9/32 hex steel bar

Hello from Australia,

I am trying to source 9/32 hex or 3ba hex bar, for a batch of small nuts I need to make. I need about 30 - 1 metre lengths or longer. Does anyone know of supplier in the UK who can supply.

Mal

EKP do 0.275" for 3BA Hex or M-machine do 7mm hex which would which is probably the same and both only 0.002mm below the minimum 3BA hex size

Thanks Jason, I'm trying to reproduce a 9/32 hex nut 0.281". The 3ba standard 0.282" would be alright, but an undersized 0.275" is stretching it a little further than I would like. I had found the EKP product, but would prefer the bar to be on size "if possible".

Edited By malcolm conomy on 02/09/2021 08:54:32

I can get 7mm bar locally but not 9/32.

How much material do you need?

do i read that you need 30 metres of it

or enough to make 30 nuts?

more like 3000

I was going to say make your own 9/32" hex by milling from round but not practical for 30m.

I'd use 7mm hex - hope you've got a decent repetition, capstan or CNC lathe.

Andrew

These people do custom nuts machined from round bar, might be worth getting a quote

more like 3000

Metres, mm, or nuts?

Gwr-fasteners do 20 nuts for just over £3. I would expect 3000 would come at a much reduced rate?

Clearly(?) someone, somewhere, makes them! It might be worth checking the dimensions, mind - if you want exactly 0.281” across the flats….

The original post wanted 30 one meter lengths so that would equate to 3000 nuts allowing for parting off and facing.

What do GWR do 20 of ? as we don't know what thread the OP wants his nuts to be, BA was only mentioned in regards to AF size.

"Someone makes them" again what are they as we don't know the thread or even if the 9/32" AF is a standard nut size or a scaled down dimension from a full size subject.

OP based in Australia, specification and quantities perhaps confused after a night on the laaaager.

Robert Butler

What was there to get confused about he wants 30m of 9/32" hex to make 3000 custom nuts.

If they could be bought off the shelf, I wouldn't be asking the question. Let me make it clearer, I make spare parts for Hercus lathes. These are a clone of the American South Bend lathe, much like your Boxford. The parts I make, have to be totally original in form. I use index cam auto lathes with specific collet sizes. To use 7mm would require a specific collet(which aren't cheap) or forcing the collet to over clamp past it's designed size, which is a practice i am not keen on.

30 lengths of 1 metre stock would make 3375 of these nuts, I would prefer to use 12' lengths but that would be awkward in terms of freight to Australia. The shortest bar I could feed into my machines would be about 3'.

The nuts are 3/16" long and have a 7/32 X 28 thread with the hex turned down for 1/16" of it's length on one end to the 9/32 diameter. A lot of the owners like to have their machines totally original and the space it operates in is small, hence the specific size.

I wasn't expecting to find this stock easily. The only place I have been able to find it so far is the USA, but at $50US a metre plus freight, it's not an option. In years gone by I would have had it custom milled here but no one is milling free machining steel hex that small here now.

Some of our model engineering suppliers have brought it in from the UK in the past, so I thought I'd see if anyone knew who made it.

Edited By malcolm conomy on 03/09/2021 07:59:48

Hi,

I have asked a couple of my stockholders and they don't keep it.

West Midlands Bright Bar was mentioned as worth a try.

David.

.

There may be laws against making that sort of remark.

MichaelG.

Thanks David, I just sent West Midlands an email, got my fingers crossed.

Mal.

Thanks Michael, I wasn't offended by RB's comment. Chasing down stuff like this would make anyone turn to drink. Mal

It appears that until clarified subsequently, I wasn't the only one confused by quantity, 3,000 is a large number of nuts by any standard and 30 would fall in to what perhaps would be the expected quantity of nuts required by forum members. . A simple post - "I need to make 3,000 special 3ba nuts and require 30 off one metre lengths of 9/32" or 3ba hex" is succinct.

I apologise if I caused offence

Robert Butler

The 9/32" [0.281"] hex nuts must have a tolerance, nothing is made to an exact design size. What is the minimum allowable tolerance ?

7mm = 0.275" which is only 0.007" less than required. The 7mm hex bar is also made to a tolerance. Can you check with the supplier if have any that has been made to the maximum tolerance and are slightly bigger ?

Paul.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 04/09/2021 00:07:12

Live Steam Models down the road from me (in the UK) list 9/32 EN1A hex at £1.15 per metre. I doubt that they would have 30 metres in stock as they are a small outfit, but presumably they have a supplier. Might be worth giving them a shout.

Robin.