Fasteners

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Threaded Fasteners

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Eyelet

The eyelet is very similar to a rivet except the eyelet has a hole all the way through.  Eyelets are typically made of brass.  Eyelets are much easier to set than rivets.  My first exposure to them was making double sided printed circuit boards at a time prior to vias so eyelets were installed to make an electrical connection between the top and bottom layers.  They were installed by a pneumatic powered machine that had auto feed and a foot pedal to activate the setting operation.  The machine came from a shoe manufacturing operation.

A Grommet is similar but is used with a washer, typically in fabric.  For example the corners of a tarp may have grommets to allow using ropes to hold it.

This is tooling that allows using the press function of a Drill Press (not the drill motor) to set eyelets.

The top tool has a central cone to flare out the eyelet's open end and then a radiused part to form the reverse bend.

The bottom tool holder has 3/8-16 threads that match the T-slot fittings for this bench top drill press and so an Enco flanged nut (407-5024) with it's points ground very slightly makes a good centered fit into the top drill press table center hole.  All that's required to line up the top and bottom tools is to rotate the table left or right a little and then clamp it.

The bottom tool holder appears to have been made from a bolt that has two concentric holes drilled on the long axis.  The upper hole is about 1/4" diameter and holds the bottom anvil.  The retractable pin sticking up in the center fits inside the shank of the eyelet, but it too big to clear the small lip at the end of the eyelet thus it will lift up an eyelet that's shorter than it's height above the anvil.  The lower hole clears the coil spring.  That a very handy thing helping to insert the eyelet into the work piece.  Below the retractable pin is a spring pushing it up.

If you try to form an eyelet without a pin inside the eyelet body, the body will crumple instead of holding it's shape.  Another way to get the needed internal support is to make the top tool with a fixed pin that will go into the hole in the anvil.

Eyelets are available in many diameters and lengths.  The nominal diameter of the hole is how the diameter is specified and the ones I'm using are 3/32, 1/8 and 5/32".  The 3/32" tooling is shown in the photo.

In order for the top tool to fit inside the snaps used for 9 Volt batteries the diameter has been reduced from what a stock top tool looks like.  This was done with the tool in the drill press with the motor running using a hand held grinding stone.

The top tool is installed in the chuck with it's top end seated on the inside of the chuck so when downward pressure is applied the tool will not slip in the chuck jaws.  It takes some force to seat an eyelet, but not by any means excessive.

Offset Eyelet Drill Press setup

In the above photo the bottom tool is located in the center hole of the movable table.  In the photo at the left the bottom tool (including the pin and spring) are located in a custom offset holder made from 1" x 1/2" iron bar.  in the end of the bar there's a 6-32 tapped hole for a pinch screw.  That stock round head screw does not work because it does not let the center of the bottom tool get to the center position of a AA battery in the battery holder.

The movable drill press table can be tilted left to right and when pressure is applied to seat an eyelet the table tips to the right no matter how tight the locking nut is tightened.  The fix for that is to install a one foot long 3/8-16 all thread rod, four nuts and four washers to lock the distance between the drill press base and the table.

Siska Manual Tooling

The Siska tooling uses a system that does not need a receding center pin.  Their bottom tool does the eyelet forming unlike the Keystone tooling where the top die does the forming.  The Siska top tool has a center clearance hole and the bottom die has a fixed pin. 

The top and bottom dies fit a 3/8" diameter hole in either this manual tool holder set or into the arbor press or more automated machines.

The shank diameter is very important since it needs to clear whatever is near the eyelet.

A locating point is shown on a bottom tool that makes a scored setting.  I prefer the roll setting where the lower die would have a half doughnut around the center pin.





The next step up from hand tooling is an arbor press.  They come in 1/2, 1 and 2 ton capacities.

The key advantage I see is that the alignment between the top and bottom tools is much better.

When using a lower die with a cutting point (just a square top with sharp corners), it's important that the top and bottom dies are well aligned. 

The two adjusting screws on the front would allow minimizing front to back slop in the ram.  Don't know about side to side slop.

Stimpson 405 Press

I debated getting an arbor press, the Stimpson 405 press or tooling for using a hammer.  The fancier auto feed presses are what I used long ago to install shoe eyelets into printed circuit boards to make vias (after soldering each on both sides), but those presses are too expensive for me.  So got the 405 press with compound linkage and some customized tooling as well as some of the stock eyelet tooling.

The arbor press is a simple rack and pinion machine where the mechanical advantage is the operating arm length (minus a little) divided by the pinion gear radius.  This works out to around 10 and the ratio is the same for all positions of the arm.

The Stimpson 405 has a three bar linkage and it's mechanical advantage changes with arm position.  It approaches infinity at bottom dead center.  I estimate it at 100 but it's very dependent on how close to going over center the tooling allows.  Needless to say this makes a huge difference in ease of use and it's something I didn't know until I had the press.  It would be better to have an adjustable lower tool so that you could optimize the leverage to match the thickness of the work.

Stimpson 405 Press	GS-5 Stock tooling	Compound linkage

This is the current version (22 Apr 2008) 405 made from an aluminum casting.  It's impressive to look at with a mirror like black finish, i.e. anything in the photos that looks like a blemish is a reflection.  The action is smooth and feels precise, but the proof is in the pudding.

The top and bottom tools use different mating diameters.  The bottom tool is 13/16" and the top too is 3/8".  Keystone and Siska use 3/8" for both tools thus allowing you to install them either way.  Stimpson seems to want you to only install them one way.   The bottom tool requires a 3/16" hex wrench and the top tool a 1/8" hex wrench.  Both tools have flats for the setscrews and a close fit to the tool.

If you are left handed then the press should be mounted as shown in the photo at left above.  That way you work the press with your off hand while your precision hand is used to work with the eyelets.  If mounted with the handle facing back you would need long arms to work it.

In addition to the eyelet tools the 405 also can be used with Grommet tools and also round sheet metal punches in the size range of 3/32 to 3/4" diameters.

Custom Tooling

This is a custom tool made to install 9 Volt battery snaps.  The post in the center of the snap is spring loaded and gets pressed down by the top tool which is shown to the left upside down.  The spring loaded post holds an eyelet, the PCB and keeps the snap in place until the top tool sets the eyelet.  This is upside down from the stock tooling shown above but is the correct way to manually do eyelets.

GS Numbers

The GS (Graduated Size) system is based on 1/32"  So a GS-5 tool is for use on eyelets that go into a 5/32" (0.156") hole.
GS eyelets are numbered GS [hole dia in 32^nds of a inch]-[Length under flange in 32^nds of a inch]
The smallest GS series that's mentioned in the Stimson catalog is GS 2-2 (1/16 dia hole x 1/16 long under flange) and the largest GS 7-14 ( 7/16 dia hole x 7/8" long under flange).
I suspect there's some logical way the flange diameter is determined but have not tried to analyze it yet.

The Keystone two digit eyelet numbers are the GS numbers.

Tooling

It turns out the stock tooling would work for installing an eyelet into something thin and flat, but not into real world applications.  Custom tooling is needed.

Caution

A very close tolerance fit is used between the tools and the press.  If an operator that's not mechanically inclined changes the tools and does not seat the set screw on the tool's flat, then the precision surface of the tool gets distorted thus locking the tool into the press.  There are a couple of notches in the tools that allow a wedge  to be driven between the press and tool to get it out.  Then the tool needs to be cleaned up.

Problem

There is a finger shaped metal strap that presses against the hand lever so that when the lever is up it will stay there.  The problem is the metal of the strap (steel) is very similar to the metal of the hand lever (cast iron) and so there is galling.  Along with the galling, and the main reason for the "fix" is the very loud noise that's much worse than fingernails on a blackboard.

The fix from idea to working took about 10 minutes.  Just cut a strip of Phosphor Bronze sheet metal a little wider than the finger, drill a hole for the mounting screw and put it between the two.
Later an upside down "U" was added to the Phosphor Bronze to keep it from getting pulled down.

You can buy the Phosphor Bronze from me at:
http://www.prc68.com/P/Prod.html#PBBK

Eyelet Patents

372826 Eyelet-setting machine, Edwin B. Stimpson, Nov 8, 1887, 227/60; 221/167; 221/241 - auto eyelet feed, bench top machine
391208 Machine for Setting Eyelets, Edwin B. Stimpson, Oct 16, 1888, - auto eyelet feed, bench top machine
736163 Eyeleting-machine, Edwin B. Stimpson, 1903-08-1,  221/182; 221/188 - foot operated from standing position, free standing machine
863330 Headless rivet, Edwin B. Stimpson,1907-08-13, 411/457; 256/54 -

Tubular Rivets

A normal rivet is a solid part, but the tubular rivet has a hole in the end that's going to be formed so that end looks very much like an eyelet.  It's a lot easier to form the tube than the rod.

These are some rivets and rivet tools from Mike's "A" Ford-able Parts.  I get the feeling the Model A was held together by rivets (not sure of the factory used tubular or solid ones. The tool holder and associated tools is the T2018 Brake Riveting Tool Set.  The tool bore is 3/8" for the top and bottom and the holes go all the way though the top and bottom of the holder.  The top bore has a wire type snap ring that's holding the top tool keeping it from falling.  The set is for use with the A2018R Brake Lining Tube Rivets. In the lower right of the photo is the A16753 Hood Handle & Latch Clip rivets and the RA2022 tools for setting them.  These tools have a shank diameter that's just under 3/8" and they fit the above tool holder very well.  The rivet has a head diameter of 0.314" and a shank dia. of 0.1405 (tight fit in #28 drill hole).  The shank is 0.189" long before being formed so the thickness of the parts being riveted together needs to be under 0.1". The T2013T tool in the lower left is to be used with the A2013 rivets, but I can't find them on Mike's web pages.

Paper

There are many ways of joining paper.
Early Office Museum - Paper Fasteners & Paper Fastener Punches -

Mechanical

“Stapleless” paper fastening Corner folding & locking

Tongue folded into slot

Bump Paper Fastener Co

Caution: loosening screws (9) will destroy the hole punch and/or tongue punch alignment.  The alignment between the cutters and die may be destroyed if the device is dropped.  Mine was non operational when received and was probably that way for a number of decades.

Photos

Fig 1	Fig 2 Side View When received the notch at the left was not there. You could not get the paper under the tongue punch.	Fig 3 Critical Assembly:  Needed to properly assemble in order to get gap under tongue punch and under paper punch. The die plates have tapped holes.  Nuts are used to hold on base. Bottom cover is a friction fit on base. Part numbers & names match patent 1283063
Fig 20 Bump Hand Held Fastener "The BumpPaperFastener Co. La Crosse Wis. U.S.A. Pat'd July 21 '14" See: 1104622

		1009644 Method of fastening paper sheets and the like, George P Bump, 1/2 to J.C. Hawkins, Nov 21, 1911, 493/351; 24/67R; 229/84; 493/353; 493/392 - tongue into slot (not machine, just concept)
		1065903 Fastening device, George P Bump, (not assigned), June 24, 1913, 493/351; 493/392; 493/353 - hand held (looks like paper punch)
		1065904 Means for fastening paper sheets, George P Bump, (not assigned), June 24, 1913, 493/351; 493/353; 493/392 - desktop mushroom head  "New Model" - This in not the model shown in the photos above.
1104622		1104622 Machine for fastening paper or like sheets together, George P Bump, Bump's Perfected Paper Fastener Co, July 21, 1914, 493/351; 493/356; 493/392 - tongue into slot, paper punch model
		1283063 Implement for uniting paper sheets, George P Bump, (not assigned), Oct 29, 1918, 493/351; 493/356; 493/392 - desktop mushroom head "Stand Model"

Clipless

The Clipless uses the same tongue tucked under a slit as the Bump.  The patent dates are close together so not made after expiration of first patent.  Improvement over the Bump since the papers are clamped prior to cutting the tongue.  This should make for more reliable operation.

Apparently Clipless also licensed the Paper Welder patent.  This example functions just like the paper welder, but is a new design with apparently no interchangeable parts.

Fig 1

The label is in a pocket that is part of the base casting.

1173425 Paper-fastening device, J C Hawkins, Feb 29, 1916, 493/351; 493/392; 493/356 - looks like Bump mushroom head

Fermafix Paper Binder
1954965 Paper crimping device, William N Thode, Seiders-Mather Corp, Apr 17, 1934, 493/390; 412/29 - heavy hand crank machine that clamps to edge of table.
1960059 Paper crimping device, Charles C Mason, Seiders-Mather Corp, May 22, 1934, 493/390; 213/32R; 493/379 - heavy hand crank machine that clamps to edge of table.

Paper Welder

Photos

Fig 1

Fig 2 Paper-Welder, Des. Pat. 178628 Medina, N.Y. Made in U.S.A.

		2188222 Binding means, Ralph M Hibbs, 1/2 to S.E. Lewis, Jan 23, 1940, 493/390; 101/3.1 - looks like stapler
		2275111 Paper fastening and crimping press, Norman S Noll, Mar 3, 1942, 493/390 - looks like large heavy duty stapler
		D178628 Paper fastener, Norman L. Bathrick & Leo E. Collins, Bathrick-Collins Inc, Sept 4, 1956, Cites:    D121339 Paper Fastening Machine, N.S. Noll, Jly 2, 1940,    D152283 Paper Punch, W.H. Misson, Jan 4, 1949
		3327595 Paper joining machine, Jimmie A Harrod, PAPER WELDER Inc, Jun 27, 1967, 493/6; 83/630; 493/393; 74/38; 493/381 - electric motor drive American Stationer - Paper Welder -

General "Paper Fastening" Patents

23322 Mode of fastening sheets of paper together, E.L. Smartmount, Mar 22, 1859,  - uses what amounts to Acco pins and top clip.
58667 Paper Fastener, G.G.W. Morgan, Oct 9, 1866, - Acco type, but no top clip/plate.
66968 Paper Fastener, M.H.N. Kendig, July 23, 1867 - Acco type

Eyelets

eBay Title: Grommet Machine 3 Die (#0, #2 & #4) with 3 sizes of Grommets & Washers. under $40.
On my first try using the #0 dies and a grommet with a short shank (there are different length grommets in the size #0 bag) and a #0 washer the two pieces of paper punched and joined.

Fig 1

Button and String Closure (Staples Inter-Department Mail 50163/472993)

		221359 Letter-package clasp, J.W. Ripley, Nov 4, 1879, 24/18 24/127 - metal plate with button
		238605 Package Fastener, P.A. O'Malley, March 8, 1881, 24/18 24/134R 24/2 - complex plate w/2 buttons and binder
		265276 Package Fastener, P.A. O'Malley,Oct 3, 1882, 24/18 24/133 - complex plate w/2 buttons and binder
		274044 Package Tie, W.D. Smith, Mar 13, 1883, 24/127 24/18 24/712.9 40/665 229/77 229/125.22 - button w/attached string that can be installed using 2 metal tabs.
		394739 Fastening for mail-matter and other packages, M. Toulmin, Dec 18, 1888, 24/18; 24/127 - stand alone button/spool with string.

Paper Clips (Wiki)

Staples (Wiki)

Patents
208789 Improvement in machines for inserting and clinching wire staples, W.J. Brown Jr., Oct 8, 1878, -
267283 Paper Fasening Machine, M. Toulmin, Nov 7, 1882 - staples where top is wider than pins. Moving flippers at bottom form pins.
1735195 Stapling device, 1929-11-12, -

Acco fasteners

These are sheet metal straps that are bent and another sheet metal part with holes at each end is put over the top. (Staples Acco 12992H)

Screw Posts

 (Staples CLI 3703L)

Brass "T" fasteners

 (Wiki) a brass mushroom with two brass sheet metal tails. (Staples Acco 71504)
 56587 Paner Fastener, G.W. McGill, July 24, 1866, 411/457 - made all from sheet metal (no round metal head, but the same functionality as the modern version.
337182 Metallic fastener, G.W. McGill, March 2, 1886,  24/703.6; 24/96 - one of the versions has a round head.

Bulldog Clip

 (Wiki) a "C" spring with a couple of jaws and levers to open.

Mechanical

Bates Numbering (Wiki)

Photos

Fig 1	Fig 2 Ink clip below 6 wheels	Fig 3 Mode set to "0", no incrementing
Fig 4 Ink pad out to get new ink.	Fig 5 Plunger lock pressed in holding plunger down so that the wood stick can be used to change numbers.	Fig 6 Bottom view.

Suspender Buttons

For decades I've been using normal buttons to attach suspenders to my pants.  But very often a button pops off.  I think it's because there's no shank to separate the button from the base material and allow a space for the leather suspender strap.

	The jeans fly button shown here has a shank and that's what's needed for suspenders. Goldstartool - Rivets - Jean Button - Text & SKU: GS-HS-JB-17mm on order 17 Nov 2021 - next to try them. They work great. In the past the suspender buttons were on the inside, but since the new buttons, like the jeans button, have an image on the front, I'm mounting the button facing out.
	Failed in less than a year.

Brooke's Other Metal Working Web Pages

12" Bench Top Hand Shear
5C Tool room lathes when working in the Microwave business the shop was full of them
8" Mini Shear Break
Active Storage - shelving and box sizes
Air Tools
Digital-Retro-Turbo-Encabulator
Drill Press used with 5C collets
Electric mains power Generators
Farm Hi Lift Jack
Geodesic Dome Connector Plates
Hints & Tips What Goes Wrong
Lathes for < 1" OD parts (5C collets)
Mini Machine Tools (Lathes and Mills) One of my dreams
Fasteners A page made for my own use with dimensions of common fasteners used for product design and for looking at new ideas for products
Measuring Tools Used mainly for reverse engineering
Pocket Tools

Screw Head Patents

Adding this section based on the YouTube by the History Guy: Robertson, Phillips, and the History of the Screwdriver (16:24)

1:03 The idea of the screw - started out not related to fasteners
2:08 The wheellock (Wiki) uses a screws.  Uses an external "v" shaped flat metal spring . . . (there may be an internal spring as part of the wheel drive). Tthree flat head screws hold the wheel mechanism to the side of the gun and a square headed screw is used as part of a clamp to hold the flint. (not quite the description in the video). B.C.: one of the motivations for interchangeable parts (Wiki) was the desire to be able to repair guns on the battlefield rather than send them back to a gunsmith who would make custom parts to fit.
2:47 about screw cutting machines.  But for a better background see Wiki: Screw-cutting lathe for a progression of machines
3:04 Cold Rolling threads (Wiki) was perfected in the 1880s.

223730 Machine for Rolling Threads of Screws or Bolts, H.A. Harvey, 1880-01-20, 470/68; 72/92 -
248165 Machinery for Rolling Screw Threads, H.A. Harvey, 1898-10-11, 72/93 -
370354 Die for Rolling Screw Threads, C.D. Rogers, 1887-09-20, 72/469 -

3:14 At that time the heads were either external hexagon or square or internal flat slot.  Then a number of internal type heads.

161390 Wood-screw, A. Cummings, 1875-03-30, 411/407; 411/919 - "It is well known that the ordinary screwhead, provided with a slot, is very susceptible to injury, caused mainly by the slipping of the screw-driver from the slot when the screw is being set home in wood or metal."  "It is in the removing or withdrawing of screws that my invention proves its great utility. Screws that have been long embedded are very difficult to move by the use of an ordinary screw-driver, it invariably slipping from the slot, repeating the same until it is utterly impossible to start the screw or to obtain a hold in the slot. My invention completely eradicates this trouble,- and the screw is readily withdrawn at the first trial."

B.C.: The reason for this is that most flat blade (-) screwdrivers have a wedge shape and "cam out". Gunsmith screwdrivers are hollow ground precisely to avoid this problem.  The faces of the driver bit are either parallel to the slot or even have a reverse wedge, i.e. slightly wider at the bottom of the slot.

5:56 P.L. Robertson's 1907 Canadian patent (Wiki) is for a screw head with an internal square shape and a taper.  Worked better than slotted heads when painted over.  It also could be cold formed (Wiki), i.e. very economical to manufacture.   Fisher body works in Onterio Canada used them for Model T (Wiki) chassis building. (B.C.: Can't find a mention of Fisher body in  Canada).  Also with a different design screw of the Ford Model A (B.C.:  It's not clear if this was the early (Wiki) or late (Wiki) Model A).

CA103387A Screw Nail, P.L. Robertson, 1907-01-29,

10:04    Thompson invents what's now called the Phillips head.

1908080 Screw, J.P. Thompson, H.F. Phillips, 1933-05-09, 411/403; 16/DIG.39; 470/9; 411/919; 470/60 - used tapered cruciform shaped hole making the head easy to make and strong.
1908081 Screw Driver, J.P. Thompson, H.F. Phillips, 1933-05-09, 81/460 -
2046837 Means for uniting a screw with a driver, Henry F Phillips, Phillips Screw Company, App: 1934-07-03, Pub: 1936-07-07, 81/460; 411/404; 411/919 - "Another object of the invention is the particular angular formation of the walls of the recess in the screw with respect to the angular formation of the working end or bit of the driver to establish a wedging engagement between the two when united. This same angular formation of both elements is especially designed to also create what might be termed a camming action during the approach of these angular faces toward one another with respect to any substances which might have become lodged within the recess of the screw. It has been found by experiment that a downward thrust of the bit into the recess will instantly dislodge any substance within the recess by causing it to move upwardly and outwardly over the walls of the recess."

 B.C.:  This use of the term camming is closely related to the action that tends to push the driver bit away from the screw head.

"Such failure of the slotted screw to retain the blade-driver, especially in power driven operations, is not only dangerous to the operator, but is likewise, always injurious to the work, especially in the construction of furniture and other types of work wherein the elements to which the screws are being applied become badly mutilated 5 when the power driver leaves the slot, usually during high speed operation of the driver which is most diflicult to stop in time to prevent injury to the work."

The GM 1936 Cadalic (Wiki - see In 1934, Henry F. Phillips (Wiki) introduced).

13:36 There's still a heated debate over which is better Robertson or Phillips.
14:02 "That ability to cam out actually offers an advantage for manufacturing.  With a Phillips head screw when the machine head sets the screw it will cam out (Wiki) and that keeps it from over driving the screw."  
B.C.:  This is wrong. Once a non torque limited Phillips driver causes the bit to cam out the screw head will be destroyed.  This is why Pozidrive (Wiki) and Torx (Wiki) are now commonly used where power driven drivers are used.

2046837 Means for uniting a screw with a driver, Henry F Phillips, Phillips Screw Company, 1936-07-07 - no patents cited, but cited by 58 other patents
2474994 Screw socket, Joseph J Tomalis, American Screw Co, App: 1942-12-30, Pub: 1949-07-05, 411/404; 81/460; 411/919 -

Update

The ECX screw (Wiki) used on US household electrical outlets, switches and light fixtures is a combination of Robinson, Philips and Flat Blade heads.  Made by Klein (C1 & C2) and Milwaukee (ECX #1 & ECX #2).

Links