0 and 1BA Stainless Steel hexagons

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0 and 1BA Stainless Steel hexagons

Home Forums General Questions 0 and 1BA Stainless Steel hexagons

Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
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  • #574929
    Andrew Phillips 4
    Participant
      @andrewphillips4

      Hi All, I wish to make a couple of 0BA special bolts, about 2ins long, in stainless steel. The only supplier of 0.423 A/F stainless bar stock I can find on the web only sells 1m minimum length @ £20.73, and charges £18.50 minimum postage. This would mean each bolt costs 20 quid! Does anyone out there know of someone who can supply short lengths of 0 and 1BA stainless hex at reasonable prices? I have tried e-bay, M Metals and MK Metals to no avail.

      I could make up bolts using 6mm rounds and nuts (I have some 0BA stainless nuts from BA Bolts) cutting a short thread at one end and using epoxy adhesive to secure the 'head', and possibly hammering the protruding end over then facing off on my lathe, but I would prefer to do the job properly.

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      #28461
      Andrew Phillips 4
      Participant
        @andrewphillips4
        #574931
        Speedy Builder5
        Participant
          @speedybuilder5

          As you say in the last paragraph and silver solder the nuts in place.

          #574932
          Andrew Phillips 4
          Participant
            @andrewphillips4

            Hi Speedy Builder5, a good suggestion but alas I do not have the equipment or knowledge to silver solder. I read an article about soft soldering stainless, is that any good?

            #574934
            JasonB
            Moderator
              @jasonb

              Turn from round stock and machine hex head, not too much work as you say you only have a couple to make

              #574936
              Harry Wilkes
              Participant
                @harrywilkes58467

                Worth check out Keatley Metals link

                H

                #574962
                duncan webster 1
                Participant
                  @duncanwebster1

                  Use 10mm af, I won't tell anyone if you don't

                  #574987
                  Andrew Phillips 4
                  Participant
                    @andrewphillips4

                    Duncan, I have a obsessively pedantic approach to mixing imperial and metric – I know it would be easier but it would always niggle me!

                    #574989
                    John Haine
                    Participant
                      @johnhaine32865

                      Don't think of it as 10mm but 0.394". There you go, it's imperial.

                      #574994
                      SillyOldDuffer
                      Moderator
                        @sillyoldduffer
                        Posted by Andrew Phillips 4 on 11/12/2021 10:32:11:

                        Duncan, I have a obsessively pedantic approach to mixing imperial and metric …

                        Not so Andrew! An obsessive pedant would cheerfully pay £20 per bolt! Trying to cut costs is a dead giveaway: it proves you're a practical man at heart. Don't deny it, embrace the dark side.

                        devil

                        Dave

                        Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 11/12/2021 11:11:19

                        #574995
                        Nick Wheeler
                        Participant
                          @nickwheeler
                          Posted by John Haine on 11/12/2021 10:47:07:

                          Don't think of it as 10mm but 0.394". There you go, it's imperial.

                          6thou for a spanner isn't going to matter – 0.400" which gives a suitably random 2/5wink 2

                          #575014
                          File Handle
                          Participant
                            @filehandle

                            Used a lot of metric 3.2 mm pop rivets recently, but drilled the holes for them with 1/8" drill. I regularly mix / interchange between metric / imperial measurement.

                            #575021
                            Speedy Builder5
                            Participant
                              @speedybuilder5

                              Silver solder that size you can do on the gas stove, small kits on auction site will give you plenty for about £9, probably cheaper than buying hex bar. Make sure you get a kit for stainless steel, which can also be used on steel, brass, copper

                              #575031
                              Mike Poole
                              Participant
                                @mikepoole82104

                                I would go with Jason’s suggestion of machining the hexagon on a round bar, I have made quite a few custom fasteners for motorcycles and even used the degree markings on a swivel base vice to mill the hexagons, even a careful filing job can work ok and for a couple of bolts not to much of a drudge task. As I now have a hexagonal ER collet block this makes the job very easy on the mill. A filing rest for the lathe can produce the flats very quickly and accurately especially if you can index the chuck. Depending on what equipment you have or can borrow and a bit of lateral thinking will get the job done.

                                Mike

                                #575051
                                duncan webster 1
                                Participant
                                  @duncanwebster1
                                  Posted by Andrew Phillips 4 on 11/12/2021 10:32:11:

                                  Duncan, I have a obsessively pedantic approach to mixing imperial and metric – I know it would be easier but it would always niggle me!

                                  But BA is a fundamentally metric thread. 0ba is 6mm OD, 1mm pitch and the rest are a geometric progression.

                                  #575061
                                  duncan webster 1
                                  Participant
                                    @duncanwebster1
                                    Posted by duncan webster on 11/12/2021 19:34:33:

                                    Posted by Andrew Phillips 4 on 11/12/2021 10:32:11:

                                    Duncan, I have a obsessively pedantic approach to mixing imperial and metric – I know it would be easier but it would always niggle me!

                                    But BA is a fundamentally metric thread. 0ba is 6mm OD, 1mm pitch and the rest are a geometric progression.

                                    And according to 2 sources on the interweb, the head size is 10.5 mm, which is 0.413"

                                    #575113
                                    Andrew Phillips 4
                                    Participant
                                      @andrewphillips4

                                      Dunca, you are absolutely right that the correct hex size for 0BA is 0.413 ins – finger problem on mobile phone keypad! I have decided to mill the heads and have just turned a piece of 1/2 in stainless to 0.477 in preparation to setting up the milling slide on my Super 7 this evening. Thanks all for your suggestions.

                                      #575115
                                      Andrew Phillips 4
                                      Participant
                                        @andrewphillips4

                                        Of course, my finger trouble shows why I try to avoid mixing metric and imperial – my fingers were made in 1952 and are thus firmly imperial, so when I use them on a modern metric keyboard errors creep in!

                                        #575123
                                        duncan webster 1
                                        Participant
                                          @duncanwebster1

                                          Well mine are older, but they have no difficulty with metric, believe me it's a lot easier than irrational imperial

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