I'm trying to source a steel disk of 50mm or slightly greater where I can weld a nut in the centre and retains an element of rigidity.
I'm currently using:
really its too large a diameter though not a serious issue but is too thin where it distorts badly whilst welding a nut in the centre.
Are there any off-the-shelf sources I can obtain a couple of these that are 2-3mm thick? I've run out of ideas!
Are they allowed a hole in the middle?
Tim
Could you use a Rivnut rather than welding a nut to the plate?
why weld? what's wrong with a rivet nut bashed in?
Why? Because I have a MIG welder at hand!
The thread will be M8. There are some rivnuts on ebay that might make a neater job than a weld. I hadn't considered them.
As I said in reply to NT, I hadn't considered them.
It does need to be M8 and there are some on eBay but not sure how easy they pull down to clamp the washer.
Too expensive?
You can buy steel on Ebay. Maybe even a washer etc in the dimensions you need - although I'd be inclined to just get some steel - perhaps an offcut from a local fabricator - and cut to size. Easier to get it true after welding.
Most certainly a hole but fear the ones you found the hole will be too big to be of use.
I did find:
I did have a further look and found some M10 x 50MM dia x 1.5mm thick. The conduit lid is 0.6-0.7mm so given the reduced diameter and double the thickness I believ it will be rigid enough and have the right feel.
Many thanks.
When all you have is a hammer...
Unless you are going to be putting massive torque on the thing, nut inserts are always a massively better bet than welded on nuts
Especially in thin plate
And..... ....all you need is that hammer!
Thanks for the ideas.
Going for a 1.5mm thick washer M10 x 50mm and a rivnut from eBay.
The things I am thinking of, you drill an interference hole, and press them in and mash the top over to rivet the, A press or a hammer and a drift is what it takes.
This is what I mean. 40p each. 1/2" hole needed
suitable for up to 14swg.
When we used em in production, we used as press to fit them, but for prototypes a vice was good, or a steel drift and a hammer
I strongly recommend getting some and trying them out.
And use the MIG to weld granny in her mobility scooter instead.
I'm hoping the M10 1.5mm thick washers I'm getting will have a clearance hole almost the right size that won't need too much fettling for the rivnut to fit.
I have a press so fingers crossed.
The clinch nuts, do they go through the sheet, then get the thin part belled out like a rivet?
Sounds good. Avoid the cheaper type of "pliers" setting tools. If you don't want to buy an expensive, high quality setting tool because you are only doing a limited number of parts, just use some studding and nuts with a length of stout tubing as a spacer. You don't want to be rotating a thread in the nut which you are setting, you want to be
*pulling* it via a nut on the other end of the studding. A bit of moly grease on the studding will help. You will want an anti-rotate feature for the jacking stud, an easy way is a pair of nuts locked together at one end.So your sequence of parts is
Rivnut, washer, studding, spacer, jacking nut, two nuts locked together.
I get the principle, thanks. Rather than two locked nuts, wouldn't a bolt-head be better?
How about sticking a 60mm hole saw through a bit of 3mm thick steel - then just use the bit you cut out?
Yes, that would be fine, but if you are doing a number of them, after the screw nut location has become a bit worn you will need a new bolt. Whereas with a length of studding, you just cut off that bit and move along a bit.
I find with 6, 8, 10, and 12 mm studding plus nuts and washers I can make pullers to do all sorts of things, but I never seem to have quite the right sort of bolt to hand.
A merit of using a proper bolt (hex or socket head) is that these are available in "high tensile" materials which are significantly stronger than ordinary studding, so the threads are a bit more robust.
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