P90 pole screws, why is 1/4 removed?

[SFIV1967]

@beinhard posted those pictures of the Chris Fleming guitar's P90 pickups and I imediatelly noticed the modified pole screws.
What does that modification do ? I guess Chris Fleming had a reason for this. Anybody has an idea? Just curious.




Ralf

 

[Wilmywood]

That is a common way to make a screw a self-tapper or a thread cleanup tool. The edges of the cuts help either clean up or crate threads in the plate to which they attach something. I have used this method myself when I had a compromised thread in something and no thread chaser the right size.

 

[SFIV1967]

That is a common way to make a screw a self-tapper or a thread cleanup tool. The edges of the cuts help either clean up or crate threads in the plate to which they attach something. I have used this method myself when I had a compromised thread in something and no thread chaser the right size.

Interesting. Makes sense but I just don't understand this for pole pieces on a new pickup. Also I guess in case of Chris Fleming he had all the tools needed in the factory and still those pole pieces?

But agreed, that the tips of the screws lool like filed tapered and the threads flattened, so yes, something was cutting here something!
Maybe he used larger diameter screws to make the pickups hotter? Is that even possible?



Well, we don't even know if that modification was done by Chris Fleming or a subsequent owner.

Ralf

 

[Default]

That's a box-stock self tapping screw. Now, self tappers have four or five slits cut in the threads, but the quarter cut was the way it was done initially. The baseplate was probably punched out in one shot, and the legs were bent in another. There wouldn't have been a separate process when the screw holes were tapped, you would put the screws in with an air powered screw gun.
I used to build coffee vending machines, and that was the procedure. Tapping would have cost more money than it saved.

 

[SFIV1967]

That's a box-stock self tapping screw. ... The baseplate was probably punched out in one shot, and the legs were bent in another.

Very interesting! So that was done at Seymour Duncan already. Would have never thought that SD used such self drilling screws as polescrews.
I just checked the pictures @GAD had posted of his Bluesbird P90 and it has the same pole screws used!



And even that 2016 made Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90 has them:



So it was not something special Chris Fleming did. Case closed, thanks for all the input!

Ralf