Anytime you have dissimilar metals in contact, there is a chance of corrosion - same electrochemistry as a battery. So steel screws in brass hinges could end up discoloring, even though you could drive them in the first place. Better to make sure you drill the right size pilot holes, use oil or paraffin on the threads, set your drill on the softest setting or use a hand screwdriver.
Steve
admiralty brass was developed for this purpose.
Hi Lazarus,
When I assemble a project that requires brass screws. I make the initial hole threads using a matching size steel screw. Once the hole and threads are cut, the brass screw goes in easily, and I have never had a screw twist off.
The added advantage is the screw heads don't get scratched up as much.
As for getting the broken screw out. That's a good one. No idea. Maybe someone else has a good way to get it out without doing a lot of damage.
Pat
In my experience the brass screws supplied with packs of hinges, locks etc. are of the lowest quality. Put them in the metal scrap bin and use real quality boxed alternatives. You do need to make sure there is a clearance hole for the shank though.
*NO*, there is _no_ truth to that story.
(Note: I'd heard this one too, with the thermal contraction resulting in the bottom row of cannonshot being *trapped* on the frame -- giving rise to "cold enough to freeze the balls *ON* a brass monkey". Unfortunately, it just "ain't so, Joe." )
The _first_ element fails -- the triangular frame for holding cannonshot is *not* called a monkey.
The various branches of the U.S. military have official 'historian' positions. I checked this out with *both* the Army Historian, and the Navy one. (a retired career Army _artillery_ officer 'questioned' my story, having never heard the term, himself; which caused me to do substantial digging to very "something I =knew= was true". *sigh* it wasn't.}
The 'closest' military reference is a "powder monkey" -- a *person* who ferried gunpowder to the gun, from the storage area.
A google search, *and* the material at the well-researched and documented myth-debunking site tends to support the (silly as it sounds on the face of it) claim that the phrase comes from exactly what it seems to imply -- cast-brass statuary in the likeness of a monkey. From India, and apparently fairly _thin_ castings. With 'structural failures', at certain strategic places, when exposed to large temperature changes.
That only happens if they get wet, preferably with salt water. It effectively forms a battery. I have never seen it happen when dry.
Personally, I prefer solid brass screws with brass hardware. I use a lot of them and haven't broke one yet.
Drill>Why is it some brands of hardware still come with brass screws? Tiny
I don't have a clue.
The only thing that comes to mind is polishing the brass buttons on military uniforms.
Actually, the term "brightwork" refers to the exterior wood trim on a boat that is varnished. It has nothing to do with metal; however, it has a lot to do with "work".
Maintaining "brightwork" is a lot of "work".
I'm not a naval historian but to the best of my knowledge, the above is strictly a tale of folklore.
HTH
Lew
Sorry, but to go back to the O.T., the racks that held solid shot were, on British warships, called "garlands".
There's other hardware on my project that uses brass plated steel screws. How do I know? They stick to a magnet. I'll keep an eye on them, they're in a fairly visible location. BTW, they're sewing machine hinges I'm using in a drop front to cover a slide out keyboard tray.
I'd really like the same for the hinges. In spite of possible discoloration from galvanic action. It'd be simpler.
This is a reply to all:
The consensus is to use steel screws to "tap" the hole. O.K., so far so good. For the broken screws that happen, drilling out is to be done, but the hole either has to receive a plug or fill with epoxy, then redrill.
This is my question now: Doe epoxy hold a screw? I'm thinking G2 epoxy, or West's System. I have both in my shop. Would simply pouring epoxy in the now grossly oversized cutout now do the job of the virgin wood of holding a screw? Or, should I make a small block to fill a small mortise (the aforementioned gross cutout) around the drilled out screw?
BTW, confession time: I must shamefully admitt that I made a mistake. While I did it all right with pilot hole and wax, the VIX bit did not drill the hole to the required depth. My fault. I didn't check that until after the second one twisted off. At this time all other holes are proper size and depth and are "tapped" with a steel screw. I've gotta fix the other two holes now.
P.S., I got the bifold doors hung with only one screw in each hinge leaf and they look great! if only I'd gotten it all right from the get go.
What I am about to describe will hold any fastener on the planet and outlast the wood almost forever.
1) Drill the hole oversize about 2-3 diameters.2) Mix some epoxy and coat the wood walls with a small brush. (I use a plumber's flux brush and throw it away when finished)
3) Use a piece of masking tape to cover the back side of the hole. If you have drilled a blind hole, forget this step.4) Mix some epoxy and then add micro balloons to form a paste about like mayo, then overfill the hole using a popcicle stick.
5) Wait 24-48 hours for epoxy paste to cure.6) Redrill pilot hole, remount hardware, and get on with life.
What I have described is a process I use all the time.
SFWIW, the more coarse the thread, the better. I usually use coarse thread sheet metal thread screws, not wood screws, but wood screws will work.
The above is outlined in the Gougeon Bros book on boat building. (The guys who are West Systems).
HTH
Lew
Same problem here. I usually drive a steel one in first, but sometimes I forget to do that, and the heads usually strip right out. Luckily, I usually don't bust the heads off, and I generally just tap the screw down into the pilot hole with a tack hammer. While it doesn't really look *exactly* like the other screws, it does seem to hold ok, and looks fine from anything further than a couple of inches away- at least to me. I figure the threads get mashed down when the screw is driven in, leaving a series of tiny cleats that keep the fastener from pulling back out (kind of like a spiral nail) and it's an acceptable solution for me.
Of course, when the heads break off as they did in your case, screaming and yelling at the sucker for a while is usually my first resort. :)
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