Talking of wingnuts
 

I bought some recently, and wanted to make a wing bolt. I decided to
MIG the nuts onto some threaded rod. They simply burnt up and melted!
What the heck are they making them of?

"OldNick" wrote in message
...
I bought some recently, and wanted to make a wing bolt. I decided to
MIG the nuts onto some threaded rod. They simply burnt up and melted!
What the heck are they making them of?

Likely a zinc alloy.

Harold

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 12:26:19 +0800, OldNick
wrote:

I bought some recently, and wanted to make a wing bolt. I decided to
MIG the nuts onto some threaded rod. They simply burnt up and melted!
What the heck are they making them of?

Potmetal wingnuts. Good grief! Better bring a magnet next time you
buy bolts at that store, should you choose to ever return.

Don Foreman wrote:

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 12:26:19 +0800, OldNick
wrote:


I bought some recently, and wanted to make a wing bolt. I decided to
MIG the nuts onto some threaded rod. They simply burnt up and melted!
What the heck are they making them of?


Potmetal wingnuts. Good grief! Better bring a magnet next time you
buy bolts at that store, should you choose to ever return.

Ah, but then how will you know they're potmetal and not stainless or
titanium, eh?

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 22:45:11 -0800, Tim Wescott
wrote:

Potmetal wingnuts. Good grief! Better bring a magnet next time you
buy bolts at that store, should you choose to ever return.

Ah, but then how will you know they're potmetal and not stainless or
titanium, eh?

Oh, golly, you're right: the magnet won't suffice. Stainless is
easily discernable from potmetal by color, magnet tells the tale of
whether the non-stainless part is potmetal or zinc-plated steel, but
titanium wingnuts would cause some confusion. Don'cha hate it when
careless shoppers get the titanium wingnuts mixed up in the bin with
the potmetal wingnuts?

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 22:45:11 -0800, Tim Wescott
wrote:

Potmetal wingnuts. Good grief! Better bring a magnet next time you
buy bolts at that store, should you choose to ever return.

Ah, but then how will you know they're potmetal and not stainless or
titanium, eh?

Oh, golly, you're right: the magnet won't suffice. Stainless is
easily discernable from potmetal by color, magnet tells the tale of
whether the non-stainless part is potmetal or zinc-plated steel, but
titanium wingnuts would cause some confusion. Don'cha hate it when
careless shoppers get the titanium wingnuts mixed up in the bin with
the potmetal wingnuts?

I'm glad you're the one who said it. g

--
Ed Huntress

If you want to use the pot metal nuts, just soft solder them with a
propane torch. The joint will be stronger than the pot metal. G
Bugs

Don Foreman wrote:

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 12:26:19 +0800, OldNick
wrote:


I bought some recently, and wanted to make a wing bolt. I decided to
MIG the nuts onto some threaded rod. They simply burnt up and melted!
What the heck are they making them of?


Potmetal wingnuts. Good grief! Better bring a magnet next time you
buy bolts at that store, should you choose to ever return.



Just think of them as sacrificial parts to prevent overtorqing and
stripping of the threaded pieces they are screwed onto.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

Don Foreman wrote:

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 22:45:11 -0800, Tim Wescott
wrote:


Potmetal wingnuts. Good grief! Better bring a magnet next time you
buy bolts at that store, should you choose to ever return.


Ah, but then how will you know they're potmetal and not stainless or
titanium, eh?


Oh, golly, you're right: the magnet won't suffice. Stainless is
easily discernable from potmetal by color, magnet tells the tale of
whether the non-stainless part is potmetal or zinc-plated steel, but
titanium wingnuts would cause some confusion. Don'cha hate it when
careless shoppers get the titanium wingnuts mixed up in the bin with
the potmetal wingnuts?

Yes, that's often an issue with me when I visit the local feed store for
wingnuts. Older potmetal is very hard to tell from titanium. I always
bring a pair of vice grips to the store and twist on the wings: if you
can bend the little wings into a pretzel shape and have them spring back
you know it's titanium. If they break then just kinda kick them under
the shelf.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 13:41:27 -0800, Tim Wescott
wrote:



Yes, that's often an issue with me when I visit the local feed store for
wingnuts. Older potmetal is very hard to tell from titanium. I always
bring a pair of vice grips to the store and twist on the wings: if you
can bend the little wings into a pretzel shape and have them spring back
you know it's titanium. If they break then just kinda kick them under
the shelf.

Just ask the guy for some of the copper sulfate they use for control
of aphids, cabbage worms, adult fungus gnats, mealybugs, mites and
thrips. A drop of copper sulfate solution will make a black spot on
potmetal, has no effect on aluminum or titanium.

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 23:26:29 -0600, Don Foreman
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Potmetal wingnuts. Good grief! Better bring a magnet next time you
buy bolts at that store, should you choose to ever return.

I agree. Treat with caution! It was only Bunnings "where lower pricees
are only the beginning" (followed by breaking and returning ghe
goods....) G

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:07:57 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

I reckon these would prevent damage to your _fingers_ ! G

Just think of them as sacrificial parts to prevent overtorqing and
stripping of the threaded pieces they are screwed onto.

Jeff

Don Foreman wrote:

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 13:41:27 -0800, Tim Wescott
wrote:



Yes, that's often an issue with me when I visit the local feed store for
wingnuts. Older potmetal is very hard to tell from titanium. I always
bring a pair of vice grips to the store and twist on the wings: if you
can bend the little wings into a pretzel shape and have them spring back
you know it's titanium. If they break then just kinda kick them under
the shelf.


Just ask the guy for some of the copper sulfate they use for control
of aphids, cabbage worms, adult fungus gnats, mealybugs, mites and
thrips. A drop of copper sulfate solution will make a black spot on
potmetal, has no effect on aluminum or titanium.

Now another chemical to carry around in a ring on a finger. Hum - might
have to develop a test kit (like pools/spa's testing for chemicals) to test
metals at the scrap yard and the metal stores :-)

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
Don Foreman wrote:

(...)

Just ask the guy for some of the copper sulfate they use for control
of aphids, cabbage worms, adult fungus gnats, mealybugs, mites and
thrips. A drop of copper sulfate solution will make a black spot on
potmetal, has no effect on aluminum or titanium.

Now another chemical to carry around in a ring on a finger. Hum - might
have to develop a test kit (like pools/spa's testing for chemicals) to test
metals at the scrap yard and the metal stores :-)

Hey, publish what you have so far, why doncha?
http://www.artmetal.com/brambush/for...sages/539.html

A 2% solution of silver nitrate is supposedly used to detect manganize
bronze (Drop turns the metal grey); to sort aluminum from magnesium
(Drop turns magnesium black, does not affect aluminum).

--Winston