Brass plated steel machine screws, anyone?
 

I have some bookshelves that use machine screws and cross dowels to
hold their frames together. The machine screws are metric: M6 50mm
long, brass plated (antique?) over steel and (here's the real killer)
flat head (countersunk). As luck would have it, since moving house I am
missing some of the cross dowels and the screws, so I need to find
replacements. Ideally I would like to stick with metric fasteners, but
here in the USA that seems to be a tall order, so I could switch to
1/4-20 at a pinch.

I can find 1/4-20 cross dowels easily enough, but finding a source of
brass plated flat head machine screws seems to not be so easy.

Can anyone suggest a supplier who might be able to help (ideally
staying metric, but going the 1/4-20 route at a pinch)?
--
Peter Headland

Try LeeValley
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...urrency=1&SID=

Or HomeDepot - the one in my neighborhood has a full selection of metric
fastners, but I'm in Canada

If there is an Ikea store(www.ikea.com) near you, they too will have them,
as most of their fastners are metric - and they use cross dowels in almost
everything.

Matt

wrote in message
ups.com...
I have some bookshelves that use machine screws and cross dowels to
hold their frames together. The machine screws are metric: M6 50mm
long, brass plated (antique?) over steel and (here's the real killer)
flat head (countersunk). As luck would have it, since moving house I am
missing some of the cross dowels and the screws, so I need to find
replacements. Ideally I would like to stick with metric fasteners, but
here in the USA that seems to be a tall order, so I could switch to
1/4-20 at a pinch.

I can find 1/4-20 cross dowels easily enough, but finding a source of
brass plated flat head machine screws seems to not be so easy.

Can anyone suggest a supplier who might be able to help (ideally
staying metric, but going the 1/4-20 route at a pinch)?
--
Peter Headland

In article et,
Lew Hodgett wrote:

wrote:
I have some bookshelves that use machine screws and cross dowels to
hold their frames together. The machine screws are metric: M6 50mm
long, brass plated (antique?) over steel and (here's the real killer)
flat head (countersunk). As luck would have it, since moving house I am
missing some of the cross dowels and the screws, so I need to find
replacements.

Go down to you nearest GOOD hardware store that has a good selection of
fasteners with sample in hand.

Have them special order a box (100 pcs) of what you need.

HTH

Lew

Or try www.jamestowndistributers.com. Truly awesome selection of screws
in all sorts of sizes, materials, head styles, etc. If they don't have
it, you probably don't need it.

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 23:39:19 -0500, Roy Smith wrote:

In article et,
Lew Hodgett wrote:

wrote:
I have some bookshelves that use machine screws and cross dowels to
hold their frames together. The machine screws are metric: M6 50mm
long, brass plated (antique?) over steel and (here's the real killer)
flat head (countersunk). As luck would have it, since moving house I am
missing some of the cross dowels and the screws, so I need to find
replacements.

Go down to you nearest GOOD hardware store that has a good selection of
fasteners with sample in hand.

Have them special order a box (100 pcs) of what you need.

HTH

Lew

Or try www.jamestowndistributers.com. Truly awesome selection of screws
in all sorts of sizes, materials, head styles, etc. If they don't have
it, you probably don't need it.

Works better if you try: www.jamestowndistributors.com. I've used them
in the past, their brass prices are very good.


+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Now we'll just use some glue to hold things in place until the brads dry

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Roy Smith wrote:


Or try www.jamestowndistributers.com.

They are a marine supplier.

They won't have anyting that is brass plated steel.

Bronze, 316 S/S, 18-8 S/S, maybe, but never brass plated steel since
neither steel or brass are worth a hoot in salt water.

HTH

Lew

On 11 Jan 2005 19:40:11 -0800, wrote:

I can find 1/4-20 cross dowels easily enough, but finding a source of
brass plated flat head machine screws seems to not be so easy.

Silly question - why do these have to be steel? Would straight brass
work?

Silly question - why do these have to be steel? Would straight brass
work?

Good (not silly) question! I realised that the wood (looks like some
kind of pine) would tear long before the thread on a 1/4-20 brass screw
would ever strip, so I bought some brass screws and the job's a good
'un.

My thanks to all of you who replied.

--
Peter Headland

On 19 Jan 2005 13:05:37 -0800, wrote:
Silly question - why do these have to be steel? Would straight brass
work?

Good (not silly) question! I realised that the wood (looks like some
kind of pine) would tear long before the thread on a 1/4-20 brass screw
would ever strip, so I bought some brass screws and the job's a good
'un.

Not directly relevant here, but I've also used steel screws to get
a hole in wood ready for a brass screw. Brass can't take the torque,
but putting a steel screw of the same size in first makes the hole ready.

Brass plated steel machine screws, anyone?

Imperial or metric 6.5 mm is rather close to 1/4"

www.mcmaster.com