why are old-timey nuts so awesome compared to modern ones?

[drysdam]

My 50s era bench mill came with a bunch of t-bolts and nuts. These nuts are awesome. They are hardened, a little thick, rounded on one end and fit with no slop. The outsides are smooth and flat. The color is nice and they make a great clicky noise when I'm holding more than one.

Compare this to the flashy chrome look, bumpy feel, burr-laden performance (especially of washers) and flat, tinny sound of regular hardware from today.

I know there are various grades of bolts and nuts and that the stuff at the hardware store is likely the worst. But what else is the difference? If I can't buy nuts like this anymore (for a reasonable price) how can I make them? Are they hardened tool steel or case hardened mild or what? Maybe it's just a side effect of cutting vs pressing the shapes?

 

[jwcnc1911]

Imho... because "made in china" can not be found anywhere on them.

 

[drysdam]

If I have to make my own to get nice ones for special occasions/my own use, I'm fine with that. But I want to know HOW.

 

[MachineTom]

I often make nuts when needed, sometimes for appearance, sometimes for size.

The easyest is to start with hex stock, 12L14 is great stuff and cheap. I keep a stock of the basic sizes 3/8 1/2 9/16 3/4 1" and some ss in 1/4 and 3/8.

here is a shot of 2.75 hex in brass.



Bought a 6" piece, wish I'd bought more

 

[kvom]

The standard hardware store small-size nuts are wider and flatter than the larger scale nuts. For these sizes (2-56, 5-40, 8-32, 10-32) I but them from American Model Engineering. Making them is too much like work for me.

 

[Walsheng]

I don't think there is any question that us old nuts are better, tougher, stronger and better looking than the new nuts.
What do you think group?

John, 60 year old nut!

 

[Banjoe]

Love your comment John and, with a few more years on you, totally agree on the value of the aged nuts.

 

[jgedde]

I often make nuts when needed, sometimes for appearance, sometimes for size.

The easyest is to start with hex stock, 12L14 is great stuff and cheap. I keep a stock of the basic sizes 3/8 1/2 9/16 3/4 1" and some ss in 1/4 and 3/8.

here is a shot of 2.75 hex in brass.



Bought a 6" piece, wish I'd bought more

Tom, Your workshop sign is a work of art! That's a potential money maker there. Wanna take orders for the 2013 holiday season?

John

 

[Lew Hartswick]

I don't think there is any question that us old nuts are better, tougher, stronger and better looking than the new nuts.
What do you think group?

John, 60 year old nut!

I agree whole heartedly;
Lew, 80 year old nut!

 

[Hopper]

Easy. Don't buy your nuts at the hardware store. They are the cheapest low grade available.

Go to a fastener specialist store or website and buy Grade 8 nuts and bolts. They are the high tensile, quite hard ones. The ones used to hold Caterpillars together.
Your mill would never have used low grade hardware store bolts in the first place so you are comparing apples with oranges.

Grade 8 bolts are also a source of good stock for making high-stressed components from.

That is the opinion of this middle aged nut anyhow

 

[aonemarine]

They used better elbow grease back then.

 

[Mainer]

Here's a photo of a 6-40 nut I made. It follows the proportions for a "heavy pattern" nut. Check Machinery's Handbook for nut specifications.

I wouldn't want to go into mass production, but nuts aren't hard to make. I started with some round 1144, drilled/tapped for 6-40, put it in an indexer to make the hex, returned it to the lathe to chamfer the top and put about a 3 thou step on the bottom when I parted it off.

 

[drysdam]

I consulted with a mechanical engineer last night. We spent some time going over the nuts and looking stuff up. There's a "USA" stamped on the bearing-side of my sample ones as well as a "W" in a diamond. We thought that could be some kind of treatment marking.

But it could also be a manufacturer's mark. We couldn't find anything that would mean they must be more than "heavy" style, hardened and unplated. I'll try making a few that way and see what I get.

 

[MachineTom]

Thanks for the kind comments John. The problem with nice things like that sign is that most folks will not pay for what it cost to make one. The nameplate is from Brookstone about $60, the hex stock maybe $10 the SS nut and stock, $5, the brass was $15 but likely is way more now, so $100+ in material, and a good 2-3hours to machine it, Tapers, threading, nice finish, then paint it. Thats like 4-5 hours of labor, maybe in bunches you could do them in 3 hours. At $30 hr Plus machine usage. would someone pay $250 for one. Would You?

But Thanx again for the kind comments.

 

[Wagon173]

I don't think there is any question that us old nuts are better, tougher, stronger and better looking than the new nuts.
What do you think group?

John, 60 year old nut!

Better looking: Maybe
Stronger: Probably
Tougher: No question
Better: Not a chance, John! :rant:
27 year old nut
I mean we took your engines and put computers on them...bad example. Okay you win this time, Sir...

 

[steamedlou]

Just a thought. If your looking for better looking small diameter nuts for display purposes, go with metric if you can. In the 2,3,4,mm sizes the shape of the nuts is much taller and not as flat as our standard nuts. the look quite a bit more "insustrial scale"