Category: Screws

The roof screws are normally three-inch self-tapping fasteners, which are most commonly used to fasten metal roofing. Their uniqueness lies in their one-inch long protruding tail, which have been specially designed for roofing task and are sufficient enough to secure the first edges of metal roofing sections.

If in case, you are thinking of installing a metal roof over the top of an already constructed asphalt roof then you need to secure the first edges of each of the roof’s sections with 3-inch roofing fasteners.

These are mostly self-tapping lags, which are used to simplify the metal roofing task; which does not feature pre-drilled holes. Besides, these are quite faster and easier to secure, thereby lessening the risk of any injury, as it is the case with snapped ones.

These are basically used for sealing metal vaulting, as it does not feature any kind of support that would help seal the holes around the screws, as it is in the case of asphalt ceiling materials, which secure the holes around the vaulting nails. These particular fasteners are available in two types in the market. The first one features a sealer metal cap, which is fastened directly on the surface by the screw itself. The second one features either plastic or rubber washers, which are integrated into their bodies, which help secure holes automatically in the vaulting as they are tightened.

You can also go for vaulting screw gun alternatives. The metal ceiling cannot be installed manually, as the fasteners need to be installed within a gap of at least a gap of two feet. And by driving such a huge number of fasteners manually can be quite exhaustive, so it’s better to use screw guns. All you need is to switch over to new batteries at hourly gaps. These are usually rechargeable and so they do require charging on regular intervals. Around 4 batteries will be required for an 8 hour shift.

However, be warned that the roof screws, which are driven too deeply into the vault can damage the roof or can have their heads snapped off, thereby becoming quite impossible to remove.

A pan head brass machine screw is mostly used to fasten heavy-duty machine parts, and therefore, choosing the right kind of fastener is always crucial. A wrong choice may either alter the functionality of the machine or even create any risk in the long run.

The dimension and thickness of these machine fasteners are the preliminary factors to be considered, while purchasing. It’s highly important to check-out the length and even the thickness, so that they should be long enough to fasten various machine parts and keep them intact.

These special kinds of screws are available in various materials and compositions in the market, such as stainless steel, steel, brass and nylon, and accordingly, these are used as per the requirements. Besides, various machines screws feature different head shapes, such as Phillips head, slotted head etc. And thus, you will also require different types of drill and screwdrivers, which are suitable for these fasteners. Plus, these also come with pan, hex and flat heads.

Difference between pan head screws and pan head bolts is that the pan head screws do not have to feature a bolt thread specification, so as to accept a non-tapered nut.

While choosing pan head brass machine screws, you should also determine about the pieces, you’re willing to join together. By determining the length of the pieces, the length of those screws should be chosen.

Apart from considering the thickness, head type and dimension, you should now check-out how much stress the machine parts are going to encounter, when they’ll be used. Therefore, you should always go for screws, which are slightly longer than the adjoining pieces, so as to ensure that a nut can be easily placed on the other end of the rivet to adhere them.

A machine screw is composed of various materials. Most of the ingredients are made from metals, including brass, steel and copper and also features nylon and plastic and thus each type features definite strength, magnetic and rust resistance and durability. You should therefore, select rivets considering their composition and your requirements.

In the same way, screwdrivers or drills are chosen accordingly, which are suitable for your chosen screws.

You can always take the help of online experts in case you’re facing any difficulty in selecting a definite design to get your job done.

Particle board is a composite wood, made up of a combination of wood chips, such as sawmill shavings, synthetic resin, any suitable binder, wooden chips and saw dust. It is also known as ‘clip board’ and is the engineered wood, as it is not naturally extracted from trees. For such kind of furniture, special kinds of fastener known as particle board screws are used.

Considering various requirements, the hardware supply industry offers different types of screws. So, it’s always crucial to know what the exact type of screw, which best suits your requirement. As in the case of the clipboard – if you use any other screw then you may easily end up damaging the surface of the board. After considering the type, it is now required to know the exact size.

The adhesive present in the chipboard is usually a kind of resin that is adhered together with wooden chips to create boards of different density. Although chip board’s high density factor is quite strong, still it is known as ‘soft wood’ and is less permeable to moisture. This kind of artificial wood is lot cheaper than the natural furniture and this is the major reason for its popularity. While natural wood’s price is soaring high these days, you can easily fetch the engineered wood at quite cheaper rates, plus it has distinct advantages as compared to the normal one.

These days it is also used for flooring in kitchen and cabinets and it is easily deceived because of the coating of the melamine. And for the installation process, the particle board screws are definitely required. Such types of fasteners are thus heavily used in the interior works and are now most frequently bought on bulk amounts.

If you go online, you would be bombarded with an array of web stores dealing with such items. You may get confused, so let’s help you with this. The Mutual Screw and Supply is a well-known fastener company, who can help you fetch your desired stuff at quite affordable rates.

The self-tapping or thread-rolling screws are those types of fasteners, which feature threads, specially designed to tap in their own holes. Such types of rivets are ideal for fastening objects in softer materials such as plastic and wood, but do not suit at all for harder materials such as metal.

Thread rolling is a type of fastening procedure, which involves penetrating bolts threads into the raw stock instead of cutting them. This procedure requires a sturdy steel tool to be formed in the shape of the necessary thread. The raw and uneven stock is spun at a definite rate; simultaneously the tool bit is pressed against it with high pressure. Thus, the shape of the screw thread is efficiently placed upon the stock base.

The tool bit is constantly put under pressure and is moved towards the stock, till the full-depth threads are created. The thread forming process is bit cheaper as compared to the thread cutting, thereby yielding durable and safer end results.   Fasteners, such as screws, nuts and bolts are the most commonly used rivets in the world, with ample quantities produced across the world every year. These rivets are generally yielded from raw metal stock, which is created prior to the introduction of threads. Basically, there are two steps involved in forming the threads; thread rolling and thread cutting.

The thread cutting procedure involves a cutting die, which is moved up the length of the rotating stock, thereby cutting away the metal surface to create the threads. Although this process is effective, it is always time-consuming.

The thread rolling screws on the other hand is a better application in various aspects. In this method, a sturdy tool bit is used to insert the threads into the stock surface. The tool bit is formed in the shape of the threads and with great pressure; it is then forced against the stock.

Fasteners such as screws are extensively used in hardware industries and they are available in huge varieties and patterns, so as to meet various industry requirements. Many people carry a notion that screws are all the same. But if you visit any online hardware supply store, such as Mutual Screw and Supply, you would learn that these fasteners are available in various designs and each one of them features distinct functionality.

You can only settle down for a particular hardware item, which meets your requirement, provided you understand the basic difference between various screws, say metal screws vs wood screws. Many people would assume that the basic difference lies in their materials. But this is not entirely true, as the metal rivets can also be used in wooden and fiber glass surfaces and the wood fasteners can also be used in surfaces other than furniture. However, their main difference lies in their features and designs.

Threads

You can site a major difference in their threading pattern. These two rivets are threaded differently. While the sheet metal fasteners are benumbed and are threaded on the entire body, the wooden rivets are comparatively soft and feature a tapered shank. The threading on metal ones is available up to 3 inches and the wooden ones feature threading up to 1 inch. The sheet metal screws flaunt a straight shank along-with a finer threading pattern other than the wooden rivets, which are threaded only two-thirds of the way up.

Pitches

Pitch refers to the number of threads per inch. The metal rivets feature number of pitches than the wooden ones, which indicates that they feature a coarser pitch. In case of the wooden screws, the top portion is often not threaded, thereby enabling the rivet to be popped up from the surface.

Uses

The metal fasteners can also be used in furniture pieces, whereas wooden screws are not ideal to be used in metal surfaces. The metal screws are ideal for self-tapping. (Self-tapping means that the fastener can create its own threading as it advances through the material). These self-tapped rivets are used in plastics, fiber-glass and plywood, whereas in wooden screws, self-tapping is not possible. These fasteners are used in outdoor building structures such as decks and fences.

A sex screw, which is also known as barrel nut or barrel bolt and even Chicago screw at times, is a type of fastener that features a barrel shaped nozzle and a protruding boss, which is threaded internally (a boss is basically an extended feature on a work piece).

This protruding feature is placed within the components, which need to be fastened, while the rivet’s flange enables the bearing surface.

The barrel nut and its accompanying machine screw enables flush on both sides of the surface, which are tightened. Such kinds of bolts are much in demand, most probably because of their low profile as compared to other bolts.

The Chicago screw usually possesses a built-in feature, like a slot, which helps in securing any fastener.

Sex screws are used in bolting applications, mostly in situation which demand to have a head on both sides of the joint. The sex bolt is enabled with a female thread, thereby enabling it to meet with the bottom of a standard bolt and connect.

There are some sex bolts, which are also known as architectural bolts and feature knurled cylindrical containers. Knurling is commonly a manufacturing terminology, used when a process is typically carried out on a lathe and a diamond shape pattern is cut into metal.

Such kind of rivets are also used in binding posts, which are quite similar to architectural bolts, because of their special designs, which are fashioned to be assembled from one side. in addition to, they have also got teeth on the flanged base, which are helpful in fastening.

These metal pieces were originally produced for the printing industry, so as to bind huge catalogs together. But now, with their multi-faceted features, they are also used in numerous other ways.

The stainless steel sex screws usually feature combo truss head, which are usually broad with a low profile rounded cap. These are a combination of rivets, which feature both slot as well as X shaped cells for use and can be easily used by a Phillips head or flat bladed screw driver.

The Chicago screws can be easily fetched online. The Mutual Screw and Supply is an ideal destination to look for all sorts of fasteners. Browse through the product page to find more!

A thumb screw a kind of fastener, which features an over-sized head with a diamond-shaped or knurled anchor finish along-with large wing like blades, thereby enabling the screw to be used as per the requirement.

Such kind of rivet is used in applications, where any object may need frequent re-installations, as it is in the case of the safety cover or in case of various electronic devices. In such cases, such kind of fastener makes it possible for you to easily remove it by just twisting it with your thumb and forefinger.

In most of the application, the thumb screw is used as a bolt. While a screw by nature is usually pointed in shape and is used to develop its own threads when inserted into sheet metal or wood, the thumb screw features a blunt-nosed bolt, which is tightened into any threaded hole. The basic advantage is that it renders easy installation and removal processes without any help of tools, as it is with the case of other screws.

The battery cover and other certain electronic devices use such kind of rivet. You would have often heard that the thumb screw is captured – it means that bolt of this rivet once loosened, it won’t fall out of the cover. This particular rivet uses a washer, which is set in place to sustain the metal piece in the cover. This is a handy hardware supply, thereby preventing the locking screw from getting lost.

It is available in various designs, which incorporate a Phillips or flat screwdriver into the fastener. This helps the rivet to be easily fastened by a wrench even and if not then it can be still tightened by finger. In heavy-duty applications, such as in boats and off-road vehicles, it is highly recommended because of its tendency to get loosened over time. In case of the fasteners, featuring knurled heads, it is possible to attach the screw with a pair of pilers, so as to ensure accurate torque implementation.

Before elaborating the different types of screws available today in the market, let us first of all have a quick review on its definition.

So what is a screw?

A screw/bolt is a type of fastener distinguished by a circular ridge, known as threads which are wrapped around a cylinder.

While some screw threads are designed to get along with an internal thread, also known as complementary thread, there are some threads, which are fashioned to cut a helical groove in a softer material, say wood or plywood, when the fastener is inserted. The major function of a screw is to hold two objects together.

These kinds of fasteners are astonishingly versatile and powerful enough to be hold two different surfaces intact. The basic concept behind such metal objects’ functionality is their threaded cylindrical parts, which are designed to get inserted into any kind of material, be it a plastic, wood, metal or plywood. However, there are various types of screws available suitable for distinct surfaces.

These types can be distinguished depending upon the driving methods, job requirement, head shape, type of threads and material used to make such metal pieces. Have a look!

Driving Methods

Slotted: The heads of such fasteners are most probably the most ancient and commonly used variety. The linear slot in the screw’s head is easily gets along-with any standard screw driver, such as the flat-head screwdriver.

Phillips: These are the enhanced forms of slotted ones. Their cross-shaped laps, which are not continuous up to the edge, will certainly require a Phillips-head screwdriver. The heads of such rivets, featuring a circular shape, enables a larger mating surface, thereby reducing the chances of wear and tear. Plus, they also prevent the chances of slipping. A cross head usually features 2 full-length slots, which can only work with a flat-head screwdriver.

Square: This type is also known as Robertson screw head and features a square dent to reduce the chances of slipping. It requires a special kind of driver for its usage.

Hex: This is again available in two designs. Such types of fasteners either feature a hexagonal recession in the head or do not have grooves at all. The hex socket screw/Allen screw requires an Allen wrench, featuring a hexagonal shaft and the other type of hex screw’s head is completely hexagonal in shape. A socket wrench is required to tighten or loosen it.

Apart from being available in above mentioned types, the screws are also available in various materials. While some are made up of steel and stainless steel, there are fasteners, which are made up of brass, nylon, aluminium and are also available with zinc and black-oxide coating.

U-drive self-tapping screws, which are also known as hammer drive screws, are unslotted fasteners featuring round-shaped head and numerous start threads along-with a huge corkscrew-shaped angle and an unthreaded pilot point.

This particular fastener is hard-as-nails and is far more rigid than the pairing part and is to be either screwed or hammered into any substrate, say castings, plastics or sheet metals for a fastener diurnal assembly. Besides, this kind of rivet also requires a miniature pre-drilled hole to render maximum adhesion.

This special type of screw is available in zinc or black oxide coated steel material and also in stainless steel in sizes ranging from #00 – #8 and lengths between 1/8” and ¾”.

If you study online, you would get to know about the different technical as well as dimensional specifications of u-drive screws and also about the various pilot hole sizes. You can get a clear knowledge on fasteners, as there’s ample information present online.

Such types of fasteners are usually available as standard stock items and readily and available for immediate same day free shipping by most of the hardware supply chains such as Mutual Screw & Supply.

Although such companies sell their products on bulk amounts, they can even give out items on small quantities on request. You need to give them a call, so as to make your orders as per your requirement.

Main Features

1. Multiple start threads along- with a huge corkscrew-shaped angle
2. Unslotted round-shaped head
3. Unthreaded pilot point
4. Not designed to be removed soon after installation

Factors to consider while going for hammer drive screws

1. Must be stronger than pairing part
2. A pre-drilled pilot hole is required
3. No tapping is required
4. Ideal for permanent fastening
5. Requires sufficient space for installation with a mallet or hammer