guitar pedal/small enclosures - screws?

[GaryG]

Hi, anyone up on screw sizes for small alu enclosures? I have a couple of boxes (mis-drills i got cheap of a boutique builder guy) without screws and the ones i have (6/32? from Tayda i think) are too big...

total numpty about engineering stuff so can anyone suggest what size i need to look for? No decent hardware shops around here and dont want to waste ~4/5 quid on ten or so screws that maybe wrong.

Cheers.

[whyterabbyt]

Hammond 1590 range seems to be 6/32, so yeah, that's what you'd be led to expect (see data sheet on this page)

https://uk.farnell.com/hammond/1591ms10 ... dp/1876896

However, mileages seem to vary

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/ ... ic=94672.0

Batteries not inside? Superglue them shut.

[BertKoor]

Imperial or metric?
Buy an assorted box, eg
https://www.amazon.com/Assortment-Stain ... B0BC24J6SS
https://www.amazon.com/SUVICTONG-Machin ... B0FHV6K9D4

[BertKoor]

Oh, those things above are bolts. Screws are slightly different. The difference is in the hole they go in. Screws go in rough material and have a pointy end, bolts into nuts (or equivalent tapped holes) and have a flat end.

Some screws:

[GaryG]

Hammond 1590 range seems to be 6/32, so yeah, that's what you'd be led to expect (see data sheet on this page)

That's the general opinion I'm getting and the other enclosures I have all seem to be the same.*And* the screws seem to be that size going by my cheapo calipers. So it's just these other boxes I have are different/smaller.

Batteries not inside? Superglue them shut.

Yeah, the thought crossed my mind

Oh, those things above are bolts. Screws are slightly different. The difference is in the hole they go in. Screws go in rough material and have a pointy end, bolts into nuts (or equivalent tapped holes) and have a flat end.

You're quite correct but (maybe wrongly) people seem to refer to bolts that go into chassis, cage nuts in racks, boxes like these etc as screws. So I was going with the flow... But your sugestion of an assortment pack seems an option, thanks.

[whyterabbyt]

Screws go in rough material and have a pointy end, bolts into nuts (or equivalent tapped holes) and have a flat end.

ahem. not quite.

bolts only go in nuts. screws do go into ' tapped holes'.

Bolt vs. Screw: Definitions

Let’s begin with a couple of definitions provided by the CBP which are quoted from ANSI-ASME B18.2.1:

Bolt: A bolt is an externally threaded fastener designed for insertion through the holes in assembled parts, and is normally intended to be tightened or released by torquing a nut.
Screw: A screw is an externally threaded fastener capable of being inserted into holes in assembled parts, of mating with a preformed internal thread or forming its own thread, and of being tightened or released by torquing the head.

A bolt is meant to be used with a nut, and it is tightened by torquing the nut. A screw is designed to be used in either a preformed or threaded hole, or it is capable of forming its own threaded hole. A screw is designed to be tightened by torquing the head.

For an alumnium enclosure, we're talking what's called 'machine screws'.

Machine screws are almost always blunt-ended (flat-tipped), unlike many other screw types which taper to a sharp point at the tip
.
.
.
You use a machine screw by drilling or tapping it into a pre-drilled hole or nut, using either a manual or powered screwdriver

[BertKoor]

Pedantry aside (admitted, I started) there's endless possibilities what matches.

Before you hit the "order now" button on a box of assorti screws/bolts, I'd first ask around at friends & family. I personally don't throw away much old screws of stuff I have disassembled. I have cans & boxes full of metal bits & bobs. I imagine many tinkerers have. Asking costs nothing.

[Cuauhtli]

Local Hardware store? Thrift/pawn shops. I found a bunch of tiny screws at a local thrift shop. Pretty much set for life in that department.