6 BA hexagon headed screws

I have a need for 6BA hexagon headed screws/bolts with a parallel shank. I have included a picture of ones I already have insufficient of. Plain shank portion is 0.108" diameter and extends for 0.210 ". Over all length is 0.580". They are the remains of some old stock and I need a couple of dozen more. AF dimension is 0.192". The existing ones are from MS. If anybody can help and suggest where to get these I would appreciate it or even tell me if anybody can make them - preferably out of material stronger than MS.

Geoff _ I can't help I'm afraid. I can only wish you good luck in trying to find your "hens teeth". There's more - If the notched heads are indicating they have left hand threads then you will probably have more success in finding the Ark of the Covenant AND the Holy Grail in the same place and then winning the euromillions outright - all on the same day.

Rik

Putting "hexagon headed 6ba screws" into Google comes up with a lot of potential suppliers, but whether any of them can do the bolts with a plain shank is another matter. 6ba screws of that length in industry would normally be fully threaded. Also in industry if you wanted better than mild steel you'd usually be getting them in cap head variety rather than hex head. In all another way of saying what you're after is rather specialist to the model engineering field rather than general engineering so I'd guess probably thin on the ground.

A quick google shows quite a few suppliers of 6BA items. All are fully threaded, however.

There seems to be 'confusion' between the terminology of Screw and Bolt among the suppliers. One supplier describes the Bolts as having hex heads and the remaining heads being described as Screws.

I understood that a Bolt was as requested (part threaded) but a Screw was fully threaded.

This company say they will make small quantities of what you want
http://www.ba-bolts.co.uk/index.html

Dave
The Emerald Isle

hi geoff,

i had quite a few of exactly the same bolts in 6BA and 4BA with the same notches on the hex heads and plain unthreaded portion. i only have a few left. they are definitely right hand threads and made to a high specification. my guess is that they originated from the aircraft industry in the UK.

if anyone has a few boxes of them tucked away i would also be interested!

these days i turn all my own bolts up from hex material to ensure correct sized hex and plain unthreaded portion and threads that are not cut undersize.

cheers,

julian

Geoff,

The "nicks" round the heads of your bolts denote that they are made from stainless steel. I thought I had some but mine are 4BA & I only have a few left. We were taught (as Aircraft Apprentices back in the 50`s) that a bolt had a short portion threaded, then a plain portion (which was the same diameter as the crest of the thread then the head normally of Hexagonal shape. Screws were threaded all the way up to the head & could have hex, dome or round heads (the last two being slotted for a screw driver).

Like Julian says I would agree that they are ex UK aircraft industry. I`ve got 5 x 6BA cad plated steel hex headed ones you can have but they are 3 inches long so you`d have to cut them down. God only knows what they were for !

I could probably sort you out a couple of dozen round or dome heads if you want BUT they are screws not bolts.

Alan

Hi guys,

Many thanks for all your replies and comments. steamdave seems to have solved my problem with his suggestion to contact: http://www.ba-bolts.co.uk. I looked at this, sent an email and got a telephone call within 15 minutes. Just got back from his hols and catching up but it looks good and he can help. Put it on your supplier list.

Thanks for that Dave. Next time you are in a sweet shop buy yourself a chocolate bar and pretend it's from me!

I was under the impression that the nicks in the head indicated a high tensile aircraft bolt. I've dug out a couple of 1/4" BSF bolts that have nicked heads. They're certainly high quality; I think the threads are rolled rather than cut, and the plain shank and underside of the head are ground. They're also strongly magnetic, which eliminates the austenitic stainless steels.

Andrew

Geoff,

Hope you get what you need from the supplier you mentioned. If not, another possibility is Clerkenwell Screws. They used to stock lots of BA bolts.

Geoff - worth doing a Google search on "aircraft spares uk" it looks as though you might strike lucky. Just saw some 6ba hex head at 1.8 in long - about £0.75 each so not expensive. Even though you might not see exactly what you want on a website a phone call could produce what you're after.

Yes the nicks around the head denote high tensile steel. I remember this from Halton, there were diagrams of all the different types of markings in the training APs.

I have some of these bolts in 2BA from my time on aircraft. And some hiduminium aerotight stiffnuts.

Carl

Geoff,

You can get these bolts from LAS Aerospace. See here:- http://www.lasaero.com/site/products/article?id=F01W6YIPP

I've used this company before and they are good. Lots of hard to get parts, AGS hydraulic fittings are very hard to get but they do them.

Carl.

to add a bit more to the original bolt spec i would agree that they werent ordinary steel but also as andrew stated magnetic. i soaked some in salt water and a chemical solution as a test, and quite a few got used on miniature loco boiler wet headers and in smokeboxes and other potentially corrosive environments with no ill effects whatsoever for at least the last 20 years and are still in use.

i wish i had some more!

cheers,

julian

They are A26 series AGS bolts (aircraft general standard) I think if I remember rightly A26 are martensitic stainless. They are also close tolerance.

As well as LAS aerospace you can also get them here:http://www.aerovintagespares.com/avspares/Bolts___Screws.html-

So wish no more. Go to LAS or aero vintage and you can buy some.

Carl.

I have a few assorted BA bolts of this type myself.

They came from my late fathers workshop, he was in the RAF in the 1950's.

That is where they probably originated.

Phil

I'm not offering but if you want to make them it's a lot easier if sized in one cut. I have a problem making M2 thumb screws from 6mm stainless. If I have to take a 2nd cut the dam things sometime bend and break. I just size about 1/8 in and then cut to the full length in one go. Brass is is a problem too. Never needed to try MS. M3 is not much better either.

There are also some cutters that fit in the tail stock. Sort of end mills with a hole down the centre that leaves the correct size for specific sized threads. While they may be about I have no idea of any stockists or what they are called which might help.

John

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The subject came up on the Boxford group some time ago. Some one had a BA set that they had found - car boot sale if I remember correctly. Described in my terms as something like a slot drill with a hole up the centre. I'd expect them to be 3 flute to work reasonably well. One problem would be that the tail stock would have to be well centred - boxfords generally are.

John

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Hi John,

What interesting things. I wonder who made them?

Carl.

They can be made quite easily out of silver steel. Drill the correct size hole and file the cutting lips, making sure you put the teeth in the correct orientation.- it's easy to make a left handed cutter! Then harden and temper and you're in business.

Dave
The Emerald Isle