flass Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 I have a couple of screws on my KS-16 where the head has been slightly damaged. Since they are becoming quite hard to tighten/loosen, I am thinking of replacing them. But what are these screws called, what's the screw type I should look in search of replacement screws? It's those small screws that fixate the outer shell against the inner shell. And also used to fasten the LED strips on the outer shell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfu Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 Since I don't have a Kingsong, I'll make some assumptions here. If it is a "sheet metal" type screw that is commonly used to secure plastic-to-plastic, be aware that the specifications for these are incredibly lax; each manufacturer uses their own metrics, probably to avoid patent infringements. If they are going into plastic, you are in danger of wallowing out the hole by using another screw that is slightly different. I would be tempted to just drill all the way thru, tap it with a known machine thread like 6x32 or 8x32 (not metric screws; their pitch is a bit too fine for plastic) and insert machine screws of the appropriate length from then on. It will hold just as well as the original screws (as long as you don't strip them). Manufacturers use the tapered screws because they are self tapping, not because they are better. A photo or two would certainly help us understand what you are talking about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flass Posted May 28, 2017 Author Share Posted May 28, 2017 14 hours ago, alfu said: Since I don't have a Kingsong, I'll make some assumptions here. If it is a "sheet metal" type screw that is commonly used to secure plastic-to-plastic, be aware that the specifications for these are incredibly lax; each manufacturer uses their own metrics, probably to avoid patent infringements. If they are going into plastic, you are in danger of wallowing out the hole by using another screw that is slightly different. I would be tempted to just drill all the way thru, tap it with a known machine thread like 6x32 or 8x32 (not metric screws; their pitch is a bit too fine for plastic) and insert machine screws of the appropriate length from then on. It will hold just as well as the original screws (as long as you don't strip them). Manufacturers use the tapered screws because they are self tapping, not because they are better. While I am a little too lazy to unscrew anything on the wheel now to check, I am pretty sure that your assumptions of self drilling sheet metal screws are correct. The reason that I have damaged one or two of them are simply that they were attached under the pedal pad which is glued on to the plastic, and the glue made some of the screws very hard to unscrew, and I also probably had a screw bit of a slightly incorrect size. Anyway, I might stick then with the original screws until they they get so stuck that I would need glue to loosen them or something, they are not THAT bad yet Thanks for your insightful comments and advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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