strap duplicator and transfer screw for 8-32

[Taltruda]

Just take some 8-32 screws, Chuck them in your drill, cut. The heads off, and sharpen them on a bench grinder to a point. The. You can thread them into the nutplates with the tips just proud of the surface. Put on your plate, and tap with a 2x4 or rubber mallet.. the points will transfer..

[WingsOnWheels]

I just made a simple bushing for my #40 strap duplicator so it would fit the 8/32 nutplate.

[Richard Connell]

I?d try a #30 strap duplicator.
That will fit in to the threads of the 8-32 nutplate (if the pin is deep enough)
just like the #30 countersink fits perfectly into the spar #8 nutplates.

[Scott Hersha]

I?ve done the same thing as Richard on the previous post. A #30 strap duplicator fit in the 8/32 nut plate hole just fine.

I also made a ?home brew? version of a strap duplicator out of two hack saw blades - the cheaper, the better. Take the two blades and pop-rivet them together so that the mount holes in the end line up perfectly with each other. Put in two rivets at the other end about 3 inches apart to hold that perfect alignment. Then install a short solid 1/8? rivet in the underlying blade, and squeeze it just enough to hold it in place. This will fatten the rivet, making it just right for a #19 hole. You don?t want to flatten it because it will need to fit in you 8-32 platenut hole. In fact this step of installing the solid rivet should probably be done before joining the two hacksaw blades. That way, if you mess it up, you can drill it out and try again. If you use a button head rivet (flush rivet is better) you can flatten the top of the button with a file to make your duplicator more stable during drilling. Using a drill bit stop will make it last longer because that solid rivet is soft and won?t last for very many hits by a drill bit. Worked for me. A real strap duplicator is better, but this works for a few holes if you need it right now. It only takes a few minutes to make this tool.

[Saville]

Originally Posted by Scott Hersha

I also made a ?home brew? version of a strap duplicator out of two hack saw blades - the cheaper, the better. Take the two blades and pop-rivet them together so that the mount holes in the end line up perfectly with each other. Put in two rivets at the other end about 3 inches apart to hold that perfect alignment. Then install a short solid 1/8? rivet in the underlying blade, and squeeze it just enough to hold it in place. This will fatten the rivet, making it just right for a #19 hole. You don?t want to flatten it because it will need to fit in you 8-32 platenut hole. In fact this step of installing the solid rivet should probably be done before joining the two hacksaw blades. That way, if you mess it up, you can drill it out and try again. If you use a button head rivet (flush rivet is better) you can flatten the top of the button with a file to make your duplicator more stable during drilling. Using a drill bit stop will make it last longer because that solid rivet is soft and won?t last for very many hits by a drill bit. Worked for me. A real strap duplicator is better, but this works for a few holes if you need it right now. It only takes a few minutes to make this tool.

This sounds like a workable idea. What did you place on the hack saw blade that goes on top the the plate to be drilled? Did you mount some sort of bushing?

Though I suppose that all I really need do is start the hole making a dimple and then I can finish drilling the hole at the drill press.

I'll try this idea.

Thanks!

[Mike S]

A couple other methods are to draw a straight line from the hole, and make a reference mark at some specific distance, whatever is easy to measure and remember----then put the part in place, extend the line back onto the new part, and mark the hole center from your reference mark.

You can also cleco or screw a thin strip of metal to the hole you want to transfer, tape the metal strip securely to the structure, then remove the cleco and slide the new part into place under the metal strip, and mark through the hole in your strip of metal.

I have used both methods successfully over the years.

[Scott Hersha]

With two hacksaw blades, one blade is on top of the plate to be drilled through the hole in it, and the other blade has a rivet in its hole that goes into the platenut target hole. It is essentially exactly like a strap duplicator, but not as durable, but doable for several holes, and pretty inexpensive if you only need one for a few holes.

[scsmith]

Plus 1 for Scott's home made strap duplicator. I have made a few. I've even made various sizes by just riveting a couple of strips of aluminum together, drilling through both, then fitting a proper sized rivet into the hole of the lower strip.

[gasman]

Metal shipping strap.... fold in half, drill the end the size you need.

[Scott Hersha]

Wow - I like that metal shipping strap idea. I should have thought of that myself. Keep that stuff out of the landfill for something useful...