Aluminium setscrews

[Daveanmucker]

When fitting my mainsail this year, I stripped the threads in the mast on the gate that holds in the runners. I increased the size of the threads and fitted a stainless setscrew temporarily. Understanding that I should change this to an alloy screw as soon as poss.

However on returning to Lancashire I am having difficulty finding aluminium screws, even on the internet having no success.

I am aware that steel and aluminium will react in the threads, was wondering about brass, has anyone any knowledge or experience about this.?

[sahona]

I'm in the same boat as you- figuratively speaking. I've ended up with a 9-ishMM hole in the mast after bashing out the remains of what I believe may have been a rosan-press-nut ( a rivet with an internal thread). I'm going to try and make a rawl-type plug out of nylon/plastic so the stainless screw won't gall. It's either that or a butterfly nut which may have to be sacrificed every second season. I'm trying to avoid screwing into the mast again even though I do have almost every chemical anti-corrosion paste known to man, available.
If you must, use stainless (that's probably what the gate is made of anyway), and a non-galling pipe sealant.

[Daveanmucker]

Will do as you suggest when I get up to Ardfern tomorrow, am sailing north then for a week or two. So havn't time to do anything serious.

However you have given me another idea, I have a small lathe here in Lancashire I will make a set screw out of either aluminium or a nyloc material, when I get back.

Cheers, Dave

[sahona]

I made a nylon tapered plug, tapped, and hacksawed a split ( like a rawlplug. Smacked it into the hole really hard, chopped off the excess to make it flush, and hey presto, it is tight on the screw, and cannot sieze.