Re: Hinge Rivets

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:v4qjar$104h5$1@dont-email.me...
On 6/17/2024 4:49 PM, David Billington wrote:

Have you looked at piano hinge? Cut to the length you require, it can come with or without hole for mounting.
>

Yeah I was thinking piano hinge or whatever equivalent I have laying
around left over from repairing boat compartment doors for the roof/lid
hinges.  What I was more thinking about was the pivot points for the
connecting links between the trays.
Bob La Londe
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The hardest part of my suggestion may be finding short enough screws. The brass tubing "shoulders" could be parted off quickly with a rod or drill bit inside to retain them and quick length setting with a ruler, as they can be a bit too long. Another possibility is undercutting the head, there's more than enough metal on a Phillips pan head to turn a step for sheetmetal. All the common number-size machine screws except #8 can be chucked in a fractional 5C collet. Even on my old leather-belt lathe with a handwheel collet closer, making one cut apiece in a dozen screws goes pretty quickly. Usually they are clearance cuts to eyeball accuracy.
I modify small screws in batches so I made cup shaped screw holders tapped for the sizes I use, up to 1/2" which was for battery mounting posts for a Segway project. The walls of the cup are about the length of a 5C gripping surface and the back is bored out to cut off protruding threads short. I cut a shallow groove near each end to make removing them from the collet easier.
The best one, which I've made only for 3/8-16 so far, was tapped full length, grooved on both ends for the O rings that keep it together, then sawed lengthwise in thirds to align with 5C slots or pairs of jaws on the 6-jaw. It grabs the whole thread, not just the crest like a collet which is less secure.