2001-01-14
The inkwell is back together. I have no way of measuring the pitch other
than to try to screw it into a known nut. As I noted, the diameter is
"close to" M4. The screw will thread about 2 turns into an M4 x 0.7 mm nut
before binding. This tells me it is either an M4 screw with a thread pitch
other than 0.7 mm as is the standard now, or if it is an imperial screw,
like #8-36, if there ever was such a size. I was asking to anyone who might
know what fastener standards might have been in use in France in 1944 or
before. Also, the screw is 11 mm long, which is not a standard metric
length in today's screws. In FFU, this could be a 7/16 inch long screw.
I'm not sure if 7/16 is or ever was a standard length.
This is all the information I can provide.
Glückliches Neues Jahr!
Happy New Year!
John
Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrtümlich glaubt
frei zu sein.
There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they
are free!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
Behalf Of Joseph B. Reid
Sent: Sunday, 2001-01-14 09:00
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:10464] Re: French fasteners circa 1944
Kilopascal asked in USMA 10455:
>In the autumn of 1944 my father was in the US army ETO and at
that time was
>in Paris. While there, he bought some souvenirs. One in
particular that my
>mother still has is an inkwell. It had turned over the years from copper
>colour to black. She recently decided to paint it gold. She had
me take it
>apart so she could do a proper job. The only thing that needed to be
>removed was Notre Dame which sat in the middle between the two ink wells.
>Notre Dame was held to the base by a single screw. Once apart I
was curious
>to know what type of screw it was. Assuming it might be metric, I first
>tried to screw it into an M4 nut. It only went about 2 turns,
then it bound
>up. I had no other screws to try and now that it is back together I won't
>have the chance to try it on other nuts. The screw is a round head, not
>pan, and the shaft length is 11 mm (not 10 mm). I checked that length a
>couple of times to be sure.
>
>What I'm curious about, is what fastener standard did the French
use in that
>period? Could it be an American type screw? Could it have been British
>Withworth? Or could it have been metric with a thread pitch
other than 0.7
>mm?
What is the exact diameter of the thread, and what is the ptich? Without
that information it is impossible to make a diagnosis.
