group pole screw buy, need one more particpant...

[Possum]

....

A drawing can only get you so far. The email was the purchase order with all the specs spelled out, thank God I had that or woulda been stuck with zinc screws. I am sending him a Tom Holmes screw and vintage Gibson pole screw and they requested a sample to go by. Holmes screws are nearly flawless and have perfect heads on them, I doubt they'll come close to that. The main thing I want is vintage flat tops with a very gentle curve, they physically need to see what I'm talking about, despite sending them macro photos of real PAF screws. Even then its no guarantee they'll do the job right, and yes they can only do whats within the capabilities of their own equipment, I'm sure Holmes has tweaked his screw maker more than a commercial plant would do...

[kevinT]

I do recall that. But I was originally reacting to Possum's comment in the email that said he wanted nickel not zinc. So we seem to have crossed threads here. Or were you and Possum in cahoots?

I guess my point was that even if you have everything correct, complete, and perfect on paper (the drawing), that that won't necessary mean it's going to reflect what the end product will look like. There may be other issues like the capability and quirks of their equipment/machinery ...

I agree, the type of plating would definitely need to be conveyed clearly on the drawing.

[kevinT]

Any opinions on the screws from MicroFasteners? Nickel plate, right size and thread, curious to know if anyone has actually used them in a pickup? I'm sure they're from asia somewhere. Not terribly expensive and you don't have to order 40,000 of them...

MF carries a mix of USA and Asian-made screws from different manufacturers. I believe what they have are fillisters made from 1022c

[Joe Gwinn]

I guess my point was that even if you have everything correct, complete, and perfect on paper (the drawing), that that won't necessary mean it's going to reflect what the end product will look like. There may be other issues like the capability and quirks of their equipment/machinery ...

It can take a few cycles to find out just what needs to be spelled out in the control drawing. The problem is that screw makers have their own private language, one not common in the guitar pickup field. And pickup makers have their own way of talking too.

A good way to understand a control drawing is as a treaty. Or armistice.

I agree, the type of plating would definitely need to be conveyed clearly on the drawing.

Yep. And that's what triggered me.

[RedHouse]

Any opinions on the screws from MicroFasteners? Nickel plate, right size and thread, curious to know if anyone has actually used them in a pickup? I'm sure they're from asia somewhere. Not terribly expensive and you don't have to order 40,000 of them...

I have used them, they're not bad sometimes.

Can be inconsistent from one order to the next over a period of time though. I'd swear some I got 2 years ago aren't the same as some I got 4 years ago.

Order a box and try them out, if you like them order a few more boxes immediately so you can get more from the same batch.

[SkinnyWire]

Seems asking for heads with straight sides and flat tops, and sending a couple of exemplars is a good way to go. Maybe even ask for a sample based on what you want before giving the go ahead for a full run (doubt most large outfits would agree to that sort of inconvenience though). The biggest problem I've had with suppliers is they just want to send you a functional screw. They don't know/care much about appearance. I mean the specs are the specs, so why do they vary so much in appearance to begin with? Tolerances don't seem to explain some of the swill I've received.

[JGundry]

Samples are a no go for such orders unless you are at the facility in person. You are partly paying for the time it takes to make the screws. Holding up production to send you some samples parts does not happen usually. They have to tool a new header also for any changes. Dimensions and tolerances are what they and you need to know. If you can give them a sample of what you want that they can look at with an optical comparator all the better.