Thanks, Thermite.
In hindsight, SHOULD have learned up, then bought a thread roller years ago. I really didn't understand the specifics of how, or if they would've worked on a Sheldon or Clausing 5914 type machine, and then, the price stopped me.
I don't think it's an exaggeration; Ford would STILL be making threads for the model T, if they had to cut each one.
Thanks again, all. Hopefully it all comes together.
Geometric dies? Herr Pelz had a design of his own devising. One side. Only!
Damndest of things. Made under binocular microscopes. They been cranking out brass or Alpaca metal screws by the multiple tens of thousands a year for the better part of 40 years.. on tuned-up Iron-bearing South Bend nines!
Chief Engineer ups and dictates human-sweat-resistant stainless to cut the cost of Gold plating the brass and such? Pelz finally bit the bullet, preid the moeny out of the skinflnts, and ordered-up that 8,000 RPM-capable "Hardinge Brothers" as the Old Timers always called them!
There I sat. 88 cents an hour and 5500 RPM, minding my hand-levers right sharply to crank-out #000-124 thread stainless screws!
Earliest lesson in common sense over craftsmanship came with it. Pelz was in his mid 70's, retiring.
"FNG" - from a larger consumer electronics production background looks at that rig, moseys into his office, gets on the phone. Hardinge goes idle.
Dick
bought those tiny-to-us, great stove-bolts to THEM #000 screws from Vallorbs in Switzerland - whole year's supply about a peanut-butter jar size - for about the same net cost, finished and PERFECT .. as we had been wasting in Stainless SCRAP off the back of our imperfections!
Howard Hughes to Noah Dietrich:
"Find the experts, Noah. Find the EXPERTS!"
Ford, ya say? Can't tell that lot there's a rumour going around that shit is suspected of stinking.
Henry was a
plumber as thought Weird-Adolf was a b***dy genius.
See "strength of STEEL" mechanical brakes long after saner folk had gone hydraulic! Pissed him off Ford had to cut royalty deals with BOTH of GM and Chrysler for bits of patent when finally they did go to catch up!
ISTR Ford traded 'em for faster-drying shinier-initially paint chemistry? Then EVERYBODY could
rust faster when it failed?
Got theyselves in the same YEARS behind the R&D / developmnent curve mess, automatic transmission, had to kiss GM and Chrysler patented ass.
Yet, again, another time.