Hardware question-- any special products for this?

[Mike Johnson]

Black wrote:
The hole is loose enough that the screw can easily be pushed in to seat completely by hand, and then comes loose and prevents the gate from being closed. So just glop the JB weld in there, tighten, and hope for the best?

Squirt some foam first, let it cure, then stick a nail in the screw hole until it hits the other side of the the tube stock, then wiggle it around to make a cavity that is bigger than the diameter of the screw, and extends the full depth of the tube stock. Mix up some JB Weld and put it in a syringe. Squirt it into the hole, cover with tape, let cure. Drill a generous pilot hole into the JBW plug.

If you don't want to wait for the JBWeld to cure, cover it with tape, attach lathplate using good screw. Coat the other screw with soap or wax, then drive it into the wet JBW. Tape that screw in place and don't let the gate get jostled while the JBW cures around the threads of the screw.

You could use some other sort of 2-part epoxy, even Bondo, but you'd want to make sure the plug was bigger, is all. You're just turning what is essentially a sheet metal surface into a solid surface.

I guess you could use JBWeld or Threadlock to just glue the piece onto the tubestock. You've already got the one screw to keep it more or less in place. Of the two, I'd use threadlock, and I'd start with the blue, see if it held. Threadlock works well for gluing tightfitting metal pieces, obviously. It has to be a tight, oxygen-free mating for the glue to cure. When it cures, it's very strong but the bond can be broken with a sharp blow along the shear.

[JoeH]

If the material is 1/8" thick, something like this might be suitable for a permanent repair:

http://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivet-nuts-...serts.html

[Black]

JoeH wrote:
If the material is 1/8" thick, something like this might be suitable for a permanent repair:

http://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivet-nuts-...serts.html

Thanks, exactly what I was looking to know if in existence.... can't find much on that exact system but here's a similar one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz2yZNqGNqo
Unfortunately it looks like the tool costs at least $45 and another $15+ for a set of inserts. Not really worth the expense for a need that pops up once every few years.

[Black]

Mike Johnson wrote:
[quote=Black]
The hole is loose enough that the screw can easily be pushed in to seat completely by hand, and then comes loose and prevents the gate from being closed. So just glop the JB weld in there, tighten, and hope for the best?

Squirt some foam first, let it cure, then stick a nail in the screw hole until it hits the other side of the the tube stock, then wiggle it around to make a cavity that is bigger than the diameter of the screw, and extends the full depth of the tube stock. Mix up some JB Weld and put it in a syringe. Squirt it into the hole, cover with tape, let cure. Drill a generous pilot hole into the JBW plug.

If you don't want to wait for the JBWeld to cure, cover it with tape, attach lathplate using good screw. Coat the other screw with soap or wax, then drive it into the wet JBW. Tape that screw in place and don't let the gate get jostled while the JBW cures around the threads of the screw.

You could use some other sort of 2-part epoxy, even Bondo, but you'd want to make sure the plug was bigger, is all. You're just turning what is essentially a sheet metal surface into a solid surface.

I guess you could use JBWeld or Threadlock to just glue the piece onto the tubestock. You've already got the one screw to keep it more or less in place. Of the two, I'd use threadlock, and I'd start with the blue, see if it held. Threadlock works well for gluing tightfitting metal pieces, obviously. It has to be a tight, oxygen-free mating for the glue to cure. When it cures, it's very strong but the bond can be broken with a sharp blow along the shear.
Got it, thanks. Will take a look at what's available next time in a hardware store.

[JoeH]

Black wrote:
[quote=JoeH]
If the material is 1/8" thick, something like this might be suitable for a permanent repair:

http://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivet-nuts-...serts.html

Thanks, exactly what I was looking to know if in existence.... can't find much on that exact system but here's a similar one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz2yZNqGNqo
Unfortunately it looks like the tool costs at least $45 and another $15+ for a set of inserts. Not really worth the expense for a need that pops up once every few years.
One of the rental locations I used in the past would rent out tools like this and sell you inserts either by the package or individually. You might be able to find something in your area where you don't have to buy, or purchase a bag of inserts and they will lend the tool for a day.

[Black]

Thanks again to all.... I managed to find some screws in my collection that were either a hair thicker or had a hair denser thread than the 'stock' screws, and everything seats well now. I tried some that I couldn't advance past a certain point so I'm thinking tapping out the holes very slightly larger would have been the next step if necessary.