Square imperial Nuts.

[timtheenchanter]

OK, Ive searched high and low for these things, but as yet to no avail,

I work in a performing arts school, with some mobile, adjustable dance barres.

Now my problem, these were made in america, my emails, as yet unanswered, and time difference makes it impossible to phone them at work (and Im damned if im making international calls at home!)

I`m looking for 4 large square nuts.
5/8" thread 1 1/4" square, 5/16 deep (1/4" deep would be OK too)

any one any ideas??

 

[TicklyT]

If the equipment was made in America, the chances are the threads will be to US standards, either NF or NC threads. They are mostly interchangable with UNF or UNC threads commonly available from fastener suppliers this side of the pond.

Most of the stock nuts available will be hexagonal, but that is usually of little consequence, just needing a different spanner (or a different setting on an adjustable spanner)

A 'penny washer' under the nut may help if there's a particularly large clearance hole round the threads of the fittings.

Try taking a sample nut or fitting to a fastener stockist, and see if they can match it.

 

[timtheenchanter]

the problem is, it needs to be sqaure, it sits in a slide, so a hex nut would easily pull out (thinking of students force)

http://www.alvas.com/barres.html

is the product in question, you can see the wing nut in the picture, this is on the outside of the "slide" the square nut on the inside, which the wing nut locks it at the right height.

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

find out what thread they are and make them. simples

 

[ColJack]

yeah, I'd say they were made for the job..

looks kind of like unistrut to me though..
see if a unistrut nut fits and buy some with a smaller hole and drill and tap to suit..

 

[timtheenchanter]

find out what thread they are and make them. simples

I might end up doing that, Id still have to find a suitable tap then, was trying to find a ready made solution.

hey ho.

 

[TicklyT]

If a unistrut fitting fits the channel sections, maybe you could replace both the bolt and wing nut with an easily available equivalent? There's very little difference in diameter between 5/8" and 16mm fixings, just the thread pitch.

 

[timtheenchanter]

I will try to find a unistrut fitting and try it,

after further investigation, the brand is PowerStrut P5000 model, hwever, this is also purly an american product, and this model discontinued.

 

[Bodgeit and scarper ltd]

the thread should be unf if its a fine thread or unc for coarse, get them on eBay

 

[Trazor]

Some BSW/BSF nuts can be screwed on UNF/UNC/NF/NC bolts, this is not good practise, but may get you by, if all else fails.

 

[JohnD]

I presume they are used to clamp the bar to the wall fixing on the "Adjustable/Removable" model?

The square ones are sometimes called "Stove Bolts/Nuts" in America

If I had your problem, I'd try either a UK Nut/Bolt engineering supplier; and if they couldn't help, I'd do an Interweb search for an American one.

Is there a bolt? Or is the stud fixed to the other part? If there is a bolt, you could buy a complete set of nuts and bolts to a common spec (probably metric these days) Square nuts are used on Roofing bolts over here (galvanised and easily available)

p.s. having thought about it a bit more, you might try a local engineering workshop. They could cut some square pieces out of 6mm steel plate and make a threaded hole in them.

 

[TicklyT]

Another possibility may be Tee nuts, as used to clamp jobs on milling machine tables etc.

NOT the tee nuts used to fix timbers

 

[timtheenchanter]

thanks for all the suggestions, Ill be looking into a few today.

the strut is welded to the floor stand, the square bolt is attached to the arm of the barre, not a seperate part, the square bolt slides up and down in this and is locked in place with a wing nut.