I’m looking for #14-24×¼ slotted set screws, for brass door knobs made in 1932.
Janet
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Replies
Well this is probably less perfect than you had hoped for but at the very least you could buy some all thread or use some longer screws with the thread size you need. Hold the threaded rod in a vise with wood or other soft jaws and cut a slot across the end of it using a metal cutting hacksaw. Then turn it around and cut off a length to suit your purpose.
Is this what you are after ?
http://www.thomasnet.com/heading.html?cov=NA&what=slotted+set+screw&heading=72930704&searchpos=1&cid=1240562&navsec=products
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Yeah, I figured I'd end up having to make one. One end has the slot; the other end has a slight dimple. Some screws have a flat base or a bump instead of a dimple; I don't know the purposes of these shapes.Janet
The screws that have a concave dimple in the end of the screw tend to be hardened steel and they can bite into a softer shaft surface and so can keep the knob or what ever from moving without a flat on the shaft.Some have a rounded end on the screw and that helps them locate into a pre-drilled indentation for a specific distance from the end.The ones with a flat end can grab a flat surface machined on the shaft and have a more stable grip than say a tapered dimpled screw that might work loose on a machined flat surface on a round shaft.I would recommend a mild lock tight solution applied to the threads of any of these to prevent loosening with use.Loctite brand makes one that is designated by color. Purple is easy to get loose when you want to, but keeps the screw from loosening when you want it to stay put. Purple is about like old bubble gum when it cures.http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/222-EN.PDFhttp://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Bottle-Purple-Removable-Threadlocker/dp/B000FOJLCODon't use red, it is very tenacious. Blue would probably be ok on larger set screws but purple is safest as far as being able to disassemble it later without using heat.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )Edited 9/2/2009 12:45 am by roc
Edited 9/2/2009 12:46 am by roc
In passing: for Loctite addicts there is a biggish poster that they supply which lists all their medications and tinctures, complete with applications etc....Philip Marcou
Try the mail order company Rejuvination I believe they have antique style door knobs, they might be able to help you. Also "real" hardware stores often have them.
Good luck.
Troy
Maybe?
http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl/sc.10/category.55/.f
Janet,
14-24 thread was never very popular, and has been rarely used for years, so your chances are slim for finding new screws with that thread. You will probably have to take the screws out of old knobs found at flea markets. There is no guarantee that the old knobs will have the thread you need so, if you can, check the screws in the knob before you buy. The style of the head isn't important, screws with a hex socket will work fine.
John White
Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998-2007
You're not kidding! I was going to make some from machine screws, but I can't find any sort of brass screw in either 14-24x or 1/4-24x.
1/4-24 isn't a standard size, so you won't find it. Also, you want a steel screw, brass set screws aren't made except for special applications. One possibility is that you can install a Helicoil, they look like a spring, into the existing hole to bring the size down to a 12-24 thread. 12-24 set screws are a common size. Helicoils are meant to repair damaged threads in machinery. I would have to do some research to determine if a #12 Helicoil has the proper dimensions to be fitted into the existing #14 size thread. If the #14 hole is too small it can be tapped for the the #12 so there is some leeway.If you are interested in having me do the research, and possibly the repair, call me at my office, 802-767-9700, in Vermont.John White
Shop Manager for FWW Magazine 1998-2007
You can try opening a #12-24 adjustable die to cut the 1/4-24.
McMaster-Carr has 1/4" x 24 dies. A #14 screw OD is 0.242" and a 1/4" is 0.250". If it does not work you could use a thread restoring file to remove the extra 0.008".
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans.
When your ship comes in... make sure you are not at the airport.
Thanks for the all the advice.
Since the old knobs are not Antiques Roadshow treasures, buying new knobs is the easiest fix. I'm also beginning to think that it's the best fix, because then I could get lever-style handles. Opening the door requires a good tug on the knob (due to many layers of paint). The knobs are round and less than 2" in diameter, so turning and tugging on them is not that easy on the hands.
This is out of consideration for my mom's convenience, of course. I can't possibly be old enough to need ergonomic doorknobs, can I? :0
Janet
I was surprised to discover that a bolt (from an inexpensive 1980s table) will work with the knobs. It's a metric bolt (M6-1.0) so it probably doesn't fit perfectly, but it feeds in all the way and holds. So, I used a cutting disk with a flexshaft tool to cut 1/4" pieces with slots, and it all worked out.The bolt looked like brass, but was actually some kind of steel with a yellow coating. Is brass more expensive?
I was going to suggest a M6 x 1mm set screw as the thread dimensions are very close. M6= 0.236" and 25.4 threads/inch #14= 0.242" and 24 threads/inch
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans.
When your ship comes in... make sure you are not at the airport.
I wish the stores would carry more metric hardware. It is so much more logical. Weren't we supposed to go metric by 2000?
Officially we are one of only three countries in the world not using the metric system. Un-officially we use the metric system. Cars, trucks, hand and stationary tools use metric fasteners. Almost everything we buy use metric fasteners. I was rebuilding a 15 year old made in the USA Stanley nailer yesterday and all the fasteners were M6x1mm in different lengths. I replaced the motor bearings on my dad's old 40's Delta Rockwell drill press and they were metric. Every bearing I have replaced in my shop has been metric.
If you use a Freud 10" blade it is actually 250mm, 12" is 300mm.
I think it would be cost prohibitive to officially change to metric and people are against it in the USA, I am not.
My local Ace hardware has an excellent selection of metric hardware including stainless. Lowe's has some metric fasteners. I have a very good supply of metric hardware that I mostly order from McMaster-Carr. Try a SS set screw in your brass door knob as I thing they go together nicely.
BTW happy belated birthday. Welcome to the 60's, they were good and now they are good.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans.
When your ship comes in... make sure you are not at the airport.
Edited 9/12/2009 8:30 am ET by JerryPacMan
Edited 9/12/2009 9:08 am ET by JerryPacMan
Edited 9/12/2009 9:15 am ET by JerryPacMan
A 450 foot home run is something I love to watch, but a 137 meter blast over the center field wall is emotionally hollow - I don't know what that means. A 150 km/h fastball surely would put a hole thru a batter's rib cage, but a 95 mph heater only hurts like crazy.No, you don't have to pry a 1/2" chisel from my cold, dead hands, I'm cool with a 12mm version. But can we keep sports in "feet/yards"? 4th 'n inches is really exciting.Cheers,Seth
You are exactly correct we would have a had time dealing with metric here in the US.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans.
When your ship comes in... make sure you are not at the airport.
Sorry to get into this discussion so late but .....
Find a few local locksmith SHOPS in your area. Most of them have an assortment of such odd-ball set-screws. I did this kind of work for many years. I NEVER tossed out a setscrew because when you need that odd-ball thread, you've got it on hand.
SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)
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