# Making a socket for 00-90 bolts? Any ideas?



## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

Hello all,

I'm just about ready to assemble a project I've been working on for a while, and so I'll need to tighten up some little 00-90 nuts and bolts. Some of the nuts are going to be hard to get to and so I'll need to make a socket wrench of some kind. I thought maybe I would take a brass plate, drill a hole in it then file it until it fits over the nut, then solder that to a piece of tubing, but I'm open to ideas! 

Thanks,
Keith


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## redbeard (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Keith, 
Take one of your bolts to a good hardware store and look for a small "socket head" or "allen" bolt that fits the hex on your bolt. Most hardware stores have these in trays of "specialty" fasteners. from there you can make a nut driver by concocting a handle, such as a piece of round stock threaded for whatever the allen bolt is, or just a piece of automotive vacuum tubing that is very tight over the threads. If you are set up to silver solder, you can also solder a piece of flat to the socket head, cut off the bolt part and make a box head wrench. I made brass ones to start with and they did not last long. Or if you have a hobby shop that does a lot of model airplane stuff you might find the nut drivers there. Micro-Mark sells a 4 piece set for about $20 + shipping that includes a 5/64 which is what most 00-90 bolts are. Hope this helps. 
Larry


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

That's a great idea about using the socket head bolt--thanks very much Larry! 

Keith


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

This is basically what Larry said. This is a 4 x 40 cap screw which works for 0 x 80 scale hex nuts. The cap screw is just tapped and loctite into the brass rod. May not have to tap it really. Epoxy may be enough fo 00 x 90. The wood ball came from Micheal's artsy craftsy store. You should run a pin thru the shaft in the ball to prevent it from rotating.


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Bob, good job! 

I think I need about a 2-56 socket head screw. 

Keith


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

This is a variation. These are regular Allen head set screws. Heat them up red hot and cool them slowly. They soften just enough to drill a hole in the end. Silver solder to a cheap screw driver with the tip ground off. Grind the Allen screw threads off. The small one is for 2 x 56 model hex and the larger is 5 x 40. These are more work, but are now some my heirloom tools.


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

Yet another great idea--thanks a lot Bob. I think I may just have some 2-56 set screws at home so I'll give that a try tonight! 

Thanks again, 
Keith


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## ZachsPappaw (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Keith:

We expect pictures of your project man!









Have Fun: Jeff


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

We expect pictures of your project man!

Ha ha! Well, OK. I'm making a 1:22.5 light tower, for use on a work train. It's modelled after an Italian towerlight which is supplied power from a genset.


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## ZachsPappaw (Jan 3, 2008)

as usual Keith, your ideas and work are breath taking









Jeff


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Sweet. How are you doing the solder work?


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Jeff! Glad you like it! 

Bob, I've been using a little butane torch for the soldering, and I wrap wet paper towel where I don't want the heat to go. 

Keith


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a couple set of *these nutdrivers* Keith. A little more expensive perhaps, but indispensable and well worth the price imho. Plus I didn't have to fart around making something.


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## ZachsPappaw (Jan 3, 2008)

Keith, BTW, where's the figure from? 

Jeff


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

Plus I didn't have to fart around making something. 

Yah Dwight, but that's half the fun!! I was lucky to have a 2-56 setscrew at home, and found a piece of brass tubing that fit just right over top of the threads. Then I soldered it in and machined off the outside threads--it worked great! Thanks for all the advice, guys! 

@Jeff: He is an LGB guy--came with a couple of other track workers in set 51404. Here is the link: 
http://www.lgb-bahn.de/de/produkte/...ehoer.html


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

I guess I'm a little confused about how these nutdrivers are labeled. Maybe I'm confusing metric with English measurements? I purchased a micro-nut driver set (pictured) from Lowe's. Its smallest driver is 5/64. I have some smaller drivers that came with a Ruby kit I purchased several years ago. I'm not sure what a 2-56 driver is or a 00-090. The measurements in these cases are not in fractions. Anyway, here's what I have. Incidentally, there are various micro screw drivers included here b/c the ones I bought at Harbor Freight broke. I'm hoping these from Lowes are made from better steel


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Dave

The numeral notation to which you refer (i.e. 2-56 & 00-90) are the designation for the machine screw sizes (i.e. major diameter & threads per inch), where the designations for the sockets are measurements across the flats of the hex head.

Unified Thread Standard[/b] 

ISO Metric Screw Thread 

[/b]


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Thanks, So how would I know what type of bolt a 5/64 driver can handle?


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, you could invest about $100.00 in the following book.










Or dig around the Internet and come up with the information.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Cool, might beat my trial-and-error method of grabbing drivers until I find one snug enough to fit and not strip the bolt


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## redbeard (Jan 2, 2008)

For yet another wrench in the gears..........Micro Fasteners sells bolts with standard or "scale" hex heads! 
Larry


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## RimfireJim (Mar 25, 2009)

Posted By SteveC on 03 Feb 2010 08:53 AM 
Well, you could invest about $100.00 in the following book.










Or dig around the Internet and come up with the information.

























I _have_ a Machinery's Handbook (vol. 24), and the smallest hex head machine screw I can find in it is a size 1, and it calls out a hex across flats of .125 (1/8") for that size, not 7/64" as per the table above. Looks like there may be some variations out there.
Another thing to note is that, unlike in larger fractional inch bolt sizes, the nut sizes for machine screws are bigger than the screw head sizes. For example, a #2 screw has an 1/8" hex head but a #2 hex nut is 3/16".


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## RimfireJim (Mar 25, 2009)

Posted By redbeard on 03 Feb 2010 09:27 AM 
For yet another wrench in the gears..........Micro Fasteners sells bolts with standard or "scale" hex heads! 
Larry 
They do? I don't see that anywhere on their website. I do see "small pattern" hex nuts in stainless, which are smaller across the flats than standard nuts.


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim

The table matrix is a partial excerpt from J.I. Morris Co.[/b] manufacturing specifications (i.e. located at bottom of page), which to my understanding are manufactured to the Common Old Standard Miniature Instrument Threads which are still supported, but were superseded by the newer UNM standards in 1958 (Unified National Miniature Thread Series (miniature metric thread)).

I don't believe there is anything in the fastener arena that doesn't have exceptions/variations, that's what I love about standards, there are so many to choose from.









Regarding the fact that the _Machinery's Handbook_ lists nothing smaller than size 1 surprises me, I guess there are limits to everything.


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## redbeard (Jan 2, 2008)

"They do? I don't see that anywhere on their website. I do see "small pattern" hex nuts in stainless, which are smaller across the flats than standard nuts." 
Hi Jim, 
My mistake, they have "scale" nuts listed in the brass section. These nuts are the same size hex as their brass bolts. (ie 2-56 both nut and bolt are 1/8 inch hex) Much easier to deal with one size of wrench. Of course you need two of everything! 
Larry


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

you guys do know that walthers has wrenches for the small sizes ?

both as a set as in the link and buy themselves 


http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/949-662


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## dawgnabbit (Jan 2, 2008)

>that's what I love about standards, there are so many to choose from.











Hilarious! I love it!

Dawg


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

For really small hardware and the wrenches to go with it, check out the Scale Hardware site. Yes Redbeard, they have bolts smaller than 4-40. 

Larry


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