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need 4-40 thumbscrews

A

Anon

Jan 1, 1970
0
I need 4-40 thumbscrews. Does anybody know a source in the united
states or anywhere, that produces them and can post them out?
I'd like lengths of 3mm 4mm and 5mm but length is no big deal, I can
file or saw them down.

If nowhere in the USA or anywhere sell 4-40 thumbscrews, then can
anybody point me to a place that sells thumbscrew-like nuts in 4-40,
and the right glue.

note: even buying 4-40 screws from the uk is a hassle. Only
www.rswww.com sell them and charge about $16 postage. So I just want
to get thumbscrews from the US, rather than have the hassle of getting
screws from the uk at extortionate prices and then buying the right
nuts to make thumbscrews out of them. Better to just get it all from
the US at an extortionate price - from postage - more reliable too.

thanks.
 
J

Jim Stewart

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anon said:
I need 4-40 thumbscrews. Does anybody know a source in the united
states or anywhere, that produces them and can post them out?
I'd like lengths of 3mm 4mm and 5mm but length is no big deal, I can
file or saw them down.

If nowhere in the USA or anywhere sell 4-40 thumbscrews, then can
anybody point me to a place that sells thumbscrew-like nuts in 4-40,
and the right glue.

They are in the McMaster catalog. Take a look there
next time before you post.
 
N

Ned Simmons

Jan 1, 1970
0
I need 4-40 thumbscrews. Does anybody know a source in the united
states or anywhere, that produces them and can post them out?
I'd like lengths of 3mm 4mm and 5mm but length is no big deal, I can
file or saw them down.

In addition to the other suggestions, you can make your own
in the exact length you need by pressing on these:

http://www.shear-loc.com/

Available along with the socket heads in the proper lengths
from McMaster-Carr and MSC.

Ned Simmons
 
M

Michael A. Covington

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim Stewart said:
They are in the McMaster catalog. Take a look there
next time before you post.

Not everybody in Britain deserves to be chided for not having heard of
McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com).
 
G

Gary Lecomte

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Anon, I can Probably get these for you, here in Canada and probably
at a reasonable price. If Interested, send me an E-mail and let me
know the details as well as the quantity needed. Put the word
"Electronic in the Subject Line" or it will go to my Junk Mail.

Take care........Gary
 
Hi Anon, I can Probably get these for you, here in Canada and probably
at a reasonable price. If Interested, send me an E-mail and let me
know the details as well as the quantity needed. Put the word
"Electronic in the Subject Line" or it will go to my Junk Mail.

Take care........Gary

look up RAF hardware in Connecticutt or you can take some jack screws
from any communications type "D" connector or rs232 conn. or any DB
type conn and since they are usually made of brass, you can solder a
piece of material to the end of it
 
A

Anon

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim Stewart said:
They are in the McMaster catalog. Take a look there
next time before you post.

I asked them
"do you sell #6-32 and #4-40 thumbscrews in lengths of 3mm and 4mm?"
they replied
"We are unable to provide the size that meets your specifications"

Their catalogue only goes down to about 3/16"

who sells thumbscrews of such a small length?
 
E

Ecnerwal

Jan 1, 1970
0
Their catalogue only goes down to about 3/16"
who sells thumbscrews of such a small length?

So you don't care about the length, and then you do care about the
length as soon as someone points out a source, but the source has them
long.

Sheesh.

Buy the length available, put a nut on it, file it off, take the nut
off, & quit whining, Ms. Anonymous.
 
R

R. Wink

Jan 1, 1970
0
In the catalog I have, Small Part, Inc. #22, they have listed what they call thumb screws down to #4-40 with a stud length of
3/8" in nickel plated brass (10 for $6.15), 18-8 stainless (10 for $20.40) and 6/6 nylon (10 for $1.75). These are round
headed..about 5/16 diameter by 7/32 tall like found in light fixtures.
They also have a listing form "cap screw knobs" which are the plastic knobs that fit on socket head cap screws. They also go
to #4-40 and are about 5/16 diameter x 11/64 tall @ 10 for $2.10.
Contact info is:
Small Parts Inc.
13980 NW 58th Court
Miami Lakes, FL 33014
800-220-4242 Phone
800-423-9009 Fax
www.smallparts.com URL
[email protected] email
R. Wink
 
A

Anon

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ecnerwal said:
So you don't care about the length, and then you do care about the
length as soon as someone points out a source, but the source has them
long.

Sheesh.

Buy the length available, put a nut on it, file it off, take the nut
off, & quit whining,

ok, does the nut have to be the width I want to keep, so the nut would
preserve the whole screw length that I want to use
Or can the nut be narrow and I screw it up to where I want to file.
'cos if I did that, i am not sure if the area between the nut and the
head would be preserved.

thanks.
 
J

James Waldby

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anon said:
Buy the length available, put a nut on it, file it off, take the nut
off [...]

ok, does the nut have to be the width I want to keep, so the nut would
preserve the whole screw length that I want to use
Or can the nut be narrow and I screw it up to where I want to file.
'cos if I did that, i am not sure if the area between the nut and the
head would be preserved.

The nut straightens the end of the threads, if they bent during filing,
when you take it off. While filing just put the nut somewhere above the
cutoff point. If threads above the are getting damaged for some reason
(eg clamping in a vise) put on more than one nut.

If you don't get good enough results with nuts, you could buy a 4-40
die for a few dollars and use that to clean up the threads after cutting
off the bolt or filing it to length.

Some electrician's pliers have bolt cutoffs where you thread a
bolt into a 4-40, 6-32, etc. hole in the side of plier head,
then squeeze the pliers to shear the bolt. This gives a clean
cut and straightens the end of the threads as you take the bolt
out.
 
L

Leonard Martin

Jan 1, 1970
0
James Waldby said:
Anon said:
Buy the length available, put a nut on it, file it off, take the nut
off [...]

ok, does the nut have to be the width I want to keep, so the nut would
preserve the whole screw length that I want to use
Or can the nut be narrow and I screw it up to where I want to file.
'cos if I did that, i am not sure if the area between the nut and the
head would be preserved.

The nut straightens the end of the threads, if they bent during filing,
when you take it off. While filing just put the nut somewhere above the
cutoff point. If threads above the are getting damaged for some reason
(eg clamping in a vise) put on more than one nut.

If you don't get good enough results with nuts, you could buy a 4-40
die for a few dollars and use that to clean up the threads after cutting
off the bolt or filing it to length.

Some electrician's pliers have bolt cutoffs where you thread a
bolt into a 4-40, 6-32, etc. hole in the side of plier head,
then squeeze the pliers to shear the bolt. This gives a clean
cut and straightens the end of the threads as you take the bolt
out.


These pliers are the way to go! They have worked well for me for years.

Leonard
 
A

Anon

Jan 1, 1970
0
James Waldby said:
Anon said:
Buy the length available, put a nut on it, file it off, take the nut
off [...]

ok, does the nut have to be the width I want to keep, so the nut would
preserve the whole screw length that I want to use
Or can the nut be narrow and I screw it up to where I want to file.
'cos if I did that, i am not sure if the area between the nut and the
head would be preserved.

The nut straightens the end of the threads, if they bent during filing,
when you take it off. While filing just put the nut somewhere above the
cutoff point. If threads above the are getting damaged for some reason
(eg clamping in a vise) put on more than one nut.

I just tried that. The problem is that I need to file to a threadless
part of the shaft, otherwise it won't fit. and the thread - as with
all screws, is slanted, right handed in fact. So I try to file it
down, I get past the RHS part of the thread, but as soon as I get to
the LHS part of the thread , there's a RHS of the next thread. I just
want a bit of screwless shaft so the screw will fit. What's the
correct term for 'screwless shaft' (in the world of screws of course -
not sure what it means outside of that!)?

LHS=left hand side RHS=right hand side
 
J

James Waldby

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anon said:
James Waldby ... wrote in ... [in rec.crafts.metalworking]
Anon wrote: ....

The nut straightens the end of the threads, if they bent during filing,
when you take it off. While filing just put the nut somewhere above the
cutoff point. If threads above there are getting damaged for some reason
(eg clamping in a vise) put on more than one nut.

I just tried that. The problem is that I need to file to a threadless
part of the shaft, otherwise it won't fit. and the thread - as with
all screws, is slanted, right handed in fact. So I try to file it
down, I get past the RHS part of the thread, but as soon as I get to
the LHS part of the thread , there's a RHS of the next thread. I just
want a bit of screwless shaft so the screw will fit. What's the
correct term for 'screwless shaft' (in the world of screws of course -
not sure what it means outside of that!)?
LHS=left hand side RHS=right hand side

I don't understand exactly what you mean here, or even inexactly for
that matter. Maybe you will get better help if you say what you are
trying to fasten together. Eg, "I want to attach a teacup to my VCR"
(if that is what you are trying to do) and explain the size of the
teacup, what it's made of, any special constraints, etc., speaking not
in terms of the 4-40 thumbscrew fastener you've decided you need, but
instead in terms of what you are trying to fasten together and how many.

Some advice - Post a picture on a website. (A picture of what you
want to fasten together ~ not of yourself unless you are unusually
photogenic. See http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox.html if you
need help posting pictures or don't have a webpage of your own.)
Post to one newsgroup, not three. (I don't see this as relevant
to sci.electronics and probably not sci.electronics.repair either.)
Use short, direct sentences.

-jiw
 
D

DoN. Nichols

Jan 1, 1970
0
[ ... ]
I just tried that. The problem is that I need to file to a threadless
part of the shaft, otherwise it won't fit. and the thread - as with
all screws, is slanted, right handed in fact. So I try to file it
down, I get past the RHS part of the thread, but as soon as I get to
the LHS part of the thread

Instead of filing -- you want a small lathe with collets to turn
the thread off of the end. Or to buy screws already so made if you can,
and just adapt the to becoming thumbscrews.
, there's a RHS of the next thread. I just
want a bit of screwless shaft so the screw will fit. What's the
correct term for 'screwless shaft' (in the world of screws of course -

As has already been mentioned by another followup -- "Dog Point
screw". These are most commonly available as setscrews. Go for an
Allen head setscrew which is long enough to fit your thumbnut, and which
already has the dog point. (It is typically unthreaded for about the
same length as its diameter -- though there is some variation available.

The alternative, if you need enough of them, is to find someone
local with an automatic screw machine to make the whole screw as a
single part. However, that is more likely to have a knurled round head,
instead of a flat such as you have been describing. Often, they will
also have a slotted head, so you can use a screwdriver to start them if
they get stuck.

However -- be prepared to give more detail and to discuss with
the owner *exactly* what will suffice for your task. Otherwise, you are
stuck paying for something which he makes which meets all of the things
which you did think to tell him, and may not meet requirement which you
did not think to tell him about.

Good Luck,
DoN.
 
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