Conventional Fixtures S4 accessory slot thumb screws

z2oo

Active Member
Hi friends, it's always been my dream to replace every standard S4's accessory slot with the fancy thumb screws that the zooms come with... Say I need enough to swap out 150 fixtures worth (x2)—the ETC list price (PN# HW2177) is somewhere around $1.80-2.30 a piece = $500+ to do this (unless these are shipped in pairs?).

I assume there's got to be some kind of wholesale knurled 8-32 x 1/4" thumb screws for sale somewhere, but some Googling has only found these from Fastenal, which are nylon and not black!

Do you all have thoughts about this, whether it be something I've overlooked, that I should bite the bullet and not gyp ETC out of money, that I'm dumb for wanting to do this, etc?
 
Search 'knurled head thumb screws' at McMaster.com. You can drill it down by diameter and length. For those exact specs they've got them with plastic heads (black or red), $9 for 25 pieces (91185A285). You may want to go longer to get more choices. If you can stand to have them with 3/8" of thread, there's a 25 pack of brass ones for $11 (92421A192).
 
You may want to go longer to get more choices. If you can stand to have them with 3/8" of thread, there's a 25 pack of brass ones for $11 (92421A192).

I was hoping to go all-metal (saw nothing on McMaster when I looked earlier), but I suppose plastic is fine for me with a buncha Lustrs. Not having a fixture within in reach, I'll have to see if a longer thread would work in order for the shoulder to actually compress and keep the slot closed. As of now I'm not sure how deep the threads go into the fixture so was hoping to stay at the same, known-to-work length.
 
I really like this idea. Can't believe I didn't think of it. Thank you. Even at $1.25 each it does add up quickly. This seems to be the cheapest I can find.

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/60746690
Consider TS501 from SpaeNaur TS501 should be a quantity of 100 8-32 x 3/8" long with a shoulder.
Spae Naur is a HUGE hardware distributor typically selling ENORMOUS quantities to clients such as Home Depot and their competitors. Companies such as Home Depot should be able to order as little as one box of 100 items for your personal use at a very attractive price point IF you can convince your local Home Depot to trouble themselves to push a little paperwork on your behalf.
https://spaenaur.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Thumbscrews-B279-B285.pdf

Edit: 566-A01-1A (Further down the same page) May also be of interest if you'd prefer brass with a knurled grip.


Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
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Do they have to be black? That's a bit of a limitation and I have a feeling that brass hardware would go entirely unnoticed from the ground.

One word of caution. My space uses primarily Altman Shakespeares, which came from the factory with knurled brass knobs. I've actually considered changing them to philips because the threads are short and technicians drop them when the screw unexpectedly departs from the fixture. I'll bet 1/3 of my inventory is missing at least one brass thumbscrew. People tend to go less crazy with it when turning a screwdriver.
 

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