Finding Tiny Metric Screw

[accomplice]

You should be able to find non-marine metric fasteners at most hardware and home stores. If you buy one of each suspected size you can see what fits and then order the required quantity in the desired material.


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[jeepbluetj]

Originally Posted by accomplice

You should be able to find non-marine metric fasteners at most hardware and home stores. If you buy one of each suspected size you can see what fits and then order the required quantity in the desired material.

HD and Lowes have a crap selection, but a local True Value or Ace usually have great selections of metric fasteners. They generally have a thread gauge too. You won't likely find M3 in brass, but you can 100% determine what it is. Then it's as simple as getting a box of "brass 5mm M3 flatheads" (or whatever they are) from fastenal, grainger, some rando on ebay, etc...

[Scrimshaw4]

Problem with Fastenal is they want you to buy the whole box. Try fawcett's in Annapolis, MD. They bought out Chesapeake marine Fasteners and they have a VERY broad inventory of both Metric and SAE.

[Cheechako]

Take your screw to Ace Hardware or similar. Match up with a nut. Record the thread size, Then buy hex/allen head SS set screws. At 40 screws, it s probably cheaper to buy a box.

[foufou]

I had a similar problem installing new glass in my brass port light frames. On some of them I re-tapped the screw threads to an available screw thread. Inexpensive and relatively easy. Small taps are in the $5 range. Good luck, Foufou

[transmitterdan]

https://www.boltdepot.com/ is another good online source.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by dahshore

In the US it will take more time to find one than to retap and go to a hardware store!

A good hardware store should have them in metric and in many materials. If you're somewhere near a coast, that is.

Four of my five local hardware stores have fantastic arrays of fasteners including metric.

Brass on a boat? Hmm, not such a good idea.

Good luck.

[LasVegasBob]

Originally Posted by legallyginger

I am redoing my portholes and have everything I need other than new screws. I have those beautiful brass frames that have an oval piece of glass encased in two brass frames. Those frames are held together by several tiny little screws.

I tried to salvage what I had, but they kept breaking off when I tried screwing them back in. I went to 10 different bolt/fastener stores to try to find these guys and the closest I got was a screw that literally falls into the holes. Another store told me they could order 250 of these for me but they might not be the right ones. I only need 40 or so.

I can not tap them because there isn't enough room for bigger screw heads.

It's a 1/4" flathead brass screw about .5" long, and yes its metric but I don't have a metric ruler although I should have one.

Do I need to have these custom made or something? It's the only thing stopping my portholes going back in.

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Why not just re-tap the hole to an American thread. tap and handle about $15. Hard to tell from the photo but I know American screws can go down to 2-56 - tiny and up to large. You probably will need either a 4-40 or 6-32 tap then screws are simple to find.

[LasVegasBob]

American sizes are easy to figure 1/4 Diameter would either be 1/4-20 or 1/4-26. 1/4 Diameter and 20 or 26 -Threads per inch