gold 8-32 aluminum screw alloy?

[DWRCMTB]

Question for our more knowledgeable members.. I have been trying to find some new gold aluminum screws 8-32 for my RC10 builds and they seem hard to find.

I've made millions of custom screws and hardware over my career, and I'm thinking of just having some made.

Does anyone definitively know the alloy that the original screws were made from? If it were me I would have used 7075T6 and that would explain the inconsistent anodize color but I'm hoping that someone here actually knows.

I'd prefer not to have to send a screw out for mass spectrograph material analysis (at the cost of a few hundred $) but that's an option.

Thanks!

Dave

[jwscab]

They were originally pulled from the aviation industry and someone out there probably has the drawing and part number for them.. I have found almost identical rivets on aircraft surplus website but never those screws.

I too would suspect 7075 for the material. Though I think 2024 or 6061 is more common

[jwscab]

Fastener express currently sells correct shaped screws in various colors. Could be worth a conversation to see if they would anodize in the desired color.

Associated was using fastener express to supply screws at some point

[JosephS]

Question for our more knowledgeable members.. I have been trying to find some new gold aluminum screws 8-32 for my RC10 builds and they seem hard to find.

I've made millions of custom screws and hardware over my career, and I'm thinking of just having some made.

Does anyone definitively know the alloy that the original screws were made from? If it were me I would have used 7075T6 and that would explain the inconsistent anodize color but I'm hoping that someone here actually knows.

I'd prefer not to have to send a screw out for mass spectrograph material analysis (at the cost of a few hundred $) but that's an option.

Thanks!

Dave

I wish I know but I'd be willing to sacrifice to find out. If one is sent to an metal finsiher they should be able to confirm what the allow is by stripping it.
If you have a good connection to do this at a reasonable price that would be awesome. I asking about this when I was getting some chassis re anodized and the cost was prohibitive on my end. I was quoted something on the order of $70-120 for just the anodization on 30-50 screws.

I have seen them for sale at on facebook for about $1 a screw as well as on ebay for $15-25 NIP. Even the most expensive sale I have seen was $80 for 16 nip screws.

I do think that if someone could pull this off for not too much money there could be enough interest to get a kickstarter sale of this. It's a lot easier to make stuff in volume for cheap and it's way better if it's sold in advance.

Since you have source fasteners before would you know how to get gold plated stainless steel screws? I have seen them in metric but never in 4-40 or 8-32.

[juicedcoupe]

Question for our more knowledgeable members.. I have been trying to find some new gold aluminum screws 8-32 for my RC10 builds and they seem hard to find.

Are you dead set on gold aluminum?

I use the Team KnK stainless on most of my cars.

[jwscab]

Yeah honestly I switched over to stainless steel hardware for all my builds, except for box accurate or replica. But I see the need for those factory style screws is there too.

[alane]

I couldn’t tell you right away but I’ve got occasional access to a material identification gun. It’s what the metal recycling industry uses on the unknown stuff. Pretty accurate minus the temper.

For the 70-120 price for ano on the handful of screws, I could see that. You’re not really getting over the minimum lot charge at that volume. 70-100 is common pricing for lot charge where I’m at.

[RC10th]

Don't they have something like a 100* countersink instead of the standard 82* ?

[jcwrks]

Dave Geitner on Facebook buys the 8-32 100 degree alum screws in bulk from fastener express, anodizes them in the various vintage gold colors, and sells them for $1 ea.

[alane]

Don't they have something like a 100* countersink instead of the standard 82* ?

Looks greater than 90 by eye, if they come from the aircraft industry like mentioned then that makes sense. They use 100 on imperial flatheads.

[jwscab]

Yes, 100 degree countersink angle.

[DWRCMTB]

Dave Geitner on Facebook buys the 8-32 100 degree alum screws in bulk from fastener express, anodizes them in the various vintage gold colors, and sells them for $1 ea.

cool, thank you. I will hit Dave up, been in contact with him in the past. Right now I only need about 32 screws and toe cost of cold heading and thread rolling new screws will be a heck of a lot more than $32. haha

[DWRCMTB]

Don't they have something like a 100* countersink instead of the standard 82* ?

Looks greater than 90 by eye, if they come from the aircraft industry like mentioned then that makes sense. They use 100 on imperial flatheads.

good call on the laser. Yet another tool that I did not purchase and have now paid for. Henry Ford really nailed that one.

[DWRCMTB]

A couple others have confirmed the 100 degree countersink which is an aviation standard countersink - although I have yet to find the actual standard for aluminum screws..

The screws are definitely cold headed and I believe that there were either multiple manufacturers or machines producing them as I've seen them with and without a dimple on the head.

The screw threads are almost certainly formed with flat dies (as opposed to roller dies)

I am assuming that this is a Type 2 anodize but I have seen and used Type 1 that does have a similar appearance to the lighter color screws.

Cost for dies and tooling for a project like this would be about $4000, min order QTY usually in the 25,000 range so at 20 screws per car we are talking 1250 kits. Amortizing tooling over the first run puts the kits at $3.20 COGS before part costs, packaging, shipping to distribution. Probably could end up with a landed cost of slightly better than $20 per kit. But that's where Dave G is at.. Do we think that there are there really 1250 kits worth of interest out there? Seems like our buddy Dave G has the answer already..

[alane]

Cost for dies and tooling for a project like this would be about $4000, min order QTY usually in the 25,000 range so at 20 screws per car we are talking 1250 kits. Amortizing tooling over the first run puts the kits at $3.20 COGS before part costs, packaging, shipping to distribution. Probably could end up with a landed cost of slightly better than $20 per kit. But that's where Dave G is at.. Do we think that there are there really 1250 kits worth of interest out there? Seems like our buddy Dave G has the answer already..

I would think no on that interest level, lol. If you want to know if your alloy guess is correct that gun will be at the shop tomorrow so I can check it out. I'd also assume 7050 or 7075.