Re: Meccano bolts

moray wrote:
"Ken Wilson" <ken@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:f60vfl$9hn$1@xxxxxxxxxxx

I guess this is the right newsgroup for this one. Its not quite Sieg v Myford but you can't get more uk.rec.models.engineering than meccano.....

My 7 yr old has one of the (French manufactured) meccano sets. Alas, he is having difficulty because the nuts and bolts keep coming undone - and its turning him off it.

I don't seem to remember having that much trouble 45 yrs ago when i used to be an avid fan. Its not just him - even when i tighten them, they will still work loose with ordinary handling.

The bolts are different from those I remember - these are allen headed black things (diameter outside thread 3.5mm - sorry haven't got a thread gauge). The nuts look similar to my youth - square not hexagonal but i remember them as marginally thicker. There are many more bolt length options than I ever used to have as well.

There are some nyloc nuts in the set and I have also locknutted the critical ones and tried the old varnish trick on the thread but none of these are a sensible solution. I did ask the chap with all the Army Meccano models at Brighton exhibition earlier this year but he didn't have the problem.

I guess the nuts or bolts are cheapo with too much clearance and I would be perfectly happy to buy him some good ones if it means he xxx we can get on with the big crane with motor - but what do I get and where from - and would normal hexagonal nuts be Ok for 7 yr old fingers?

Ken


Is 3.5mm not a common(ish) metric size, and given that it's french, it's highly unlikely going to be imperial.

It's still the same 5/32 bsw thread - but the new French stuff has slightly smaller holes than the old meccano.

However m4 nuts and bolts will fit in the new holes, albeit needing a gentle squeeze sometimes if the paint is too thick. With m4, you have a complete range of nuts and bolts readily available.


And a 7yo, is more likely to manage normal hexagon nuts of that size far better then you!

yep! But get him some box spanners too.


-- Peter Fairbrother
.

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  • Re: Meccano bolts
    ... My 7 yr old has one of the meccano sets. ... he is having difficulty because the nuts and bolts keep coming undone - and its turning him off it. ... The bolts are different from those I remember - these are allen headed black things. ... I did ask the chap with all the Army Meccano models at Brighton exhibition earlier this year but he didn't have the problem. ...
    (uk.rec.models.engineering)
  • Re: Meccano bolts
    ... he is having difficulty because the nuts and bolts keep coming undone - and its turning him off it. ... The bolts are different from those I remember - these are allen headed black things. ... I did ask the chap with all the Army Meccano models at Brighton exhibition earlier this year but he didn't have the problem. ... Is 3.5mm not a commonmetric size, and given that it's french, it's highly unlikely going to be imperial. ...
    (uk.rec.models.engineering)
  • Re: Meccano bolts
    ... My 7 yr old has one of the meccano sets. ... he is having difficulty because the nuts and bolts keep coming undone - and its turning him off it. ... The bolts are different from those I remember - these are allen headed black things. ... I did ask the chap with all the Army Meccano models at Brighton exhibition earlier this year but he didn't have the problem. ...
    (uk.rec.models.engineering)
  • Re: Meccano bolts
    ... My 7 yr old has one of the meccano sets. ... The bolts are different from those I remember - these are allen headed black ... The nuts look similar to my youth - square not hexagonal but i remember them ... year old fingers, IIRC I was 5 when I got my first meccano set, a big ...
    (uk.rec.models.engineering)