Why are drywall screws black?

[shareyourknowledge]

Is there a reason drywall screws are black? Is it just to distinguish them from wood screws or are they made of a special alloy which makes them black? Sorry. Just a newbie.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Probably because its cheaper to coat them this way.

Rather than galvanise/chrome them.

Jesus! who wrote this script?

[bridgerfafc]

2 reasons- the black is a side effect of the heat treatment and it provides a slightly rough surface that the drywall mud can stick to.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

[Leon]

And as a newbie let me advise you to not use dry walls screws for "hard wood" wood working. Check out McFeeleys Square Drive Screws.

[Toller]

I don't use them anymore, but I have used plenty of dry wall screws in the past for inappropriate purposes. They occasionally break when installing, but I never had a problem with one breaking afterwards. That said, McFeelys is certainly better (though I used Rockler last time; same thing...)

[Leon]

Swingman might beg to differ with you on that one. He recently had a problem with the Rockler screws breaking.

[Swingman]

... and went right back to Mc'Feely's.

[New Wave Dave]

I see McFeeley's is offering a pretty complete assortment of star-drive or what we call torx screws, actually a Canadian manufacturer, GRK (I believe). We've been using them since discovering them in the late 90s. I probably haven't twisted off a half dozen heads in the nine or ten years we've been using them. They are often very useful in tight spots where you can't get a hammer or nailer. I keep using the same set of screws in successive sets of saw horses (which mostly end up living outdoors) for the past four or five years. Oddly enough, Circle Saw in Houston is the only retail outlet I have been able to find them in here in Houston while I can find them at most of the "Do It Best" home centers in the south Texas communities I frequent.

[Jay Pique]

Speaking of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Daves, what ever happened to Bay Area Dave? He was a pretty frequent poster here back when I started lurking.

JP

[Joe Bemier]

Technically, it is Black Oxide - that is applied in a plating process. Since rust is an oxide the plating inhibits its formation - for a while anyway.

[Phisherman]

Besides that, all the drywall screws I saw at the BORG were "Made in China," or "Made in Taiwan." Fasteners made in the USA, Canada, or Germany are very good.

[lwasserm]

The black oxide coating on DW screws and other hardware is very cheap and gives a small amount of corrosion protection.

[Patriarch]

"New Wave Dave" wrote in news:XH0Ig.1091$o42.227 @tornado.texas.rr.com:

My local Do It Best has a similar success in having 'the good stuff'. Their fastener aisle keeps my McFeeley's orders down to once a year...

Patriarch

[Mark & Juanita]

Haven't bought any screws from the Borg for years -- do they still twist off at the slightest over-torquing? I think I just threw my last batch out a few months ago when I found them. Trying to use them was not worth the hastle; I'd have more twist off than would drive in correctly, and I'm not a ham-fisted sort of person.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[Toller]

I think you just cursed me. I have used a few hundred Rockler screws with no problem. Tonight I had 4 break on me. Maybe it was really really hard oak...

[Steve B]

So you know it's quitting time when you can't see the screws.

duh............

Steve ;-)

[bridgerfafc]

yes.

[New Wave Dave]

~:o) New Wave Dave in Houston

[New Wave Dave]

On occasion we've used the Deck Kings from the Borg only because it saved us the drive to Circle Saw. I can't recall but a few of them ever twisting off.