What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Source for bright stainless screws

werxcv01

Well Known Member
The flying RV-8 I purchased has bright screws in the wingtips, fairings, etc. The screwheads are almost mirror bright. Most of these are 6-32 and 8-32 in various lengths. I purchased stainless screws at AirVenture 2019 but none have heads as shiny as the ones in the airplane, which have a small rectangle mark. I cannot tell if these screws are polished or chrome plated, and I have not been able to find a source. I checked at West Marine for marine grade stainless screws but they were not as shiny and did not have the rectangle mark. Does anyone have a source for this type of screw?
 
Microfiber cloth on the bench with a touch of aluminum wheel polish on the cloth. Grab the screw shank, a few high speed passes and shine happens.

If it has a flush washer, polish it at the same time.
 
Careful with the West Marine crews, they may 82 degrees heads rather then the aircraft standard of 100 degrees.
 
The flying RV-8 I purchased has bright screws in the wingtips, fairings, etc. The screwheads are almost mirror bright. Most of these are 6-32 and 8-32 in various lengths. I purchased stainless screws at AirVenture 2019 but none have heads as shiny as the ones in the airplane, which have a small rectangle mark. I cannot tell if these screws are polished or chrome plated, and I have not been able to find a source. I checked at West Marine for marine grade stainless screws but they were not as shiny and did not have the rectangle mark. Does anyone have a source for this type of screw?

I’m not too fussy about how shiny they appear, but I have used these sources for stainless machine screws:

https://www.albanycountyfasteners.com/
https://www.boltdepot.com/Default.aspx
https://www.mcmaster.com/screws/flat-head-screws/

Do be careful about material choice, strength, and counter sink angle based on your application.

Peter
 
Careful with the West Marine crews, they may 82 degrees heads rather then the aircraft standard of 100 degrees.

I noticed that about the WM screws, plus the heads were dull, so I didn’t buy any. Someone suggested the marine screws might have a polished look.
 
I’m not too fussy about how shiny they appear, but I have used these sources for stainless machine screws:

Peter

I would not normally be concerned about the shine. I flew my -6A for 10 years and never noticed but with the -8, I now have some polished and some not. I figured if there was a known source I would buy some and swap them out. I guess I need to contact the previous owner and his mechanic to see if they had a source or if they polished the screws themselves.
 
I usually use spruce for everything; most of them are kind of shinny; I did get one batch recently that looked like raw aluminum, sort of a satin finish.
 
Back
Top