Screwy Situation

[owsf2000]

Literally. I find myself in need of some "#4 x 1/2 pan Phillips Sheet Metal Screws, Zinc Plated".

Sadly they aren't typically carried by hardware stores, so I'm probably going to have to ask around. I can probably get a supply from Atari Age, although not going to ask there til sometime next month or so when I know more about how many I'll probably be wanting to get. (This is all far in the future planning however.)

Basically I got me some new colecovision cartridge shells. And I'm planning on getting some transparent shells done up for future use with homebrew games. Of course, I haven't even started coding for the colecovision yet, but the time window for obtaining these shells is limited to this summer with no way to know if the chance will come again. :) Wish I had more money available, but oh well. I'm starting in on saving up in case atari 2600 shells become available in the future. :)

The reason for the screws of course is that the shells I have require a certain sized screw to hold both halves of the cartridge together. (Same deal with just about any game cartridge really.) These shells actually take 2 screws. So if I get 100 transparent shells done up, I'll be needing at LEAST 200 screws. And of course I'd prefer to have more than absolutely necessary just to make sure I don't run out for some odd reason. :)

For some reason, I've also been pondering buying some gold spray paint to see how a cartridge would look and feel afterward. IE: Would it have that Zelda shine? ;) Going to have to see if I can find a paint that sticks to ABS plastic I guess.

I'm such a nerd. ;_;

Comments

[sailorzeo.livejournal.com]

Try Krylon Fusion. It's designed for plastics.

[rabbitucker.livejournal.com]

You might try a computer component store. They need tiny screws for all sorts of internal workings and whatnot. Do they necessarily have to be zinc plated?

In answer to your question about paint, I find that a basic hobby-type spray primer does the job in most any case. Armory brand black primer is around 5-8 bucks, or you can get the white or gray primer if you prefer.

[owsf2000.livejournal.com]

I'll keep both tips for paint in mind for whenever I get lazy/brave enough to go messing with it. :) If it turns out awesome, I'll likely put up some pics of it.

For the computer store route, I'm not entirely sure if they'd have what I'm looking for, particularly in the quantity I'm going to need. Most computer components usually come packaged with the screws they need for basic assembly so even the computer stores that build custom boxes probably have no need to buy screws separately.

I doubt they need to be zinc plated in particular. I'm guessing those are just the type that are used by the guy who filled me in on what he uses for these coleco carts. :) If all else fails, I can probably get them on amazon or ebay, but those will be last resorts.