Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Im in the uk and find this forum a gold mine of info. So im going to pick your brains!

What screws do people prefere to use to fix their ali trims on? do they counter sink the trim then use counter sunk screws or use dome screws that sit proud of the trim and require no counter sinking?

Thanks
Andy

Sort oise..

I use #6 3/4" stainless steel pan head sheet metal screws.I think cadmium screws may encourage corrosion. Some use aluminum nails. I think a lot of the origional tears used 'em.

Tony

I am about to replace steel square drive painted with stainless steel, they rusted. They were set into the aluminum frame.

I used all stainless steel either flat head or pan head - depending where it was used.

Every screw used in construction of my TD was a 'round' head stainless screw of appropriate size (#6 or 8, 3/4" or 1" long). Even on the trim pieces which used a plastic insert I fastened the aluminum trim with stainless screws & then added the insert. When I added the 0.062" 'diamond tread' trim at bottom, I used #8 x 3/4" stainless every 3-4" or so. The stainless screws are much 'softer' than I expected & necessitated careful adjustment of the torque setting on my electric drill/screwdriver in order to prevent damage to the 'Phillips' screw heads... Even that was not always completely successful in preventing all damage

Stainless screws, and you could even hide them. The trim around my doors for instance is on the edges, rather than on the outside face. Caulk under the heads of course.

tony.latham wrote:I use #6 3/4" stainless steel pan head sheet metal screws.I think cadmium screws may encourage corrosion. Some use aluminum nails. I think a lot of the origional tears used 'em.

Tony

Cadmium plated steel against aluminum will corrode if left unpainted (and gets wet)
But does fare much better than zinc plating what zinc pretty much the only coating for steel fasteners outside of aerospace & military users now days.
Cadmium, a toxic heavy metal has been phased out of all manner of products.

For the most part, I use stainless when fastening 'ally & its exposed to water. The head type will vary depending on whats getting fastened, but for the most part its trusshead screws. If I do countersink, its usually ovalhead screws. Its just me, But I think they look better than flatheads especially so if the countersinks are not spot on.