Many thanks for the suggestion. I'm avoiding black oxide for now because they rust easily. We used=20 to build out industrial process oven control boxes using 6-32=20 flat-head hex socket screws with black oxide finish to mount the=20 circuit boards to the door of the cabinet. I found that they=20 completely rust over after a period of time. Because these patch panels are part of the building's infrastructure,=20 their expected service lifetime is many decades. I know that they=20 are going to get dirty over that time period but I really want to=20 avoid having rusted screws. Many thanks! dwayne At 08:10 PM 4/4/2015, Sean Breheny wrote: >Not sure about black-painted but you can get black oxide coated screws fro= m >mcmaster.com (McMaster-Carr) > >On Sat, Apr 4, 2015 at 8:41 PM, Dwayne Reid wrote= : > > > Good day to all. > > > > I'm on the tail end of a project and I find that I can't seem to find > > the machine screws that I want. > > > > This is an XLR audio connector patch panel and we are using standard > > Neutrik chassis-mount audio connectors. Because we want these things > > to look relatively pretty, we are using connectors with black shells > > mounted onto black panels. Therefore, it would be really nice if the > > screws that hold the connectors to the panel were also black. > > > > We need two different screws: > > > > 1) 4-40 x 3/8" flat-head with either Robertson or Phillips head > > 2) 6-32 / 3/8" round-head or binding head, preferably with the same > > drive as above. > > > > I'm looking for on-going production quantities. My initial order > > will be for 12,000 of the 4-40 screws and 1000 of the 6-32 screws, > > all in black. > > > > I know that Asian-made consumer electronics gear is covered with > > black-painted screws but I'll be darned if I can find a supplier. > > > > We are just finalizing the metalwork right now and I do have the > > option to change to metric thread instead of SAE if we really have > > to. However, my preference is to stay with the SAE threads that I > > mention above. > > > > Suggestions for suppliers gratefully accepted. > > > > Many thanks! > > > > dwayne --=20 Dwayne Reid Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd Edmonton, AB, CANADA (780) 489-3199 voice (780) 487-6397 fax www.trinity-electronics.com Custom Electronics Design and Manufacturing --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .