process the strut would have gone thru if I had
purchased it with a "yellow tag", correct? - Mike

Not necessarily. A yellow tag is just a piece of paper. Any part that is
unknown should be inspected. Any shop work from an outside vendor should
be thoroughly inspected. Yes, I know they're SUPPOSED to do that, but
I've found reality can often depart from the ideal.

Case in point:

I've gotten cylinders back from machine shops with yellow tags on them,
and cracked exhaust guide bosses. Totally unairworthy, but the shop saw
fit to tag it. On other cylinders, the seat-guide alignment was so bad
that only 1/3 of the valve face hit the seat before sliding sideways and
seating up. I don't know if this is an unairworthy condition according
to the feds, but it is to me.

So unless you're experienced enough to inspect another's work, don't put
a lot of faith in that little yellow tag. It often serves simply to tell
the vendor, "Sell this piece of ****."

What exactly is the 'Yellow Tag'? Does it have a specific format (ala 8130-3)? Who can put them on the part?