A Nuts & Bolts Issue

Hi

For over three years now I have been trying to find a helpful person here in the UK with a small workshop who is willing and able to cut a standard metric thread on some small-diameter stainless steel bolts of mine. I have badgered bicycle shops, model railway clubs, even my local astronomy society - but all to no avail. Finally, desperation has brought me to Model Engineer. My gratitude (and generosity) will know no bounds if someone - anyone - can point the way forward to end this epic quest of mine! Many thanks.

PS. Please excuse the exasperated tone of this thread - but it does come straight from the heart. . .

It would help no end if you can give an indication of exactly what thread you want cutting, onto what size current bolts (as in likely they are already threaded and that has to be turned off first), how long a thread, head type etc and more particularly if you know the grade of s/s.

I'm guessing there's something odd about the project or you'd just buy new bolts.

I'm just a hobbyist with his own projects and limited resources so not offering but also are you asking for 3 or 4 or a few hundred, do you have spares for possible disasters etc?

What appears on the face of it to be a simple job often ends up being a protracted fiddle to do.

Where abouts are you

I have a contact who manufactures studding (among lots of other stuff), and he may be able to help. He will need to know a lot more - spec of stainless, sizes, tolerances, quantities, etc.

Will a rolled thread be just as useful?

I'm not far from Ludlow UK, where are you?

Regards, Tim

Edited By Tim Stevens on 03/05/2016 22:05:29

Graham, Pm me with the details re, Stainless grade, Thread pitch, Ø, OAL, Thread length, Tolerance, Head type,. and quantity. Either I will do them, [Manual ]or will get the brother to do them.[ CNC] as long as it only a few ].

Cheers.

It may not be what you want but these people **LINK** do a wide range of metric screws and nuts in A2 and A4 stainless. I have used them a couple of times and found their service good.

First things first: the three bolts that needed threading are stainless steel Pitlock security skewers, intended for the hubs of bicycle wheels. These are M5, threaded for metric fine. I wished to use these skewers to protect other vulnerable parts of my touring bike to deter the light-fingered. This entailed cutting these skewers down to size and re-threading them accordingly.

Well, I have to report now that since posting my thread here at Model Engineer, I've managed to find someone with the right skills and tools to do the job. The irony is that this person happens to be my next-door neighbour!

So all I can say is that I'm extremely grateful for all the help and sound advice I've received from the posters here in this thread. I think my sense of frustration is due to the fact that my father, who was a model engineer with his own workshop, would have been turning in his grave about the troubles I've had trying to resolve the above issue.

Again many thanks

.

That's sheer poetry, Graham

... Glad it worked out for you.

MichaelG.