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Aussie Pinball Forums => Technical Matters => Handy hints and tips => Topic started by: pinball god on August 11, 2015, 08:45:46 PM

Title: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: pinball god on August 11, 2015, 08:45:46 PM
Can anyone recommend a good low cost gauge system to help id screw thread types, lengths etc so people can confidently buy various bits of fastening hardware for pinballs? At the moment it is very much hit and miss for me.
Title: Re: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: Boots on August 11, 2015, 10:01:11 PM
Quote from: pinball god on August 11, 2015, 08:45:46 PM
Can anyone recommend a good low cost gauge system to help id screw thread types, lengths etc so people can confidently buy various bits of fastening hardware for pinballs? At the moment it is very much hit and miss for me.

You could use a piece of plate steel with drilled holes for the bolts to just fit.
All the USA manufacturers use UN threads, #4, #6, #8, #10, so you only need four drilled holes.
Be aware though that Australian or European manufactured machines may have metric threads.
For example Gottlieb machines made under licence by Vifico in Spain will have metric threads
Title: Re: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: benpin on August 11, 2015, 10:37:54 PM
Look on RTBB web site
Under tool box items


Hope that what you are after
Title: Re: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: Strangeways on August 11, 2015, 10:47:39 PM
Rob - Bring in some screws and we will see how the gauges can e used - we don't have many left, but I've got some coming in the next big USA shipment.
Title: Re: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: mitchjjam on September 08, 2015, 11:41:45 PM
Another pain is determining the length and head type. When looking online you can easily make mistakes.
Title: Re: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: Spanky on July 08, 2016, 03:08:00 AM
Print out these handy things: https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Printable-Tools/ (https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Printable-Tools/)
Title: Re: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: pinball god on July 08, 2016, 07:19:41 PM
Quote from: Spanky on July 08, 2016, 03:08:00 AM
Print out these handy things: https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Printable-Tools/ (https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Printable-Tools/)
thank you for the resource
Title: Re: screw and bolt gauges
Post by: JRK1971 on August 25, 2016, 09:52:17 PM
Don't shoot me for this advice, but most cheap tap & die sets have thread pitch gauges in them eg http://www.irwin.com/tools/taps-dies-sets/thread-pitch-gauges
You can buy the gauges separate, probably on eBay...

I've got metric and imperial ones and they are excellent - some threads are very similar and sticking the guage on the bolt verifies it 100%