What Screw Material for a Wooden Boat Restoration ?

[cburger]

Originally Posted by perchance

Square drive screws? They are properly known as Robertson screws, named after the inventor, P.L. Robertson. The screw drivers are colour coded as per screw size.

Here's the link to Jamestown Distributors silicon bronze woodscrews, I have shot hundreds of these and can attest that contractors refer to them as square drive as well as their quality. However the next time I am hanging out at Starbucks drinking a $5.00 coffee having a conversation with some intellectual type I promise to call them "Robertson" screws.



Bronze Wood Screws - Square Drive #6

[hellosailor]

"You know Titanium is a very common element. "
Until the collapse of the USSR, it was considered a strategic metal in the US because it is essentially not available from other sources. The collapse of the USSR is the only reason that titanium is even semi-affordable today.
And even if huge deposits were to be found on every streetcorner, apparently titanium is a b|tch to work with, hard to machine, and as such it would be expensive to make screws from it.

But somewhere in the former USSR, there's probably a vendor who would be willing to make them for you.

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

"You know Titanium is a very common element. "
Until the collapse of the USSR, it was considered a strategic metal in the US because it is essentially not available from other sources. The collapse of the USSR is the only reason that titanium is even semi-affordable today.
And even if huge deposits were to be found on every streetcorner, apparently titanium is a b|tch to work with, hard to machine, and as such it would be expensive to make screws from it.

But somewhere in the former USSR, there's probably a vendor who would be willing to make them for you.

Certainly was a popular metal in the USSR!!! They even used the metal for many of their submarine hulls but they elected to use plain old steel I beams in many of their latest jet fighters (MIG 21?).

[hellosailor]

"for many of their submarine hulls " Many? I've heard it argued whether there was just one, or two. Soviet logic in building weapons and fighters also was not the same as US, they had their reasons for doing things differently.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

"for many of their submarine hulls " Many? I've heard it argued whether there was just one, or two. Soviet logic in building weapons and fighters also was not the same as US, they had their reasons for doing things differently.

Very differently!

[sdowney717]

Titanium is the ninth most abundant element on the earth

Glossary Item - The 10 Most Abundant Elements in the Earth's Crust

It's Elemental - The Element Titanium

maybe some day they will figure out how to make it cheaper.

[cburger]

Are we advocating titanium wood screws now?

[sdowney717]

Are we advocating titanium wood screws now?

I wish. Like all things, they wearout, get old, obsolete, unlovely, and then I get to play with them.

[Lawrence]

I agree with the comments above.
I have had better success with Reed and Prince screws;they drive better than Robertson or square drive;look like Phillips but dont cam out; so if you use them make sure you get the correct drive bit. Also use the special tapered drill bits; and I dip the tip of the screw in lanolin grease and they drive in like a charm.

[hellosailor]

sd, it may be abundant in the earth's crust, but it is rare in commercially viable mining deposits. The oceans are full of gold too, sure, but just try to refine it from the sea water. Better yet, try to get the radioactive materials out of granite to use them for reactors, or weapons. Common, yes. But for all practical purposes, not there.

When it comes to titanium that can actually be obtained for commercial use, titanium is very hard to find.

delmarrey, you found a Piper Cub built by committee ?!

[vintageray]

Nothing like a little bit of thread drift. I used stainless auger pointed deck screws with Robertson square drive and 3/4" MDO plywood to replace my deck, covered with Dynel fabric. Finding good lumber for frame work is very difficult, at least where I am.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Although my boat (built 1970 - but model designed in early 60's) is GRP most of the insides are wood - and a lot was simply screwed together (no glue etc). Albeit not all of it has been refurbed that way - sometimes hard not to resist the allure of epoxy .....but that only after a lot of thought

One thing I wish I'd done at the outset (amongst a few other things ) is to buy my screws in bulk, although able to re-use many - not all were 100%. Where possible I have tried to stick to one screw size (as the builder seems to have done), whether in Bronze or S/S (for some jobs s/s works well).

[Dkdoyle]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

One more thing on installation. In the old days they use to spit on the screws before driving them in. Now a mild non-acidic soapy water works well.

Not sure what spitting is supposed to do. We used bar soap on the threads. Old carpenters trick.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Dkdoyle

Not sure what spitting is supposed to do. We used bar soap on the threads. Old carpenters trick.

Most likely, not as old as the carpenters I knew. Bar soap was a bit rare in those days. Spit on square nails was available on the spot. Screws were rare too!

[Dkdoyle]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

Most likely, not as old as the carpenters I knew. Bar soap was a bit rare in those days. Spit on square nails was available on the spot. Screws were rare too!

Ha. Well i thought we were talking screws. We also had a clinch nailed boat but thank god we didn't have to go through that. The herresoff was enough of an experience