On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 10:14 AM, Chris Zach
<cz alembic crystel com> wrote:
That then is what those rust covered 3 point screws are for. I'll get a new set of stainless ones from Home Despot this weekend. I just wish there was a source for non-stainless screws that were not made of zinc and crud out there.
Steel is definitely the preferred choice here. A stainless screw in a steel hole will tend to corrode the steel aggressively. Probably worse in an iron hole. If stainless is all you can find, smear some Vaseline in the hole and on the screw to seal out moisture and limit the corrosion. And just in case anyone is confused, we're not talking about a 3 point slot in the head like some security screws. Tri-lobed screws have the threaded shaft section gently squished on three sides so the end looks a little like the rotor of a Wankel engine. I mis-typed, they are not self tapping screws, technically thread forming screws. Search on Taptite or shakeproof screws for more info.
Chris