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I have a screw attaching a plastic mould to a metal pole like so:

Image1

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Obviously, the screw's thread size is not the same as a standard bolt thread size so a regular nut can't be attached to the end of the screw to hold it in place securely. Can you get nuts that will attach to regular screws? If not, is there some other kind of device I can use to somehow have the same effect as if this were a bolt with a nut attached to it and tightened on to the pole?

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  • Does that screw go all the way through from the other side? Is that the screw that was provided by the manufacturer for the initial installation, or are you fixing this up yourself after parts failed/were lost/was purchased 2nd hand? A little more detail would help.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 11:13
  • I'm fixing it up myself. The original screws didn't go all the way through and were even worse than this one - they fell out.
    – Jez
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 11:43
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    That screw looks like a wood screw that was used after the original screw was damaged or lost.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:12
  • Yeah. Was kind of emergency after the old one fell out. It's holding OK for now but it's not ideal, hence this question. :-)
    – Jez
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:14
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    BTW- That "regular" screw is called a "wood screw". "Machine screws" and "bolts" are also "regular".
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 18:16

5 Answers 5

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You can sort-of they're called "speed nuts". ir's a sort of spring steel contrivance that grasps onto the screw threads and often be pushed on too.

enter image description here

However I'm not sure that that would be the best solution here. A ring of 6 or 8 pop-rivets might do a better job. just in a circle around the base of the moulding at about the same height as the screw.

Apologies for any uncanny valley caused by my poor photo editing skills.

enter image description here

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    Think OP would want something that covers the end of the screw for safety/prevent blood dripping on stuff, more than a keeper/holder that is not really needed for a screw. Using pop rivets is a good idea instead of a screw/bolt and nut.
    – crip659
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:11
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    @Jez Do not hammer pop rivets, you squeeze them with a tool called a pop rivet gun, after making the right size hole. Also known as blind rivets, where you only have access to one side.
    – crip659
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:14
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    pop rivets fit from the outside, they are what's holding that pulley slot or whatever it is in. see picture.
    – Jasen
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:19
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    @Jez If space for a drill is the problem, there are right angle attachments that should fit in there.
    – crip659
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:37
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    Haha, like the image!
    – Jez
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:49
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No, but you can drill out that hole, or make a new hole and replace the screw with a bolt.

There are different nuts you then use. Regular nuts, might want two. locking nuts. And the one you probably want would be a cap nut, a regular nut with a dome covering the threads. Length of bolt becomes more important, since cap nuts can only fit on a few threads.

If you want to keep with the screw, you could get a slightly longer screw and use a small block of wood or plastic to screw into and cover the end of the screw.

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  • Definitely calls for a nut & bolt, not a screw.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:02
  • Would you recommend washers on the end of the bolt, between the plastic mould and metal ends of the bolt/nut?
    – Jez
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 12:53
  • @Jez Flat washers will tend to spread the force on the plastic. Do not really think you need to tighten the nut that much. Just so it touches/comes close to the plastic.
    – crip659
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 13:19
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    @JezI don't think there's any force to spread on the plastic because you're not torquing that nut down. You just want the nut there to prevent the pieced from coming apart in the up/down direction. They are not spreading apart. A locknut that's not coming off the bolt but on so the bolt can freely spin still solves your problem, right?
    – Brad
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 13:27
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    I feel like torquing it down with a washer would help to put less stress on the plastic mould, because otherwise, when the parasol base/pole is turned, all the sideways motion of the parasol canvas turning with it is going to go on the nut pushing against the plastic. With a torqued couple of washers, the force would be on a wider area.
    – Jez
    Commented Jul 8, 2022 at 13:36
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That looks like a Heath Robinson bit of work, with the screw point sticking out to catch someone's hand. It needs taking out, and the hole opening up to take a standard bolt or setscrew long enough to go through and take a nut, preferrably self-locking - on the other side. A 6mm or 8mm bolt will suffice, and if it's too long, you could always saw off the part that protrudes beyond the outside of the nut.

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You could replace the wood screw with a couple of sheet metal screws (example). They will need to be of a diameter to fit firmly into the existing holes in the metal pole. They don't need to be very long as they are fastening the plastic fixture to the adjacent side of the metal pipe.

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Place a blob of epoxy putty over the sharp point.

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